Valley Aviary

Breeder's of Eclectus Parrots, Timneh African Grey, Great Billed Parrot, Cape Parrot

About Great Billed Parrots

The Great Billed Parrot is part of the Tanygnathus family and is approximately 16 inches long and weighs 375 to 450 grams. Like all parrots they have a long life span.

We find Great Billed Parrots to be sweet natured birds that will take to a variety of people and make wonderful pets. They are a playful outgoing medium sized parrot that can become a good mimic. They are also a fairly quiet bird which makes them a good choice for many people. They generally do not demand a lot of attention.

It is important to have an environment with a good variety of toys, wooden blocks, branches from non-toxic trees, swings, etc. for them as they are playful and energetic. If they are out of their cage they need to be supervised as they are also quite curious and may encounter dangerous items.

Diet: Their diet consists of three dishes.

	One is clean water.
	Two is a good seed mix with Zupreen Fruitblend pellets mixed in. It is a 50/50 mix and they get ¼ cup before bedtime.
	The third dish is ‘real’ food. We give fresh fruit and veggies on a bed of greens sprinkled with sprouted seeds every day.
	We also give a cooked mix or share the healthy foods we are eating.

Housing: Get as large a cage as you can afford.

	No smaller than 24 inches deep x 30 inches wide x 30 inches tall – pref. larger. Your baby bird will be used to a cage that is 3 ½ feet deep x 3 or 4 feet wide x 6 ½ feet tall.
	Of course toys are a must and the cage should have room for them.
	The bar spacing should be ¾ to 1 inch.
	At least three non-dumpable food dishes. (water, pellet/seed, fresh produce)
	Natural wood perches, such as manzanita or ribbon wood. (not dowelling)
	Powder coating or stainless steel cage. ·
	A boing/bungie or orb/odd ball. A tri-swing will work as well. Parrots love to swing and most sleep on them.
	Some hanging toys. Use “C” quick links instead of “S” key chain rings because birds may get nails caught in the latter. Make sure the links are stainless steal.
	We also hang a basket full of foot toys in the cage. This can be placed on the top of the cage (if play top style). We use wicker and they chew the basket as well as the toys.
	A second smaller cage in a separate area can also be helpful. Your new baby needs 10 – 12 hours of sleep each night. Wash all new cages with a solution of 1 part vinegar to 1 part water. Then rinse with water. This is to remove any zinc residue from the factory. We use newspapers for the cage bottoms. Today’s newsprint is non-toxic. Do not use ground corn cob or other such substrates because your bird may ingest them which would result in an impacted digestive tract. To help keep the wall behind the cage clean we add a sheet of plexi-glass to the back of the cage.

General Care: They should have baths or showers every week to maintain good plumage and skin condition. They should not have an excessive feather clip as they are a heavy bodied bird and may fall and injure themselves. Clip only enough so the bird will still be able to glide – that is if you chose to clip your bird. The clipped flight feathers should not rub against their bodies. It is very common to see a young bird with broken tail feathers. This usually happens because of the high activity level combined with their clumsiness. If you are interested in one of these loveable parrots email us to check for availability. info@parrotplace.ca

Available Great Billed Babies

	We have eggs! Should hatch by end of December 2011.
	Female Great Billed Parrot. Should be weaned and ready to go home by the end of July, 2011 *SOLD*
	Two Great Billed Parrot babies. Hatched in June, 2011. Gender unknown. *SOLD*

Last modified: November, 2007