Just about everybody can appreciate a good pet trick, but it's even more fun when your pet is the one who's performing! One of the cutest and easiest tricks to teach your bird is how to dance. If you're interested in helping your feathered friend learn how, then check out my article on Teaching Birds How to Dance. With a little bit of practice, your pet should easily begin to pick up on the concept and develop some moves of his or her own.

Photo (c) 2012 Alyson Kalhagen licensed to About.com, Inc.

The thought of bringing home a new pet bird can be really exciting, but it's important to think realistically about whether or not you are ready to take care of a bird before rushing to add one to your family. Caring for a pet bird is a huge responsibility, and one that shouldn't be taken lightly. If you feel as though you are getting ready to take the plunge into bird ownership, then check out my article on the Signs that You're Ready to Adopt a Bird. It will help you decide if it is in fact the right time for you to adopt a feathered friend.

Is your bird looking a bit on the hefty side as of late? If so, it's not the only one -- obesity in parrots is a growing problem that seems to particularly affect certain species such as Amazons and Cockatoos. Any bird can become overweight, however, so it's important to work closely with your avian vet to make sure that your pet maintains a healthy body structure. If you and your vet have determined that your bird could benefit from a change in diet, then you may want to try a few of these simple and nutritious Healthy Recipes for Overweight Birds. Helping your bird shed some extra weight can be fun and easy when you incorporate some creativity in the kitchen!

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If you own a bird who has the ability to talk, then it's up to you to make sure that your feathered friend learns to say words and phrases that won't start to bother you over time. Because some parrot species can live for so long, you'll want to make sure that the voice you'll be listening to for the foreseeable future is a pleasant one. For some helpful information on building and shaping the vocabularies of birds who are learning how to talk, check out my new article on Choosing Your Parrot's Vocabulary. Putting a little bit of thought into the words and phrases that you'd like your bird to learn can be worth it if your feathered friend turns out to be a real chatterbox!