Love those parrots!

A passion for parrots flew into Cheryle Jones’ life with an orange-winged Amazon.

The pet was a 1982 college graduation gift that inspired Jones to return to school for another degree in biology-zoology and then start a business breeding parrots.

“It’s a hobby business,” says Jones, who, in addition to working a separate job, cares for about 40 parrots in her Scarlet Orchard Aviaries. “About 1992, when I was selling a lot of parrots, I decided then I’d do it for fun.”

“I’m picky who I sell to. Not everyone is a good parrot owner.”

Through her Spokane Valley business, Jones keeps some parrots as pets or breeders and sells others. Different parrot family birds in her aviary include scarlet macaws, cockatoos, hyacinth macaws, Amazons, African grey, and blue and gold Macaws.

Some are considered endangered in the wild, such as the cobalt blue hyacinths, the world’s largest parrots, that Jones has successfully bred. “They’re very rare. I got a young pair from a woman in Texas.” She says.

Jones’ baby parrots are domestically bred and hand-raised. Under regulations governing exotic parrots,

Jones places identification bands on all her baby birds, showing they were bred in captivity.

For people considering a parrot as a pet, Jones strongly suggests they do some research. Right off, she wants people to know that larger parrots can live a long time.

“A lot of parrots, like macaws, can live for 50 to 75 years,” she says.

It’s also difficult to tell males from females. “You have to do DNA testing or a surgical sexing procedure,” Jones says.

Other parrot considerations mean accepting potential negatives.

“In the middle of the day, they’re quiet but early morning or at night they can be really noisy,” Jones says. “They’re messy. They chew up wood. They need toys to chew. They’re great escape artists.”

Of course, she has a list of all the good grades parrots get as worthwhile companions. The cost to buy a parrot can range from less than $40 to $10,000 for rare birds.

“They’re fun,” Jones says. “They’re smart. They’re so beautiful. They make really good pets. They’re very docile.”

Scientific studies on the African grey parrot, for example, have shown that these birds can learn to communicate.

“They don’t just mimic,” Jones adds.

With some 300 parrot varieties down to the tiny budgie, Jones says people should understand subtle differences. For example, cockatoos love cuddling and attention, but if ignored, they can be destructive, do excessive feather-picking or get very noisy.

“African greys like to be talkative. The down side is they don’t shut up,” she says. “Depending on the type of personality you want in a parrot, you really need to read up to see what might work best for you.”

Where the bird comes from, and how it was raised, also makes a huge difference.

“You want a bird used to being around people. There are a lot of second-hand birds out there,” says Jones. “Older parrots can be great, because baby parrots go through the terrible twos just like people do. Some people want a baby so they can train them.”

Jones also offers grooming through her business – clipping toenails and trimming feathers.

She suggests baths once a week, large cages and full-spectrum lighting.

To teach about the birds, Jones takes parrots to schools or before groups. Jones shares parrot facts such as their need for a varied diet including lots of soft, chopped vegetables and fruits. A frequent school visitor is Buddy, Jones’ 16-year-old scarlet macaw.

“He shows off,” Jones says, “fluffs out his feathers. He’ll hang with his beak off my finger to show how strong their beaks are,” she says.

Scarlets are actually her favorite parrots because of their bright red, yellow, green and blue feathers. Their long tail feathers reach about 36 inches.

“I’ve seen them fly in the rain forest,” says Jones. “I don’t think there could be anything more beautiful.”