During the pandemic I have spent more time than usual reassessing the interior design of our home. At times I even feel like I am stuck in a bird cage myself! The COVID-19 pandemic reminds us that our home’s design must provide designated spaces for our families to exercise, play and rest. In short, it must meet all of our needs. Similarly, the interior design of your parrot’s cage must meet all of your bird’s needs. Read on to learn how to maximize the design of your parrot’s cage to support his wellbeing. 

Perches

I think of perches like the parrot version of shoes. Just as you would not want to be stuck in one pair of shoes each and every day your parrot will enjoy a variety of perch options. Consider a therapy perch to help with talons, a soft rope perch and some natural wood options. Ideally, your bird should spend time on perches with varied diameters to promote comfort and prevent foot injuries. 

Movement

Your bird of course needs room to fully stretch his wings. In addition to enough space to comfortably move around the cage, consider adding moving elements to your design such as a bird swing, boing rope or wobbly bridge. This will provide more opportunities for exercise and be stimulating for your parrot.  

Layout

Just as you may become bored with your living room arrangement after a few months (thank goodness for Home Goods) your bird may become tired of his toy arrangement. An easy solution is to rotate the bird toys each time you clean the cage. There is no one perfect layout for your bird’s cage. A new layout is the perfect layout! 

Sleep

A perch placed higher in the cage and away from the door is the perfect place for sleeping. This is also a great location for a therapy perch with varied diameters. Smaller birds may enjoy a snuggle hut. My favorite example is of our frequent boarders sweet Olive and Spock. Olive sleeps soundly in her hut while Spock protects her near the entry. 

Enrichment

Toy preferences vary greatly between even birds of the same species. However, consider adding a toy from each of the following categories: a noise-maker or bell, a shredding toy, a foraging toy and a chewing toy. Your bird will likely have a preference for one of these types of toys. Our rose breasted cockatoo Aloha enjoys a good shred more than anything and we are constantly adding old books, junk mail and catalogs to his cage. Aloha’s free shredding service anyone? 

I hope you have a few new ideas for the interior design of your parrot’s cage. As a bonus, it will not cost you thousands of dollars to renovate! Any other tips or tricks? Leave us a message! 

 

Warmly,