Feathered Family Inc.
Parrot Rescue and Adoption, Erie CO
What goes inside the cage?
Are you planning on putting your new baby into a big empty cage? Let’s talk perches! Perches should be the right diameter for your parrot's foot. You should have as many perches in the cage as you can comfortably fit while allowing your bird room to climb and play between them. We recommend a soft perch be the highest one, something like rope or cholla (a soft cactus wood), because a bird will most often sleep on that one. A rope perch is softer on a bird's foot and easy to grip (provided it is the right size). A sandy or concrete perch can be helpful in keeping nails more manageable but should be provided only as a low perch so the bird does not develop foot ulcers from spending too much time on a hard surface. Ideally perches will be made of bird safe wood and have bark left on them so the bird can peel them as they desire. The perches should have different sizes and shapes so that your bird can pick what is best for its feet. Safe woods for birds include Manzinita, Apple, Beech, Elm, Willow, Ash, Cactus, Fir, Hawthorn, Pine, Poplar, Arbutus, and Birch. (This does not mean go rip your tree apart, be sure branches are sterile and insect free!) Oak is not safe for birds! Also, when placing your perches consider the parrot droppings that will fall below it. Don't place a perch above a food dish, for instance.
Its time to fill up those bowls, add some toys, and let your new companion check out his new pad. Parrot food is important, (for important information about pet food ingredients, click here) and seed just won't do. Feeding a parrot is akin to feeding a person, fresh food should be offered every day, along with other nutritious things. Pellets can be a great addition to your birds diet, but I don't believe that they should be the entire diet. Try to offer lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, pasta cooked and uncooked, small amounts of white meats cooked, hot peppers even offer safe dandelions. By safe we mean ones that have not been sprayed with any weed killers or other toxins. You should never feed your parrot any avocado, chocolate, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol or carbonated drinks, as these things are toxic for them. Enjoy feeding your companion, it may even open some new doors to foods for you!
Toys! Ever so important to the health and well being of companion parrots. Be sure to select toys that are species appropriate, by this we mean don't offer a cockatiel toy to a macaw or vice versa. Consider edible toys, things like a bird safe skewer with apple and peppers on it. Some birds enjoy swings, some don't. Chewable toys should be provided because most parrot species are cavity nesters and they need to destroy wood in order to satisfy natural instincts. Acrylic toys will last a long time, but sometimes don't satisfy that birdie need to destroy things. A parrot safe music box is a great toy for a bird that is large enough to work it. Be creative! When shopping for toys look for toys that connect with quick links (they look like little C's with a screwed closed clasp), and toys that are not hung from "key chain" loops. Be sure that if there is rope in the toy you supervise your bird so that it does not get tangled in frayed pieces. Leather pieces and strips should not be dyed. Rawhide pieces should not be bleached. The metal in the toy should not be potentially toxic, and it is safest to be sure that all metal you bird comes in contact with is stainless steel.
Finding the right toy for your bird can be a trial and error issue. However, if you discover that your parrot enjoys leather knots, then you know to look for toys that will contain them and encourage your bird to play. Keep in mind that parrots are intelligent and need to be stimuated, so toys should be suitably interesting. A single strand of rope with a few beads on it is just not enough for most birds. Shy birds should be allowed to view their toys from across a room, or outside of the cage for a period of time before the toy is introduced to the cage. Remember, you are giving your bird something good, so do not frighten them with it. Give the bird sufficent time to get used to any new addition to the cage before putting it inside.