When contemplating purchasing a Parrot, it’s best to keep in mind that not only will most Parrots cost a pretty penny, but it’s important that you are able to purchase the largest possible cage that you can afford. After all, they are residing inside of it 24/7 and need room to move around, expand their wings wide open and entertain themselves within the confines of those bars. Your dog or cat is able to walk around your house and perhaps even go outside, so keeping a Parrot happy requires the same. As I mentioned in the “Welcome to Our Bird Family” post, our birds have each their own cage, which is ample space, a smaller cage on the deck which we keep shaded in hot summer weather, a Manzanilla perch on the lower level in front of a window and a boing and small cage outside in the screened in porch. They get just as bored and moody as we do and need a change of scenery.
There are many types of cages available, some will be square, most will be rectangular. I’ve seen hexagonal and corner cages. The placement of the cage is important! You are now a part of the Parrot’s flock and they will want to know what you’re up to at all times. Keeping them in an area near high traffic seems to keep them the happiest. If your living room and kitchen is divided by a wall and they cannot see you, you will have to endure their “contact call” which in some cases can go right through you! A repetitive chirp, whistle, word or scream that is only saying “Where the heck are you? I can’t see what you’re doing!”
All birds need vitamin D from the sun, so in the dead of winter with lots of cloud cover, you might notice a change in temperament or attitude and bored picking. We then move our birds’ cages closer to a south facing window. I couldn’t believe the change in activity and talking when they were able to see outside better and get a little sunshine. Now, in the 90+ days of summer that might be too much and they could get over heated. So their cages are still in a very sunny room, but away from southern sunny exposure.
It amazes me that Peaches (hailing from the Moluccan Islands in ancestry) hates wind! She loves to go outside, but when it gets too windy, she points and begs to back in the house. Weird. She also overheats, opens up her wings, opens her mouth and pants when the temperature is over 85 degrees or she is in direct sun too long. We cover a portion of the outside cage with a towel to provide shade and many days her outside adventure is short lived. Like five to ten minutes. But then she is so happy to be back in her cage, all is well for hours.
As a second alternative to being cooped up (pardon my pun) in a cage all day, I can only imagine how wonderful it must feel to just sit in a room with your “flock” and be trusted to stay on an open perch. This is where a Manzanilla tree comes in handy. They come in all different sizes with all different diameters of branches and Polly can sit for hours and just stare outside or watch TV or chew on her toys. There are natural ones and sand blasted ones. To each his own. I personally like the looks of the sand blasted ones. Manzanilla perches can be expensive, but the thing to consider is that it is a very hard wood, so even the large beak of the Cockatoo cannot destroy the perch. Those birds with even larger beaks like the Macaws will get a run for their money trying to get through a 3″ diameter of Manzanilla wood. Keep in mind, that most Parrots have a urge to chew, especially the cavity dwellers, and take it from a family who had to replace the window sills in the kitchen, you will want to purchase something sturdy and not easily destructible.
Our Manzanilla Perch