Cages

No bird cage is one-size-fits-all, so here’s the skinny on what you need to consider in a cage:

  1. Bar spacing must be appropriate for small species, 1 inch to 1 – 1/4 inch
  2. Dimensions must be large enough to accommodate stretching of wings and tail
  3. Materials must be bird-safe
  4. Placement must be just right!

Luckily for you, in March 2016, we had a month-long series of posts just about bird cages. Here are the posts relevant for your small species of parrot:

Perches

We’d recommend reading these fundamental posts first:

The Importance of Perch Diameter
The Importance of Perch Variety
Common Bird Perch Mistakes
How To: Place Perches in a Bird Cage

In April 2016, we featured perches for the entire month and covered the wide range of types and textures available through Bird Cages 4 Less. After you’re comfortable with the basics from the articles provided above, we’d recommend perusing the April Perch Series for more in-depth explanation of the benefits of using each type of perch.

Toys

Toys are an essential part of your parrot’s everyday life. In the wild, parrots engage their minds by constantly being on-guard looking for predators, searching for food, playing with their flockmates, and screaming, just for fun. Pet parrots don’t have these options – so they must have a selection of toys to keep their brains occupied, else problem behaviors will arise. Our full website splits our toy selection by size.

Finding durable and economical toys for large birds like macaws and cockatoos can be quite a challenge. Since they tend to have the strongest beaks, they can destroy many toys in minutes – so they could go through more than one toy in a single day. Despite their beaks being able to break large pieces of wood with minimal effort, many large parrots still enjoy shredding cardboard, which is a cheap and easy way to keep them entertained. While shopping for toys, you may be tempted to buy a lesser expensive wooden toy to save a few bucks. This is probably not a good idea, as inexpensive smaller toys tend to be designed for birds will much less beak power. While you may save money initially, you’ll end up spending more in the long-run as you’ll need to constantly replace toys. A large toy with firm wood and tough rope, like sisal, is your best bet to getting the best toy for your money – and your bird! You can find large sized toys suitable for your parrot here, and learn more about shreddable toys and wooden toys.

Food

There are hundreds of parrot foods on the market- but which is right for your parrot? We carry a great selection of pellets and treats for birds of all sizes, and the most important element for all parrot diets is variety. Just as in humans, a variety fruits, vegetables, and grains ensures that all of our nutritional requirements are met and that we remain happy and well-adjusted.

The average parrot will do well on a pelleted diet, such as Zupreem FruitBlend, Natural, Nutblend or VeggieBlend pellets, or Harrison’s pellets. These, however, should just be their staple foods. Going back to variety, it’s important that your bird receive fresh or dried fruits and vegetables every day, some seeds, and some treats. Many larger species of parrots will need more fat in their diet than smaller birds; this can be achieved by offering nuts and nut butters daily.

If you have health-related diet questions, the best person to consult is your bird’s veterinarian. Because all birds are individuals with varied histories, health conditions, and living environments, no one parrot food is going to suit every parrot – but your veterinarian will be able to personally examine your parrot and get a better idea of his lifestyle to make a recommendation.

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