Cages
No bird cage is one-size-fits-all, so here’s the skinny on what you need to consider in a cage:
- Bar spacing must be appropriate for small species, 1/2 inch or 5/8 inch
- Dimensions must be large enough to accommodate stretching of wings and tail
- Materials must be bird-safe
- Placement must be just right!
Luckily for you, in March 2016, we featured the March Cage Series and had a month-long theme 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. Although it may seem a good value to buy one very large toy than several small toys, it’s best to remember that larger toys are often made with harder woods and materials suited to macaws – not budgies and cockatiels. By choosing smaller toys made with soft woods and paper, you’re ensuring your bird will want to play with his toys and that they will be safe! You can find small and medium sized toys suitable for your small parrot here and 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. It is important to note, however, that many budgie and cockatiel enthusiasts believe that a seed mix diet is a better staple diet for these species of birds, as opposed to a pellet-based diet. Going back to variety, it’s important that any species of bird receive fresh or dried fruits and vegetables every day, and an assortment of treats.
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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