Parrot Perches

Parrots when roosting in the wild are heard but rarely seen. They hide in the treetops away from the eyes of predators. When people walk up to your bird’s cage, you want to hear – “where’s the bird?” A parrot in captivity does not know that their natural predators cannot get to them in your home, so we need to provide them with the ability to hide or camouflage themselves within their home.

Parrots on display with few items to hide behind will develop behavior problems such as feather destruction, biting, and screaming as a result of feeling insecure.

Weave paper products and shredding toys in the cage bars and around the upper back corner where the rope perch extends

Three perches of diverse size thickness and texture (at the minimum) are required to stimulate and exercise your bird’s feet. The main perch should be a hardwood dowel or Manzanita running horizontally, in the middle of the cage. Perch two, a rope or Booda “U- shaped” perch for sleeping should be placed in the upper third of the cage near a privacy corner. Beyond offering a sense of security, the rope provides a shredding alternative to feather pickers.

Introduce a third texture for perch three. Sandy, concrete, Plexy-glass; diversity is important here. Unless birds are in flight, they are on their feet. Humans will shift posture while standing to seek comfort. Bird’s feet must consistently be challenged for foot health. Nature doesn’t make life easy for prey birds, you needn’t either. Making the birds work for food keeps them challenged. Perches don’t have to be placed by food dishes. More perches provide more “challenging” opportunities

Often over looked but essential is the cage door perch. A bird “coming to you” on a perched fastened to the inside of the cage door, encourages the bird to come to the door perch before opening the door. With the bird on the door perch, open the door – say, “Step – Up” while extending a firm hand. This allows you to retrieve your feathered companion from their cage without entering their territory.

Bringing branches from the backyard may seem practical and economical, but harmful parasites and other menaces may unknowingly be brought in as well. Woods such as Apricot, Cherry, Peach, Prune, Plum or Nectarine belong to the Prunes species, and contain cyanogenia glycosides, which releases cyanide if ingested.

Apple, Arbutus, Ash, Aspen, Beech, Cottonwood, Crabapple, Dogwood, Elm, Fir, Hawthorn, Larch, Magnolia, Mulberry, Pear, Pine Poplar, Redwood Sequoia and Willow are safe but must be introduced with caution. Branches should be boiled to kill any parasites before installing in a cage