Parrot Housing – Creating a Comfortable Enclosure

Try to think of your parrot’s cage or enclosure as its home. Similar to how your house or apartment is your home. It is the space you give your bird to relax and feel safe, eat its meals, play, and rest – just like your home is your space to do the same. So, think of the minimum cage requirement like you living in your car. It is the smallest space you can survive living in.

But how enriching is the life you can live in it? A slightly larger cage would be like living in a studio apartment – much better, but I imagine many of us would struggle to thrive in one. A slightly larger cage than that would be like living in a one-bedroom apartment – a place where most of us could comfortably thrive. It is the same concept when it comes to picking an enclosure for your bird.

You can think of the shape of the cage in a very similar way. Getting a very, very tall but narrow or oddly shaped cage would be like living in a very small apartment with high, vaulted ceilings. While getting an enclosure that is long and wide, rectangular or square-shaped spaces provide real space for your bird to move around within. Your parrot needs living space with enough room to spread its wings, stretch, shake, jump, climb, and swing.

Think of out-of-cage time similarly to how you think about your time being outside of the house. How long could you comfortably spend locked in your house – no matter how big and wonderful it is? We can confidently say the answer is not very long before you would start to feel a little stir-crazy. In the wild, parrots often travel great distances every day foraging and socializing. Some species, like Macaws, travel miles every day. Your bird may not be able to move more than two feet back and forth within its enclosure. Which is why time spent engaged in activity is so important for your bird’s mental and physical health. Time outside of the cage is time to fly around and expel that energy, much like you do when you go out to the gym or take your kids to the park.

That said, you can still make your bird’s home a more enriching space to be in! By adding certain enriching items in its space for it to do what it does best – foraging and destroying.

Foraging is the act of searching for and finding food. Many wild birds spend more than 50% of their day foraging and feeding, particularly in the morning and evening. Because foraging occupies a significant portion of a bird’s daily activity, it likely has social and behavioral importance.

In a captive situation, normal behaviors are likely disrupted, including foraging. If the ability to forage is removed, that leaves socializing, grooming, and rest. If birds are isolated and have limited contact with humans, this may leave preening and sleep as the only natural behaviors conducted. (Foraging as a Means of Behavior Modification By: Dr. M. Scott Echols, DVM, DABVP)

In the same way that you use your television, books, art supplies, sports equipment, cookware, tools – whatever brings you joy in life, foraging and chewing toys are the same for your bird. It’s also why a variety of these toys is necessary – you would not be happy if asked to do just one hobby or activity forever. Your parrot is the same way! Which is why it is necessary to make sure when building your bird’s home to provide many different engaging toys for your parrot to forage from, as well as toys for them to shred and destroy.

You heard right – destroy. As in annihilate, rip apart, shred. It’s one of your birds’ favorite things to do, and it keeps them mentally engaged as well as helping condition their beaks by grinding them down naturally. And it all comes down to the details. Different textures like the soft resistance of Sola plant root or the intense toughness of coconut shell make chewing a new, satisfying experience every time. Natural wood, seed pods like mahogany pods, bird-safe plastic, braided cornhusk, palm stars, loofah, cuttlebone, wood blocks, natural wood branches (those that are non-toxic to birds and without sap), and grapevine wicker munch balls are all different textures with different benefits for your bird to tear into, benefiting its physical and mental health. Think of adding new toys to your bird’s space as being similar to you starting a new television show or book. It makes life worth living!

But what about furniture? Every house needs furniture! You’re right! So, what would furniture look like for your companion parrot? It comes in the form of different styles of perches and swings! Much like you wouldn’t like to use the same piece of furniture to sleep and exercise on, neither does your bird. Having many different kinds of perches, ladders, and swings with varying surfaces and diameters* helps your bird live its life in a way that is as close to how it would live in the wild within the space you provide.

Think of a flat perch like a La-Z-Boy for your bird, where it can stretch out and rest with its feet and body completely flat. Relaxation to the max! Or think of a natural branch perch like your office chair – because it is precisely the same variable shape and dynamic texture that your bird would be perching on in the wild, it is most beneficial for them to stand on in their enclosure (and also chew on – doubling the benefit). The bumpy, weird, uneven surface of a natural tree branch makes their feet and leg muscles work out in different ways – like working out different muscles on different machines at your gym. Ultimately resulting in overall physical health. Much like us, if we don’t engage every part of our body, it can come with complications.

Smooth dowel rod perches make your bird work its feet and legs the same way every time. While they are convenient for us since they are inexpensive and relatively easy to clean, using them too much can cause a disorder called “bumblefoot” in your parrot. Essentially, it’s like a person developing bedsores. When we rest in the exact same position for too long, painful sores develop in the areas we overuse. The same thing happens with your bird’s feet. When variety is lacking, physical harm can occur. Nobody wants that, and it’s such a simple remedy. Simply by changing the sizes, textures, and styles of perch you use in your enclosure, you are drastically increasing your bird’s well-being.

And they all come with their own unique benefits for your bird as well! Perches such as swings imitate the motion of a swaying branch, which is naturally comforting and comfortable for your bird. Boing swings offer the opportunity to climb and swing at the same time – making it like a playground or an elliptical machine at the gym. Natural rope, much like wood, is comfortable, varied in texture, and chewable – all homerun qualities for your bird. Think of all the different furniture you have in your house and apply the same rules to your bird’s house. Move it all around often so they can use it in new areas. The more have – and the more different they all are – the better!

Then there’s your bird’s kitchen – i.e., it’s food and water dishes. Much like you, your bird does not want to eat in the same place it poops. It would be like having your toilet right next to your stovetop. Place food and water dishes in your bird's cage away from perches to prevent droppings from contaminating them, ideally in corners or attached to the cage door, ensuring they're easily accessible but not directly under a perch so you can clean them and replenish food and water regularly. Use sturdy, cleanable bowls (stainless steel is best) and provide separate dishes for water, dry food, and fresh foods like veggies. Voila! Your parrot’s kitchen is move-in ready!

When you make dinner after everyone is finished eating, is your kitchen spotless? Never! Keep in mind that birds are the same way – and even take it a step further. In nature, birds eat a little bit of something and drop it, making them a necessary part of the ecosystem by spreading seeds of plants far and wide. In your parrot’s house that is within your house, they are going to do the same thing. Making them seem like very, very messy eaters. Remember that when they are foraging for food, picking each piece of fruit clean would be a waste of energy. Instead, eating a little bit of it, then leaving it, and moving on, is far more practical. So, treating food in that way is the only way they know how, because it helps them survive when survival is up to them and them alone. Be proud of your parrot’s messy eating! It means they are behaving in the exact way they are supposed to. (And consider attaching a seed guard or a mesh net to the outside of your bird’s cage to assist you when you’re cleaning it up.)

Speaking of bathrooms, your bird also likes to feel clean – just like you! Providing your parrot with a bird bath in its habitat gives them the chance to do one of their favorite activities: clean themselves! All you need is a shallow, stable dish with clean, lukewarm water (no soap), which must be kept fresh and cleaned daily to prevent disease. Many birds prefer baths in a shallow bowl on the cage floor, or a clip-on bath, and adding bird-safe greens like spinach or lettuce can encourage them to use it. Some birds prefer to bathe outside of their enclosures (there is certainly less potentially for dropping falling in and spoiling all of the fun), but the same things apply – use a shallow, stable dish with clean, lukewarm, purified water (no soap) that is cleaned daily, and you’ll be good to go for a clean, happy birdie bestie!

Last but not least is the consideration of size. People come in all shapes and sizes – parrots, much, much more so. A nursery is rarely the same size as an adult’s bedroom. Now consider the difference in the size of a parrotlet, which typically measures 4 to 5.5 inches (10-14 cm) long and weighs 18 to 30 grams, to the size of a Hyacinth Macaw, which averages around 3 to 3.3 feet (1 meter) long and typically weighs between 2.6 to 4 pounds (1.2–1.8 kg). That’s an enormous difference. Let’s really consider what that would look like if humans were the same.

The difference between a parrotlet and a hyacinth is roughly a 40–60 times difference in mass, with similar proportions and anatomy. If we think of the average human as weighing around 150 pounds and consider if people had the same kind of range in our size as parrots do, then a “parrotlet-sized human” would be about the size of a baby rabbit or a large loaf of bread (roughly 2.5 to 4 pounds or 1 to 2 kilograms), whereas a “Hyacinth-sized human” would be about the size of a small elephant or a large pick-up truck (roughly 6,000 to 9,000 pounds or 3 to 4.5 metric tons). Put in terms of height, if we think of the average person as being around five-foot-six, that would make “parrotlet-sized humans” about the size of a bowling pin or knee-high to us (about 16 to 19 inches tall or 40 to 48 centimeters), and a “Hyacinth-sized human” would be taller than a two-story house, would be eye-level with traffic lights, and have hands the size of car hoods (about 18 to 22 feet tall or 5.5 to 6.7 meters). Think about how many different aspects of society would have to change drastically to accommodate those sizes. Cities would have to be completely redesigned – everything from door handles to stairs to furniture to vehicles would have to come in multiple, distinct size classes. For instance, a coffee mug would have to be the size of a thimble for some, the size of a bathtub with a handle for others.

This huge size range is reflected in the range of care accessories available for companion parrots. Parrot products, including everything in your bird’s home as well as the home itself, need to make sense for its size! Putting a macaw in a cage for a parakeet would be like asking a 6-foot-6-inch (1.98 meters) tall man to live in a compact car. The same idea goes for putting a macaw on a perch for a parakeet or a parakeet on a perch for a macaw – it will never be comfortable because it was not made for them. Your bird is Goldie Locks, and you have to find the porridge that is just right when designing every feature of your parrot’s enclosure. But this task is not difficult once you know what you’re looking for. Things like cage size, perch diameter, wire or bar spacing (the spacing between the powder-coated wires or bars of your cage is a feature that can be overlooked but is extremely important since extra-small and small-sized birds can get their heads stuck in between bars that are too wide for them), and toy size are all relative to your bird. Knowing which size class your bird fits into is half of the battle!

If you’re ever doubting which one of anything – enclosure, perches, toys - might be right for your specific bird, please feel free to reach out to us here at Parrot Stars for recommendations. Our team is highly knowledgeable in the best practices of bird care and will happily help you find what is right for your birdie baby. We are here to assist you by giving you the necessary tools for you and your companion parrot to thrive! Quite frankly, it is why we do what we do. To make the world of parrot keepers and parrot keeping a better place through data-informed and scientifically based solutions. Amongst our staff, we have advanced degrees in subjects such as environmental science, ornithology, and zoology, as well as a combined 50+ years of caring for companion parrots. And in terms of care for birds, there is not a single person on our team who doesn’t deeply love them and want what’s best for them. You can be certain we will do everything in our power to help!

*Diameter is the measurement of the distance across a circle. For bird perches, it tells you how wide the perch is, and it is the most common way that perch size is described. Birds do best when they have a range of perches—for example, a small parakeet might use ½ to ¾-inch diameter perches, while a larger parrot may prefer 1 to 2-inch diameter perches—to keep their feet healthy and comfortable. Perches should all be different, each having varying diameters.

For instance, an ideal parakeet’s enclosure could include one perch of a ½-inch diameter, another perch of ¾-inch diameter, one natural wood branch perch that has a bumpy surface with an average diameter of 0.6 inches, another ½-inch diameter perch, and a ¾-inch diameter boing swing. Then, switch these perches out regularly with similarly sized perches for enrichment or remove them entirely if they become damaged.