Keeping your pet bird healthy isn’t just about its diet, but like any healthy lifestyle it must include exercise and activities too.
So here are a few tips, to keep your pet birds healthy and active.
Short Flights
Some birds, particularly small ones like finches and canaries, are generally always caged because they’re hard to catch if you let them out. So make sure their cages are big enough to make short flights. The cage should be at least three times their wingspan.
Climbing
Birds, such as parrots love to climb on ladders and the horizontal bars of their cage. And some like to hang from the top of the cage and from various toys and swings hanging in the cage. So, give them a few toys and let them have a bit of fun.
Not only that, but including natural perches provides exercise for the birds toe muscles and they keep birds gnawing on the bark and the wood.
Toys
Toys not only provide exercise, but entertainment and chewing items too. But remember, plastic toys are only safe for small birds. Larger birds, such as parrots will destroy them and can be injured by the chewed pieces, so you need something a little stronger.
Various woods, leathers, rawhides and acrylic make great chew toys for large birds, such as parrots. Bells are a favorite toy of parrots and reflective surfaces, like stainless steel mirrors, are enjoyed by some birds – the vain ones!
Bird Baths
Most birds love a bath! So why not give them what they love?
Including a bath, if you have a small bird, at the bottom of your bird’s cage or mounted through a side door will give them the opportunity to create a splash.
If you have a larger bird, a light misting from a spray bottle 2 or 3 times a week is better than nothing and they’ll enjoy it. Birds anticipating a bath will often spread their wings out to catch the mist and call loudly when being sprayed.
As you can see, when it comes to keeping your bird happy and healthy, every little helps!