In her article, The Optimal Environment Part Three - The Creative Cage, Pamela Clark writes about alternate perching sites: "Companion parrots also need perching areas in other rooms of the house. Parrots need to go places. They are very "visual" creatures. . . their overall experience and satisfaction with life often is increased and augmented in captivity just by moving them from room to room with a family member or from perch to perch in the same room.
The same swings and coiled rope perches that can be used on a hook over a cage will also serve as alternate perching sites around the house, if hung from the ceiling.
Play stands come in all sizes and shapes, and having both freestanding and tabletop versions adds more variety to a parrot's life experience.
My Meyers parrot, Byrd, likes to be near me and she also likes to chew books. Rather than have her constantly perch on my shoulder, I set up a TV tray near my desk and gave her a book and a box to chew and a crock of toys. This allows her to be near me but also encourages her to occupy her time in a more independent way. In this video you can see how she enjoys this time spent outside of her cage.
When we moved into our new home, the parrots were particularly interested in chewing on the banister outside the loft are above the living room. Part of me wanted to cover the banister with a bedspread to keep the parrots from destroying the looks of the lovely wooden railing. A bigger part of me wanted the birds to experience the joy of flying up to the banister to perch and play.
I decided to let them have the upstairs banister as a play area. In an effort to preserve the wooden rail, I wrapped the banister in sisal rope. I attached leather strips and pieces of hemp rope to the sisal rope to tie on toys and other items of interest. It is working. The parrots fly up to the banister and play with the toys and chew on grass mats, vine balls and bits of wood tied to the railing. The sisal rope protects the banister and keeps them from completely destroying the railing.
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Phoenix Landing was created to help parrots have good homes across their entire lives, no matter how many homes that may be. Parrots are resilient and adaptable, and will thrive in new environments if they have space, good nutrition, safety and behavior interactions based positive reinforcement. Phoenix Landing is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to the quality of life for parrots. Phoenix Landing re-homes parrots and help them to find a new family. This process is coupled with a robust education program, giving adopters many tools to help everyone succeed. For more information about Phoenix Landing go to www.phoenixlanding.org .
