The Thing About Perches Is As Simple As Options

Imagine you have been on your feet all day. You have not had a moment to just perch.

Your poor feet feel like they have walked you around the world and back. Now if you will take just a moment and imagine its bed time and you have to sleep standing up and on your feet. Pretty miserable thought isn't it.

Can you imagine life like that? Can you imagine the foot and leg problems you might incur? Your parrot faces that exact problem. It's up to us as owners to be certain we do everything possible to provide comfort through options to our pet birds.

Your bird, the wild version is free to roam where and how he wants. Your bird is able to pick his perches as his wants would indicate. However this is not so for the bird living in the living room cage. His perches are all up to you. Just like the wild bird your pet bird needs options.

Things To Consider About Perches.

1. The Circumfrence Of The Perch:

Pay attention here. If the birds feet are to flat the perch is to large. If the birds feet wrap around the perch and toes touch the perch is to small. The trick is to supply a number of sizes and varying shapes and materials that allow the bird to find his own comfort level at any given time.

2. Commercial Wooden Dowels:

There is nothing wrong with the commercial dowels other than the consistent shape and uniform circumference. The use of which gives the bird few options. If you must use commercial dowel perches make sure there are several sizing options available for the bird.

There should be at least one very hard wood perch in the cage this gives the bird a hard stable platform on which to sleep. If you can find a suitable hard wood tree branch to hang from the top of the cage having several different size branches they make excellent perches and will help.

3. Concrete Perches Certainly Are Useful:

The concrete will help keep the birds nails trimmed. However they are not naturally a comfortable perch and should only be used when there are plenty of proper wooden perches available. What the perch is made of is almost as important as size.

4. Perch Placement:

There should be plenty of space between the perches and they should use the entire heigth of the cage. Starting at the level of bowls and dishes and going upward. Be sure to allow adequate space between the perches to avoid injuring the bird. Many birds will seek the highest perches on which to sleep. Leave room up high making sure the birds head is not crowded against the top of the cage. If your bird has long tail like a macaw be sure the perch placement does not allow the tail contact with the cage or other perches.

It is up to us to provide the proper perches for our birds. It is important to the birds health and safety. Whether your bird is large like a cockatoo or macaw or tiny like a cockatiel or finch the sizes shapes and type of perches is important. Take the time to learn to pick them right.

Ryleigh Cantrell has owned his blue and gold Macaw (Shadow) since 1978. There are two guesses as to the birds name.The two are inseperable. To learn more about blue and gold macaws.