Birds are extremely smart and emotionally sensitive animals. Because of that, however, pet birds—especially the highly intelligent kinds, like parrots—can get bored if they're not engaged regularly.
While keeping such intelligent creatures constantly occupied seems like an almost impossible task, particularly when you're out of the house, there are ways to ensure your pet bird doesn't suffer from boredom.
- 01 of 05
Hold Your Bird Regularly
Valentyn Semenov / EyeEm / Getty Images Taking a few minutes out of each day to hold and handle your bird can provide immense positive mental stimulation to your feathered friend. Handling your bird often also helps develop and maintain the bond that you have with your pet. Ask any bird owner—the happiest parrots are those who get to spend the most time with their people.
Not only do most tame pet birds enjoy physical contact from their owners, handling your bird every day will help you become more familiar with your bird's body and understand their body language. This gives you the upper hand in discovering any physical abnormalities and changes to personality that could signal illness or injury.
02 of 05Rotate the Bird's Toys
Iordache Laurentiu / EyeEm / Getty Images Much like young children, birds get bored playing with the same old toys after a while. Bird toys can be pricy, though, so some owners opt to keep a stash of several different types of toys and rotate different ones in and out of their bird's cage every couple of weeks. This way, your bird will get to play with "new" toys every now and then, which will help keep him mentally occupied. Make a quick batch of homemade bird toys to offer even more variety to your feathered friend.
03 of 05Teach Tricks to Your Bird
boryak / Getty Images The time that you'll spend working with your bird when teaching the animal some tricks, plus the tasty treats that he or she will get as a reward for a job well done, provides plenty of stimulation for your pet. At the same time, it provides socialization time and strengthens the bird-owner bond.
As your bird progresses, you can always add new tricks to help keep the process fresh. An added bonus: You'll have a great time showing off how cute and smart your pet is!
04 of 05Play Music or Videos
Adjiage Catherine / EyeEm / Getty Images Birds are naturally interested in different sounds and noises, so leaving a radio or television helps to keep them happy and comfortable while they are spending time in their cages. You can even log the types of music that your bird responds to the most or check out some popular songs about birds to make a custom playlist for your feathered friend.
Continue to 5 of 5 below05 of 05Provide Plenty of Food Options and Foraging Opportunities
Andi Weiland / EyeEm / Getty Images In the wild, parrots dine on an array of different fruits, vegetables, seeds, berries, and nuts. It's no wonder, then, that they tend to get bored in captivity eating the same old pellets and seed mix day after day. Additionally, they have to find food in the wild and spend hours doing this- encourage this behavior at home with your parrot by introducing foraging!
Along with keeping your bird happy and occupied, adding more variety to your bird's diet in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables can give your bird's body a healthy boost of vitamins and nutrients. For extra fun and expanded options, cook up some homemade bird treats in your own kitchen. Place these treats into paper that is easily shreddable, or pick up a puzzle from the pet store to put it in and watch them work out how to get to it- its a big reward mentally for them!
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