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susan@tikibirdaviary.com  
Caging and Toys


Caging

As with all parrots the bigger the cage the better. Poicephalus require cages that are a minimum of
20" X 20", but the recommended size would be
24" x 24" or larger. A square or rectangular cage is recommended, please no round cages as they don't provide the birds with a secure feeling. After all their cage is their "home". As poicephalus are very active birds your cage should have vertical bars on at
least two sides and the bars should be no more
that ¾" apart. For a feeling of security the cage should be placed on at least one wall and two walls (a corner) would be best.

Perching material for your pet's cage should be varied. Recommended are at least one natural branch, one concrete or sand nail perch, and some even enjoy rope perches. A must with these active birds is a swing or a "boing". (Directions to make your own can be found at "on African Wings" http://www.geocities.com/gnoeth/ website listed on the links page.)

Toys

Your pet's cage also needs to include a multitude of toys. Toys are hung, clamped and woven through the bars of the cage with the intent of keeping your pet busy and content. Parrot toys can be categorized into three groups.

Acrylic - these are virtually indestructible to the average bird. The are brightly coloured and invite the bird to play with them due to their colours. They will have rings, balls and other moving parts to encourage your pet to move the parts around on the toy.

Wood - toys can be made from hard or soft, coloured or natural wood. The main purpose of the wooden toys is that your pet destroy them. By giving your pet something to chew on, it will again, keep him occupied. Something as simple as a willow branch woven through the cage bars can be used as
a wooden toy. Chewing is a natural behaviour and should be encouraged especially on some thing that is provided for him. It sure beats seeing your household woodwork or antique table chewed up.

Foraging - toys are designed to keep your pets mind working. In the case
of foraging toys, we encourage them to work for their food. In the wild birds will fly many miles for their food, but the average pet cage bird only has to move inches. By providing foraging toys the birds must constantly think about where to next look for their meal. These toys can be a simple as a cardboard tube with pellets or a treat inside and then closing off the ends like a fire cracker, or their treat twisted inside a piece of paper. Another foraging toy you can make at home is to drill holes into a branch and place the food inside the holes so your bird has to work at the branch to get out the treats. There are also commercial foraging toys available that make your pet turn wheels, pull or push buttons or shake the toys to retrieve their food. Foraging toys are also know as "environmental enrichment toys".