Pay Attention to Bored Bird Behaviors

Pet birds are highly intelligent creatures.  They need a lot of mental stimulation.  Without that, they can become agitated and bored.  Some ways that birds show that they are bored is by picking their feathers, screaming, or chewing on items they do not normally chew on (like their cage).  They may experience changes in their eating habits.  Perhaps they will stop eating foods they usually enjoy, or they may start overeating.  A bored bird is a very unhealthy bird.   Here are some ways to prevent boredom:

• Keep your bird’s cage in a place where your family often frequents.  If your family spends a lot of time in the family room, put your bird’s cage there!  If you work out of your house, keep your bird with you in your home office.  If you and your family are gone for most of the day, be sure to make sure your bird feels like a part of the family when you are home.

An easy way to prevent boredom is to frequently rotate the toys that are in your bird’s cage.  Also check your bird’s toys for large amount of wear and tear.  Birds can injure themselves on worn down toys, so be sure to replace the most worn down ones.  The most worn down toys also give you insight into which toys your bird plays with the most.  If your bird likes hanging toys, like the Triple Moon Toy for Birds – Large, shown to the right, be sure to provide your bird with a variety of hanging toys.  If your bird likes having a mirror in his cage, give him a new and different mirror like the Hall or Mirrors Bird Toy.   If your bird likes swings in his cage, give him the Pet Bird Swing.  This swing has 4 different perches on it, which will provide your bird with more entertainment than the usual bird swings.

Spend one on one time with your bird each day.  Some birds like having their heads or back scratched.  If your bird likes this type of attention, be sure to give it to him!  But also be sure to change up your one on one time.  Your bird will be bored if you just scratch his head for a few minutes every day.  Your bird would love if you taught him new tricks!  Basically, the more you switch it up the better.  Sometimes your bird does not feel like being outside of his cage.  You need to pay attention to your bird’s mood.  If he seems anxious or fidgety during one on one times, he probably feels like napping or just hanging out by himself in his cage.