Perches

[CarolsCritterCare]

Think about your favorite pair of shoes...you know, the ones that make your feet say 'aaaahhhh'. Now, think about your most uncomfortable pair of shoes...the ones that can make you have a really bad day.

While perches are not 'shoes' for companion parrots, they spend much of their time on them. We owe it to them to provide a variety of safe, high-quality perches for their foot health and happiness. Using perches in different sizes and materials within the cage will help prevent foot problems. Perches should be scrubbed regularly, as the residue that collects on them could make your bird ill.

Some of the most common types of perches are:
Wood
Cholla
Grapevine
Cajeput
Manzanita (make sure it is not too slippery)
Natural Branches

Grooming ~
Sandy Perch
Mineral Perch

Rope ~
Sisal
Cotton

When choosing the perches to use, make sure the size is appropriate. Your bird's toes should never touch when he/she is perching! A good guide is for your bird's feet to wrap around 2/3 of each perch. You will want to choose perches in different diameters for your bird's feet. Having all the same size or same type of perch will not give the bird enough variety.

Recommended perch sizes are as follows:
~ 1/2" to 1" Tiny birds (Canary, Finch, Parakeet, Parrotlet)
~ 3/4" to 1 1/2" Small birds (Pionus, Conure, Cockatiel, Caique)
~ 1 1/2" to 2 1/2" Medium birds (Amazon, Cockatoo, African Grey, Eclectus)
~ 2" to 3" Large birds (Large Cockatoo, Macaw)

Placement of perches in the cage is just as important as the types of perches you will be using. Vary the location of the perches, some high, some low. There should be a perch by the food and water dishes, but not directly over them, to prevent contamination from feces. One should be near toys and one elsewhere. Perches should not prevent your bird from moving around its cage, nor should your bird's tail feathers touch the sides of the cage when on a perch.

So, when choosing perches for your bird's cage, think about safety, placement and variety. After all, you wouldn't want to spend every day wearing pointy-toed stilettos

[dgridley]

Some great advice.. I have a mixture of different sized perches for my parakeet, all natural wood branches purchased from Walmart (a little over $4 each).. not that he sits on them much as he's out of his cage except when it's time for bed!