🦜 How to Set Up a Parrot Cage
Parrots need the biggest cage you can fit and afford — they should be able to fully spread and flap their wings without touching the sides, with extra room for toys. Match the bar spacing to your species so a bird cannot get its head stuck, and choose strong, lockable doors, because clever parrots learn to open simple latches and escape.
Enrichment prevents problems. A bored parrot may scream or pluck its feathers, so provide lots of toys — foraging, chewing, and puzzle toys — and rotate them to keep things fresh. Include several perches of varying width and texture for foot health.
Place the cage in a family area and plan for hours of daily out-of-cage time and interaction: parrots are intensely social, long-lived, and need a flock, which becomes you. See our best pets for apartments guide before choosing a noisy species.
🛒 Recommended supplies
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🧽 Cleaning & maintenance
Parrots are gloriously messy — they fling food, shed feather dust, and chew everything — so daily upkeep is non-negotiable. Change the cage-floor paper daily, wash food and water bowls in hot soapy water every day (wet food spoils fast and grows bacteria), and wipe food off the nearby wall and floor. Scrub perches, toys, and bars weekly and rotate toys through the wash. Offer your parrot a bath or shower a few times a week to control the powder-down dust. Once a month, deep-clean the whole cage with a bird-safe cleaner. Use only bird-safe products and keep all fumes away — a parrot's airways are extremely sensitive.
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