Parrot Mythbusters
Knowledge and Experience Educate
Parrot Myth #1
Parrot Myth #1
“African Greys are more comfortable in smaller cages.”
It seems strange that African Greys, whose natural habitat covers dozens of square miles, would be uncomfortable in a small cage; a space that is miniscule compared to their natural environment. Let’s take a look at what happened, historically, to create the myth, “African Greys are more comfortable in small cages.”
Back “in the day”, juvenile birds were rarely allowed to fledge. This can sometimes create a parrot that is somewhat “clumsy”. We’ve since learned that it is better to allow a parrot the art of flight before clipping the flight feathers for the first time. Allowing a bird the gift of flight gives them a high degree of self-confidence. Some scientists have even theorized that the act of learning flight and aerial maneuverability helps develop brain function, which creates a bird with better ability to problem solve. Also, when a human would buy their Grey a large cage, it typically would come with a large Manzanita perch planted right in the middle of the cage. Manzanita, as we know, has a slick, hard surface, which is not especially easy to sink a talon into, no matter how sharp. And a large cage marketed for a larger parrot, would have larger sized perches. These perches were not only slick, but too large for the foot of the African Grey, making it difficult to comfortably (or easily) perch. When all of these factors are combined and one has a bird that was never allowed to fledge and did not develop a high degree of confidence in a cage that isn’t outfitted appropriately for the size of bird, you may have a bird that doesn’t seem “comfortable” in a large cage. If you take the same large cage (provided it has the appropriate bar spacing), and outfit it with appropriately sized perches, toys, and various foraging toys for our Grey friends, keeping in mind that every bird is different and tailoring each cage to the specific needs of each bird, you will find that your Grey is happy…even comfortable…in their new, big digs with multiple levels on which to climb, perch and play.
Parrot Myth “African Greys are more comfortable in smaller cages”…BUSTED!