FLIGHT
Every fiber of your bird’s body was evolved for flight. Your bird’s feathers, wings, eyes, skin, lungs, heart and brain were all developed to accommodate this extraordinary gift. Because captive birds typically eat diets high in fat while living sedentary lives in cages and on perches, we frequently see captivity related diseases like fatty liver disease, fatty tumors, reproductive diseases and atherosclerosis (heart disease/hardening of the arteries).
We encourage people to keep their birds flighted and to accommodate flight if this can safely be done (minimum chance of escape). Flighted birds benefit from increased cardiovascular, muscular and bone health while their risk of obesity and obesity related diseases is greatly reduced. Flight also has a tremendous impact on a parrot’s level of self-confidence, as a bird’s identity and “sense of self” is linked to what her wings were meant to do! Because flight is a “learned skill” that must be practiced in order to be honed, parrots who are allowed to fly learn to navigate their environments expertly!
CAGING
There is no such thing as too big a cage. Birds were meant to fly. They don’t belong in cages. When deciding on the best cage to purchase for your parrot, you should follow these two rules:
Buy the biggest cage you cage possibly afford – The cage should, at very least, accommodate the full wing span of your bird. It should offer plenty of room for a variety of toys, and allow your bird room enough to climb, swing and play. A better choice would be to dedicate an entire room to your bird(s) or to build a large enclosure in the corner of a room.
Cage your Parrot as infrequently as possible – Your bird should be able to live outside of his cage for the greater portion of each day. Accommodate his need to be free, play and make choices by keeping an open cage policy as often as possible. Make sure you buy a cage that is outfitted with a “play top”. Suspend “hanging play frames” from your ceiling close to the cage top so that your bird can climb, swing and exercise.
