Pionus are one of the best-kept secrets in the parrot world, but they appear to be gaining in popularity.

They have a reputation for being "perch potatoes" but I'm not sure they deserve that rep. The pionus we know may not be quite as hyperactive as some species, but they do enjoy playing with toys, climbing (or flying) around, and hanging out with their humans. They need interaction and plenty of enrichment just like any other parrot.

Pionus are also known for being more prone to becoming territorial about their cages, but there are some steps a Pi owner can take to reduce cage aggression. One way to avoid promoting cage aggression in any type of parrot is to give them a large cage -- the smaller the cage, the more likely a bird will become territorial about it. Another trick is to rearrange the interior frequently and even move the cage occasionally. Some people see a lot of success with having a separate sleep cage for their parrots, which also reduces chances that a bird will see the main cage as a nest that needs to be defended.

If all else fails and your Pionus remains cage aggressive, simply respect his space and don't provoke a bird into biting you.

Blue-Headed Pionus in a Stainless Steel Playtop Cage

Kobe the Blue-Headed Pionus lives in a lovely stainless steel cage, made by Avian Adventures. The model is called the AA Medianna, which Avian Adventures apparently doesn't make in stainless steel anymore.

Kobe's cage is situated near the action so he can feel like he's part of the flock. Accessible from the built-in playtop is a Jolly Ball and a cotton orbit for climbing and swinging from the ceiling. There is plenty of enrichment opportunity inside and outside the cage.

His owner Roz says Kobe is cage territorial, so she doesn't usually ask him to step up from inside his cage. The routine is that  Kobe will step onto the top perch on the door, before it swings open. He climbs on top of the cage himself. Sometimes he will step up from his door perch, but often he climbs to the top by himself; Roz will give him a minute to calm down before she goes to pick him up. This trick -- of using a small perch mounted to the inside of the door that swings out -- is common for birds who don't like hands reaching into their cages.

White Cap Pionus in Powder-Coated Playtop Cage

Mika is a rehomed white capped pionus (WC Pionus) who got a brand new cage when she came to her new home.

The interior of this playtop cage measures 31"x 21"x 36". The bottom grate was removed, which added an additional 6" of height to the inside of the cage. This does mean that Mika has access to the bottom of the cage, and that newspaper needs to be changed daily.

Like most pionus, Mika is good at entertaining herself so she always gets access to a variety of foot toys, hanging toys and foraging toys on top of her cage.

When she's not playing and exploring, Mika likes to hang out close to wherever her owner is -- so her sisal boing is usually hung on the side of the cage closest to the office desk. When she's not on the boing, she's hanging out on top of her door or on the front bar of her playtop area (never on the long dowel perch that runs across the top). Her roosting perch is also located high on the cage and in that same corner.

In her cage, this pionus has two long rope perches, a pedicure perch, two bottlebrush branches and a gnarled and twisted wooden perch that offers good foot exercise. Toys get rotated on a regular basis, but she always has at least two or three foraging toys and one or two wooden toys for turning into colorful splinters.

Mika's cage has been moved around the living room a few times, and as long as she's not too close to the sun conure that also lives in the same room, she's pretty comfortable wherever she happens to be.

Mika occasionally likes to climb to the very highest point of her cage (the toy hook) just to get a different perspective on her world.

Maxi Pionus in a Stainless Steel Kings Cage

Django the Maximillian's Pionus has a gorgeous stainless steel Kings Cage (Model 306) that has lots and lots of enrichment items.

Stainless steel cages may seem pricey, but the woman who owns Django (and the Blue-Headed Pi and Senegal who share his bird room) says:

"I got the stainless steel cages ... after the double decker cage my pionus parrots were in tested at a questionable level for lead, and my senegal's power coated cage tested through the roof for zinc! It was scary! I hadn't thought I could afford ss cages before that, but it's amazing what you can justify when you are afraid your birds' cages might make them sick. "

Here's a shot of the inside of Django's cage, with lots of toys, perches and foraging opportunities:

And a tour of the bird room:

Image credits: All photos used with permission. A big thanks to the contributors.
Photos of Kobe, courtesy of Roz. Photos of Mika, courtesy of Best in Flock. Photos and videos of Django, Gillie and Masti, courtesy of Life of Pis.

Much has been written about why foraging is important and how easy it is to begin adding enrichment and mental stimulation to your bird's life.

It's exciting that there seems to be growing interest in enrichment and foraging for parrots. Luckily there are also a growing number of great foraging resources available -- many of them free in the form of websites and blogs by people who have dedicated themselves to incorporating enrichment into every aspect of their birds' lives.

Here are 5 free resources for do-it-yourself foraging ideas, as well as reviews and discussions about popular foraging toys.

Feathers and Forage: Foraging ideas for small parrots -- This blog has lots of great DIY foraging ideas, especially for smaller birds. There are a lot fewer commercially available foraging toys for smaller birds, so it's great to see someone concentrating on foraging toys for budgies and cockatiels.

Foraging for Parrots -- This website provides step-by-step instructions and photos for easy enrichment and foraging ideas that anyone can put into practice right away. Foraging toys don't need to be expensive; this site shows you how to make toys out of everyday items you already have.

Captive Foraging for Parrots: Let birds be birds -- This is a Live Journal community blog where members post reviews of foraging toys, often with photos and videos of their parrots trying out various foraging puzzles.

Parrot Enrichment -- Kris Porter is the author of The Parrot Enrichment Activity Book (Volumes I & II), two free e-books that you'll also find promoted on many websites dedicated to improving the lives of pet parrots. Because of the high demand for those resources, Kris put up a website with additional information on foraging and enrichment (plus info on nutrition, training and more). Check out Parrot Enrichment for photos, videos and lots of DIY foraging toy ideas. Don't forget to download the free e-books!

Enrichment for Captive Parrots -- This is a Facebook Group dedicated to enriching the lives of pet birds. The group features discussions on how to encourage foraging, ideas for DIY foraging toys, reviews of store-bought toys, and links to good websites.

Those are just a few of the free sites and blogs dedicated to teaching the companion parrot world about the importance (and fun) of keeping our parrots' minds challenged.

Also take a look at this CAPTIVE FORAGING: DVD put together by a Scott Echols, DVM, Dipl ABVP.

Conures are very active birds that need lots of room to play and a variety of toys to keep themselves occupied. A conure whose cage is too small could develop behavioral issues, such as screaming or plucking. Your parrot's cage should include 4-5 different perches, and at least 4 or 5 different types of toys that get rotated out regularly. Food and water should always be available and fresh -- make sure not to place them in such a way that your bird's droppings fall into the bowls.

This page has examples of bird cage setups for small to medium-sized conures such as sun conures, green cheek conures, peach fronted conures and similar sized parrots.

Read on for ideas for making your conure comfortable in his cage and providing a safe and fun living environment for any conure-sized parrot.

Sun and Jendaya Conures in a Double Flight Cage

Sonny and Louie are a bonded pair of conures (a sun conure and a jenday conure) who share a double flight cage with the divider removed. They are currently in a foster home awaiting adoption. Their double cage is situated half in front of the wall, half in front of the window. Their foster "mom" reports they enjoy fulfilling "their duty of being good 'watch birds' and letting me know when people are walking their dogs, etc." but they enjoy the safety of being able to retreat to the part covered by a wall if feeling threatened.

Food dishes are located throughout the cage so the two don't have to compete over food.

Next to the cage is a full-spectrum light. Bird supplies are stored underneath. A portable perch and a rope perch have been added to the top to transform this double flight cage into a makeshift "playtop" cage.

Sonny's and Louie's double cage has lots of shredder toys and natural wood branches as perches, as well as a rope "orbit" toy. They both sleep in the same fleece happy hut (in the foreground below).

The foster mum also explains that "because they are in the dining room, and this place is small, when company comes over I create a makeshift privacy screen so they can choose whether or not they want to see or be seen. It covers about half their cage." Allowing shy birds the option to choose whether to hide or whether to watch the action is a great idea!

The makeshift screen is a garment hanger (which can be purchased at Target or Walmart) with a sheet draped over it.

Green Cheek and Peach Fronted Contures in A&E Dometop Cages

Valo is a normal green cheek conure (GCC), weighing in at 72 grams. He lives in a platinum colored A&E dome top cage measuring 32" x 23" x 67". Bar spacing of 5/8" is perfect for any small to medium-sized conure, like a green cheek.

Nino the Peach Front Conure (PFC) has the same dometop cage as Valo. In fact, they share the same home. They do not, however, share a cage. It's important to understand that it's not a good idea to put two birds in the same cage unless they really get along well and show signs that they want to share a cage. In this case, Nino and Valo tolerate each other but would definitely not make good roommates in a single cage.

Here's Nino in his A&E Dometop cage, outfitted with several rope perches; plenty of shredder and chewing toys. PFCs are also considered small conures, so this 32" x 23" x 67" dometop cage offers plenty of room for his favorite enrichment items.

The conures' owner explains: "Though Valo and Nino are both conures, their tastes are about as different as they can be, not only regarding their food but also their toys. However, when comparing the general layout of the cages, one can see that they are set up very similar, and adjusted for individual birdie taste."

The food and water dishes are located towards the front of the cage about half way between top and bottom -- away from the wall, to minimize food splatter on the walls. A sandy perch is between the dishes to help with the toe nails -- this location ensures that the conures spend some time on these "pedicure perches" since they will use them to get to their food and water.

Special care is taken not to place any perches above the food dishes to minimize bird droppings ending up in either water or food.

Both conures' cages are equipped with a variety of different perches of various diameter: a rope perch from the front to the back, boings (which both these conures love), and a variety of wood perches (between 2-3 smaller sized). Furthermore, a cement perch is placed inside the cage door, to facilitate getting the birds in and out of their cages.

For toys, these two small conures each have buckets with a variety of foot toys (and treats), rubber football foraging toys, and shredding toys -- toys and cage layout are changed up every two weeks. The green cheek loves playing with acrylic toys, while the peach fronted conure prefers wooden toys.

Just like people, birds often have very particular tastes in their entertainment (even birds of similar size or of the same species); that's why it's a good idea to provide a lot of options and variety, and to observe and experiment to see what particular birds prefer.

Sun Conure Flight Cage

Flight cages are very popular choices for small conures because they are an excellent value for the price. Stewie the sun conure has a flight cage measuring 32" wide x 22" deep x 24" tall (not including the base). This sun conure prefers to hang out at the top part of his cage, only coming down to the bottom when he's fetching food that he's dropped. That's why the majority of the toys and perches are near the top, although his owner sometimes places food or foraging items near the bottom to encourage full use of the cage. Stewie has plenty of room to jump or play near the bottom if he feels like stretching his wings.

The outside is also decorated with perches (a rope perch at the top, to make a DIY playtop, and a sisal boing) as well as toys.

On the inside, toys, perches, and food and water bowls are rotated regularly. While food and water bowls may sometimes be placed high in the cage or low, the owner always makes sure there are no perches above them. In fact, care is taken not to place bowls in a part of the cage where the bird might end up pooping (regardless of whether there's a perch there), since it's critical to avoid poop in the bird's food and water.

As you can see below, Stewie likes foraging toys (you can count 6 different foraging toys in the picture below). Other types of toys he likes includes colored pine slats and shredders. Stewie doesn't much care for acrylic toys unless there are treats hidden inside, or foot toys.

A variety of perches are provided for foot health, including a cement pedicure perch (in front of the food or near the door), several natural wood perches (bottlebrush wood is great for standing on as well as chewing up!) and long rope perches that stretch the length of the cage.

Stewie sleeps on the highest perch in the cage, leaning up against a Cozy Corner(a fleece blanket that ties to the side of the cage). He used to have a Happy Hut sleep tent but his owner noticed that Stewie chewed on it, which posed a safety threat, and thus removed it. Since Stewie enjoys chewing on the rope perches, these do need to be replaced somewhat regularly as frayed perches can pose a hazard.

When Stewie is out of his cage, he spends most of his time either on a shoulder or on a separate playstand with lots of natural branches.

Green Cheek Conure in Caitec/Featherland Stainless Steel Cage

Henry the GCC is a rescue bird who loves his Caitec/Featherland stainless steel cage. This stainless steel cage is 18” x 27”. Henry's owner reports that this green cheeked conure is not particularly active in his cage and he is out a lot, so the cage size is working well, even though the minimum recommended cage size for conures is larger than this Featherland cage.

Henry's owner says that finding toys that Henry likes has always been a challenge, but he likes the Birdy Bed (a fleece covered sleeping hut with a hard shell). This GCC also has a green fuzzy Cozy Corner for snuggling against. He doesn’t usually swing on the round swinging toy, but he does like to nuzzle against it. Henry also likes a leather toy with a bell, which is placed close to the Cozy Corner for easy reach.

Henry spends most of his time on a sisal perch that stretches across the length of the cage. This is the "main perch", but other perches get rotated out regularly. Those include mostly wood branches of different sizes, one concrete perch and a rope boing.

As you can see, even similarly sized conures can have very different tastes in toys and cages. We've highlighted a double flight cage, a regular flight cage, two dometop cages and a stainless steel bird cage, all with very different layouts and toy selections.

Hopefully these four different examples of cage setups for conures give you some ideas for your own conure's cage. Remember, variety is the spice of life, and one way to keep your conure's cage interesting is to switch things up regularly.

Image credits: All photos used with permission. Big thanks to the contributors: Images of Sonny and Louie's cages, courtesy of Michelle. Photos of Stewie's flight cage, courtesy of Best in Flock. Photos of Valo and Nino's dometop cages, courtesy of Valobird.net. Henry's stainless steel cage courtesy of Fred K.

A chained sequence of behaviors results in this cute trick: Max the Quaker Parrot climbs down a pole, drags a firehose up a ladder, rescues a "baby" and brings it to a waiting ambulance. (She also shakes hands and turns on cue.)

The owner of the video doesn't explain how he taught his Quaker Parrot this trick, but it can be broken down into two simple behaviors: climb a ladder and fetch. Great example of how to chain simple "beginner" tricks into a more complicated-looking sequence.

Learn more about parrot training and props.

African Grey parrots are not typically known as very "active" birds, but that doesn't mean they'll be happy in a tiny cage that doesn't allow them ample room to flap their wings, climb and move around.

Your cage set up should ensure that your African Grey's cage has several types of perches, food and water bowls, and lots of different kinds of toys. Make sure the perches are positioned so that droppings don't fall onto toys or water and food bowls below -- allowing bird poo to get onto other items below can be very unsanitary (and, face it, a pain in the butt to clean).

Below are examples of African Grey parrot cage set ups, including examples and photos of African Greys in their cages.

Two African Greys in a Double Cage

Double cages (with or without a divider) are great for multiple birds. Below are two African Grey parrots, Mojo and Shinda, who share a large 7ft x 6ft x 3ft cage. Their double cage is set up with large sisal ropes spanning the length of the cage, naturally knotty wood perches, two cardboard tubes, flat wooden platforms, and food and water bowls positioned along the edges of the cage, along with an assortment of toys.

Henry the African Grey's Dometop Cage

A dometop cage allows a bird plenty of "head room". If your African Grey parrot prefers to perch up high, make sure none of the perches are positioned above the food/water bowls, or move the bowl to the top of the cage. Henry the CAG has plenty of colorful perches and some toys, with a nice amount of space for climbing and moving around, but his owner says she plans to move him into a bigger cage setup soon.

Bart Henry's Playtop Cage and Play Stand

Bart the Grey spends most of his day out of his cage with his work-at-home parent. His time is split between his playtop cage and his large manzanita playstand, which is set up next to his cage. Bart likes to take naps on his tree, which has plenty of toys as well as climbing room.

Bibi Bird Uses ALL of Her Playtop Cage

Bibi has a playtop cage that includes a large toy hook, and she likes to climb up to the top of the hook to act as a look out and to swing off whatever toy is hanging up there. She uses all of her cage space inside and out. She can be seen on Ustream perched on top of the toy hook practicing her words, running around the top of her playground (practicing her words), climbing the perches placed on the outsides of her cages and playing with her toys inside the cage (while practicing her words).

Hope you enjoyed these photos of African Greys and their cages. As you can see, there are a variety of ways to set up a cage for an African Grey parrot and creativity always pays off.

If you're unsure how large your African Grey parrot's cage should be, check out our parrot cage size chart.

Image credits: All photos used with permission. Big thanks to the contributors -- Top image: Ty by Rebecca K. O'Connor; Images of Mojo, Shinda, and Henry's cages by Pippy; Bottom image: courtesy of Bart Henry

The Quaker Parrot (Monk Parakeet) is the only species of parrots who build nests. This amazing video is a time-lapse video of an industrious pet Quaker making a nest from popsicle sticks.

African Greys are known to be excellent talkers, but it seems like when it comes to singing it's the Amazons that have the better set of pipes. So the following video made my day twice over. Listen to how well the words are articulated! My favorite holiday parrot video so far:

Happy Holidays everybody!

Choosing a good bird cage for a parrot starts with understanding what cage size is best for your bird, but it doesn't end there. Below are some frequently asked questions about picking the best parrot cage.

What's the right size for a bird cage?

The appropriate size for your bird's cage depends on the size of your bird, how active that type of bird is, and how much out-of-cage time s/he will get. A bird cage, at minimum, needs to allow your bird to flap his wings fully, even amid a wide assortment of perches and toys. The more active your species, the more room there should be to move, but don't assume that a "perch potato" doesn't want more room. Most bird owners find that birds will become more active when given more room to play. Remember, in the wild a parrot will expand tremendous energy flying around looking for food; in a domestic environment we need to give our companion birds the opportunity to move around and get exercise as well.

What style or type of bird cage is best?

With so many different types of high-quality cages to choose from, it can be overwhelming to narrow down your choices. For example, would your parrot prefer a domet op cage, aplaytop cage, a square cage, a corner cage, an octogonal cage? Much of it comes down to your personal preference. Square, flight-cage style cages tend to be the best value for the available internal space, but some people prefer the design of a dometop cage. For those with limited space to house a cage, a playtop cage -- which combines cage and play gym -- can be a space-saving alternative to needing a separate playstand.

However, some types of parrots are prone to becoming cage aggressive. If you have a bird who jealously guards his cage and bites when you come near, you and your parrot might benefit from having a separate play area away from his cage to dampen that protective "nest guarding" instinct.

What material should the bird cage be made of?

And what about bird cage materials? There are stainless steel cages, powder-coated cages and other materials as well. Stainless steel cages are the highest quality cages, but also the most expensive. Powder-coated cages are the most popular material for bird cages and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Avoid cages with flimsy plastic coating, as most birds will chew right through the plastic coating before too long. It goes without saying that cages made of decorative materials should be avoided as they can pose a health hazard to an animal which is known for chewing everything it can get its beak on. Many birds have died from heavy metal toxicity, so only allow your parrot to live in a cage made of bird-safe material.

Types of Parrot Cages to Avoid

Cage types to avoid would be cages that are too small, cages whose bars are too flimsy to hold up to your bird's beak, round cages, or cages that are rusted.

Avoid having to replace a cheaply made cage and spending more over the lifetime of your bird (or poisoning your parrot) by looking for cages with welded bars, rather than ones with holes that the bars are slotted into, or other "nooks and crannies". Not only are these spaces prone to getting rusty, but they also collect food and droppings that are a breeding ground for germs.

When considering a used bird cage, try to see the cage in person before buying if possible. Otherwise insist on seeing close-up photos of where the joints come together to make sure there are no rusted areas. Once a cage is rusted, it is extremely difficult to properly remove the rust.

Round cages (the tall cylindrical cages) are also not a good idea. Parrots like the security of corners, and round cages do not allow a bird to feel secure. Round bird cages also tend to be much taller than they are wide, which means the parrot doesn't have enough room to move around -- birds tend to fly and jump horizontally, never straight up. Since most birds don't like hanging out at the bottom of the cage (and perches at the bottom of the cage get pooped on), most of the height is wasted and the bird has very little usable space in these tall but narrow cages. Round cages tend to be interesting to look at but not very functional.

Certainly, your parrot would prefer a BIG cage unless he is out most of the day or has the freedom of a bird-safe room where he gets to be out all day. Browse Discount Parrot Supplies for good deals on new and used bird cages and to see examples of bird cage setups.

In one of our favorite parrot videos, which we had the hardest time tracking down, you see an eclectus pacing his cage muttering "Can't take this. Can't take this. Not another day. Not another day!". You don't understand what in the world this poor parrot is enduring that he can't deal with for even one more day when in the background a door opens and his owner walks in...  well, we won't spoil it. Just watch:

The parrot in this Washington Post commercial is a male eclectus.

Kakapos, what few of them remain, live on islands with no predators... or, apparently, enough eligible females.