How to Choose the Best Playstand For Your Large Parrot Or Bird

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Play time for your pet bird is like going to the best party of the year! They get excited as you open the door to their cage and sweetly speak to them with an eager tone in your voice. They feel the freedom and joy that can only be found on an entertaining playstand that has lots of fun things to do! Large bird stands and Manzanita playstands are just 2 of the many kinds of play areas you can purchase for your pet bird. They need stimulation and exercise on a daily basis; and some fun isn't a bad thing either! Knowing what birds like best can help you choose the best type of play stand for your bird, so take a look at these tips and you'll know right away which one is best for your feathered friend!

o Bring nature into your home's habitat. Your bird craves the outdoors and the feeling of branches in its feet. With Manzanita playstands, your bird will feel like it's escaped into the wild! The branches are curved and have lots of texture, which promoted their natural desire to walk, climb, and grasp. This is also great exercise for their entire bodies, most especially their feet and legs. Balance is also challenged on these types of playstands because they have both vertical and horizontal planes that allow your bird to climb across as well as up and down the branches. You can even find tree-like branches as tall as 4 feet to satisfy every bird!

o Manzanita playstands are great by themselves, but adding challenging puzzles, toys, and accessories to your bird's cage and play area will give it something fun to do and chase away boredom. Puzzles are brightly colored and are designed to make your bird work to open, slide, or detach something; this is great fun for them! There are also treat hiders, which are great because they can figure out how to get to something they love (like a grape or seed treat from the pet store) and they feel a real sense of accomplishment when they get to it.

o Look for large bird stands if you have a large parrot, cockatoo, or macaw, for example. The larger play areas give your bird the much-needed space to move around and exercise their large frames. Many times, these large bird stands come with huge rings that larger birds love as well as lots of levels for vertical climbing fun. You can also find multi-level playstands made for small and medium birds, so if you have a smaller bird, you can find a great play area for them as well!

o Be sure to buy something that rolls on casters or wheels so you can move the play stand around from time to time. This is important to give your bird a change of scenery and keep them feeling like they've got somewhere new to explore. Many bird owners prefer a play area that has a tray at the bottom to catch bird droppings and food particles; look for this as well.

No matter what the size of your bird, a playstand makes for a great place for them to socialize, move around, and have fun every day. For them, it's like getting to go to "the party event of the year" every day!

Cooking Ideas For Your Pet Bird Or Parrot

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Cooking for you pet bird or parrot is a great way to bond with your parrot as well as providing nutrition that your bird will love to sink it's beak into!

Here is one word of caution before running to the kitchen. Make sure any cooked food is sufficiently cooled before giving it to your bird. The following recipes can be used in cases where you want to give your bird a special treat. Even though these recipes are not all perfectly healthy, they are perfectly "bird-elicious".


Birdy Bread - This is very popular and there are hundreds of different recipes for Birdy Bread. The basic ingredients are corn muffin mix, one more egg (shell and all) than the box calls for and one of the following (or a mix).
cup of mixed vegetables (fresh - if possible, frozen, canned - last resort)
4-ounce jar of vegetable baby food
hulled seeds
some pellets
Blend well and bake in a muffin or cake pan using the instructions on the box. This can be preserved in the freezer in appropriate sized chunks.

Rice and Veggie Mix - Cook a cup of brown rice, add in a vegetable mix of corn, peas, and carrots, and add in a finely chopped very hard-boiled egg.

French Birdy Bread - This is French toast with a twist. Add hulled seeds to the egg covered bread and cook as usual. You can use egg substitutes for a healthier recipe.

Polly-Cakes - This is regular pancakes with a twist. Add hulled seeds to the pancake and cook as usual.

Parrot Pizza - Use regular pizza crust. Bake the crust and let it cool. Smear peanut button (low fat) on the crust and add nuts, seeds, and chopped vegetables. For those that are really in a hurry, use whole grain toast instead of pizza crust.

Cherrio Necklace - String a bunch of Cheerios through a piece of wire. Twist the ends together to form a loop.  Spread peanut butter onto the Cheerios and dip the ring into seeds. Hang it up.

Peanut Butter Breakfast Balls - Mix peanut butter (low fat) with Grape-nuts cereal and roll into balls. You can substitute with another of your bird's favorite breakfast cereal (crushed). You may also add seeds to the mixture or substitute seeds for the cereal.

Pine-Nutty Cones - Thoroughly rinse off a pinecone and allow it to dry in the sun if possible. Spread a thick layer of peanut butter (low fat) on, around, and in a pinecone. On a sheet of wax paper spread seeds and crushed cereal out and roll the pinecone repeatedly until well coated.

Popcorn Cakes - Popcorn cakes (look like rice cakes but are made from corn) can be found in most health food stores. Smear a thin coat of peanut butter (low fat) onto the cake. Apply seeds, fruit, and/or diced vegetables to the peanut butter.

Fruit and Vegetable Kabob - take some pieces of fruits and vegetables and poke holes in them. Thread a piece of untreated rawhide through the fruits and vegetables to make a kabob.