by Wolf » Wed Mar 09, 2016 8:27 am
Parrots love routines, I am not so sure about rules as they do have a sense of humor and there are times when it appears that they just love getting their kicks by at least bending the rules. That is alright with me at least mostly as rules are pretty much just guidelines that allow us to establish routines, which parrots love. They love to know when to expect you to be home with them and when it is time for a meal, or playtime and other such things that most of us just don't even really see any more in our daily lives. But not a parrot they hold on to these little schedules and routines and do not respond very well to any changes in them.
These things help to make their world comprehensible to them and some what predictable, it seems to give them the idea that they have some sort of a voice in their daily lives and this is very important for their mental and emotional stability. Most of them, even those who don't spend much time in their cage like knowing that it is theirs and that if they need a break from things in general or even from us that this is their safe place that they can go to and not be bothered until they want it. Sort of like a persons bedroom serves while they are growing up, or like our home provides us with some shelter from the world at large. A cage does not ever need to be a bad thing, it can easily be a safe haven for your bird. Most of my birds are out of their cages nearly all day long, except for when I leave the premises. The dogs are outside whenever I am not in the house as well as many other times, the cats have their outside pen that is needed to protect them from the hawks and eagles in the area, as well as feral cats, dogs and other predators, which allows me to let my birds spend time out of the cage while I am doing things outside that are not suitable for me to take them along with me on and will soon have their very own sub standard aviary outside, as it is very hard to take 7 birds outside at the same time in individual cages or in harnesses. Rolls of stainless steel mesh are extremely expensive, so I will have to do it using other materials, which is why I said substandard. Any way that is beside the point which is simply that a birds cage does not have to be a bad thing for the bird, and providing and using one for our birds does not make us a less good caregiver for them.