Physical and Mental Stimulation

Daily Exercise

Birds are active pets and need space and time each day to fly outside the cage. They also benefit from having perches in their cages at different heights to hop and jump around on and lots of toys for chewing and climbing. Just be sure no toxic materials are used and that all objects in the cage can withstand your bird's relentless chewing. Also be careful about using rope toys. Loose strings present a number of dangers to these little creatures.

Mental Stimulation

As highly social animals, most birds need a lot of daily attention and interaction. Some birds may be happy to be on their own, but most want to engage in play and interaction. You'll need to spend time engaging with your bird outside its cage every day. You can try to teach it to imitate your speech, whistle or even wink. Talk to your bird, sing to him, scratch his head and make up games of catch for the two of you to share. Give your bird challenges. Train your bird to respond to your directions or do tricks, and give your bird plenty of acclaim for its achievements. You can also use food to entertain your bird. Try planting a seed deep inside a piece of fruit so that it has to dig for a while to get the reward. Give your bird a variety of things to watch. Place its cage in a strategic area of the room, and also near a window, so that it has a good view of activity both inside and outside. Keeping birds stimulated and active is an important way to help them maintain their health.