Homemade Parakeet Playground

Making your parakeet a homemade playground or play gym can enrich your bird's playtime. It also allows your parakeet something to do when it is outside of its cage. Playgrounds are a fantastic distraction for a bird that is having its cage cleaned while you work.

  1. Perches and Climbing Areas

    • Raw wood is perfect for a perch.

      Perches are necessary so your parakeet has something to stand on. The wood must be completely untreated, bug free and natural. If it possible to purchase raw wood, it is ideal. Raw wood should be be washed and cut with no pesticides on the wood. Perches can be different sizes to allow the bird to have different grasps. This helps parakeets develop foot and grasping strength as well as flex the muscles of their legs and feet. Climbing ladders or bridges can be made to allow birds with clipped wings to climb to different areas easier.

    Litter Pans

    • Even birds that are toilet trained can have accidents if left for long periods of time on their play gym. A litter pan attached to the bottom of the gym or a covered area beneath it is necessary to catch feces. Keeping the bottom of the playground open to a litter pan makes cleaning easier; you won't be forced to scrape dried bird feces off the wood.

    Toys and Treats

    • Every parakeet has their favorite types of toys, and the playground should revolve around these. If there are multiple birds, include a little bit of everything for everyone. Mirrors, bells, swings and wooden toys that can be torn apart and mauled are just some examples of toys that can be easily made at home or purchased in most pet stores. Rope toys that are made specifically for birds with untreated, plastic-free rope can be used as ladders and as toys. A long string of millet hung on the gym can be a nice treat for a bird to nibble on in between playing with various toys.

    Food and Water Bowls

    • The necessity of food and water bowls for your parakeet on their playground depends on many things. If they have access to their cage water and food bowls while playing or they will only be on the playground for short periods of time, it won't be necessary to add bowls to the playground as well. If they won't have access to their cage or will be on the playground for more than 30 minutes at a time, a water dispenser will be necessary to keep the bird hydrated and happy.