How to Build a Companion Bird Playhouse

Birds, by nature, are intelligent and curious creatures. The intelligence of some of these animals has been compared with that of a young human child. Birds have the capacity to learn complex skills, patterns of speech and basic problem solving. It is this very characteristic that makes keeping them happy one of the more difficult aspects of bird keeping. Building him a playhouse can help.

Things You'll Need

  • 1 4-by-8-foot sheet of plywood
  • 1 large bird safe mirror
  • 1 set of bird safe bells
  • 1 cotton pull rope
  • 3 to 4 pre-made wooden bird ladders
  • 1 bottle wood glue
  • Any other toy that you bird has taken a liking to
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Cut the plywood down to an acceptable size for your application. Keep in mind this will be for the base of your structure and should be as large as possible to accommodate the size of your bird and as many play stations as possible. A recommended size would be 3-foot square. Sand the edges down so that there are no sharp corners or edges for your bird to get hurt on.

    • 2

      Begin building individual play stations by adding a toy to a specific area of the board. Start with building a jungle gym out of the wooden ladders and affixing it to the center of the board. Create the jungle gym by gluing the ladders together to form a climbing structure for your bird. With leftover pieces of plywood, glue in walls for your bird to navigate through, though make sure all the corners and edges are sanded. Add a mirror station by affixing the bird mirror to a plywood wall. Add a bell station by affixing the bells to a string and hanging them from a wooden platform.

    • 3

      Add several floors to your playhouse, with stairs and hanging ropes to help your bird move from one floor to the next. Each floor should have several activities available for the bird to engage in. Be creative. Make a station that rewards the bird for a specific behavior, such as pulling a cotton rope. The rope can be attached to a container hidden on the other side of a barrier that contains seeds or another favorite treat. The bird will quickly master the task in order to receive the treat.