You know exercise is important for your health, but in the U.S., most people don’t get enough physical activity.  Did you know that exercise is also important for your parrot?  And that it’s likely he would benefit from getting more activity?  While you may hit the treadmill only to keep your waistline from expanding, for your bird it’s not just a matter of weight management. 

 Parrots that don’t receive plenty of exercise not only have an increased risk for health problems like obesity, but also for behavior problems.  Parrots are naturally active animals, so it’s not hard to make sure they get their exercise.  It can be lots of fun for you, too. 

Think about what a wild parrot does in a typical day, and you can see why our pet birds have so much energy.  If that energy can’t be expressed appropriately through movement and play, parrots tend to become restless and frustrated. 

 Biting, screaming and feather picking are common ways a parrot tries to release some of his pent-up energy.  Some parrots seem to crave more activity than others.  Lories and caiques don’t even know what “down time” is, and Amazons, cockatoos, conures, budgies and lovebirds tend to be on the go more often than not. 

 But even a normally busy bird can become sluggish if his environment doesn’t favor chances for him to move.  The weight can pile on, making exercise harder and less appealing, as the food bowl and napping perch become more enticing than ever.  Before you know it, a parrot can turn into a full blown “perch potato”.  

Preventing this is best, but if your bird is already overweight and/or out of shape, get a vet’s clearance first, then get working on a feathered fitness plan. 

Flying is the most obvious exercise choice for a bird, but a free-flying parrot in the home isn’t always a good idea.  The pros and cons should be weighed carefully, and I’ll go over these at another time.  

For now, I’ll focus on other activities that allow your parrot to become more active without the potential risks of flying.  Wing-flapping (without the “lift off”) comes naturally to your bird, and you can encourage this by giving him plenty of room so he doesn’t bang his wings into things. 

 When you see him flapping, make a big deal about it by acting very excited and happy.  Praise him, clap your hands, say “WHEEEE!”--anything that lets him know you like what he’s doing.  Think of a cute phrase like “Let’s fly!” and train him to flap on command.  If your bird doesn’t seem inclined to flap much on his own, try holding him as you lift and lower your hand. 

He might flap his wings to get his balance.  You can also try swinging him from your hand, but realize it takes some birds time to feel comfortable with this.   Sometimes instead of flapping his wings when you raise and lower your hand, your bird may just start bobbing up and down. 

This is what my African greys do.  It’s their version of dancing. In fact, dancing to music is a fun and easy way to get birds to move.  You move, they move.   It usually doesn’t take much to get them going, and many birds really get into it.  A good bath session will get a parrot moving, too.  

Bobbing and flapping are almost certain, followed by a nice, quiet preening session to get everything back in place.  If your bird doesn’t like baths, that’s something you can work on in time. 

 After flying and bobbing, climbing is another thing parrots do really well.  It’s easy to encourage climbing by the way you set up the cage.  Roomy cages with horizontal bars and multiple levels of perches of varying sizes provide more exercise opportunities that just one or two plain wooden dowels. 

Put in some toys that swing or spin, but don’t fill the cage with too many things.  It’s better to provide 3 or 4 toys at a time and change them more often than it is to crowd the cage so much stuff that the bird can hardly move.  

You can engage your bird in climbing games using ropes or ladders, and even your own body if you don’t mind being a prop.  The more involved you get with your bird’s activity, the better for the both of you.