Parrots live much longer lives than most other domesticated pets. They tend to live longer in captivity due to the care and diet they recieve. I get many inquiries from people believing a 20 yr old macaw is OLD. For a dog or cat yeah 20 is the end of its life! For some parrots it is just getting started!

It would be good to remember that even at 20 yrs old that some parrots are going to continue to live for an additional 40 years! Some people deliberately look for older parrots to adopt as they don’t want a parrot that they will have to be concerned about willing to someone or having to provide for it after their deaths. Some people believe that they want a baby only as they want to train it their own way. What they don’t realize is that getting some parrots through the hormonal years can be bery trying. Older birds have lived through those difficult teen years and have overcome those trying hormonal issues.

Here is a list of average age spans for several species.

Finches – 15 years
Canaries – 15 years
Budgies – 15 years
Cockatiels – 20 years
Lovebirds – 20 years
Conures – 30 years
Amazons – 50 years
African Greys – 50 years
Cockatoos – 65 years
Macaws – 60 years

Something happened today that has prompted me to write this post tonight. I met a lady who told me she doesn’t need to give her birds toys as they enjoy each other’s company. That may be so but what I want to explain here is that toys are not just for entertainment.

If you find your bird is not playing with its toys, you should try different types of toys until you find one he will play with. There are many different types of toys on the market and some very simple alternatives to toys that you can make at home.

Toys are for more than just entertainment. Yes they are great to keep our birds occuppied while we tend to our daily lives but they also have other purposes. They also provide much needed exercise and stimulation for our feathered friends. Depending on our birds needs there are preening toys, foraging toys, swings, ladders, string and rope toys, beads and wooden block toys, the list is endless.

The most important thing toys provide is exercise for our birds. They help keep their feet nimble and well toned. They help with beak conditioning to help them from over growning and to get rid of the enamel buildup that should shed off.

Toys also can stop certain negative behaviours from developing and can assist is removing over preening and plucking as it can be a substitute to those behaviours.

Foraging toys help to keep their little minds occupied and helps by imitating a more natural environment for them as they would have to forage for food in the wild.

An easy foraging toy would be to take a small bowl of clean pebbles and mix their hard food in with the pebbles. The birds will have to move the pebbles around to access their food. This helps with beak conditioning. It is also good for birds that show a fear of toys as this can be done right in their food bowls. The pebbles should be easily moveable by the bird but big enough that they can’t swallow them accidently. You also want to make sure that they can see some of their food through the pebbles so they know the food is there. Make sure to observe your bird to ensure he is getting enough food to eat and that he or she is eating with the seeds in the bowl. They may not catch on right away and could take a day or two.

Other foraging toys can easily be bought or made where treats are placed in drilled out pieces of wood, wrapped in paper, stuffed inside kongs. There are many things that can be used to create foraging toys.

Over preeners can use newspapers weaved between the bars of their cage, or feather toys, straws make a great toy for snippers as it imitates the same tactile feeling they would get from snipping their feathers. Cheap dollar store face clothes can be great for preeners also. Just make sure to snip off the loose threads so they don’t get wrapped around toes and legs.

There as many different types of toys for different birds needs. Keep trying different toys until you find the ones that work for your birds.