Parrots aren’t like any other pets.
While most of our pets like dogs, cats, and hamsters can all keep themselves entertained, our parrots need our help.
Why? Because parrots are extremely intelligent and social creatures.
Without human interaction and forms of entertainment, a parrot can easily get bored.
And look out! Because a bored parrot is a destructive and moody parrot.
Parrots that are bored can become noisy, destructive, and even aggressive, so it’s important that we do our best to keep them entertained.
How can we keep our parrots entertained?
By providing them with a variety of different stimuli including social stimuli, physical stimuli, and mental stimuli.
Today we will take a look at 25 different things that you can do with your parrot to keep them entertained.
So what are we waiting for?
Let’s start our countdown!
Let Your Parrot be Free
No one wants to be stuck in a cage all day – and that includes your parrot.
When you are not busy, let them out of their cage to roam around the house with you.
You can let them out to walk around on their cage, or you can let them walk around on the floor.
You can also let your parrot sit on your shoulder and accompany you as you do tasks or chores around the house.
The more time that your parrot has out of their cage, the happier they will be.
Go for a Walk
Your parrot’s freedom doesn’t have to be limited to inside the home.
If it’s a nice day, why not take them outside for a walk?
If your parrot’s wings are clipped you can let them sit on your shoulder as you take a stroll.
If they are not clipped, there are a variety of harness options available that allow you to walk your parrot outside without worry of them flying away like this one on Chewy.
And who knows – parrots attract a lot of attention so you may even make some new friends along the way!
Put their cage outside
If you don’t feel comfortable taking your parrot for a walk, you can also take their cage outside.
Your parrot will have the safety of their cage, but will also have the enjoyment of the fresh outdoors.
Sometimes a change of scenery is all your parrot needs to keep them content and to prevent them from getting bored.
Just make sure that you sit outside with your parrot so that no neighborhood dangers can present themselves (ie. a neighborhood cat).
Leave the Radio on
Not only is it important that we keep our parrots entertained when we are home, but it’s also important that we keep them entertained when we are away from home.
One of the ways that we can do this is by leaving the radio on.
The sound of another person’s voice may also help to make your parrot feel more secure when you are not around.
Turn on the television
Parrots watch TV?
Well, we’re not really sure if they are really watching television or not, but a lot of parrot owners will swear up and down that their parrots do watch.
And if your parrot gets enjoyment out of the television, then why not let them watch while you are away?
Even better, turn on the tube and let your parrot sit on your shoulder to watch. TV time can be a great activity for you and your parrot to do together – bonding time!
Talk to your Parrot
Parrots are extremely social creatures who require interaction with others.
Because they are living in your home, they don’t have the ability to interact with other flock mates.
Essentially, you’re their flock mate now and they’ll appreciate your attention in any form you are going to give it to them.
Talk to your parrot regularly (even if they are a species that can’t speak back). If they can speak back, great!
Teach them a few new words while you’re at it.
Dance with your Parrot
Another way that you can spend some time with your parrot is by dancing with them.
Parrots love to dance and to much surprise, most of them can even keep a beat!
Turn on some of your favorite tunes and have a dance party together – your parrot will likely mimic some of your moves.
But who knows – you may even learn a move or two from them!
Mix up their food options
Parrots love to eat and providing them with new and exciting food options can help to keep them entertained.
Rather than providing your parrot with the same old food all the time, let them try something new.
There’s lots of different fruit, vegetable, and nut options out there that your parrot can try.
Just make sure that whatever you feed them is on the list of approved foods for parrots – some foods can be toxic.
Provide your Parrot with exercise toys
Just like we do, our parrots need to exercise to stay healthy.
Not only is exercise good for your parrot’s physical health, it’s also good for their mental health and can help them to stay entertained.
Chances are your parrot will find their own ways to exercise if you let them out of the cage, but you can also encourage exercise by providing them with ropes, ladders, and other physically challenging toys.
Give your Parrot a Bath (or Shower)
Parrots are pretty good at keeping themselves clean, but many of them also love taking showers or baths.
You can let them come in the shower with you – just make sure that the water is not too hot or too cold.
Alternatively you can supervise while they take their own shower, or let them have a bath in the sink. Some parrots can get hours of entertainment out of water play.
A shower perch is definitely a good investment and you can get some great ones online like this one on Chewy.
Branches, plants, and flowers
When a bird is in their cage, they are not in their natural habitat.
A parrot’s natural habitat consists of lots of foliage.
If you have extra space indoors, set up a space full of plants, flowers, and branches, and let your parrot spend some time in there.
Your parrot will love to hide amongst the foliage and it will make them feel more comfortable and at home.
Teach them some new words
I’m sure you already know this, but parrots are extremely intelligent.
Not only can parrots learn words, but they can also learn the meaning behind them.
For example, lots of parrots can tell the difference between colors, as well as between numbers and shapes.
Spend some time teaching your parrot new associations.
Your parrot will love to learn and your friends will be amazed when you show them how smart your parrot is!
Teach them a new trick
Aside from learning words and associations, parrots can also learn tricks.
Teach your parrot how to play dead, how to flap their wings on command, how to go fetch – the list goes on and on.
If you can teach it to your dog, you can teach it to your parrot.
In fact, you’ll be able to teach your parrot a lot more than you could ever teach your dog!
Provide them with foraging toys
In the wild, parrots have to work (forage) for their food.
When we bring them into our homes, they are given food freely and don’t have to do anything for it.
While they no longer have to forage for their food, their instinct to do so doesn’t disappear.
For this reason, it’s important to provide your parrot with a variety of foraging toys.
Not only will they help to keep your parrot entertained, but they will also help them to fulfill their natural instincts and urges to search for food.
Change up their toys
There are lots of parrot toys that you can buy at almost any pet shop.
To keep your parrot active and entertained, switch up their toys regularly.
Because parrots are so intelligent they, like humans, can become bored easily.
By providing them with lots of toys and changing them up regularly, you can fulfill your parrots need to play, while at the same time preventing them from getting bored.
Do chores
Doing chores alone is no fun – so why not let your parrot accompany you?
Most parrots will be more than happy to sit on your shoulder while you sweep the floors, do the dishes, or engage in other routine tasks.
Unlike your teenager who will probably tell you “no”, your parrot will love your company and will be happy to help.
Laze around
You don’t have to be doing chores or running around the house with your parrot to spend time with them. Quite the contrary actually.
Your parrot will be happy to spend time with you no matter what you are doing.
Whether you are making your bed, watching tv, or playing games on your phone or computer, your parrot will be more than content to sit by your side while you do so.
Go for a Car Ride
Yes! You can take your parrot for a car ride.
With that being said, if you haven’t taken your parrot for a car ride before, you might want to make the first one a short one.
You may also need to invest in a travel cage for your parrot if you don’t have one already, like this one on Chewy
Parrots do have a tendency to get car sick, so you will want to make sure that your parrot is completely comfortable before you start taking them for longer rides.
Groom your Parrot
Not only is grooming a great way to bond with your parrot, but it’s also a good way to get your parrot used to being handled.
Start out slow by giving your parrot a pat on the head or a light back massage, and then work your way up to plucking out a few loose feathers.
The more you groom them, the more comfortable they will become with your handling.
Just make sure that you don’t do anything you aren’t familiar with (like nail or feather clippings) as you could end up injuring your parrot – leave that to a professional.
Let them eat dinner with you
Who says your parrot has to eat their dinner in their cage?
Let them come out and enjoy dinner with you.
As an added bonus, why not cook something that you can share together?
There are lots of human foods out there that your parrot can eat too, and your parrot will be more than happy to share a plate.
Just be careful that you don’t add any spices if you intend to share your foods as some can be toxic to parrots.
Have some friends over
You are your parrot’s best friend, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t enjoy the company of others too.
So why not invite some of your friends over?
Your parrot will enjoy being part of the crowd and in most cases will love the opportunity to show off.
Whether they are showing your friends their dance moves, a new trick that they learned, or how good they can speak, everyone will surely be entertained.
Make your own toys
You don’t have to spend a fortune on parrot toys to find something that they will enjoy.
Like children, parrots are often entertained by the simpler things in life.
Buy them a new toy – and they will play with the box!
Aside from a box, other common things around the home that parrots love include newspapers, egg cartons, shoelaces, coffee filters, paper plates, and so on and so forth.
Build them a climbing gym
Parrots love to climb, flip, and act like acrobats, and there are tons of things that you can buy to turn their cage into their own climbing gym.
Invest in some ladders, ropes, chains, perches, and swings, and let your parrot play.
Not only will it help to keep them entertained, but climbing gms are an excellent way for your parrot to get in their daily exercise.
Play a game
Parrots love to play games.
Some games, like fetch, are super simple and easy for a parrot to learn.
Other games may take more time to learn, but you’d be surprised what a parrot can do!
There are even some videos on YouTube of parrots playing chess!
Don’t feel obligated to teach your parrot chess – you might feel pretty silly if you end up losing!
Teach them to play basketball
While you’ll have a hard time teaching your parrot to play with a regular size basketball, they’ll love playing a game with a parrot sized ball and net.
You probably won’t be able to find these smaller nets in pet stores, but you can find them in stores for children.
Look for a net that suction cups to the wall and that comes accompanied with a nerf ball.
Set up the hoop and teach your bird how to dunk. If they put the ball through the hoop, reward them with a treat.
Eventually your bird will catch the hang of it and will start dunking shots all on their own.
So there you have it – 25 ways to keep your parrot happy and entertained!
But don’t limit yourself here – there are so many different things that you can do with your parrot.
And in most cases, your parrot won’t care what they are doing with you – they’ll just enjoy being in your company!