Ways to Give Your Bird More Exercise

By
Alyson Kalhagen
Alyson Kalhagen
Alyson Kalhagen is an avian expert and writer with more than 10 years of combined professional experience as a veterinary technician and manager of a chain of successful pet stores. Her specialty is in avian behavior and socialization. Alyson owns several birds and has been featured in Bird Talk Magazine.
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Updated on 01/18/20
Funny Budgerigar. Budgie parrot sitting on rope and plays
Lusyaya / Getty Images

In the wild, parrots and other pet birds fly hundreds of miles per day, forage for food, and participate in countless other survival-related activities that help give them intense physical workouts. Placing birds in captivity inadvertently limits their opportunities to provide themselves with adequate exercise to maintain their physical conditions, so bird owners must do what they can to maximize their pets' opportunities to move around and exercise more.

Follow the tips in this article to help your feathered friend become more healthy, happy, and active.

  • 01 of 05

    Try Some Physically Challenging Toys

    Budgerigars on rope

     cocoparisienne / Pixabay / CC By 0

    Bird toys can be more than just playthings—with a little imagination, they can also make great exercise equipment for your feathered friend. Buying things like ropes and ladders for your pet to climb on can encourage movement and working of major muscle groups in your bird. Finding fun "foot toys" for your bird to toss around and play with outside of his or her cage can promote good exercise habits as well.

    Whatever toys you choose, make sure to secure as much of a variety as possible and rotate them in and out of use so that your bird doesn't get bored with them too quickly.

  • 02 of 05

    Play Games With Your Bird

    Pearl Cockatiel Pet

    Reimar Gaertner / UIG / Getty Images

    Inventing some physically involved games to play with your bird is another great way to get your pet moving and on his or her way to optimum physical health. Does your bird have a favorite toy, such as a small ball, that he likes to play with? If so, try a simple game of fetch to get your feathered friend on his feet.

    Some birds may like to chase things, which can offer a great way to get your pet's heart pumping. Try tying a toy to a string and pulling it around for your bird to try and catch. Just be sure to only allow your bird to play with this toy while you are supervising. Loose strings can be dangerous to pet birds if owners aren't careful.

  • 03 of 05

    Teach Your Bird Some Fun Tricks

    Parrot Totem
    Ben Queenborough / Getty Images

    A great way to help your bird become more active is to get involved with trick training your pet. Not only can learning tricks provide lots of exercise for your pet, but it can help prevent boredom in birds and offer a wonderful bonding experience as well.

    Start with a few fun and easy bird tricks to build your bird's repertoire and start getting him used to training, and then move on to more advanced commands that will wow your friends and family.

  • 04 of 05

    Make Time for Out-of-Cage Play

    Bird in Flightsuit in NYC

    Flightquarters / Flickr / CC by 2.0

    Perhaps the single most important thing that you can do to help give your bird more opportunities for exercise is to make sure your bird gets to come out of his or her cage for supervised playtime every day. Birds in the wild can walk around and stretch their wings and legs whenever they need to, but pet birds can feel cramped in a cage, no matter how spacious.

    Allowing your bird to have supervised playtime in a bird-safe area of your home each day will help make sure that all your pet's muscle groups get the exercise that is so vital to their maintenance.

    Continue to 5 of 5 below.
  • 05 of 05

    Try Dancing

    Rose-breasted Cockatoo With Outstretched Wings
    Sean Murphy / Getty Images

    If all else fails, most pet bird owners can get their pets to exercise with the help of a little music. Birds are naturals at dancing and seem to just love shaking their tailfeathers to an upbeat tune. Try setting aside a few minutes each day to listen to the radio with your bird, and pay attention to the kinds of music that he or she seems to respond to the most.

    Once you have figured out the type of music that gets your pet moving, you can make a customized playlist for your pet to dance its heart out to. Not only will this offer your pet some much-needed exercise, but it's also pretty entertaining to watch.

If you suspect your pet is sick, call your vet immediately. For health-related questions, always consult your veterinarian, as they have examined your pet, know the pet's health history, and can make the best recommendations for your pet.
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