How Can I Tell If My Bird Is Bored?

Your bird needs to socialize every day. It is easy for her to get bored if she's not getting enough stimulation. Parrots get bored easily because they are very intelligent and social creatures. If your parrot is being ignored, she'll go out of her way to let you know. Be careful, though, because many indications of boredom are also indications of illness.

Signs of boredom include screaming, biting fits of jealousy, feather picking, overeating (especially in budgies who are housed alone), refusing to eat (more common in larger birds) and destructive behavior.

If you think your bird is bored, restructure your schedule so you can spend more time with her. She needs to hear you talk, get out of her cage for exercise and interact with everyone in the family. Give her a good head-scratching, backrub or cuddle session. Introduce new toys or new foods. Teach her a new trick. If she's a talker, teach her a new word or phrase. Most important, don't get in the habit of ignoring her. Whenever you walk by her cage, take a moment to interact and if you're near her doing something, talk to her while you work.

You'll find that keeping your bird happy is rewarding for you both.