Pet birds require a great deal of play outside their cages, and a parrot gym provides one way of doing this. This play center should be attractive to the bird, so the choice of colors is very important. It should have a variety of toys to enable your parrot to take part in different activities. The material used to make the gym is very important for your bird's safety and enjoyment. The overall size of the unit can depend on how much space you have to devote to it and the number of exotic birds that need to exercise.
Most tropical birds are attracted to very bright colors, and parrots are no exception. The best way to entice your bird to play on a parrot gym is to choose one that contains many different colors throughout. Blue, green, and red are popular choices to consider.
An ideal parrot gym will allow your bird to climb and swing during his playtime. It is helpful if the components of the gym are at different levels so your bird can move up and down while using the equipment. A model with multiple tiers also allows more than one bird to use the equipment, and this is good for socialization as well.
Wood is a good choice for a parrot gym because it allows the bird to peck at it. Since these birds normally perch in trees when they are in the wild, this can make the parrot feel more at ease as well. While most of the gym could be made from wood, some components such as a swinging perch could be made from metal instead. Avoid units made from plastic, as these might be too slippery for your exotic bird to climb or play on.
A parrot gym can be a large floor model or a tabletop one. Tabletop models generally take up very little space and are ideal for only one bird to use. Floor models can be used by more than one bird and are anywhere from 3 to 4 feet (0.91 to 1.53 m) wide in most cases. These units could consume a great deal of floor space. If you do not have an abundance of extra room but would like a larger unit, you may want to consider one with wheels so you can roll it out of the way when it is not being used.