A parrot spends all its life standing on its feet. After hatching, as soon as the parrot has grown enough that its legs will support it, it remains upright constantly, even when sleeping. At least one foot is used for supporting the bird's weight every minute of every day until the day it dies except for a few minutes here and there for those parrots who know how to "play dead" or like to snuggle on their backs.

For this reason, it is crucial for your parrot's comfort and health to ensure that the things you provide your parrot to grasp with its feet are the perfect perches. Poor perch selection can result in arthritic feet and general discomfort for the bird. After all, you wouldn't want to wear a pair of shoes which were a bit too small or too large or make of uncomfortable material all the time, would you?

You would probably survive, but you wouldn't be happy or comfortable and over time your feet would become very unhealthy. Using the wrong perches in your parrot's cage or on its playground likely feels to a parrot's feet much like your feet would feel in the wrong shoes. Here is a step-by-step guide to making certain you provide perfect perches for your companion parrot:

Step 1: Determine the Correct Perch Size for your Parrot's Feet

For the basic perches, your parrot's feet should be able to go around the perch and grasp it comfortably. The forward-facing toes should not overlap the backward-facing toes at all. In fact, there should be a little space between the toes when the parrot is perched comfortable.

It is important to also provide perches which are slightly smaller and larger than this average size. This lets the bird's feet rest and grasp in varying positions. But at least two or more perches should meet the above size criteria.

Step 2: Select Several Types of Perches

You should have at least one bird-safe natural wood perch from a local tree with the bark on the perch. You should have a mineral perch that is large enough that the bird's nails contact the rough surface for nail conditioning. You should have at least one soft flexible perch. Large birds should have some manzanita perches so they will not destroy them so quickly. You should not use more than one smooth wooden perch.

Step 3: Position Perches

Place the perches in the cage securely. Space them so that the parrot can move from perch to perch comfortably. Climbing is healthy exercise, so don't crowd the perches too closely together.

Step 4: Provide a Sleeping Perch

Parrots like to sleep high up in a corner of their cage. Place one perch so that it allows the parrot to snuggle into the corner of the cage with just a bit of head room. This makes the parrot feel safe
and secure at night.

Avoid those smooth perches which come with bird cages. They really are not healthy for your parrot's feet. If you want to include one in the cage, that is fine but do not use those as the only perches.

Your parrot will thank you for ensuring the right size and material is available for perching on. Remember, you bird is standing on at least one foot all the time so make the parrot as comfortable as possible.

In case you want to consider a company that creates great perches and playstands online, here's a resource which might assist on you this:

http://www.bird-supplies.net/Perches.html