By Caroline Ashbolt

I am an occupational therapist and keen aviculturist, with a particular interest in parrot psychology and interpret my parrot’s needs with my professional knowledge of occupational therapy. This article explains my personal view of how to achieve a sense of balanced occupation for our avian companions.

Occupation is the art of ‘doing’. Doing can be moving, thinking, talking, playing and so on. The list of ‘doing’ words is endless. For our parrots to be meaningfully engaged in ‘doing’, we need to be aware of basic parrot needs, such as sleeping and eating, in addition to their individual preferences, so we can provide a satisfactory and meaningful lifestyle for them.

Wild parrots do not need avian occupational therapy because they are likely to be self-satisfying. Our captive parrots are dependent on us, their keepers, for good provision, that is, giving all the right ingredients for their ‘doing’. It is therefore crucial to create and adjust their environments, to offer graded challenges, to satisfy their individual needs.

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