Dr Neo said some bird owners are spending thousands on larger species, which has driven interest in proper care.
“People are more into the larger birds, the macaws and things like that,” she said. “I guess when you invest in a S$5,000 bird, you would want to know more and see how you can better enrich its life.”
OUTDOOR FLIGHTS, INDOOR PLAYROOMS
Ms Joanne Khoo, who owns macaws and helps manage the Wings Of Parrots Community Facebook page, said there is a growing passion for parrots. Members of the group meet weekly at Marina East Park to let their pets fly freely.
At home, she hangs toys on perches for her five birds, which include macaws, Amazon parrots and major mitchell cockatoos. Her flat is too small for them to fly in, so outdoor exercise is vital.
“We realise the need to fly our birds because they need to exercise, have a more holistic life,” said Ms Khoo, who is married with three sons.
Ms Maybelline Tan, on the other hand, focuses on indoor enrichment. Her two lovebirds, two Indian ringneck parakeets and two green-cheeked conures are too small to wear GPS trackers and not suited for free flying.
She also finds outdoor flying controversial due to predators and limited safe landing spots.
Indoors, she lets her birds out for about an hour each morning and evening to play on a bird tree bought from Chinese e-commerce site Taobao and customised by her and her husband, Mr Julien Mordret, 39. They replaced standard branches with varied perches to support foot health, and added DIY toys, soft wood, cuttlefish bone, toilet paper rolls, little ladders and bridges.
“We put dried flowers in these little bowls that we added around, and then we sprinkle seeds in them, so that they can go and search around the dried flowers and pick up the seeds,” said Ms Tan.
Her birds prefer to work for their food instead of passive feeding, she said. “They really love (foraging). In fact, it has become such a routine – so every time it’s time for them to come out, they just zoom straight to the perch and start foraging.”
She has trained her birds to follow commands, such as stepping onto a scale for weight checks, picking up hoops and even giving high-fives.
