Just finished my DIY bird play gym — sharing the build!

Spent the weekend building a custom play gym for Sunny using natural branches from safe trees, some rope, and a few stainless steel hardware pieces. Total cost: about $30. My canary has been on it non-stop since I set it up. Used apple and maple wood branches. Happy to describe the build for anyone interested!

You're clearly a caring bird owner — the fact you're asking for help shows that. Your bird is lucky to have you.

Just wanted to come back and say the advice in this thread WORKED. My lovebird finally stopped screaming when I leave the room after I tried adding foraging opportunities to at least 3 different spots in the cage.

Great question! So in my experience with umbrella cockatoo, this usually comes down to a few things. First, keeping a super consistent daily routine — birds thrive on predictability. Second, make sure they're getting enough sleep — 12 hours of uninterrupted dark sleep is crucial. And third, pay attention to dry winter air from forced-air heating because that was a huge factor for my Sunny. Hope that helps!