Because there are so many different kinds and sizes of parrots, you should discuss with the breeder what is the best type cage for the particular bird you are buying. For a bird that gets a great deal of exercise outside his cage, a good rule of thumb is that your bird should be able to completely extend his wings without touching either side of the cage. If your bird must spend extended periods in his cage, you should consider a larger cage with lots of toys.
All pet parrots need some type of a playpen. If your bird's cage is in your main living area, and that arrangement works well, you may want to consider one of the many different cage-top type playpens, or you can easily build your own. If your bird's cage is in an area other than your main living area, which is sometimes necessary for people when noise and mess is a problem, you will want to consider a separate playpen in your living area. This way, you can bring your bird out to interact with you (on your schedule and not his), but you will not be forced to live with his antics if you have company or are not in the mood. This arrangement works quite well for us - our pet birds live in their cages in a back room of the house, but we have a room connected to our living room that is filled with nothing but playpens for our birds. This way we can let the birds out when we are home to supervise them, but they can't see us the minute we walk in the house and start demanding attention, as they did in our former house when they all lived in our living area. (This makes it much easier when we have family gatherings or other company who may not be as enthusiastic about our birds as we are - and also keeps our main living area more presentable.) However, if you opt for keeping your bird in a back room, remember to bring him out to spend time with you on a regular basis - a pet parrot should never be left for days on end without any interaction and attention from his owner. A parrot kept in such a situation would eventually lead to bad habits and socially unacceptable behavior.
Toys are very important for pet birds, and they will often spend hours playing with their favorite toys. They don't necessarily have to be expensive - you can make your own, using care that all items you use are safe (they can't get toes hung and bands caught; and are non-toxic). A lot of birds love to have toilet paper or paper towel rolls to play with and shred. Pieces of soft pine or other wood, branches of safe trees (check if you don't know which are safe), cardboard boxes, rawhide dog toys, and discarded plastic toys for infants or small children picked up at garage sales (make sure they're hard enough the bird can't crack them or get toes caught, and disinfectant them) are great toys and inexpensive to buy. While there are a lot of fun and wonderful toys on the market made especially for parrots ranging in price from $10.00 to $30.00, if you have one of those parrots that destroys a $20.00 toy in two days, you may want to try some less expensive alternatives and save those toys for Christmas presents! However, don't give up on toys because your bird destroys them, because tearing them up is half the fun! All happy, well-adjusted parrots should have toys to keep them occupied and test their intellect.
Frequency of cage cleaning will depend on your personal preference, style of cage, and amount of mess your bird makes. If you have only one of two birds, daily or every other day cleanings should not be too much trouble if you like things spotless. If you don't clean this often, at least be sure to remove any spoiled food from the cage tray that the bird may be able to reach through the grate. For most birds, twice a week is sufficient if they don't have messy droppings, (normally, birds droppings do not have an odor) as long of you remove the foods which can spoil. Some birds that drink a lot water, or eat lots of fruits, will have wetter droppings, and deposit their droppings in the same place all the time. These cages will need to be cleaned more frequently, as wet cage bottoms can have an odor and will breed harmful bacteria.
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