Selecting a Cage for Your Bird
Think of the equipment your going to need for your pet bird, and the thing that comes to mind first for most people is a cage. Undoubtedly one of the most important things you’ll ever buy for your pet, a proper cage can greatly help your bird stay healthy, safe and relaxed. Looking at cages for the first time, however, can be a minefield – after all there are so many different types.
Firstly, you should consider the type of bird you are buying for. As a rule of thumb, any long tailed bird (such as a budgie or cockatiel) will need a long cage for exercise purposes – ideally being long enough so the bird can actually fly from one side to the other. A ’stockier’ bird such as a Senegal parrot or lovebird will get a lot of exercise from climbing around a cage, so a taller cage is more suitable.
The size of the cage is also important – if you are planning to buy the biggest you can afford then be aware this is not always suitable for a new handfed baby bird, as the size may simply confuse them. He may have trouble finding his seeds & water and become disorientated so it may be an idea to start him off on a small cage then switch to a larger one in a few months when he is older (and bigger!)
You should also look carefully at the size of the spacing between the cage bars. It’s not going to be worthwhile spending a fortune on a cage only to find your bird can escape through the bars any time he sees fit.
Other considerations include the size of the tray in the bottom – is there a grate to keep the bird from escaping? Is the tray deep enough to catch most of the mess (seed husks, grit etc)? Even if the tray is deep enough, if there is no adequate protection (known as a cage ‘apron’) you may find that a large percentage of the seed husks and feathers end up on the floor.
Finally, the ‘cups’ attached to the cage for both seeds and water should be easily accessible, without having to put your hand into the cage – and if you are buying for a big bird such as an African Grey the cups should bolt to the cage (that is, unless you want to spend every day for the next 50 years or so digging out the cups that he has tossed into the bottom of his cage as part of his playtime!
See a comprehensive range of cages for both the budget (priced under £75) and the larger cage simply by clicking.
