At Birdsville we have a lot of people question why they need a cage for a hand raised bird and why they can’t keep them on perches like we do in the store. What they don’t realise, is that we are always in the shop watching them and picking them up off the floor.
The importance of a cage is so your birds has a place where it feels safe and secure, a place of it’s own. When you are home your bird will happy sit out on a stand or on top of it’s cage and want to hang out with you, but when you go out or to bed you should always put your bird away into it’s cage. Birds are creatures of routine and will feel safe in the cage and will keep your timber furniture or kitchen benches safe from being a chew toy, as well as keeping your bird safe from household dangers.
Another common remark we heard a lot in the shop is, “we’ll just get a small cage, cause the birds will be out most of the time”, but once you add up time for sleep, work/school and traveling to and from work/school, not including such things as visiting friend or going out, it can accounts for 15+ hours a day and it happens at least 5 days a week. For these 15+ hours your bird will be in his cage, this is why cage size is important.
When selecting a cage for you pet bird it is important to remember that the cage should be big enough, not only for the bird to stretch it’s wings, but for the many toys, perches, food/water dishes, swings and ladders. With any bird, there is no such thing of a cage being too big! It is recommended that you house your bird in the largest cage you can afford; this will benefit the well being of your bird, you will end up with a much tamer bird and in the long run, it will save you money (with a small cage you will soon feel sorry for your bird and go out and purchase a larger cage). The cage should be sturdy, not flimsy, easy to clean and have appropriate bar spacing for the type of bird you are purchasing.
The cage should be cleaned every one to two weeks, this includes disinfecting the perches, food bowls and toys, not just changing the paper on the bottom of cage. Care must be
taken, so old food does not accumulate in the cage, on perches or in feeders.
When purchasing a cage for your bird, it is a good idea to also think about the perches and toys your bird might like.
- Perches should be non-toxic, hardwood branches for larger birds will last longer then pine and varying sizes are better for the birds’ feet. Birdsville has special attachable natural hardwood perches. Perches such as those from eucalyptus, bottlebrush, acacias or Grevillia’s are great for use with both cage and aviary birds. It is wise to wash the perches and allow them to dry before placing them in the cage.
- Choose bird toys that are appropriate for the particular type of bird you are buying for. You should choose a varitity of diiferent toys, such as swings, ropes, bells, leather, wood, natural toys, foraging toys, acrylic toys, ect. Routating toys is important to keep it interesting for your bird. In the shop we hear many poeple say (which makes me cringe), “we don’t give our birds toys, cause they distroy them”. This is a real shame, as a bird are distuctive by nature and will only destroy toys that they really enjoy. I can not stress enough how important behavoural enrichment is for all birds.
Cages that are available at Birdsville for:
- Small birds (budgies, finches, lovebirds, canaries)
- Small to medium birds (cockatiels, small conures)
- Medium birds (lorikeets, quakers, large conure, ringnecks, caiques)
- Medium to large birds (alexandrines, galahs, major mitchelles, corellas, chickens, gang gangs, eclectus, african greys)
- Large birds (macaw, sulphur crested cockatoos)
- Flight Cages
- Carry Cages
