Trained Parrot BlogParrot Wizard Online Parrot Toy StoreThe Parrot Forum

Can a cage be too big?

Bird rooms, aviaries, cages, foraging trees, play gyms, and stands. Discuss your parrot's locations and perches.

Can a cage be too big?

Postby Michael » Tue Oct 27, 2009 9:25 am

Is there ever a parrot cage that is too big? What makes a cage the perfect size? How can you tell if a cage is too small? Can a parrot "outgrow" a cage if not physically then mentally?
User avatar
Michael
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 6286
Location: New York
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal Parrot, Cape Parrot, Green-Winged Macaw
Flight: Yes

Re: Can a cage be too big?

Postby MissLady9902 » Tue Oct 27, 2009 5:38 pm

I don't think you could get a cage that is "too big".
I think the size of the cage usually depends on the owners budget at the time of getting their bird.
I definitly thinka cage can be too small. As for a bird "growing" out of their cage I don't know.
Cathy

Busy beaks are quiet beaks!

:senegal: - Noodle
:gray: - Marvin
User avatar
MissLady9902
Poicephalus
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 303
Location: Columbia, Mo USA
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: A Senegal and a Congo African Grey
Flight: No

Re: Can a cage be too big?

Postby Kathleen » Mon Nov 02, 2009 11:36 am

Cage size obviously depends a lot on parrot size. I think a cage can be too big if the bird's head can fit through the cage bars. That's what you have to be careful about. The bird should have enough room to move around and walk back and forth a bit but also open their wings completely and stretch.

You need to account for extra room for perches, bowls, toys and other cage accessories. If the bird gets bored more easily and needs more toys than other birds of the same size, they will need a bigger cage than other birds of the same size. Toys can take up a lot of room (until they're chewed apart, of course).

Generally, the bigger the cage the better but there are limits on the spacing of the cage bars, and people generally choose not to get a bigger cage than they really need because of the cost and the extra surface area to be cleaned.
Kathleen
Amazon
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 621
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Flight: Yes

Re: Can a cage be too big?

Postby MissLady9902 » Tue Nov 03, 2009 1:10 am

Oh I was thinking of general size not bar spacing! You're right of course the bar spacing is very important!
Cathy

Busy beaks are quiet beaks!

:senegal: - Noodle
:gray: - Marvin
User avatar
MissLady9902
Poicephalus
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 303
Location: Columbia, Mo USA
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: A Senegal and a Congo African Grey
Flight: No

Re: Can a cage be too big?

Postby Michael » Tue Nov 03, 2009 1:20 am

Kathleen, that's an excellent point. Someone might think it a genius idea to get their budgie an enormous cage not realizing that the bar spacing may be inadequate and they get out.

I've seen a video on youtube with a Senegal Parrot in an African Grey sized caged. Might seem like it's nice to get the parrot a bigger cage but it could fit it's entire head through the bars. I thought the owner was really dumb to do that. The parrot would probably be safer and better off in a smaller cage. As my luck would have it, there's no way I could remember where I saw that video on youtube so I can't find it again.
User avatar
Michael
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 6286
Location: New York
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal Parrot, Cape Parrot, Green-Winged Macaw
Flight: Yes

Re: Can a cage be too big?

Postby pchela » Wed Nov 04, 2009 11:13 pm

Any parrot should have as large a cage as possible with the correct bar spacing. It is difficult to find a larger cage with small enough bar spacing which is a pain but I did find a 28x22 cage which is a great size for my poicephalus parrots. It's the Chiquita by Avian Adventures. I think Prevue might make a larger cage with smaller bar spacing as well but I'm not sure. It's way too common to see a bird in a cage that is too small. Many places recommend 18x18 for a Senegal and that is definitely too small!
"I bet the sparrow looks at the parrot and thinks, yes, you can talk, but LISTEN TO YOURSELF!" ~ Jack Handy ~ Deep Thoughts
User avatar
pchela
African Grey
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 1281
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal -Pippin
Red Belly - Nicholas
Lesser Jardine's - Rupert
Timneh African Grey - Isabeau (Ibby)
Flight: Yes

Re: Can a cage be too big?

Postby Michael » Wed Nov 04, 2009 11:21 pm

You really think 18x18 is too small? My Senegal lives in a 18x18x36 cage and seems to to just fine with it. She definitely spends time out of the cage daily.
User avatar
Michael
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 6286
Location: New York
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal Parrot, Cape Parrot, Green-Winged Macaw
Flight: Yes

Re: Can a cage be too big?

Postby pchela » Thu Nov 05, 2009 12:23 pm

When I first got my Senegal he was in an 18 x 18 cage. He didn't seem unhappy but I did some research and most reputable parrot people recommended larger. I got him the larger cage which is 28 x 22 and he uses every inch of it. He hops around and climbs and swings from his toys and has a good time! Another bonus is that I can fit more toys in there. The birds are out whenever I'm home but I feel better knowing that when I am gone they have plenty of room and lots of toys to keep them entertained. This is how I look at it; these parrots were made to fly out in the open with the entire sky as their playground. I owe it to them to provide them with the largest home possible. With all I've learned over the past year about parrots, I wouldn't put any bird in an 18 x 18, even a lovebird or budgie. I'd go at least 20 x 20 for the smaller guys. Also, keep in mind that the side to side space is much more important than the height of the cage. Minimum I'd put a Poicephalus in would be 24 x 22. Sorry - I just reread and it sounds like I'm lecturing. I'm not trying to, I promise! I just work in a pet store in the bird department and I have to fight with people to buy a proper sized cage all the time!
"I bet the sparrow looks at the parrot and thinks, yes, you can talk, but LISTEN TO YOURSELF!" ~ Jack Handy ~ Deep Thoughts
User avatar
pchela
African Grey
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 1281
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal -Pippin
Red Belly - Nicholas
Lesser Jardine's - Rupert
Timneh African Grey - Isabeau (Ibby)
Flight: Yes

Re: Can a cage be too big?

Postby Natacha » Wed Nov 11, 2009 4:40 pm

While I agree that bigger is better (and taking bar spacing into consideration), I also feel like other factors come into play, the biggest one being how long is the bird out of it's cage daily?

If the answer is not much, then by all means, get the biggest cage you can afford. If the bird gets out for a couple of hours, then you don't need as big.

My Pois are in 24 x 22 x whatever height (can never remember). They use every inch of it, even the vertical space (and there is quite a bit of it). When I first got Shade, she was in a 18 x 18 x whatever height cage. She was a clumsy baby, she had had a broken leg and it took her a while to get comfortable going around after it healed. The moment I saw her moving without any issues, I went bigger. I still use that first cage when my birds are being watched over at my parents or when I watch over a friend's Poi, but I wouldn't use it as a daily cage, it just seems small. And my birds tend to be out a minimum of 3 hours a day, often more.
My blog http://poiworld.blogspot.com/
Videos of my birds http://www.youtube.com/user/poicephaluslady
Piper ~ Lovebird
Shade ~ Senegal
Joey & Pixel ~ Red-bellied parrots
Petey & Zuri ~ Meyer's parrots
Léa ~ Cape parrot
User avatar
Natacha
African Grey
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 1277
Location: Ontario, Canada
Number of Birds Owned: 7
Types of Birds Owned: PF Lovebird, Senegal Parrot, Red-bellied Parrots, Meyer's Parrot, Cape Parrot
Flight: Yes

Re: Can a cage be too big?

Postby TheNzJessie » Thu Apr 08, 2010 12:45 am

i have not owned larger parrots but i have owned budgies, a cockatiel and a rainbow lorikeet and what i used to find was cages labeld 'budgie cage' or similar were always to small for the bird that it was named for, and horrifing enough it says u can keep 2-3 in one! what i did when buying a cage for my budgie was for my budgie i would buy a cockatiel cage and for my cockatiel i brought a small parrot type cage and when my cockatiel passed it was large enough to house my lorikeet here is a picture of the cage i kept my lorikeet in and the cage and the cage i have my budgie in, i cant find a picture of but it is VERY similar to the cage duke had
Attachments
124764474_full.jpg
124764474_full.jpg (19.39 KiB) Viewed 10331 times
Qwil-:budgie:
Jango-:rainbow:
Jessie-ME
:)
User avatar
TheNzJessie
African Grey
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 1066
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Rainbow lorikeet
Budgie
Flight: Yes

Next

Return to Housing

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 11 guests

Parrot ForumArticles IndexTraining Step UpParrot Training BlogPoicephalus Parrot InformationParrot Wizard Store