No Cage?

[Marnie]

anyone keep a parrot without a cage? my IRN never ever goes in his cage. he lives entirely on the outside. his dishes are on top, he has a nice playtop and rope boing type perch that he is usually on and at night goes to sleep on a big wooden toy thing on the side.
i see no reason to keep the bird cage at all. this weekend i will be moving the cage out and replacing it with a big free standing wooden perch i made from a maple tree. there will be 3 shelves on the wall for his dishes and toys etc.
it only seems natural to me since thats how birds live in nature
anyone else have a "cageless" bird?

[pennyandrocky]

i so badly want to do this mya hates her cage.penny likes his since his bed is in there.i get nervous now because my son falls asleep on the couch when he has no school and she bit him once trying to cuddle him but he got scared and rolled on her.when i redo my house and give them my son's bedroom i'm going with the playstands or trees.perfect subject tonight i'm battling mya to get in her cage out of her usual bedtime treats.i think liz is cage free.

[Sparky]

It is lovely to hear your IRN is so 'free' However I do think that cages have their uses, especially as a way to keep them safe if you're airing the home or have dubious visitors who might not 'gel' so well. That kind of thing.

Sparky is about 40% 'free' and 60% caged, and I consider it necessary because I can't shut up the house all day and we have kids going constantly in and out the doors. It's just not safe for a large part of the day especially in school holidays now.

I'll be interested to see others' responses.

[Michael]

it only seems natural to me since thats how birds live in nature
anyone else have a "cageless" bird?

And it is "natural" to clip their wings to keep them on there?

[GlassOnion]

Mine have their own room, that's pretty much their 'cage'. Apple hates his flight cage so much he only goes in when I put him to bed.

[lamu]

hi,
I think is important for my parrot to have a "house" where she can finds refuge or sleepy.
Her cage is open not all time, but for the most of the day. She can goes into or leave it when she wants, and, when I receive my friends ( with their children), she runs into her home because she knows that nobody touch her over there.
Furthermore, I feel sure when I open the windows in the hot season.

[liz]

I have a big cage for Rambo and Myrtle. All they use it for is food and water. If I sneak up on them I can sometimes find them playing in the cage together. I unhooked the door and have it hanging on the side in case I need to close them in for some reason. At this time I am just using the door to the sunroom to confine them.

They stand on their tree and look through the glass on the French doors like little jail birds.

[Marnie]

here's a couple pics with the cage still in place.
( you can see a little bit of chewing he did to my blinds)




i have since added more cross branches and will probably be adding more later.
that wood block toy on the side of the cage is his "bed" lol
i will be keeping that.
and yes HE IS CLIPPED but he can still fly when he wants.
i don't want to lose him out the door like i did my Lutino Bette.
(and yes Michael, i know it was my fault)
so i will be removing the cage this week end and will update my pics as my projuct progresses.

[liz]

Blinds are fair game as is most of the house and furnishings. His cage is only big enough for food dishes and a bell. I see why you created a tree. You do want to keep the cage. A family holiday with people coming in and out may be a time when you want to secure him.

[Marnie]

yes you're right Liz. i have another cage in my computer room for that or any time i need to confine him.
you know, i never realized that the cage is on the small side till now. i bought this cage as an improvement on the one he came in which was about the same (this one is a few inches wider) diameter but with a dome top. i then gave the dome top to my lovies.
i wanted one with a flat top so i could put a play area up there. .
i have a very small house and had to go with the space i had for him.
once he got used to the new setup he never went back in the cage. i thought at first i would put him in just at night so he could have it as his bed, but he hated it and paced and paced until i opened the door again.
he does not venture from his "corner" of the house and has good views out the windows. the only time he strays is when something spooks him so i am glad about that.