Cages and Setup Guide
The size, quality and setup of a parrot’s cage are critical considerations for psychological and physical health. Cages are your parrot’s home which should be safe, comfortable, and an enjoyable environment. A sound cage investment and proper maintenance will enhance your parrot’s quality of life. Whether you are adopting a baby, rehoming an older bird, or considering a bird for your family pet, we recommend the following standards in cage selection and setup.
Bar Design and Spacing
Vertical cage bars are designed for finches and canaries. Horizontal bars are designed for parakeets, cockatiels, and parrots of all sizes. Wire bar thickness is expressed using the term gauge. In general, the larger the cage the thicker the bars. Cage manufacturers may reduce costs by decreasing bar thickness. Be aware that thinner bars will have a harder time standing up to the physical demands of chewing or your parrot’s curiosity with attempts to dismantle or escape the cage. Bar spacing recommendations by species:
| Small Birds | Finches, Canaries, Parakeets, Parrotlets, Lovebirds, Budgies, Cockatiels, and smaller Conures | 1/2" to 5/8" |
| Medium Birds | Conures, Lories, Senegals, Caiques, Ringnecks, Mini Macaws, Quakers, Pionus, smaller Cockatoos, smaller African Greys, smaller Amazons | 1/2" to 3/4" |
| Large Birds | Larger African Greys, larger Amazons, Macaws, Cockatoos, Alexandrines, Eclectuses, Capes | 3/4" 1" |
Cage Size and Shape
A good rule of thumb is that the cage should be as large as you can accommodate in your space. A cage should provide ample space to jump, swing, climb, hang upside down, forage, extended wing flapping, and play. A cage looks huge when it’s empty. When it’s filled with the recommended perches, toys, swings, food and water containers, and your bird it will look small – just stick your head in and check out the view from the inside!
Parrots are very social creatures. Their cages should be placed in an area where they have good line of sight and interaction with other members of the household. Avoid direct line of sight to entries where they may be anxious and surprised each time someone arrives. Avoid corners near pass-through doors which can be stressful due to foot traffic. The best location will have an outdoor view and ability to clearly understand the source of sounds in the environment. Watch out for windows that build up heat and vents that may be too hot, cold, or drafty.
Some people choose to use a sleeping cage where their parrot can sleep for the night, perhaps close by to their favorite person. Sleeping and travel cages may be smaller because they’re temporary options for specific scenarios. They shouldn’t be used as the primary cage for your bird. In general horizontal space is better used by parrots than vertical space. A tall thin cage will result in the parrot spending most of it’s time at a high height and not using much of the space. There is wiggle room for the following sizes as long as the volume is similar and there is good horizontal spacing.
For any of our birds to go to your home you need to provide a cage that accommodates minimal size recommendations for species. We sell cages in the store and can make recommendations. These are the MINIMUM cage sizes for ONE bird (bigger than the minimum being recommended):
| Species | Length x Width x Height |
|---|---|
| Budgies, Lovebirds, similar sized | 18"x18"x20" |
| Cockatiels, Conures, Quakers, Ringnecks | 28"x18"x22 |
| Caique, Larger Conure, Poicephalus | 32"x21"x31" |
| Mini Macaw, Small Cockatoo, Small Amazon | 34"x24"x40" |
| Double Yellow Headed Amazon, Eclectus, Congo African Grey | 36"x28"x46" |
| Umbrella Cockatoo, Moluccan Cockatoo, Blue and Gold Macaw | 42"x36"x60" |
| Green Wing Macaw, Hyacinth Macaw | 48"x36"x76" |
Some cage variations to avoid for your bird’s health and safety include round cages, decorative scrollwork, and bars with inconsistent width from top to bottom. Used cages can also present health and safety issues such as damaged finish which could harbor dangerous bacteria, loose bars, or broken parts. Cage doors should be appropriately sized for the species to easily move in and out independently or with your assistance. Locks should be sturdy and designed to withstand the curiosity and physical demands of the species intended for the cage. Supplemental locks may be require for some species.
Cage pans and fixtures for food and water crocks should be sturdy, easily removed for cleaning, and include mechanisms to prevent escape while the cage is being cleaned. A removable grate should cover sliding tray pans. Seed guards provide somewhat of a barrier to keep food inside the cage and limit the mess on the floor below the cage. Food crocks may be stainless steel, ceramic, or plastic, and affixed in the interior or exterior of the cage. Extra crocks come in handy. You may find your bird has very specific preferences and interests in crocks!
Perches
Birds spend the majority of their time standing on their feet, so perch quality and selection is vital to their health. Perch quality, safety, variety, and texture are all considerations. The plain, pine dowel perches that come standard in all cages don’t provide an ideal surface. A comparison would be the experience of humans standing bare foot on a hard slippery surface 24/7. Ouch. We recommend a minimum of one each natural surface, man-made, and grooming perch.
Natural wood perches are sourced from non-poisonous plants and areas that haven’t been sprayed or treated with insecticides or herbicides. Examples of safe woods include Acadia, Alder, Apple, Arbutus, Ash, Aspen, Bamboo, Beech, Birch, Bottle Brush, Coffee wood, Cottonwood, Crabapple, Dogwood, Dragonwood, Elm, Fir, Ginkgo, Grape vines, Hazelnut, Hickory, Ironwood, Lilac, Madrona, Magnolia, Maple, Oak (wood only, no bark or leaves), Palm, Pear, Pecan, Poplar, Pine, Sequoia, Spruce, Sycamore, and Willow.
Untreated cotton rope perches provide a great combination of surface texture and boredom buster. They can also be washed in the dishwasher or washing machine (on sanitize) when they get dirty! When the rope gets stringy, throw it away because your bird may ingest the strings or get a toe caught which can lead to injury. Stiff rope coils, also known as “Boings”, give you the best bang for your buck especially if your bird could use some excercise.
Pedicure perches made out of concrete, minerals, or texture coated surfaces help to keep nails blunt and beaks smooth. Parrots like to wipe their beaks against rough surfaces, which is comparable to us using a nail file to round off sharp edges. Select a pedicure perch so that the parrot’s nail tips meet the rough surface, otherwise the foot will wrap too far around to get the desired benefit. Plastic perches made from arylic and PVC are popular options because they’re sturdy and clean easily. However, they’re not a good option without alternatives because they’re very slippery and not easily chewed up which is important to most parrots! While acrylic is virtually indestructible, PVC can end up in pieces in a bird’s stomach and cause medical issues. Shower perches are fun and safe options! Check the suction cups and stability each time before you place your parrot on the perch.
Toys!
Parrots are very intelligent and require a lot of stimulation. In the wild, they would spend their days foraging for food and avoiding danger. Imagine if you were trapped in your bedroom with nothing but some food, water, and a book to read? What would you do after finishing the book? You’d grow bored and over time your mental health would be affected from the lack of stimulation. The same applies to your parrot, and the outcome can lead to behavioral changes like screaming and aggression or feather plucking and physical mutilation.
A common question is how many toys should my parrot have? The answer is to provide the number and type of toys that your bird enjoys, both in and out of the cage. If you’re wondering where all those toys will go in the cage, keep in mind that they should be placed close to perches for ease of access, and they can be attached to the top and all four sides of the cage as well as the ends of perches. Rotating toys provides variety. The same goes for repositioning perches and cage layout. Doing so can reduce seasonal hormonal behavior as well. Toys generally provide hard woods for chewing, softer items for foraging, intricate items for exploration, and some playground type equipment. Just like when you were a kid, sometimes the package wrapper is more fun to play with than the toy itself! Cardboard boxes, tissue rolls, and even magazine pages can provide opportunities for parrots to have fun with foraging and destruction. Take care not to use amazon shipping boxes or any cardboard that may have been sprayed with dangerous chemicals at any point. Watch out for plastics, fasteners, or staples that might be ingested or cause injury to provide a safe and enriching environment for your parrot.