When you’ve decided to be owned by a bird … you need to get an appropriate cage. It is recommended you buy the biggest cage you can accommodate, and:
- One that is zinc free or powder coated (ask the retailer) particularly if you have parrots – they love to chew! – Zinc is toxic to birds
- One that is easily cleaned. A cage that has a removable tray in the bottom the size of your local paper is ideal!! You can remove the top few sheets daily for a nice clean cage in a flash. We like the ones that you can dismantle for a good soak and scrub
- A cage that is secure i.e. the welds must be strong and carrying handles sturdy
- A cage that allows the bird to stretch its wings and if possible be bigger than just a wing stretch
Accessories
Perches
Avail yourself of natural sticks and twigs (don’t use dowel) eucalyptus, citrus and hardwood are safe to use
The perches need to be free of pesticides and be non toxic – don’t use rhododendron
Position them so the bird doesn’t contaminate its food or water and so their tail doesn’t touch the floor of the cage
Position the perches so that the bird can move around the cage so not too many and not too few, not too high and not too low – easy huh
Food and Water Bowls
Food and water containers should be placed in such a way that the bird doesn’t contaminate it with its droppings
The water should be changed daily
The food should be checked/changed daily depending on what you’re feeding. Seed husks can either be blown or sucked (a dust buster is great) from uneaten seed. We recommend you feed “crumbles” available from your vet or pet shop
Fruit should be supplied fresh each day to parrots and provide a mix of flavours and textures. Fruit skewers allow you to thread the fruit on a metal rod and hang it from the cage Keeps fruit off the floor of the cage. We will cover diet more thoroughly in another article
A wide shallow dish displays food attractively – especially important for fussy eaters and parrots
Hygiene
Daily cleaning of the cage floor is recommended. This is easy if you have a wire base and a removable tray. If the tray is the size of a newspaper, you can put the whole newspaper on the tray and remove the soiled top couple of pages
Thorough cleaning is recommended weekly. Remember its easier to clean if its had a chance to soak! Wet paper towels are ideal for cleaning this wire cage bottom. Put them on the wire floor and allow to soak, then use them to wipe the wire strips clean. Change the paper in the tray and you’re done. If possible give the whole cage a good wash when dirty
If you don’t have a wire barrier on the bottom of your cage, plain cage liners are recommended such as paper towels or newspaper rather than cat litter, sand or woodchips for example. This allows you to monitor droppings and is easier to clean