Parrot Cage

A parrot cage is the most important piece of equipment you will need to buy for your new parrot. The proper cage can help your parrot stay healthy and safe. However, there are so many different types of parrot cages so how do you choose the right one?

First, consider the type of parrot you are buying. If you have any type of parakeet, cockatiel or another long tailed bird species, you will need a long tall cage so that your bird can get plenty of exercise. Ideally, the parrot cage should be long enough so the bird can actually fly from one side to the other. A bird with a stocky body, such as a lovebird or a Senegal parrot, gets a lot of exercise by climbing around in the cage. These parrots do well in a cage that is taller than it is wide.

Next, you should consider the size of the parrot cage. While usually you should plan to buy the biggest parrot cage you can afford for your parrot, a newly weaned hand fed baby parrot will probably feel lost and frightened in a large parrot cage. He also may have trouble locating his food and water dishes. It is usually a good idea to buy a small bird cage for your baby parrots first few months and switch him to a larger parrot cage when he is older.

Another thing to keep in mind when you are selecting your parrot cage is the spacing between the cage bars. A beautiful £300 parrot cage isn't very useful if your parrot can fit through the bars anytime he wants to. If you are thinking about using a parrot cage with wire mesh, you should compare the size of the hole in the mesh with the size of your parrots head before you make your selection. A parrot cage made with one inch mesh is just the right size for a cockatiel to stick his head through. Instead of pulling their heads back in through the same hole, cockatiels have been known to bend their necks into a 'U' shape and stick their heads into a different hole.

Once you have decided on the parrot cage size and bar spacing, you should consider a few other aspects of parrot cage design. Take a look at the cage tray at the bottom. When you pull it out to clean it, is there a grate in the cage to keep the bird from escaping? Is the tray deep enough to catch most of the mess your bird makes? Even if the parrot cage has a deep tray, you still may find that your parrot scatters a lot of seed hulls and feathers on the floor if there is no cage apron. While you can place your parrot cage in a plastic apron base or cover the bottom of the cage with a cloth apron, a built in metal apron is a really nice feature that should be looked for.

Finally, don't forget to take a look at the cage cups. There should be a way for you to easily access the cups without reaching into the parrot cage through the main door. If you are buying a parrot cage for a bigger parrot, the cups should actually bolt to the cage unless you want to spend every morning and afternoon for the next 50 years reaching for cups that your parrot has tossed onto the floor of its parrot cage.

While they have many of the same care requirements as other parrots, there are a few things you should keep in mind when you are caring for African grey parrots. These birds can grow up to become cage bound and fearful if they aren't exposed to different people and situations at a young age.

Even worse, because of their high intelligence, if these parrots feel neglected or lack stimulation, they will often start plucking out their chest, shoulder and tail feathers. This means that you should be sure to give your parrot plenty of toys and you should be prepared to talk with him for at least an hour a day. Toys that involve some sort of problem solving element, such as knots to undo or mazes to solve are a good choice.

All African greys need a roomy parrot cage. Even if your bird will be spending time on a play gym or T stand each day, he will need room to play and explore while he is in his parrot cage. The minimum size for an African Grey parrot cage is two feet (60 cm) deep by three feet (91 cm) wide and four feet (121 cm) tall, which gives him enough space to flap his wings, climb around and hang upside down.

Of course, the bigger the parrot cage the better. Be sure any parrot cage you choose has strong bars that are spaced between 3/4 of an inch (1,91 cm) and an inch (2,54 cm) apart. Also, make sure that any decorative scrollwork is nowhere near the inside of the parrot cage, as more than one African grey has injured himself by catching a leg band on decorative scrollwork.