Mary Allen
If you want to keep an animal, it is important to ensure that it is kept in a species-appropriate manner. It doesn’t really matter which animal it is.
Whether cats, dogs, rodents, or birds, all creatures need space and an environment that is as natural as possible, which satisfies their actual needs. It’s the same with parrots.
If you want to buy a parrot, you should first take a closer look at the requirements of the animal.
Since there are well over 350 different parrot species, it is important to take a close look at the housing requirements. This article is all about how to find a suitable parrot cage for your new pet so that your feathered friend feels very comfortable right from the start and you can experience many exciting and unforgettable years together.
The cage for parrots
As already mentioned, there are a large number of different species of parrots, all of which have very different requirements for keeping them. A distinction is made between gray parrots, amazons, macaws and cockatoos. It is always important to select the cage so that it has the minimum dimensions without any problems.
Of course, small orange-headed macaws don’t need as much space as the macaw, but the cage should be one size larger. It is also important to remember that parrots should not be kept alone, because birds can also become lonely. In addition, being alone quickly becomes boring and boredom can quickly lead to health problems in birds. Animal protection explicitly specifies the minimum dimensions for the individual parrot species.
You should consider this before buying a parrot cage
In general, impulse purchases of a cage are strongly discouraged. It is therefore important to take a closer look at the individual cages and also to see at home where this cage should be in the future. In this way, it can be measured exactly how much space would be available at most. It is best to choose a place that is nice and big to give your animals as much space as possible and choose a large cage.
By the way, birds like it when they have everything in view or can look outside into nature. In summer, the animals love it when they get a shady place outside when the weather is nice, where the cage is well protected and the birds can enjoy the fresh air.
You should also know in advance how many animals you want to keep at once. Especially the small parrots, the so-called argaponids, are inseparable parrots. This means that they bind themselves to a partner and do not leave them until death. As the name suggests, they are inseparable and need their partner to be healthy and happy. However, many directly decide to keep several parrots at once, so the birdcage itself would not be enough, but an aviary would be the right decision.
How big should the parrot cage be?
As previously mentioned, your parrot’s cage should be as large as possible, but at least large enough for the animals to fully extend and flap their wings. When spreading the wings, they should not touch the cage, so there must still be space here. As soon as there is a restriction in this regard, it is not species-appropriate parrot husbandry.
Furthermore, it is imperative to ensure that the bars are spaced appropriately so that the animals cannot stick their heads through the bars. This could otherwise quickly lead to serious head and neck injuries.
Due to the fact that parrots are so-called high-flyers, it is important that the cage is not tall but wide. The high cages, on the other hand, are designed for human needs rather than made for those of animals. It is also important to pay attention to the minimum dimensions that are prescribed for each parrot species.
What else should be considered when buying a parrot cage?
In addition to the fact that the cage should be large enough for the selected parrots, there are many other things to consider when buying. You can find out what these are below:
Cleaning
You have to clean the parrot cage regularly and remove the droppings and urine. When you buy it, you should make sure that it can be cleaned quickly and easily and that you won’t have to struggle every time in the future. For example, there are models where the lower area can be easily pulled out and cleaned quickly without having to move the cage itself. However, also think about the cage equipment. Because toys, poles and the like also need to be cleaned once a month.
The doors
The small doors should be easy to open. That of course only for you as the owner. Many parrots are very intelligent animals and quickly figure out how to open the small flaps on the cage. In addition, these should be large enough so that the animals can easily pass through for your free flight or you can put your hand through to change food bowls or drinking bowls. Feeding doors on the side are particularly useful so that the feeding bowls can be removed without using the main door.
Roof flaps
Roof hatches are also very popular. No wonder, because they can be ideally converted as seating or as a free seat. If you are now wondering what is supposed to be practical about it for the owner, you will immediately see the light. This has mainly to do with the permanently working digestion of the animals. On average, individual parrots defecate every 20 minutes. The animals can now enjoy the outdoors for longer, so the droppings fall directly onto the cage floor, which means less time for them to clean. The rest of the room is thus largely spared.
Transportation options
There are different situations in which the parrot cage has to be moved. Since most models, at least if you want to keep the animals species-appropriate, are quite large and therefore weigh a lot, it is best to have lockable castors. Most parrot owners use separate transport boxes for going to the vet, so this transport option is usually irrelevant when purchasing a parrot.
Material
The material is of course also very important and should be of good quality and robust. In addition, this should be completely harmless to health, because parrots like to nibble on the sticks even when they are bored. It can also quickly happen that some paint comes off or another damage is caused by nibbling. For this reason, the choice of material is very important. As a rule, however, such a cage has been designed with the knowledge of exactly this passion for nibbling. Cages made of stainless steel or with powder and hammer finish are best. On the other hand, you should urgently refrain from using materials containing lead and zinc, as these metals would lead to possible heavy metal poisoning and could have serious consequences for the dear animals.
What else needs to be considered when keeping animals in cages?
Regardless of the size of the cage, it is important that your animals can enjoy several hours of free flight. Even a large aviary can never replace this free flight in the apartment, so the size really doesn’t matter here. If you want to keep your parrots species-appropriate and fair for the animal, you have to be sure from the start that free flights can be guaranteed. Not only independent of the cage size but also completely independent of the parrot species.
Furthermore, you should be aware that when you buy a parrot, you are faced with a long-term responsibility, which often even means lifelong. Parrots can live up to 90 years in captivity so you need to be aware that your bird may even outlive you and this purchase is an important life decision.
Equip the cage properly
Not only the size of the cage and the free flight hours play an important role. The animals love to gnaw and climb. In addition, they are very intelligent animals. For these reasons, you should give the birds the opportunity to exploit this potential. So make sure that the parrot cage is large enough to be equipped with different accessories, such as special parrot toys that stimulate the animals’ intelligence, allow them to climb, or can be used for rocking. Branches of fruit trees should also be raised from time to time. In addition, the outdoor seats are very popular with people and animals. In addition to the toys inside the cage, you can also provide employment opportunities outside, because the cuties like to get creative even during the free flight time.
Conclusion
The range of different parrot cages often seems endless, so interested parties often feel overwhelmed. However, if you pay attention to the different criteria that such a cage has to meet for the animals, the choice becomes smaller and smaller. Always keep in mind that the animals really need a lot of space to really feel comfortable. Look at the natural needs of the animals and then decide on a model that does justice to both the animals and you. Set up the birdcage nicely and keep it a little different when it comes to activities and you will see what wonderful animals parrots are and how much fun the birds will bring you in the future.