Picking a Bird Cage

Every species needs something a little different and that can be because of their activity levels or their size. A larger bird will need a larger cage to feel happy in their home. If you have a species that likes to be kept in groups, this factors in when picking the right cage. Is there enough space for all of them? Can they get away from each other to avoid any conflict? Are there plenty of perches with some to spare so everyone has a space to relax?

Picking the right bird cage will depend entirely on your individual bird and also what you can offer.

When measuring the size of the cage you need, bigger tends to be better considering this will be their home. It’s like buying a house, we rarely buy a house that meets minimum requirements if we can afford something a little roomier. So, if you can provide something with a little extra space then it’s always a good idea to give that. The general rule of thumb is that a cage should be twice as wide as a bird’s wingspan to give them room to stretch out and move around with ease. If you have a species like budgies or cockatiels, they enjoy living in special groups so a cage will need to have plenty of room for their friends as well. If you have a pair of small birds, the Liberta Siam Bird Cage Black is nice and wide to offer ample space but if you want to house a group then the larger Liberta Lotus Black Bird Cage would be more appropriate.

Your next consideration is the bar spacing. Sometimes larger cages offer wider bar spacing as they’re built with bigger birds in mind. If you want to give a small species of bird more space, you should still provide a cage with narrow bars. Your feathery friend should not be able to stick their head through the bars, if the bars are wide enough for them to do this, they’re too wide and it can cause injury.

When you’re considering the size of the cage, keep in mind how many toys and perches you’re going to add to it. More birds means they need more perches so they take up a lot more space. You also need to think about how long they’re going to be spending in their cage. A sociable and confident parrot may spend most of their day outside the cage and keeping you company, however, this kind of lifestyle would stress out a timid little canary. For more shy species who aren’t going to enjoy too much handling and you may not be able to let out of their cage, they need a big space. Even a cage as large as the Liberta Cortes Parrot Cage Medium would be a suitable cage if you were to never let your parrot out to have social interaction with you. Something the same size with smaller bar spaces for smaller birds is ample if they don’t get out much or if they’re too flighty for that.

It’s generally recommended to get your bird cage a cover if they do not sleep in a room that is completely dark at night. If there are always streetlights coming through the window or there are electricals that are always on by default, covering the cage will give them a better night's sleep. Alternatively, you may find that your pet’s preference is to not be covered. Sometimes being covered can soothe a bird into sleeping well, however if you have a bird that always craves social interaction then covering their cage might actually stress them out and make them feel like they’re cut off from you. While there are general rules on what is good for your pet bird, nobody knows your individual pet as well as you do and you can work out what is best for them through trial and error.

If you want to establish whether you should get a cover for your bird’s cage, you can first try covering it with a sheet or a towel at night. While this might not block out light as well as a cover designed for your specific cage, it will help you understand if it’s a good investment.

A stand for your bird cage is another thing that can be helpful if you don’t have somewhere nice and high to put the cage. Putting a cage on the floor can startle your birds if you’re always walking past and part of the fun of keeping birds is to watch and interact with them. Keeping the cage on a table can work, however, some cages can be quite heavy and having a stand specially for them will help raise your birds to a level where you can interact with them. A stand like the Rainforest Cages C3 Stand Black will lift your birds to a good height to help them feel loved and included in your day to day activities.

Beyond the cage itself, you need to provide everything your bird needs and they should still be able to move around comfortably. From very simple perches like the Sea Shell Wood Perch Medium to something that offers a little more of a quirky shape like the Liberta Java Branch Small, what you add to your bird’s cage and how many really depends on the space you have to play with. Most birds don’t enjoy spending too much time on the cage floor, especially if it’s barred so they will spend almost all of their time on their perches.

Toys tend to take up a lot of space in bird cages because they all require hanging. Toys can make a space much more interesting and act as alternative perches. You can add things like a Happy Pet Bird Cargo Net and a Natural Rope And Log Bridge to add more space for them to play and perch. You can really get creative with the space you have as long as they still have plenty of room to move around. Everything your bird needs will attach to the bars, even their bowl like the Happy Pet Bolt On Pet Bowl will make it easy to clean out. For larger species like parrots, the Rainforest Cages Table Top Stand is a great optional fixture to the bottom of the cage. It allows an area for them to eat and come down to interact with you and makes use of a space they don’t often use! 

If you need to move your beloved birds, it might seem easier and less stressful to transport them in their cage if they fit in the car, however, it can be more stressful. With such a wide and open space, they can fall and injure themselves, so a smaller transportation box is better. A box like the Supa Medium Pet Carrier or a Rosewood Pod Carrier Medium is likely to be a good size, however, you should add some kind of perch that won’t topple over to help them keep their balance.

You can find everything you need for your feathered friend to have a pleasant and luxurious lifestyle in store and online.