BIRD CARE

BIRD HOUSING

Cages

Make sure that the cage that you purchase is adequate not only to house your bird but also to provide her with enough room for activity. The minimum requirement is that your bird be able to extend both wings at the same time without touching the sides of the cage from any angle.

You must also make sure that the bar spacing on the cage is safe for your bird. There are various recommendations but the basic idea is that your bird should not be able to put her head through the cage bars. This can be dangerous and lead to accidents. There are many birds that have hurt their toes or other body parts trapped in these designs... better safe than sorry.

You can purchase a cage made of galvanized wire. Some people will warn you that this can be dangerous to the birds as the zinc used in galvanizing the wire can be toxic to your pets. Where this can be a real concern thoroughly washing and scrubbing the cages before use usually eliminates the danger. Use your good judgment as to what is safe; look for sharp edges etc....

Perches

Most cages come with perches, plain wood dowels or perches made of steel or iron. Usually these perches are too big for your bird's little feet and also not convenient for them to grip.

What you want to do is provide your birds with perches of different shapes and sizes to help exercise their feet. No matter the size of the bird you want to offer perches that range in size from pencil to large enough that your birds toes don't reach all the way around. If you aren't able to provide such a variety the perch should be large enough around that your birds toes don't wrap completely around so they touch, but no so large that the toes rest flat across the top.