Cage Size

[rachel1967]

Hi! I'm a new member, but not new to exotic bird parenting. I've had cockatiels, finches, parakeets and a macaw.
Right now I have no pet birds but am considering getting one. My question: I have a cage that is 19 1/2" wide and deep and 24" or 25" tall (not including the unused space at the bottom of the cage). My last cockatiel used for 14 years quite happily (with lots of out of cage time).
What species of bird do you think would be happiest in this size cage?
Thank You!!

[Dragonlady2]

Hi Rachel1967 and welcome to the forum. The size of cage you have presently may be adequate for parrotlettes, jmo. As we learn more about what our parrots require, it seems that cages should be as large as is safe for the parrot. I believe this has more to do with allowing room for your parrot to forage, explore and be able to exercise by flapping it's wings. This makes for an emotionally secure parrot. For birds that are out of the cage a majority of their day, the cage could be smaller as it would be used more for feeding and sleeping. This is just my opinion. My canaries are in flight cages larger than the cage you describe so I am a little bit crazy about this topic...lol
Please stay and let us know what you choose as your next feathered companion. We love pictures and hearing about everyone's parrots.

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

Hi Rachel
I read in other posts that you have recently given up a macaw. Birds need stability in their lives and can live a very long time. I trust that you are prepared to give your next bird love for all of its life. Have you a set up where a bird can exercise safely, away from your dogs?
Here is a picture of Casper, our Blue fronted Amazon. We don't own him, we are his guardians and he chooses to stay with us.
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Casper sleeping in the garden ([Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]) by Jean-Pierre Declemy ([Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]), on Flickr

[rachel1967]

Hi Dragonlady2 and Casper's 2nd best friend! I'm a bit hurt by the statement "I hope you're prepared to give your next bird love for all of it's life."
I had all of my birds throughout my life for their lifespan---except for my macaw. But I DEFINATELY NEVER stopped loving him. I am dying inside knowing that because I loved him enough to let him go to a home where someone was more able to give him the attention a larger parrot requires, he may be in a situation where he's frightened and ignored.
I was completely willing, even BEGGING this man to sell him back to me for MORE money that he'd paid me. I didn't want my sweet boy to go from home to home as so many large parrots do.
That being said, if I do aquire a new feathered friend, it will most certainly be for life. And it will get plenty of attention and out of cage time. While a large parrot requires quite a bit if room to play outside of their cage, a smaller bird can be quite happy perching on a shoulded, playing on a playtop or even in a playpen ( which I ccan purchase a pack n play or a doggy type playpen for that). Rio would have shedded a pack n play and he was not allowed on my shoulder. So many times he'd get on the floor and march around like a gestapo after the dogs. For the most part, they ran away and hid, but it was a potentially dangerous situation.
In spite of all that, I woukd take my boy back even ten years down the road, even 20. I apologize if I seem harsh or angry, but I am going to be hurting over this for years to come. Every blue and gold I see at a pet store, swap meet or bird fair is going to stop my heart---and break it again when I rush over only to see its2 not him. I'm crying now as I type this, not so much for me, but for Rio because I completely failed him.

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

Sorry if I came on a bit strong, I just hate to read about people buying or selling and things go wrong.

[rachel1967]

It's ok, I know where you're coming from. I'm just very sensitive right now. I'll have to try to imagine him in a loving home.

[rachel1967]

I may just wait awhile before bringing a new bird into my life. There's a very adorable female parrotlet someone nearby has for sale, reasonably priced and handraised. I don't know if I'm emotionally ready and the cage I have was my cockatiel's and the bars are 3/4" apart---way too big for a parrotlet. So there's the additional expense for that. I just need to do some soul-searching.

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

Maybe you will hear of a suitable bird that needs a loving home, perhaps because its owner has passed on, and comes equipped with its own cage and stuff. Just ask around in the right sort of places - church groups, knitting groups and other community gatherings. Word of mouth is much better than advertisements I think.

[rachel1967]

Well, I have decided to get a sweet little peachfaced lovebird! I've never had one, and this one is tame and reasonably priced. He will come with a small cage, 16" x 23" x 16" H. I'm going to go ahead and purchase a larger cage (the cage I already have is unsuitable, bar spacing is 3/4"). I found a flight cage for $42. 26" L x 14" W x 36" H. OR, I can really splurge and get a BIG cage: 31-inch long, 20-1/2-inch wide and 53-inch high! $112 including 2 toys and FREE shipping! Decisions, decisions......What do you think?

[Quakerella]

You are right about the bar spacing, very important so they don't get their little heads stuck.

I have a peach faced lovebird, actually it is my son's. He calls him Quaggy short for Quagmeyer. He has a small cage, but the door is always open so he has free flight. He spends most of his time on top of the cage or on the playstand.

I think the amount of time the bird spends in the cage will have a lot to do with the size that is required.

[rachel1967]

Quakerella: "I think the amount of time the bird spends in the cage will have a lot to do with the size that is required."

I completely agree! During the school year, he will have to be in his cage more as I'm gone from 6:30 - 5 or 6. weekdays.During the summer I don't work, so he'll have much more out of cage time.

I can't wait to bring him home!

[Quakerella]

They can be such wonderful little friends. Very large personalities for such a tiny little creature.:th_smile:

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

Looking forward to the photos :)

[rachel1967]

I'm more excited about the little lovebird as the hours pass! I went and bought his food, one of those spiral ropes (My macaw loved those!), and a bath tub with a mirror that hooks to the side of the cage! Then someone with a very large cage let me know it's still available---it's 30" x 18" x 55"----only $70!! My little lovebird (I'm thinking of naming him/her Stevie. If it's a girl, for Stevie Nicks (I LOVE her!!), if it's a boy, for Stevie Wonder (I also LOVE him!)

[Quakerella]

That is wonderful, can't wait to see little Stevie

[Lady]

:th_congrats3: on your little Stevie. I too am looking forward to some pics.

[rachel1967]

I'm sad to say, getting Stevie fell through. I guess there was someone else who wanted her and could pick her up sooner.
Although I'm really let down, I'm not devastated. My first bird of choice is really a cockatiel. The one I had for 15 years was such a sweetheart! He talked a little andcwhistled the theme from The Andy Griffith Show, imitated our microwave, smoke detector and alarm clock! He was very affectionate. It's been several years since he passed, I was never ready for another.
So, I'll be looking and hopefully find one nearby.

[Quakerella]

Oh that's too bad Rachel, we all know how excited you were. If your first choice is a cockatiel, I think waiting to find the right one is a good idea.

[rachel1967]

Oh my gosh! This has been a crazy day! I was telling a co-worker this morning about not getting Stevie after all. She knew the story of my sweet boy Rio and how excited I was about getting Stevie.
When I finished telling her how disappointed I was that Stevie's adoption fell through, she replied, "Oh! This is wonderful!"
I said, "Excuse me??"
She went on to say that she had told her neighbor the story about Rio and how heartbroken I was and that I was wanting to adopt a smaller bird. Her neighbor told her that a relative of hers was looking for a new home for a cockatiel that had belonged to a grandparent. By the time my co-worker saw me on Monday, I told her about Stevie and how excited I was about getting her, so she didn't mention the cockatiel.
Her neighbor's relative, after hearing about everything, allowed me to adopt Polly (not my favorite name) for a small fee---cage, travel cage, toys, dishes and lots of food included! I picked Polly (now named Woodstock) this afternoon!!
Now for the crazy part! Shortly after dinner, I got a text from Stevie's owner-----the lady who was going to pick him up this morning never showed! I texted, "I'm sorry, I already found another bird." Not 10 minutes later, my phone rang. It was Stevie's owner, and she was obviously crying. She begged me to buy Stevie, said that when her boyfriend found out that the lady never came and got her, he said that if Stevie is still at their place when he gets home from work tomorrow afternoon he's going to either a) Take Stevie outside and let her loose, or b) Flush her down the toilet!!!
The girl said she's at work by the time he gets home, and she thinks he'll really do it.
Well, guess what I'm doing tomorrow? Maybe there's a reason this all happened, I don't know. But I do know I don't want to chance that little lovebird being harmed! What is WRONG with people?!?!
This reminds me of the time a student on my bus told me his mom was going to throw all his hamsters in the dumpster if he didn't find homes for them! I told him I would take them, that I'd pick them up the next afternoon. He got on the bus tge next morning and said, "It's too late to get the hamsters. By the time I got home from school, my mom said she had set them loose outside." I felt physically ill---it was going to get way below freezing that night! Sometimes I just HATE humans!!

[PlaxMacaws]

Gee, it seems then that you're a bird mom again (times 2), Rachel :). It's funny how things work out at times. Congrats on your new additions!

As for those hideously insensitive, grotesquely cruel people you've mentioned... they have pathologically flawed minds. Their mental wiring is absent the very important mechanism that generates empathy. They're selfish and usually greedy. And they're often abusive in other ways. Quite frankly, they're dangerous individuals. I consider them to be afflicted with a form of sociopathy. Unfortunately their numbers seem frighteningly high among our society. And you're not alone; they literally make me sick to think about, too!

Thanks for updating us on your bird situation :D

[rachel1967]

Woodstock and Stevie Nicks are getting used to being roomates. (Not in the same cage, but their cages are side by side.) I know, I should have kept them in separate rooms for awhile, but they seemed genuinely happy to be roomies. Both are wonderfully tame, sweet, sunny individuals! How did I get so lucky?

[rachel1967]

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[rachel1967]

Here's a pic of them together.

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[rachel1967]

Stevie (She's just ADORABLE! She actually flew over to see what I was doing!)

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[rachel1967]

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Handsome Woodstock!

[rachel1967]

Oh, here is the large cage that came with Woodstock. It will be his living room cage. Now I just need to get Stevie a large cage!

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[PlaxMacaws]

Looks like a great start, Rachel. I'm glad you're getting Woodstock and Stevie settled in. Woodstock's larger cage looks nice... I notice that its door is constructed into its narrow dimension, which is a bit interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[Lady]

Nice cage, it's great that you will have more than one cage for each of them.

[rachel1967]

I ended up buying a used cage for Stevie. It's so big! I don't think she knows what to do with all the space! I've been rearranging it for a couple of hours, lol. I can't get the photos to upload. ��

[Lady]

Hey Rachel,
Sorry your having difficulties in uploading your pic. What seems to be the problem? Is it too big....that's usually my issue even tho I set my camera in advance to email size it always seems way to big for here. I end up re sizing it in photo gallery and then I'm good.

[Dragonlady2]

I ended up buying a used cage for Stevie. It's so big! I don't think she knows what to do with all the space! I've been rearranging it for a couple of hours, lol. I can't get the photos to upload. ��

Can't wait to see the pics when you have it figured out. Are you using a camera, phone, iPad?

[Quakerella]

I have to edit mine with an editor before I can post. They are just way too big.

[rachel1967]

I'm not sure what the problem was. I have since deleted the pic from my phone, so here are a couple I took this morning. You can see Stevie on her food cup in one pic, and she's just a blur in the second as she's flying. I really would like to find another cage like this one for Woodstock.
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[Dragonlady2]

Stevie has lots of room now. She will let you know what she likes and where she likes it...lol. I would just add a shredding toy or two that will keep her busy.

[Quakerella]

Nice big cage.:th_smile:

I can't really tell by the picture, but the doors look to be the ones that slide up to open. Just a suggestion for you, I would find some little clips to lock them down so Stevie can't open them. We have the slide doors as well and Quagy (lovebird) has no problem opening them and getting out. I was always concerned they may fall on his neck during his attempts.

Lots of room though, he will love it.