Cage Shopping: What to Look for When Buying a Parrot Cage

Let me start off by saying that in a perfect world dogs would not need leashes, cats would not need to be kept indoors, people wouldn’t be restrained in offices, and birds would not need cages. I’m still stuck in my office so I guess we aren’t there yet. Most people can’t afford a house with a dedicated sunroom/aviary for a companion bird. It just isn’t safe for a bird to freely roam one’s home unsupervised any more than it is safe to let a toddler have free rein of the house. Even if you are a bird watcher with no intention of even keeping a bird in a cage you should still take the time to get to know the basics of cage requirements. Because you never know when you’ll get that 3:00 AM call “Dude…guess what I won in a poker game! How do I….?”

Whether you build or buy a cage for a parrot, there are a lot of things to consider. To make things easier I’ve written down a few thoughts that may help avoid some of the bigger pitfalls. Whether you choose to build or buy a cage you will save yourself a lot of trouble in the future by thinking about your bird’s cage now. After all, a parrot can live well past fifty years. Do you want to live that long with someone who has a grudge? Just kidding! However you need to understand that parrots have some unique requirements so you can’t just go out and buy a cheap dog kennel or rabbit cage.
 
Size Matters
Get the biggest cage that you can afford and fit in to your lifestyle. From the parrot’s point of view, there is no such thing as a cage that is too large. After all, their natural homes in jungles and savannas are very big places. The cage should be at least as wide as one and a half times the wingspan of the bird. A parrot must be able to flap its wings to exercise. If you must choose between height or width, go with width. You can always let the bird out to climb. However, at a minimum the cage needs to be tall enough for the bird to stand up, but the more climbing room, the better. It is important to remember that the smaller the cage, the more time the bird needs out of it.
 
Construction:
 
Bars
The bar spacing should be no wider than one to one and a quarter inch apart for a medium sized hook bill such as Amazons, African Greys or Eclectus. It is important to remember the smaller the bird, the less space you can have between the bars. The diameter of the bars is another thingyou should think about. Where as an eclectus may not be as prone to chewing on the bars, a macaw may decide to get it’s daily iron requirements from the bars of it’s cage! You need to make sure the bars can hold up to the bird. There should be some horizontal bars for the bird to climb on. You can use perches for the bird to climb on. However, the more things a bird can climb on and the more area it has to exercise and play, your companion bird will enjoy a better quality of life. The more surface area the bird can climb on equates to the more living space it has. This is the same reason there are skyscrapers in New York. If you can’t build out, build up!
 

Materials
What should the cage be made of? There are a number of good materials and a number of very bad materials. But in the end, they break into two groups: metal or plastic. There are considerations that need to be taken into account for whatever material you choose. Wood is not a suitable material for a cage. Parrots love to destroy wood.


Metal
The commonly accepted metals used in cage construction are steel, aluminum and tin. These are all suitable materials for a cage as long as they are not galvanized. The best material for a cage is stainless steel. The problem is that stainless steel is very expensive! Plain, old fashioned steel is suitable. If the cage is plain steel, it needs to be protected from rust with proper paint or a powder coating (also paint). Rust is even more dangerous to birds than it is to people because birds explore much of their world with their mouths. For this reason you need to make sure the paint or powder coat is safe for your bird because not all are. Watch out for galvanized steel or aluminum, even galvanized chicken wire. Galvanizing uses zinc. Zinc can and will kill your bird by heavy metal poisoning. Avoid this material like the plague. If you have to use a galvanized material, there are things you can do with oxidation, sun bleaching and paint treatments. Also, don’t forget to check the hardware. Even if the cage itself has no zinc, the bolts holding it together might.

Do not construct cages out of wire that you can buy at a local hardware store. This type of wire is soldered with lead and other toxic materials.  The wire is often galvanized with chunks of zinc that your bird will consume. There is special wire available that is much more expensive  but safer that is solder free. Stainless steel is best but very expensive. Many solder free wire is galvanized. Using a stiff wire brush you can sometimes scrape off all of the loose chunks of zinc. Bird such as cockatoos will chew this wire and usually be in a state of subclinical zinc poisoning, so it is not a good idea to use even solder free wire with species that like to chew wire.

Plastics
As for plastics or (polymers to be technical), the two commonly accepted ones are PVC and acrylic (Plexiglas). PVC pipe is a suitable material for a cage. But, there are issues to consider. PVC can make a suitable, if well … a unique looking cage. Extra attention must be used on the joints to ensure that a larger hook bill cannot snap off pieces of the PVC and swallow them. This could cause the bird injury or even death if the material becomes impacted in the intestine. Once again, you need to make sure the bars can hold up to the bird. Acrylic is the most common plastic used in cage construction. Some of the most beautiful cages I have ever seen were made from acrylic. As with most things though, there are trade-offs. With acrylic, there are some factors that really do require serious consideration. The major concern with an acrylic cage is air quality. Most of the better acrylic cages have a built-in air flow system. In temperatures over 400 degrees F, acrylic will release hydrogen cyanide. Of course, you could never keep a bird in a cage that is anywhere near that temperature. The real reason to note this is because birds have such sensitive pulmonary systems, hence the “mine canaries”. With an acrylic cage you need to remember in case of fire you will have even less time to rescue your bird because of the risk of toxic gas. There is also an issue with ultraviolet light and acrylic. There is much debate in the avian community about the importance of ultraviolet (UV) radiation in avian health, most of which isn’t germane to this article. In a nutshell, not all acrylics pass UV radiation. If you want your bird to have access to sunlight, you cannot assume that it will pass through the acrylic. The last concern with an acrylic cage is that some birds have a real problem with the concept of “clear”. Imagine how you would feel if you were surrounded by invisible walls? Bottom line is, if you aren’t worried about the UV issues, then there are some beautiful acrylic cages out there. But before you go for that gorgeous showroom model, try to think what it will look like with mango and blueberries smeared down the sides.

Other Concerns
If you can, get a cage with feeding doors. This way if your bird becomes protective of its cage or feeding bowls, you can feed it and keep your fingers. Make sure any doors can be locked shut and make sure the bird cannot open them. Note: your bird is smarter than you. Make sure there are no slots the bird can squeeze through. Take a good look again at the feeding doors. Check the door locks. Birds can get through some amazingly small holes. Look at how accessible the bolts and other hardware are. I know of a case where a Macaw’s favorite game is to undo the bolts holding his cage together. He will wait for his guardian to come home from work and the bird will then undo the last bolt, causing the whole cage to collapse on itself in a heap. All the while the bird is laughing maniacally. Still think you’re smarter?

 Avoid round cages. Round cages take up more floor space for fewer square feet. Also,parrots are prey animals. This means they are always on the look out for predators. A round cage will make prey animals feel really exposed. For this same reason, place the cage against at least one wall. This gives the bird one less direction they have to always watch out for an attack.

Make sure you have accessibility to clean the cage. Look for a door big enough for you to fit in. After all, you will have to clean the inside of the cage, too. Look for conveniences like a sliding bottom pan and removable floor grate. Once again, make sure there are no slots the bird can squeeze through. You might want to find a cage with “seed catchers.” This is a four or so inch lip or shelf sloping upwards all around the cage. It’s astonishing how much that little lip will catch and redirect to the bottom of the pan instead of the floor.

For a mid-sized cage, expect to pay anywhere from $440-$700. There is a wide price range. It will depend on what you want and how lucky you are. Don’t forget there are a number of great deals out there on used cages and there is nothing wrong with getting a used cage. However, remember “buyer beware”, so do your research. One last note, it is absolutely essential that you sterilize any cage before your bird ever gets near it. You can do this by washing it with a mix of one part chlorine bleach to twenty parts water and letting the cage dry in the sunlight. There are some very nasty avian viruses out there for which there are no vaccines. You can really never be sure of what happened to the cage’s last occupant. Even if the cage is new, you have no way of knowing what bugs may have “hitched a ride.” This truly is a case of an ounce of prevention really is worth a ton of heartbreak.