Choosing a Bird Cage

Deciding to bring birds into your home is likely to have the effect of making a substantial change in your lifestyle so it is not something you do just do on the spur of the moment. Likewise, selecting the right cage is also something you need to take some care about. This is going to be their home as well as being something that should enhance your home environment.
Of course, if it's just one or two birds you're planning on, you would most likely be looking for a portable cage that you can move around the house to take advantage of the prevailing conditions and to enable you to enjoy your birds wherever you happen to be. However, if it's a very large bird or a number of birds you have in mind, then you would most likely be looking for an aviary of some sort.

With a portable cage, the size of the inhabitants should be taken into account as a primary concern. They need to have room to move so the size of cage you would buy for, say, a Cockatoo would need to be much bigger than one you would buy for a pair of finches. Of course, the bigger the cage the better, no matter what size the occupants.I always feel sorry for a Cockatoo sitting in a cage with just one perch to stand on and not even the opportunity to hop. Play-top cages are very popular for members of the parrot family as you can let them out for a frolic (wings clipped of course) and it also enables you to interact with them more. If you don't want to let them out to play, then consider a dome-top cage. This will give them a bit of extra room to play around in.

If you've opted for an aviary, there is virtually no limit to what is available for you to choose from. It doesn't have to be outside, either. There are lots of beautiful indoor aviaries available and all you need is to do is tailor it to suit your individual situation. For instance, a huge cage in a small room would probably be wasted as you couldn't stand back and enjoy the show. Whether the aviary in indoors or outdoors, being able to see your birds from your living areas is a most desirable outcome. After all, that is usually why you have bought them.
So there you go. Just as there is a lid for every saucepan, there is a cage for every bird and every situation. You just need to give it a bit of thought and do a little research or seek some expert advice.

When I was just a lad, I was given a pair of Budgerigars and my father knocked me up a cage out of a small packing case with half- inch wire nailed across the front, a door cut into the side and a nesting box up in the corner. He very cleverly provided an external lid over the nesting box, which proved to be a great asset when they started breeding, as I was able to keep an eye on things and clean out the box when necessary.
The Budgies started breeding like rabbits until there was almost "standing room only" in the cage and so the next move was to a much larger packing case with several nesting boxes and a door big enough for me to climb through. Frenetic breeding continued and I then progressed to an aviary with an enclosed area for roosting and breeding and an open flight area.
All of these cages were home- made because, apart from anything else, the only bird cages you could buy back then were for single Budgies, Canaries and Parrots. No-one was manufacturing the beautiful and functional enclosures that are readily available today.

There is a cage available to suit every variety of bird and every domestic situation. It would have been unheard of when I was a kid to have an indoor aviary but now you can buy a specially designed enclosure to blend in with and actually enhance your indoor decor. Added to that is the sheer delight of a house full of bird chatter. Cages are available in whatever size you want, so you can have one that virtually dominates the landscape or one that fits neatly into a spare corner. Buying a pre-fabricated one is the way to go. That way you don't have to worry about fitting the thing through doorways or navigating it into an awkward spot. You'll get a lovely set of directions and even the biggest dummy will be able to assemble it.

Of course, the most important thing of all is to get an enclosure that suits its prospective inhabitants. That just means doing a little research beforehand. It's all there just waiting for you.