Choosing the right bird cage for your pet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you happen to have a pet that has a tendency to take to the skies, a bird cage is probably a smart product to purchase. The choice might be simple at first, but there are various considerations you need to be aware of before selecting a home for your pet bird. 

Your pet’s breed is critical when choosing a bird cage

Before selecting an appropriate setup to purchase, you need to understand your pet first. Your bird’s size, physical makeup, and personality are all important factors to take into account before taking out your wallet. 

For example, smaller creatures need more space and room to fly, while larger ones need room to spread their wings. For other breeds, the height of your structure is more important, especially if they have long tails. You want to raise and care for a happy pet, and the bird cage is essential in satisfying both their physical and emotional health. 

Bar spacing 

Bar spacing is an extremely overlooked component when we look at a bird cage, and that’s a grave mistake by itself. If you get the spacing wrong by a quarter of an inch, you’ll wake up to find your budgies or canaries absent without leave. 

You need to find the proper specification to suit your pet’s breed, so there isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” solution that you can rely on. For example, a smaller kind will need less bar spacing, so you’ll find that a love bird does well in a 24" x 24" x 24" setup with 1/2" for bar spacing. A macaw, on the other hand, needs an entirely different installation, where a minimum cage size starts at 36" x 48" x 60" with 1" to 1.5" in bar spacing. 

In most cases, the bar spacing is proportional to the size of the creature. 

Bird cage size 

What makes the structure’s size a key consideration is its direct correlation with bar spacing. Generally, when the bar spacing increases, so does the cage size. The two need to be in perfect harmony as the bird cage certainly affects your pet’s health.

A small cage restricts your pet’s movement and stifles their physical activity, but a larger structure hits your wallet a little harder. There’s also an aesthetic conundrum that presents itself with larger setups for smaller breeds. With shorter bar spacing lengths in larger enclosures, the entire cage begins to look more like a prison. If that doesn’t deter you, consider your pet’s mental health as well. Animals are just like humans, and you need to be cognisant of their psychological health as well. Getting the dimensions of your cage right is critical to having a happy pet. 

If you’re looking for more information about sizes and bar spacing for enclosures, take a look at this guide from The Spruce Pets team. It provides a thorough breakdown of dimensions for various breeds, starting with the tiny finch before moving on to doves and pigeons. 

Tips to follow

This might seem like a heavy load of information to process, so here’s a short list of tips to make the advice more digestible. 

1. Avoid cages with potentially toxic materials like certain paints and finishes. 
2. Choose a bird cage size with the correct bar spacing to avoid your pet from escaping, and anything else from entering. If your pets are kept outside, it’s easy for predators to reach them. 
3. Tall birds, or those with long tails, need structures with adequate height. 
4. Creatures with a wide wingspan require wider cages. 
5. Small birds need plenty of space and room to fly about. 
6. Any setup needs to be easily accessed so that you can clean it without a hassle. 
7. Choose a setup that accommodates accessories. You’ll need to place perches and bowls for food and water inside, so find a structure that has these items in mind. 

Key takeaways

With the tips and guidelines we covered in this post, you should be in good shape to select the perfect bird cage for your pet. You could already have one who needs a better home, or you could be taking the first steps to make sure you’re ready before taking the jump. Either way, you can start by looking at our bird cage selection covering breeds of any shape and size.