Bird - Housing - Large (Conure, Grey Parrot, Amazon Parrot, Macaw & Cockatoo)

General information

A bird is entirely reliant on you for everything in its life. Its happiness and good health are provided by you, the caring pet bird owner. It is important to continually strive to better your bird's life and help ensure the maintenance of a long lasting, healthy relationship between you and your bird.

How big should my bird's cage be?

As a general rule, bigger is better. In the wild a bird would spend much of its day flying in search of food. In captivity, we must allow for some sort of exercise, self expression and entertainment. The cage must be big enough to move around in with ease from perch to perch and stretch or flap the wings without striking anything. There are numerous designs to suite all tastes. Generally a rectangular metal cage, preferably longer than it is tall, is the best. Tall, narrow cages prove to be rather impractical as most birds do NOT fly straight up and down. Round cages create a situation in which every perch across its width is in some way directly over the perch below it. This leads to constant soiling with faeces of all lower perches.

Wood, wicker or bamboo cages may be attractive or decorative but are impossible to clean and disinfect effectively due to their porous nature. These cages will NOT confine larger birds as they are quickly chewed apart with great ease.

An all metal cage is the most practical to maintain. The bars on the cage must be close enough together to prevent the bird from getting its head through the bars. However, galvanized metal is not recommended as chewing may result in zinc toxicosis.

The floor of the cage should be covered in white kitchen paper or newspaper so droppings can be checked properly. Sandpaper is not useful!

What sort of perches should I have?

A bird spends all its time standing on a perch so careful consideration must be given to this aspect of your pet's environment. Tree branches or wood naturally make the best perches, providing non-toxic, washed, fresh branches such as apple, pear, elm, ash, maple or willow will be both functional and attractive in the cage. Natural branches should be selected such that a variety of diameters are available to perch on. This affords various textures, choice of grip and good exercise for the feet. Wood perches seem to help wear the nails down better than other materials. Branches provide an entertainment value for those birds who like to chew. Wood is more difficult to disinfect due to its porous nature but can be washed and replaced often.

Sandpaper perch covers do little to wear the nails down and can lead to serious foot irritation, sores or deep infections. Remember that no tree in the wild has sandpaper on it!

Plastic perches are easy to clean and disinfect but may prove slippery for gripping and seem to only be available in a couple of sizes. Larger birds may chew and splinter the plastics into sharp pieces.

Natural hemp or cotton rope seems to provide a variety of texture but must be monitored carefully so that the fine fibres do not become entangled around the bird's toes. This is a much more serious problem with synthetic fibre rope and nesting materials. These should never be used.

Concrete perches seem to provide an excellent texture for wearing the beak and the nails. Ideally they should be placed in the cage as the only perch for a few days every month. However, they should not be left continuously as the sole perch.

What sort of food and water dishes should I provide?

Dishes are best made from sturdy non-toxic materials that are easy to clean and disinfect every day. Position the dishes such that they are easily accessible and will not be accidentally soiled with faeces. Some dishes for larger birds are made of stainless steel and attach securely to the side of the cage. These dishes may prevent your pet from tossing the dishes around. The dishes should not be too deep or food will be wasted. In some cases, deep litter feeding is recommended especially for ground foraging species. The bottom of the cage is filled with 10-15 cms (4-6 ins) depth shredded paper. Food is then scattered in this. The bird can then forage for its food! However, this is a messy system and the paper must be changed every day or two to avoid food contamination with faeces.

Where should the cage be placed?

A corner of a room is ideal so the bird is not exposed on all sides - remember they are prey species in the wild. It should be in a room where there is a lot of human activity although the kitchen may not be suitable due to smoke or airborne particles. The same applies to rooms with open fires. The cage should not be placed by a radiator or plug-in air freshener.

Parrots also need a decent sleep - ideally 11-12 hours. This is rarely possible in a living room where owners may be up late. A separate cage should be set up in a spare room - it only needs a small cage with enough room for a perch and small food/water bowls. The bird can then be placed in this at 'bedtime' (6-8 pm), covered and left till the next morning in darkness. Just like children, many frustrations and unusual behaviours may be linked to overtiredness.

What about toys for my bird?

Being cooped up in a cage all day can be a very boring, frustrating experience. Whether you are home with the bird or not, a pet must have some form of entertainment. They love to play and explore. Toys may include ladders, rope, swings, mirrors, bells, hanging toys, pieces of wood to chew on or rawhide chew toys. The ideal toy is not the pretty plastic indestructible toy - it is something they can take apart and achieve a reward. Pieces of wood or cardboard tubes containing seed or pellet are ideal.

Although most companies strive to provide safe toys, there are no quality controls or regulations. Great care must be taken to ensure the toys you purchase are free of potential dangers. Be mindful of snaps, clasps, bell clappers, open chain links, removable parts, easily broken parts, glass or extraneous loose fibres that may be chewed or swallowed or that the bird could become entangled in. Rubber toys that are easily chewed apart can be very dangerous and must be avoided. Make sure toys are large enough not to be swallowed. Many excellent toys have galvanized clips or chains that may be a source of toxic zinc. Replace these with string or cord before placing in the cage

Glass mirrors are NOT suitable for large birds since they are easily broken.

Some birds like to hide in boxes or paper bags. Experiment with toys and find out what your bird enjoys the most. You may wish to have an assortment of toys that can be rotated on a daily basis to keep the bird from getting bored. Some birds may appear frightened of new items in their environment. These toys should be introduced slowly to allow the bird to become accustomed to their presence.

Should I clean my toys?

Just like children these birds rapidly lose interest in toys. It is therefore important to change toys every few days. This provides an ideal opportunity to clean them.

As a legal minimum the cage must be at least large enough for the bird to fully extend its wings in ALL directions. However, this is a legal minimum. It is more pertinent to remember that there is no maximum size. It is also important for the bird to have quality supervised time out of the cage. Playstands are ideal for this.