Is this cage all right for Conures?

Prussia · May 5, 2014

Hey, new to the forums. But anyways.

I have an old playtop cage for parrots, no rust at all. So, since there's a bird-speciality store near me (Golden Cockatoo. I live in a wonderful place for animals, there's two Reptile Stores nearby, a dozen fish stores, and Golden Cockatoo is right next to a vet-- And yes, there's avian vets in my area.) So anyhow, I was thinking, is a 14 * 44 * 14 (xyz) cage (with a playtop) large enough for a conure? Or would I need something better?

Thanks for any help.

thelittleone · May 5, 2014

i might be wrong and I'm also new, same as you i just got my conure 2 days ago but IMO it should be ok.... mine is 18x18x57 and he's always on play top playing and he will only go inside the cage to sleep.....

Rizosmom · May 5, 2014

I think it might be a tad small as well....conures are very active and need lots of room to play so the saying the bigger the better is definitely true for conures ....18 inches x 18 inches would be a minimum....keep in mind that they would def need lots of out of cage time in something that small as well....mine is in a 24x 36 cage and somedays I think it's too small for rizo and she's a sun conure .....she spends 4-5 hours a day out of the cage most days ......hope this helps...

Prussia · May 5, 2014

Right-- What I'd plan on doing is letting he/she ("it" sounds wrong) out as they please when I'm home-- note that I am a student, so I do have school. Nonetheless, I'm not particularly social. Back when we had a lovebird (whom the cage belonged to) she was constantly on my shoulder, and I kept a food bowl nearby in case she was hungry, and I put her away whenever she was biting too hard, as she is a lovebird. I don't mind the guano too much-- dust is the reason why I'm not considering cockatiels yet.

Rizosmom · May 5, 2014

You know what it would also depend on what kind of conure you are thinking about....it may be just fine if you are planning on having him/ her out of the cage lots ....what kind were you thinking of getting? Oh by the way welcome to the forum there are lots of great people on here with good solid advice who know far more them me ...I can tell u when I first got rizo I had her in a smaller cage and got her a bigger one about a month after she came home because I felt it was too small...just go with your gut on this but realistically you can always upgrade the cage as you go .....just remember you need room for the bird and toys and perches etc. smaller cages become cramped quickly when you start adding all the stuff in there ....

Sterling1113 · May 5, 2014

I would say that 14" on any side is way too small for a conure.
I wouldn't go smaller than 19" deep, because that's what my conures are in. Some people would say not to go smaller than 24".
You want a more squared cage- if it's short/shallow but tall, then that's just more things to have to clean poop off of. (Different levels of perches, toys, etc.)
Not only that, my conures won't use a tall cage. They like to stay around one area, so more back-to-front space is better.
Just my opinion, I'd definitely get a larger cage.

Edit: a good rule of thumb is plenty of room to completely open their wings/flap their wings, and then some. And that's AFTER toys and perches. Conures are very active(like mentioned above) and it'll get real crowded real quick with all those perches and toys.

EnglishMuffin · May 5, 2014

conures need a cage at least 20 long by 20 wide, so that they can stretch their wings. This applies even if most of the time is spent out of the cage.

As Sterling said, with these birds tall cages are not as effective as long cages. Tall cages, where you can create multiple 'layers' with perches/ platforms will often have most of the space wasted as they will stick to the top layer. Long or wide cages are better, as they have a lot more roof room to hang toys from

inge · May 6, 2014

My dusky tolerates her small travel cage (18 x 18 x 37) as long as she is with us a lot and doesn't just have to hang out in it by herself. For us, it is a safe place for her to perch and watch the world whilst being outdoors with us, which would otherwise be impossible. It's a large outdoor carrier with toys and a bed (hut), in my mind.

I think for a long-term, permanent cage, you want the largest you can afford and accommodate without sacrificing quality.

Perhaps you can use this cage for a month or so, and then keep it as a temporary cage or part-time cage (my husband can take our bird to work with this cage, or we can take it on a camping trip, or just have a second cage in a different room for the heck of it); meanwhile, I would start shopping around and saving for a bigger one.

MikeyTN · May 6, 2014

No cage is big enough for any bird! BUT a 14" is just way too tiny for any parrot period! The bigger the cage you go with the better.

RavensGryf · May 6, 2014

Keep in mind about bar spacing too when looking for a cage. Unless it's a "flight cage" the bigger cages tend to have wider bar spacing as well. 5/8 would be good for most conures. I'm not sure if you're thinking of a Green Cheek, or something sized like a Sun, but a one inch spacing is IMO too big for even a Sun, Jenday, etc.

I've never kept a conure, but it does sound like they're very ACTIVE birds. As mentioned, the more active the bird, the more space it needs.
My Red Bellied who is fairly sedate has been fine for 20 years in his 20x24, but then he's not as active as a conure. He will have his cage door open but will just sit there for hours in only a couple spots chewing on toys.

MonicaMc · May 6, 2014

Jayde, my red throated conure, is in an HQ Flight Cage, dimensions are 32" w x 21" d x 35" h - not counting the stand. Bar spacing is 1/2".

Charlie, my mitred conure, is in a YML Dometop cage that is 32" w x 23" d x 47" (?) h, and that was after downgrading him from the 40x30 cage. Bar spacing is 3/4".

I often recommend the flight cages for most small species since it's a great size, has width to it and can be far larger than other cages within the same price range.

Is this cage all right for Conures?

Prussia

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thelittleone

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Rizosmom

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Prussia

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Rizosmom

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Sterling1113

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EnglishMuffin

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inge

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MikeyTN

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RavensGryf

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MonicaMc

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