Cage Help for a Newbie

[VJB]

Hello There

I am a newbie on the forum and hope to be getting my very first Green Cheek Conure. I have alway had budgies nad I have a budgie currently called Scooby but I have fallen in love with a three month old Green Cheek that I would like to adopt.

The problem is I am stuck on cage size. I hope that my Conure will be out of the cage and with me the majority of the day as I work from home so do I need to get a really large flight cage?

I was having a look at the Prevue Hendryx but it is really big and my home is fairly small. I was thinking that I need to get something smaller that sits on a work surface if at all possible.

I also want to make sure most importantly though that my Conure will be happy and have lots of toys and perches etc.

Can anyone be so kind as to recommend or suggest some good quality powder coated non toxic bird cages that are not too big that a Conure could be content in that could possibly sit on a work top or a small table perhaps?

Thank you so much for any help and recommendations.

 

[ChristaNL]

Hmpf... you've read the Cages - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community section and http://www.parrotforums.com/cages/7...gest-cage-you-can-afford-best-rule-thumb.html (and the article it is linked to)?


I am one of those "make sure the bird can at least flap its wings comfortable when in the cage"-people, anything less I consider cruelty.
Flapping their wings is also part of their way of communicating - so let them speak up!

(unless the bird can leave the cage anytime it wants to do so) because sometimes they need/want to really move when we- the people- are not ready for it.
ALL my recent parrots came here with wingissues (not counting the rest of the trauma's) because they got stuck too many hours in too small cages - of course the owners never intended that to happen...but it did!


(If I had this planned in advance I would have gone with one smallish bird < Poicephalus senegalus, or likewise sized> instead of what happened .... I now pretend to have a living room, but its actually more or less a birdyplayground / but not quite parrotproof enough for peace of mind -it's a rental so I can't change it as much as I would like and there are other animals as well. )


If you only have a smallish space ... go for a smallish bird (if you need convincing read http://www.parrotforums.com/incredible-journeys-bird-stories-bird-lovers/68167-bumble-ing-along.html )
Buy the bird that fits your life without having to compromise anything - it is a lot easier (and healthier) for everyone than trying to fit the bird (and cage) into something it does not.
(Don't be my kind of stupid ;P )
.

 

[VJB]

Hi I will read the links thank you so much. I to agree that they must have space to move and flap I am really looking for a cage though that I can put on a work surface as opposed to on wheels/coasters on the floor but I do not know if there is such a thing. I like the idea of a bird playground we let our budgie out most of the day, she loves her cage and her space so she never goes far even though she is free flying, we have mosquito nets on all our windows so I do not have the worry of her escaping. Until we move I would need a slightly smaller cage any recommendations please????

 

[Flboy]

Many cages ‘sit’ on their stand and can easily be placed on a desk!

 

[Terry57]

Hello and welcome to the forum!
We have a cage like this, but ours is a little taller than this one. I can't find the link for our actual cage, but this is close. The cage itself can be taken off the stand and put onto a table. Our Crimson Bellied Conure loves it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016XV0M34/ref=sspa_dk_detail_6?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B016XV0M34&pd_rd_wg=4HqM2&pd_rd_r=AB5B05TYMZRNQ7FAEMH7&pd_rd_w=NjFU1

 

[EllenD]

Welcome to the forum!

Green Cheek's love to climb, hang, jump, and play constantly, and as-such they need a good-sized cage, not only large enough to be able to fully-stretch their wings without touching the edges, but large enough that any time they must be inside it that they can climb, jump around, etc., and that is large enough to hold at least between 6-10 different toys and foraging activities at any given time.

As stated above, there are many very large cages that come with their own stand, but are separate from their stand and can be set on top of a table, you just don't use the stand. My Senegal has one of these cages and it sits on a table. What you can't do is just buy a small tabletop cage that is intended for a Cockatiel or may even say "Conure" on it, as most of those cages aren't even close to large enough for a Cockatiel, let alone a Green Cheek who needs to have lots and lots of room to play and have toys.

My Green Cheek's cage is a bit different than what most people use for them, but it's huge and he loves it. It's a Hagen Vision cage, the extra-large, extra-tall model with the larger bar-diameter (something else you need to remember, as a lot of the smaller, table-top cages have very skinny bars that a Green Cheek could potentially bend/break with their beaks)...I think the model of Bowies Hagen-Vision cage is the L12, it's massive for a table-top cage, and it also has the bottom 1/4 encased in clear, acrylic plastic, with the built-in food and water dishes at the bottom of the cage, so that they don't spit seeds all over the floor...It was supposed to be a temporary cage for Bowie originally, but he loved the cage so much and was so active in it that I just kept him in it. It'f very tall and he just loves to climb up and down and jump from the top to the bottom. I have ladders all over it for him, swings, different perches, etc. It's huge compared to him, but he just loves it and it can sit on top of a bookshelf, table, etc., so it works well.

Either way, just be certain that the cage you get is large enough for him to climb, jump, hang, etc., that it will hold many toys, and that he'll still have lots of room to play, jump, climb, etc. with the toys inside the cage.

 

[VJB]

Hello thank you for your kind welcomes and advice and recommendations
Hi EllenD - I have a Hagen vision medium cage for Scooby my budgie and it is a great cage so I did wonder whether they had a conure suitable cage i will definitely look into this option as I thought they did not have a cage that would be large enough or wide enough in the pictures I have seen it looks a little narrow, do you find there is enough space for your conure's tail etc. If it is then this would be a great option would there be any chance you could send me a pic of your cage set up so I can get an idea of size and toy layout please? It would be amazing if you could. Thank you so much.

 

[itchyfeet]

Hi VJB, welcome
I work from home. Admittedly with two brattyish IRN's and not a sweet conure, but none the less. This is the thread from a kinda stressy 'off' day...
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/71014-realities-working-home-parrots.html

I'd get a decent cage, put it somewhere, and then get something else for your work space. Their cages are in a large, tiled, seperate living area. At the opposite end of the house. Because I learned my lesson. Then the playgym and tabletop stand are in the office, the stand being on the desk. For the days they want to sit with me quietly, or when I'm able to work alongside general parrot chatter/behaviour.

Hope for the best - prepare for the worst!

 

[VJB]

oh dear now I am worried :01:
Your thread did make me smile though.
Maybe it will be quieter with only the two a budgie and a Green Cheek, here's hoping!!!