Cage size for Lesser Sulphur Crested

[MonicaMc]

The last thing I want to hear is that "birds are dominant" and then people assume that a behavior is dominance and must use force to train a bird which can cause trust breaking rather than trust building.

You sound as if you are almost contradicting yourself. If a human is the "alpha" then that states that the human asserted dominance, and yet you also say it's about the inability to train the animal at that time. Positive reinforcement training has nothing to do with dominance and everything to do with being a teacher and learning to communicate with the bird. Flooding uses the dominance theory and about relentlessly forcing an animal to endure something that it does not enjoy - sometimes even to the breaking point that an animal learns that no matter what it does, it has no choice, aka learned helplessness.

 

[Rabster]

The Enterprise would be, in my opinion, definitely on the smaller side for a macaw (unless it's a mini macaw), but it would be a decent size for a small cockatoo. Don't go for smaller unless you absolutely have to. Unless the parrot has a disability or phobia or any issues like that, bigger is always better.

I'd be a bit concerned about the open top though - cockatoos are experts at opening things, and I've read several accounts of parrots getting their heads stuck by wedging the top open slightly. You could probably secure it shut, but again, most cockatoos are good at opening things, so it's probably safer to find another cage, if you can find one you like.

I thoroughly recommend Scarlett's for UK parrot shopping, Scarletts Parrot Essentials - Toys, Cages, Stands and More!. Good selection, good prices, and if you find a cage you'd like that's not on their website, they can most likely order it in for you

Rainforest cages (Scarlett's can get them) have a good selection for good prices, if you're on a budget.

Thank you for the link to Scarletts Parrots, they have been very helpful and have suggested the following as being suitable for a Lesser 2:



Rainforest Santa Marta I

£ 195.00

Sizes: £195.00 Antique£195.00 Stone

*Delivery cost: £0.00
Product description

This cage is suitable for Macaws,Cockatoos, Amazons, African Greys, Eclectus, Galahs, And similar size birds .Includes 3 feeder bowls, 1 perches and seed catcher.
Height 174cm
Depth 59cm
Width 106cm
Inside Height 130cm
Bar Spacing 2.5cm




If anybody has any negative comments about the cage or the company it would be great if theycould advise - otherwise I am going to place an order this weekend.



Also going to buy some perches etc.


Last thing is that we have a wood burner stove and have a big supply of logs, notice it is important for a constant supply of wood to chew on would these dried logs be fine to give for destruction?

 

[Jayyj]

I've been looking at the Rainforest cages as well - I assuming width and depth measurements are inside measurements? I'd been looking at the slightly larger Santos II dometop for a Galah after reading the Galah cages thread, which looks similar but without the open top, and measures up at:

Depth 72cm
Height 166cm
Width 116cm
Inside Height 124cm
Bar Spacing 3cm

So it's a fair bit deeper in particular. It is a bit more expensive though... the cage that has been suggested to Rabster seems really good value, but would the bigger version be worth spending extra on?

 

[Rabster]

Inside height is Inside Height 130cm

 

[Jtbirds]

The last thing I want to hear is that "birds are dominant" and then people assume that a behavior is dominance and must use force to train a bird which can cause trust breaking rather than trust building.

You sound as if you are almost contradicting yourself. If a human is the "alpha" then that states that the human asserted dominance, and yet you also say it's about the inability to train the animal at that time. Positive reinforcement training has nothing to do with dominance and everything to do with being a teacher and learning to communicate with the bird. Flooding uses the dominance theory and about relentlessly forcing an animal to endure something that it does not enjoy - sometimes even to the breaking point that an animal learns that no matter what it does, it has no choice, aka learned helplessness.

Monica I forgot to add the fact you always think you are right, you have no idea how I train birds and how I work with them and I do not make them feel helpless or anything of tha matter. You listen to half of what I stated and did not try to understand much more then what you wanted to try and correct...So end of this discussion will be get over yourself.

 

[riaria]

Personally I dislike the Santa Marta, because I don't like the design. But that's just a personal thing

Now, for some reason they tend to include the seed skirts in the measurements: the Santos is actually only about 90cm wide. Still, at 90x70cm it's a decent size. I'd say that it's the smallest a small cockatoo should have. The more space you've got to hang fun things that they can destroy, the better.

The Santa Marta is only about 80x60cm without the seed skirts, so it's a bit small, in my opinion. (And, also, there's the hazard of the open top)

One of our parrots has the Montana Hacienda dome top, and the Santos is basically Rainforest's own version of that model. It's a really nice design, and from what I've seen of Rainforest cages, they're well made. The door is a decent size, which makes it easier to clean the cage.

I like the dome top, and our Grey loves to climb around and hang upside down. However, in hindsight I'd probably have chosen the playtop. They are darker (if you keep the tray on the playtop) and you lose a bit of room, but I find that when our cockatoo is out, we need to cover the other cages or he will fly over and try to bite the other parrots. And, of course, the playtop creates another play area for them (but should not be the only play area in the room, in my opinion). So, it all depends on what you prefer and what your situation is.

Probably my favourite cage of all is the Rainforest Nova. The Nova I is a good size for any of the medium sized parrots, and the Nova II is even better, if you've got the space. The Nova I is about 1x1 metre and the Nova II is about 2x1 metre - it's the double version of the I, and comes with a divider if you'd like to divide into two cages.

 

[Jayyj]

If the seed skirts are included in the measurements, and allowing up to 25cm for the seed skirt, doesn't that make the Santa Marta I not more than 40cm deep and Santos II about 50cm deep?

I can't say I exactly see the Nova as an aesthetic design triumph, but it certainly has a lot more area for the bird so perhaps worth considering, particularly if it's twice the volume of the Santos.

 

[Jayyj]

Thinking about it, if you work it out proportionately to the occupant, the Nova is about the size of the living space I had at university!

 

[riaria]

If the seed skirts are included in the measurements, and allowing up to 25cm for the seed skirt, doesn't that make the Santa Marta I not more than 40cm deep and Santos II about 50cm deep?

I can't say I exactly see the Nova as an aesthetic design triumph, but it certainly has a lot more area for the bird so perhaps worth considering, particularly if it's twice the volume of the Santos.

For some reason, I have no idea why, the measurements given only included the seed skirt lengthwise, and the depth didn't include seed skirts. But other websites give the measurements both with and without seed skirts. The Santos is definitely ~90 cm wide and ~70 cm deep.

No, the Nova certainly isn't the prettiest cage out there, but it makes up for it by being a really good parrot cage It is a bit too tall for my liking, but a step stool will enable you to reach the top anyway.

 

[JerseyWendy]

The Enterprise would be, in my opinion, definitely on the smaller side for a macaw (unless it's a mini macaw), but it would be a decent size for a small cockatoo. Don't go for smaller unless you absolutely have to. Unless the parrot has a disability or phobia or any issues like that, bigger is always better.

I'd be a bit concerned about the open top though - cockatoos are experts at opening things, and I've read several accounts of parrots getting their heads stuck by wedging the top open slightly. You could probably secure it shut, but again, most cockatoos are good at opening things, so it's probably safer to find another cage, if you can find one you like.

I thoroughly recommend Scarlett's for UK parrot shopping, Scarletts Parrot Essentials - Toys, Cages, Stands and More!. Good selection, good prices, and if you find a cage you'd like that's not on their website, they can most likely order it in for you

Rainforest cages (Scarlett's can get them) have a good selection for good prices, if you're on a budget.

Thank you for the link to Scarletts Parrots, they have been very helpful and have suggested the following as being suitable for a Lesser 2:



Rainforest Santa Marta I

£ 195.00

Sizes: £195.00 Antique£195.00 Stone

*Delivery cost: £0.00
Product description

This cage is suitable for Macaws,Cockatoos, Amazons, African Greys, Eclectus, Galahs, And similar size birds .Includes 3 feeder bowls, 1 perches and seed catcher.
Height 174cm
Depth 59cm
Width 106cm
Inside Height 130cm
Bar Spacing 2.5cm




If anybody has any negative comments about the cage or the company it would be great if theycould advise - otherwise I am going to place an order this weekend.



Also going to buy some perches etc.


Last thing is that we have a wood burner stove and have a big supply of logs, notice it is important for a constant supply of wood to chew on would these dried logs be fine to give for destruction?

THAT looks like a FANTASTIC cage in my opinion!!!

 

[Rabster]

Thanks for all the input folks its been very interesting and has allowed us to reconsider our original thoughts on a suitable cage.

Much appreciated!

Robert

 

[U2gal]

I recommend a 40"long x 30"wide cage for any small cockatoo. Large cockatoos like U2s and M2s need "macaw size" cages. Length and width are important for small cockatoos. Height, not so much. Height is appreciated in a large cockatoos cage.

 

[Rabster]

Went for the Santa Marta from Scarrlets - some good advice over the internet and the cage turned up next day.

The bird is going to be free of the cage from midday to nightime mon-thurs and out most of the day Fri-Sun.

Now set up and ready to go, quality of the cage is very good and the locks seem secure also.

Thanks again for the input.


Cheers
Robert

 

[Jayyj]

Glad you've come to a decision - do we get photos when you're setup?

Still have a couple of weeks to make a final choice for my bird, but Scarletts do seem like a decent company. I'm very tempted to order one of their java trees as well, I like the idea of a play stand the bird can clamber around and explore.

 

[Rabster]

Will post a couple of pics for sure, only thing I messed up on was buying a java perch in large - its massive, will buy a small. Thats me ready to go but still have a bit of time.

Looking for a decent vet in the area now - looks to be one a few miles away though which would be great!

Other than that will start to stockpile toys and stuff, have a uncle who makes walking sticks so going to get him to make me a climbing tree, suppose you need to watch and not put too many things in the cage though.

Still arguing over names

 

[U2gal]

If a large is too big, then I suggest a medium, perhaps. But if you mean this java perch is a playstand, a large would be excellent. Lots of room to move around

A small will be too small as its meant for conures size birds are smaller.

 

[Jtbirds]

I'd say stick with large, the more room the better!

 

[Jayyj]

In the end the decision on this went a little out my control, the seller offering a Montana Adelaide as part of a deal on the bird. It's about the same size as the Santa Marta, a little taller, and looks of exceptional quality.

I ordered the Java perch in medium, will add a few climbing toys, should be plenty to keep her entertained there. The small ones look interesting in terms of something that will be familiar to her but which I can carry around with us when we're out of the house, so might invest in one of those as well, but my bank card is a little worn out this month so might have to wait a few weeks...

 

[riaria]

Does the seller have any larger cage he could include instead? The Adelaide is really really tiny, only 66x50cm... Not a very good size for a cockatoo (nor any other medium sized parrot), in my opinion...

 

[Jayyj]

The inside measurements I had for it were 69x61x140 - I certainly wouldn't go for a 61x50 cage. Reciept says Adelaide II - maybe there are different versions? He tried really hard to talk me out of a bigger one, and I had a friend with me who grew up around hiacynth macaws who felt the cage we agreed on was about right.