Cage advise

[DavidF]

Hi Everyone, I have a 19 year old caique. I've had her since she was about 4 months old. Her cage is a powder coated dome top measuring approximately 32x22x65. Its starting to show its age as there a few rusted areas (not in spots she can get to). However, I'm thinking of getting a new cage that is a bit smaller measuring about 22x22x60. I'd appreciate any thoughts on whether that's too small for her. I'll add that she isn't a typical Caique as she is a bit of a couch potato and doesn't play much in her cage by herself.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

If she's out of her cage frequently, I wouldn't worry about it Still a fairly large cage!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Personally, I think 21x21 is too small for any size bird unless they're out for most of the day.

 

[Era Richi]

My thoughts:
If this cage is her existing-room the most of the day, than this cage is definitively to small for such an normal energetic and brainfull bird. So smaller in this situation would be a bad choice.
If he is allowed to leave his cage for longer times a day, than the cage size is not very relevant, as it gets to be only the private resting place.

"I'll add that she isn't a typical Caique as she is a bit of a couch potato and doesn't play much in her cage by herself."
The incentives to play in souch a small cage will not be overbroding but boring over time as they loose their news-effect to the Individual. In case, he is most time caged in it than it is horizontal just 4 and 2 time the size of the bird. There is no size to do what a bird does also: flying ...

If he is a couch potato you could start to get her out of her lethargy by doing daily training for the brain with her so her neurons do not fall asleep and there is a highlight of the day.

But, maybe my assumptions are all wrong and she is realy just a sleepy individual.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I used to think a 24x24 cage was plenty big for a budgie or two but for the past 18 months, 12 of my budgies have been out of the cage from 8am to 8pm every day and I've developed a real aversion to keeping birds in cages all or most of the time unless the cage is very large. I consider 48"x 18"x 30" (120x48x76cm) to be the ideal minimum size I feel comfortable with for "small" birds unless they get "a lot" of out of cage time. "Small" to me is anything the size of a Green Cheek or Cockatiel or smaller (80 grams or less). "A lot" is 8 hours or more every day. However, it's very hard to find cages this size.

A Caique is about 150 grams. That's a big bird for a 22 inch square cage. All she'll be able to do is walk back and forth, climb up and down, and hop from perch to perch and back again. That's like a two foot wide human spending his life alone in a 13'x13' room. All he could do is walk back and forth and get depressed and out-of shape.

 

[rheashard2]

The breeder I got my CAG from gave me this advice. Cages sometimes need replacement. It should be wide, tall, and long enough so your bird can stretch out both wings at same time. There should be an additional half wing span added. With that as guide get as large and quality cage as possible. Smaller isn't a good idea. Even a 'couch' potato bird can take fright. Wing flapping and jumping about are the results. You don't want wings hitting cage sides.