Cage Set Up - Needs and Musts

[pterry97]

Hi all,

A family member of mine is urging me to take on the family parrot, they’ve had him for 12 years and are out of their wits due to their lack of bird knowledge. I’m a wildlife fosterer so because I often have wild birds in my care they want me to take him.

He’s lived in the same musty unclean cage for his entire life so I’m setting up a brand new cage for him so he is getting a completely fresh start.

I’ve refurbished out a 3 tier cat crate I have so he has much more room than his current cage. It’s not quite a parrot cage but I’m adjusting it to suit his needs.

I know parrots are incredibly different from the birds I usually care for (wild garden birds usually) and he will need a lot more stimulus and climbing apparatus, I’m in the midst of setting it up.

Here’s what I currently have on hand - I know it’s barren. I’m looking for suggestions on what else to add to the cage. Even though I want more perches I’m worried about overcrowding - what’s the point of he can’t hop from perch to perch if half of them block his wing span?

I’m also looking for suggestions for safe bedding. Most bird cages have wire bases but of course - being a cat crate - that isn’t available. Would simple newspaper suffice? It could potentially act as enrichment to tear up as well? I know the tray may not be long term since it’s plastic and I know a parrot’s need to chew everything, but that’s a current stand in for food and water bowls as I don’t have anything that fits against the cage’s bars.

Next suggestions I’m looking for are toys. I know cardboard is a birds best friend, and I can DIY most toys with my own cardboard extras around the house. But I’m looking for toys I can hang to potentially fill out the cage better. Non-painted/dyed wood is a safe chew correct?

Thank you for any and all suggestions - trying to work on a time crunch to get him into a better environment ASAP.

 

[Littleredbeak]

If this is an African Grey parrot then I think you would need wider/thicker perches. And food and water bowl that is set up by a perch. My birds love balsa wood to chew.


Side note- I do not have an African Grey and do not know how destructive they are so maybe someone who does will chime in on the cage bars. Your cage bars look a little thin and I know a cockatoo could snap them just not sure about your Grey.



I have a rescue Amazon who loves her cage and is a comfort to her. I do change out what's in side and give her alot of activities. She has an old cage I think she may have had her whole life that she'd like to keep. I have tried other cages but she's most comfortable in her old one.


Was this cage ever used for a cat?

 

[pterry97]

If this is an African Grey parrot then I think you would need wider/thicker perches. And food and water bowl that is set up by a perch. My birds love balsa wood to chew.


Side note- I do not have an African Grey and do not know how destructive they are so maybe someone who does will chime in on the cage bars. Your cage bars look a little thin and I know a cockatoo could snap them just not sure about your Grey.



I have a rescue Amazon who loves her cage and is a comfort to her. I do change out what's in side and give her alot of activities. She has an old cage I think she may have had her whole life that she'd like to keep. I have tried other cages but she's most comfortable in her old one.


Was this cage ever used for a cat?

The cage is very large, I can crouch in this crate. The cage bars are the same thickness as the cage he’s currently in - the only difference is the gap between each bar is much wider, giving it a much thinner appearance. All the perches provided are large enough for my wood pigeons, all of which are larger and heavier than an African grey.

No a cat has never used this cat crate - I find them cheaper and larger than most advertised bird cages.

The parrot I’m getting has a lot of behavioural issues including cage aggressiveness. He’ll be exposed to a very new way of life which I knew may be overwhelming, but the last thing I need is to bring him in his existing cage where he may ultimately try to defend it from all the scary new things outside. He wasn’t allowed out of his cage but will have room access here, so it’s better for him to have a new cage he isn’t going to guard on arrival.

 

[zERo]

You could maybe add more perches, varying in size and material is the most important.

As far as the news paper on the tray, that's perfectly fine. Be careful with that cotton rope, if he chews it there is the risk of entanglement or crop impaction if he were to eat the threads, just watch him closely with it, unless you know he already chews fabric.

For more toys you can make your own, tie a magazine up for him to shred, if you have a parrot safe tree (there's many lists for whats safe) you can cut thin branches off for him to shred.
Little cardboard boxes stiffed with shredded paper.
A good website to check out is MakeYourOwnBirdToys.com and PlanetPleasures
They both offer either bird toys or bird toy parts for much cheaper.

Dyed wood is safe, just make sure it's from a good source.

Hope this helps 😊

 

[ScottinSoCal]

Bedding: If it's going to be in direct contact, that's tough. Every parrot cage I've seen has a grate to separate the bedding from the bird. Mine does, and I use dog piddle pads for lining. Easy to change, absorbent, and I just roll them up and toss them. Whatever you use needs to be able to be changed often, not promote mold/mildew growth, and not create any dust that can clog the bird's lungs.

Toys: Some types of wood are safe, not all. Soft pine is good, so is apple. I look for toys that use food-safe vegetable dyes for color. Scooter loves a toy that we make ourselves - just shoelaces dangling from a metal ring. When she's chewed them enough to be raggedy, I pull them off and put new shoelaces on it (bright colored ones, available in bulk from Amazon). My local pet store sells a soft pine ladder that she likes to stand on and chew up. When she's destroyed all the rungs, I toss it and put in a new one. She also likes a coiled rope that she uses for both chew toy and staircase. I keep two or three on hand because she goes through them quickly.
And bells. All the bells belong to Scooter, and she's the only one allowed to ring them. She uses them to call her servants.
Scooter ringing her bell

 

[Littleredbeak]

Wider perch options help exercise their feet. You can make your own too! I'm excited for your journey together and can't wait to see photos

 

[LeeC]

Welcome to parrot keeping, @pterry97. :] The suspense. Please tell us his name. :]

I got my first parrot 3 1/2 years ago. Grady is a Timneh African Grey, from my local rescue. He was said to be about 17 years old when I got him. He was a plucker with a big strip of feathers missing from the right side of his chest and neck. He had some behavioral issues, too. His life has changed a lot! ...So has mine. :]

Cage bar spacing
Grady came in a 22" x 21" (56cm x 53cm) cage. Yours looks to be about that size; however your bar spacing appears wider. Is your bar spacing suitable for your Grey? 3/4" to 1" bar spacing (1.9cm to 2.5cm) is recommended for Greys, depending on the particular parrot. With thinner bars, the spacing needs to be closer, because the bars can flex, so they could shove their head between bars with smaller spacing.

ULTIMATE Bird Cage Bar Spacing Guide: Chart For 23+ Species

What is the Optimal Bar Spacing Size for my Parrot? Find out the answer right HERE in this DEFINITIVE guide. Our table of 23+ Species will show you EXACTLY...

www.birdcagesnow.com

Cage size
I cannot be sure, without knowing the dimensions of your cage, but it appears to be on the small side for a Grey. I got Grady a 32" x 48" cage with 7/8" bar spacing. That is a rare find. (81cm x 122cm, with 2.25cm bar spacing) Larger cages typically have bar spacing suitable for Macaws. Grady can barely do a restricted flap in there to get from perch to perch, and I usually hear contact between wings and perch or bars. I do not know if your Grey is a Congo or Timneh, but the guideline I use recommends a cage bigger than yours or mine. (For what it's worth, Grady has full-house liberty, 24x7x364.25. His cage door was never installed, and still is not installed. He goes in his cage periodically on his own.)

Wingspan Info | Natural Inspirations Parrot cages

Cage bottom "substrate"
Using a cage with no grate has problems you will have to try to mitigate. He will have direct access to his own droppings (feces, urine, and urates). When he drops food, it could come in contact with his excrement, or subsequent "excretions" could contact the already-dropped food.

If he goes down to the "floor" (for dropped food "foraging", or to shred the substrate) he is likely to step in his droppings (feces, urine, and urates) and/or drag his tail through them. A parrot that is nearly half the length of the cage width and length is highly likely to encounter his own droppings. I would recommend avoiding any "shreddable" substrate attracting him to spend time on the floor with no grate.

Perches
It is great to see several natural-wood perches—and some forked-branch perches! Very nice. It appears the darker wood perch in the left of the photo is not secured. Is it just wedged into the bars? If so, that could definitely become a hazard quickly.

Overcrowding the cage
Kudos to you for considering this! I have seen a lot of crowded cages. The parrot needs room to move, and maybe even flap, ideally. For a Grey, I doubt he will be able to flap in a cage that size, unless it were completely empty. However, you mentioned room access, which is fantastic! That is where most of his movement should take place; however, if he is going to do more than sleep in that cage, he will need a balance of perches and space to use them.

Water dish
Parrots need to bathe. Since the only water most are offered is their water dish, they will bathe in it. If it is not secured, which is probably what he is used to, he could get hurt trying to bathe in a "loose" water dish. Or, he may inadvertently dump it trying to perch on the rim. You can buy dishes with mounts. For a Grey, 20-ounce is a good size.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Feeding-Stainless-Parakeet-Cockatiels-Lovebird/dp/B0899TQQ9Q/

Avoid the "hook" type:

 

[LeeC]

I’m a wildlife fosterer so because I often have wild birds in my care they want me to take him.

I meant to mention, my local parrot rescue gets calls about wild birds periodically. She used to get involved and help, but someone reported her to the state wildlife commission and the authorities contacted her formally to put her on notice that she is not allowed to "mix" wildlife and parrots. I suspect they are being extra cautious of potential spreading of diseases. You probably already will, but cross contamination protocols may be in order.

 

[pterry97]

Welcome to parrot keeping, @pterry97. :] The suspense. Please tell us his name. :]

I got my first parrot 3 1/2 years ago. Grady is a Timneh African Grey, from my local rescue. He was said to be about 17 years old when I got him. He was a plucker with a big strip of feathers missing from the right side of his chest and neck. He had some behavioral issues, too. His life has changed a lot! ...So has mine. :]

Cage bar spacing
Grady came in a 22" x 21" (56cm x 53cm) cage. Yours looks to be about that size; however your bar spacing appears wider. Is your bar spacing suitable for your Grey? 3/4" to 1" bar spacing (1.9cm to 2.5cm) is recommended for Greys, depending on the particular parrot. With thinner bars, the spacing needs to be closer, because the bars can flex, so they could shove their head between bars with smaller spacing.

ULTIMATE Bird Cage Bar Spacing Guide: Chart For 23+ Species

What is the Optimal Bar Spacing Size for my Parrot? Find out the answer right HERE in this DEFINITIVE guide. Our table of 23+ Species will show you EXACTLY...

www.birdcagesnow.com

Cage size
I cannot be sure, without knowing the dimensions of your cage, but it appears to be on the small side for a Grey. I got Grady a 32" x 48" cage with 7/8" bar spacing. That is a rare find. (81cm x 122cm, with 2.25cm bar spacing) Larger cages typically have bar spacing suitable for Macaws. Grady can barely do a restricted flap in there to get from perch to perch, and I usually hear contact between wings and perch or bars. I do not know if your Grey is a Congo or Timneh, but the guideline I use recommends a cage bigger than yours or mine. (For what it's worth, Grady has full-house liberty, 24x7x364.25. His cage door was never installed, and still is not installed. He goes in his cage periodically on his own.)



Cage bottom "substrate"
Using a cage with no grate has problems you will have to try to mitigate. He will have direct access to his own droppings (feces, urine, and urates). When he drops food, it could come in contact with his excrement, or subsequent "excretions" could contact the already-dropped food.

If he goes down to the "floor" (for dropped food "foraging", or to shred the substrate) he is likely to step in his droppings (feces, urine, and urates) and/or drag his tail through them. A parrot that is nearly half the length of the cage width and length is highly likely to encounter his own droppings. I would recommend avoiding any "shreddable" substrate attracting him to spend time on the floor with no grate.

Perches
It is great to see several natural-wood perches—and some forked-branch perches! Very nice. It appears the darker wood perch in the left of the photo is not secured. Is it just wedged into the bars? If so, that could definitely become a hazard quickly.

Overcrowding the cage
Kudos to you for considering this! I have seen a lot of crowded cages. The parrot needs room to move, and maybe even flap, ideally. For a Grey, I doubt he will be able to flap in a cage that size, unless it were completely empty. However, you mentioned room access, which is fantastic! That is where most of his movement should take place; however, if he is going to do more than sleep in that cage, he will need a balance of perches and space to use them.

Water dish
Parrots need to bathe. Since the only water most are offered is their water dish, they will bathe in it. If it is not secured, which is probably what he is used to, he could get hurt trying to bathe in a "loose" water dish. Or, he may inadvertently dump it trying to perch on the rim. You can buy dishes with mounts. For a Grey, 20-ounce is a good size.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Feeding-Stainless-Parakeet-Cockatiels-Lovebird/dp/B0899TQQ9Q/

Avoid the "hook" type:
View attachment 44998

Thanks for such a detailed response! I feel the photo of the cage is wildly misleading somehow, perhaps it’s the angle. It’s 35x22x50inches (91x57x128.5cm) - about the same height as his current cage but much wider.

Here’s my other cat crate (same version) with my current foster wood pigeons inside for size comparison - they are ultimately the same - if not a bit bulkier, in size compared to an African grey: there’s lots of room. (They have all the trays intact though since pigeons have flatter feet than parrots and don’t pose a chew risk).

Again, I can crouch very easily in here, it’s way bigger than his current cage.

Good eye on the single wedged perch - it was originally a bolted perch but the screw inside fell out making it virtually useless. It took a great deal of hammering to get it where it is, it isn’t shakeable by my hand so I view it safer than first appears.

As I’m a fosterer I have to clean out the cages daily regardless, so no faeces will be left to sit at the bottom of the cage - hygiene is essential in my current environment. We have different laws in the UK but ultimately the fosters and him won’t be sharing the same space regardless. I have an isolation area of the fosters considering they come in with all sorts of ailments.

Looking for a more permanent bowl at the moment but for now am using a heavy duty steel water bowl for the water (stupidly heavy base to prevent dogs from tipping it) and a ceramic bowl for the food. Again, very heavy. Possible to move it if he decides it’s his life mission but only if ceramic is on his fancy for getting his beak around - again it’s just a place holder.

I’m going to the shop tomorrow to go browse for more stuff for him. Already spent a bit of a fortune but if he’s here for a new life better to go all out than not. Have plenty of home grown herbs for him to mutilate too - he’s been on a seed diet his whole life so he hasn’t even tried fruits and veg yet. Also bought some pellets but o know conversion can be a mighty pain. Might take a bit to convince him to give them a try. I’m hoping the toys don’t distress him either - he only ever had one in his cage that’s lasted 12 years. He’s gonna be trouble I can tell.

His name is Bobby Last time I saw him was 6 years ago when I lived there impromptu for 3 months and he spent the entire time extremely hormonal and trying to seduce me (was very disgusting - so much bird puke). Reducing his hormonal imbalance is probably our first task at hand. I’ll probably post something soon, I’m collecting him tomorrow evening.

 

[LeeC]

His name is Bobby

Your Grey is a police officer?! (Yeah, I know some British English. 😁)

 

[pterry97]

Your Grey is a police officer?! (Yeah, I know some British English. 😁)

…as a British person, I’ve never heard anyone refer to the police as a Bobby.

 

[LeeC]

He’s gonna be trouble I can tell.

I have five forever parrots (1 Timneh and 4 Senegals). I cannot overstate just how much liberty has done to transform each and every one of them. This is true for my foster parrots, too. I think excessive time in a cage creates problems, which can be lessened by a lot of time out of a cage. Those smart minds need a lot of stimulation. Liberty is full of choices. Choices are a form of mental work. Confinement radically reduces choices.

 

[LeeC]

…as a British person, I’ve never heard anyone refer to the police as a Bobby.

[feeling deflated] I suppose I need to update my British slang. :]

 

[LeeC]

Note, I've encountered two exceptional Britons in the parrot world.
Roz:

Think Parrot - The Parrot Lovers' Information Source

Think Parrot offers information on parrot behaviour & training, creating an enriched environment for your feathered friends, and much more! It is time to think about parrots.

thinkparrot.com

Sophie:

https://www.youtube.com/c/BirdNerdSophie