OK, so here is Pascal's flight cage (and Pascal marching because HOW DARE I SHOW THE PHONE)
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I keep it fairly empty on lower parts so he can jump around. He does chew on his toys quite often. Planning to make more! Also yes, there are a couple of dowels, but note that they are modified, they have dents and all, so they are not smooth at all. I gave them a rough random texture so it is not too bad for the bird's legs. As you see, they;re used only near the food/water bowls.
I keep the water and food bowls completely apart to keep the water clean. This way no food ends up in the water. We have this set up for a year and it works perfectly.
We do use a "tent" for Pascal, or well, a carton tube wrapped with some natural fabric so it's more comfy for him. He doesn't spend time in there at all, only at night during sleep. During day he likes chewing on it because it is fixed securely, and since it is 100% natural and safe for him, I let him be.
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And Here is Csilli's cage, quite empty ATM because she destroyed half of her toys, I am obliged to make more!! And some of her toys are being washed ATM, or removed because she was displaying some aggression towards it (not even the tiniest mirrors are ok for her..)
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And here is an idea what to do with those extra dowels! we used to place them on the doors if the doors were small enough
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Generaly we use natural perches, harvested by us and thoroughly washed.
I guess hardest part is setting up the perches so they don't get pooped on, or the toys. I don't re-arrange the perches at all, because the bird has muscle memory how to go around the cage. From my experience, they get annoyed if I change the perches, not so much with the toy set up. I don't change the toy set up too often, mostly just rotate. My birds spend most of their day outside free.