Cages and care questions

[Drezzan]

Hey guys I posted some things in the new member section but have a few more advanced questions.

First let me say I haven't decided on a final bird choice but I have been swayed more to a red bellied pionus from a gcc. I am planning this purchase carefully over at least a year probably more.

My question is about cages and wing clipping. I plan to be in an apartment which allows birds to be kept and was going to get the red bellied over the green cheeked conure because many people put forward that the gcc is still very noisy and while I don't mind my neighbors might not like a constant screeching. Since I am going to be living in a smaller environment I was thinking of clipping the flight feathers which I used to do for my cockatiel when I was younger, I was wondering if their behavior would be adversely affected by my decision.

Lastly cages. I want the little guy to be comfortable when I am out at class so I was thinking bigger 6-7 hundred dollar range but since they aren't huge birds and I may have him clipped for his safety can the cage be too big?

I really apreciate any opinions!

 

[Birdlover11]

No cage is too big ! The little suckers need to waste their energy somewhere ! I found large cages for only 400 at birdcagesforless.com

 

[Drezzan]

Oh thanks, I had heard people mention that a larger cage can make them feel vulnerable. The fact that he won't have true flight, I know they still flutter around' won't get him hurt in the cage right?

 

[Birdlover11]

Correct. What they mean is that they don't want a small aviary as it could make them feel vulnerable and scared

 

[Drezzan]

Great! Big cage it is, if you don't mind another question I'll ask!

When I was younger and I had a cockatiel he be came *cough* romantically attached to one of the chew toys in his cage. It was one of the knotted rope toys that are fairly common. We didn't know why he had become aggressive and mean untill I saw him, well... Acting on the atraction. How do I prevent this happening with a parrot ? Are there toys I should avoid in general?

 

[Birdlover11]

Yes, they are some snuggle toys, like happy huts, some times snuggle buddies,anything that looks like a nest as they will treat it like one and protect it, especially during the breeding season

 

[MonicaMc]

Cockatiels are parrots, too...


You can try to discourage it, but you can't 100% prevent it. No warm foods, no places to nest or anything as nesting material, no inappropriate touching of bird (which is why most recommend to only scritch around the head), etc.


If you can provide flight, I would highly recommend allowing it. Flight is a great way for birds to get rid of pent up energy, plus it keeps them in shape! If you can't, that's understandable... but I would suggest looking into allowing flight (and basic flight commands) vs clipping.


You can get pretty decent sized cages for $200-$400. For a meyers, I would recommend a cage that is about 32" L x 23" W, approximately... and you can decide on playtop, flat top, dome top, etc... make sure the bar spacing is appropriate, too!


Typically, the larger, the better! There are no cages out in the wild! Nothing to confine them to a tiny area... and parrots naturally fly for miles every day to forage for food and/or to take care of multiple mates (as is the case in eclectus). At the same time, you do not want to get a cage that is too large to fit on your home and would be cumbersome. Small cages have the disadvantage of not having enough room for perches, dishes and toys, plus the bird. It easily gets crowded and it's often best to have a multitude of toys in the cage so the bird can keep him/herself busy... foraging toys, noisy toys, destructible toys, etc.