How to decorate a Bird cage - Parrot cages

1. SHAPE AND DIMENSIONS

The cage should be rectangular, to keep the bird from getting the so-called turning disease, a nervous turning and twisting of the head caused by the lack of orientation within the wire circle. There are some very nice-looking cages whose four walls are bent and come together at the top. The dimensions should not be less than 40 x 40 x 60 cm. If the parrot is taken out frequently, it will not require a much larger cage. Since a tame and talking parrot should be taken along when visiting friends or going on trips by car, the cage should fit into the car. Having both a large room cage and a small travel cage is optimal. The cage wires should run horizontally so the parrot can climb around more easily.

2. PERCHES

The perches that come with the cage are too smooth and do not offer a variety of diameters for the parrot's foot. They should be roughened up with a file or rasp and made thinner in several spots. The two or three perches must be placed parallel to each other, not crosswise. Droppings should not fall on the lower perch. The top perch should be located so that the bird in an upright position has at least 1 cm headroom. Furthermore, its tail feathers should not touch the wire when it bends forward. When sleeping, birds prefer to sit on an upper perch because this location gives them the greatest feeling of security. If the space beneath the cage roof is too small, the bird will still sit up there, but in a bent position. If the space is too great, the interior of the cage is not being used fully. The lower perch is used mainly for reaching the feeding dishes, which are usually lower than the door. Another perch belongs outside, on top of the cage; if possible, it should extend out beyond one side. The parrot needs room for its tail feathers. If it sits on the end of this perch, then its droppings will not fall on the cage wires or into the dishes.

3. DISHES AND DOOR

Dishes for parrots must be fastened very securely. It must be impossible for the bird to push the dishes out from the inside and perhaps even squeeze through the opening itself. Upon removal of the dishes, it must be possible to close off the resultant openings with a fastening device. The openings for the dishes should not be below the door opening. If one wants to install an automatic food dispenser, it will have to be fastened to the wires above the dish with a clamp. It is best to ask for a demonstration of the fastening procedure when buying the food dispenser. R. Low writes that these food dispensers are not for real bird lovers. Whoever cares for an animal should take the time to feed it daily. Besides, the food supply can block up in the neck, and the bird then sits in front of the dish, unable to get to the food. On the bottom of the dish of the dispenser an unappetizing layer of dust forms. Therefore, the dispenser should be used only exceptionally, for a short period of time. Moreover, the typical commercial dispensers are easily pushed away by the parrots when they hang on the outside of the cage, and the contents are spilled all over the floor.

The door should close in a way that is parrot­proof. This is true if a human has to exert a certain force to open in. A bolt should not be within reach from inside. A door that opens downward ensures the least danger of injury to the bird. But it could be hit by droppings. This can be prevented by directing the bird in its choice of a perch; a natural branch fastened to the top on the appropriate side usually works. If the door is hinged on the side, one should watch for protruding wire ends. They are dangerous, but they can be bent away with pliers. Doors which are pulled up or hinged at the top must be fastened to be kept open, so that the bird cannot lock itself out. An excellent solution is the following: The entire front of the cage is hinged as a door, and in this is an additional, small door. Thus, the parrot can fly directly to its perch. Recalcitrant animals can be put back into the cage more easily, since the opening is so wide. A cage with an opening front is an added advantage during taming. An entrance perch can be fastened in the door opening to facilitate the parrot's getting in and out, at least in the beginning.

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