There are innumerable models of cages on the market for small domestic birds such as our friend the parakeet, although not all of them are ideal or even suitable.
In this article on our site we will not only detail the types of parakeet cages, we will also offer you relevant information for each specific case including very useful tips for daily care.
Let's see what characteristics the cage of a parakeet or the one that several specimens will inhabit.
How a parakeet's cage should be
Even though the parakeet is a bird that can be tamed to the point of being able to let it fly freely around our home, to prevent accidents there will be times when it must remain in its cage.
He will go to the cage to eat and drink, and what matters is that it be a cage as comfortable as possible for him and that allows it to carry out activities or movements common to parakeets in the wild, including short flights and flapping wings.
One of these movements is climbing. Parakeets love to climb the bars of their habitat as if they were small branches, hang upside down from the ceiling and do a thousand antics. For this reason, the cage of a parakeet must be either with horizontal bars or contain several bars like this, which serve as a point of support for its climbs.
Parakeets enjoy some toys such as a swing (almost all cages for parakeets have it built in) or a hanging accessory finished in a bell or a bell that is within reach of the parakeet in such a way that you can shake it and make it sound at will. It is essential that the cage has some crossbars, as they are where the bird spends much of its time and where it usually sleeps.
In any case, although our pet enjoys various accessories and toys, it is important not to overload the space. It is worth remembering that there is no cage that is too big for a parakeet and there are some that are too small.
And a pair of parakeets?
When you want to have more than one specimen in the same room, some precautions must be observed:
Budgies tend to mate for life. To avoid fights it is necessary that there are as many males as females per cage.
The issue of pairs is not always so simple, it may happen that one or more of our parakeets have already chosen their partner before. It can also happen that specimens that live for a time without company, take their human companion as a partner. There may even be scenes of jealousy between parakeets, it has happened to me
To properly house a pair of parakeets we should consider choosing a cage that is wider than it is high, large (120 x 70 x 90 centimeters), with enough space for them to fly if they wish.
Having more than one pair of parakeets is possible since they are animals that usually enjoy the company of others sharing spaces with each other
We can also consider the option of installing an aviator in the garden if we have enough space. It consists of a large compartment built with meshes and fixed bars that allow a large number of specimens to be kept in it
Finally, and as a piece of advice, we recommend you look at those cages that have the possibility of being divided. It is a very useful tool because it allows us to separate the male and the female in certain periods, take precautions in the event of a suspected disease or avoid fights between parakeets. Of course, you must bear in mind that each section of the cage must be wide enough for a specimen to live comfortably and with dignity
Quality Recommendations
Although it seems obvious we must pay attention to the quality of the cage that we are going to use to house our parakeet. We must bear in mind that the material to be used is usually chromed or stainless steel.
The paint must obviously be lead-free, since it could be deadly for our bird. Finally make sure that the bars are not malleable, it should be impossible for the parakeet to pass its head through there.
Models not recommended
We found two models of cages that are not recommended for budgerigars:
- round bottom
- in very capricious ways
With round cages the parakeet cannot properly hold on to the bars to climb, they are also usually so small that they prevent flight inside and disorient birds.
In the case of cages with picturesque shapes, in addition to being able to hinder the climbing activity so typical of these little feathered friends, depending on the design accidents could even occurif there are incoming volumes inside what is the cage receptacle.
The best option for the parakeet is always the cage with a rectangular base and a horizontal roof.
Parakeet Breeding
The breeding cage for the Australian parakeet, in addition to being spacious must have a low height in order to avoid accidents to the chicks in their first attempts to flutter out of the nest. A bad landing from about 20 cm (let's imagine that the nest is located halfway up the cage) is not the same as from 1 meter high.
In addition to conventional cages, if we are going to have several pairs of budgerigars with us, we can consider the possibility of building them a flight deck (a large cage, made with suitable metal mesh) so that they all live together.
Once the pairs have been established and there are no unpaired specimens left. The complements of the aviaries are larger, and this type of cage has the advantage of being able to include some natural branch as part of the "furniture".
There are breeding cages that allow you to create a separation of spaces, this can be very useful in some cases
Things you have to know
It is essential that a parakeet's cage always have at least two feeders and one drinker that they can access without any problem.
We will check the drinkers and feedersdaily, making sure that the water is clean and the food is plentiful. You should check regularly since parakeets (like other birds) usually shell the seeds on top of the food itself and as a consequence a layer of important shells is created.
It can give us the feeling that a trough is full when the reality is that it presents an accumulation that they cannot pass. For this same reason, seeds should be blown off the surface of the feeders frequently, at least once a day.
I recommend doing it with a soda straw so that they fly away but don't stick to your face or hair. Once you've got the hang of it, you'll realize it's very simple. Even so, we will always find some seed in the soil of our parakeet!
Also…
When you want to try to get a pair of budgerigars to breed, if the cage is not very big, you can usually place a removable nest-box attached to the door, for sale in specialized establishments. Additional observations to prepare the perfect home for our parakeet:
In the bottom of the cage, in order to facilitate cleaning, you can place gritt (a mineral filler) or gravel stream.
The parakeet bathtub will be placed regularly so that they can enjoy bathing and cleaning their feathers. It helps them prevent mites. When our friends have taken a shower we will remove it, we should not leave it as a permanent element, they could defecate and drink at the same time.
What is good for parakeets to always have at their disposal is a cuttlefish bone or a s alt tablet that meets the same function. In addition to providing them with calcium, it helps prevent excessive beak growth.
There are also auxiliary devices outside the cage so that they can regularly eat fresh food in a more hygienic way. Some of the foods we can offer you daily:
- Apple
- Orange
- Arugula
- Spinach
- Endive
- Pear
- Banana
- Carrot
