For many years, budgies have been at the top of the list of the most popular birds planted by our compatriots. They are smart and unpretentious in care. However, not every novice breeder knows how to properly equip a cage for a budgie. This is a serious omission that should be addressed. After all, even minor, at first glance, errors can lead to serious injuries, illnesses, and even the death of a feathered one.
Choose the right size
First of all, having come to the store for goods for the bird, you should choose housing. What size cage for a budgie is suitable? On the one hand, the answer is simple - the more the better. It is desirable that the bird could fly freely in the cage. On the other hand, to install a full-fledged aviary in the room, highlighting several square meters, this is very wasteful. Most breeders simply cannot afford this luxury.
Therefore, we have to look for a certain compromise. If you decide to have one parrot, then it is desirable that the cage should have a size of at least 25 x 60 centimeters. At the same time, at least one indicator should exceed half a meter. Then the bird will be able to fly a little and give a load of wings. In small cages, parrots usually use only their legs to move. Because of this, the load on the body decreases and the risk of developing obesity increases, which can lead to premature death.
For a pair of budgies, you will have to increase the size - at least 50 x 60 centimeters. Thanks to this, both of your pets will be able to stretch their wings a little, without interfering with each other. But a great height, contrary to the opinion of many fans, is not very important - parrots will not be able to fly strictly up and down. Therefore, a lot of emphasis should not be placed on the height - 30-40 centimeters are enough, and maybe even less.
Which materials should I prefer?
Also, to decide which cage for a budgie is suitable, it is very important to pay attention to the material of its manufacture.
For example, many breeders choose a wooden cage, believing that environmentally friendly material just does not harm the pet. They are completely wrong. It is a tree that does not fit.
Firstly, it can become a breeding ground for various microorganisms and infections. Having become wet from spilled water or litter of a parrot, a tree can easily be infected with dangerous bacteria, which, developing, are quite capable of infecting not only the pet, but also the most sensitive members of the family - for example, children.
Secondly, it’s impossible to explain to a parrot which objects you can and cannot sharpen the beak about. Therefore, the bird will probably start struggling to pick wooden blocks. As a result, they will lose their former smoothness. On the resulting burrs, the parrot may well injure its paws.
Plastic is also not the best option. Far from always it is an environmentally friendly material. In addition, often plastic cells can cause infection in parrots.
So, the most successful choice can be called an all-metal cage. True, it costs a lot. But it is guaranteed to last for many years, without causing any trouble to the owners and inhabitants.
Useful little things
Also, when choosing a cell, you need to pay attention to a few little things. For example, doors should open easily and close tightly. Moreover, it is desirable to give preference to swing rather than lifting.
The fact is that parrots are generally savvy. They may well open uncomplicated heck, deftly wielding claws and beak. And then also raise the door to get out. Alas, just at that moment the lifting mechanism often falls, and if it hits the neck, it clamps the bird's head. Usually a parrot can no longer lift it and just tries to break free, getting serious wounds. The hinged door is much safer in this regard.
Do not forget about the pallet. Be sure to choose a cage with a retractable product. It is very easy to clean it - just pull out, shake out the accumulated debris and rinse with warm water. If there is no retractable tray, you will have to remove the garbage with a vacuum cleaner or manually, and then rinse the bottom with a damp sponge - a much more difficult task, which takes much more time.
Cage Furniture
Now we turn to the question of how to equip a cage for a budgie. Photos attached to the article will more fully reveal the topic.
First of all, let's decide what should be in the cell. Of course, this is a drinking bowl and a feeding trough - we will tell about them a little later.
In addition to these important items, you need to install poles in the cage, preferably two or three for each parrot. And you need to choose wooden, not plastic. Anyway, after a few weeks they will have to be replaced, so do not be afraid of the development of infection. You can make the poles yourself - for example, pick a few thin branches from a suitable tree or chop thin chips. The main thing is to clean them of burrs with fine sandpaper. Parrots will sit on the perches, and sometimes sharpen their beak about them. Plastic is not suitable - when it is used in parrots, wounds, corns and other injuries often appear on the legs.
It is also advisable to place a mineral stone or sepia in the cage. And better - both. Without them, the arrangement of the cage for a budgie will be incomplete. The stone is a source of minerals, and also serves to grind the beak. It is very important. In the wild, parrots actively work with their beaks, biting nuts and seeds, as well as chitinous shells of insects, delving into the tree bark in search of larvae. Therefore, the beak is growing all the time. If you don’t grind it, then over time the bird will not be able to eat normally. As a result, you will have to see a doctor.
Sepia is the skeleton of sea cuttlefish. In fact, its function is the same as that of mineral stone. But different parrots have their own preferences. So it would be better if there is both sepia and mineral stone in the cell.
Also do not forget about toys and swings. Two or three different entertainments are enough for one parrot, but for a couple their number should be increased to four or five. This will brighten up the life of your favorites.
Little bit about the hearts
As mentioned above, wooden poles can be made independently. But in order to figure out how to equip a cage for a budgie, it is very important to know which raw materials are suitable. In general, you can use any wood, except for several varieties:
- containing toxic substances (acacia, poplar, lilac);
- which include tannins (bird cherry, oak, pear);
- conifers containing tar.
You can simply use a branch that is not too thick (about 1.5–2 centimeters in diameter) - this is the easiest way. Before installing wood in a cage, it must be doused with boiling water and wiped dry.
Proper placement of items
Now we will tell specifically about how to equip a cage for a budgie.
To begin with, the poles should be located at some distance from each other - so that the bird had to use its wings during the flight. This will keep her in good shape all the time.
It is also very important not to place the poles under each other. Otherwise, one pet, sitting above, may well stain the neighbor, located below, litter.
Feeding troughs, a drinking bowl, sepia and a mineral stone are desirable to place far or higher than the poles. Then the risk of contamination by the same droppings is reduced.
Three feeder system
Also, telling how to equip a cage for a budgie, it is worth mentioning the system of three feeders.
Experienced breeders know that it is advisable to use not one feeder, but three. Dry food is usually poured into the first, usually grain. The second serves for the mineral mixture, which provides the parrot with all the necessary trace elements. In the third, finely chopped fruits are added. You can’t add all the parts of the menu to the same feeder - this can lead to their quick damage. Yes, and it is desirable to arrange products for feeding the feed at a distance from each other so that the bird moves more.
When arranging a cage for a parrot, it is better to choose a special drinker - it ensures the purity of water. Yes, you can use ordinary plastic cups. But such a drinker will have to be washed every day and several times to change the water in it. Birds often overturn him.
Where to install the cage
Having told how to equip a cage for a budgie, you should definitely mention the place where it is better to install it. More specifically, about places where it should not be installed.
She’s definitely not in the kitchen. Still, litter and sometimes flying fluff create unsanitary conditions, which are unacceptable in the room where the food is being prepared.
It is also better to keep the cage away from the window. In the summer, the bird will suffer from overheating due to direct sunlight. And in winter, it usually gets cold from the glass, which can harm the parrot. And this is not to mention the drafts and just the frosty wind that occurs when they open the window to ventilate the room.
Finally, you can not put the cage in a place where at least sometimes smoke. Parrots are very sensitive to tobacco smoke. Even the rare role of a passive smoker will do serious harm to your pet.
Conclusion
That's all. Now you know everything you need to properly arrange a cage for your beloved parrot. So, he will live without health problems for many years and will be as happy as possible.