BIRDCAGE

:''For the film, see The Birdcage; for the Maserati race car, see Maserati Tipo 61.''

A 'birdcage' (or 'bird cage') is a cage designed to house birds as pets.
Pet birds face numerous challenges in captivity. Most birds fly, which puts them at risk of impacting ceiling fans, stoves, and other hazards. Even birds with their wings clipped may eat hazardous substances, chew on cords, or gnaw at furniture. As many pet birds are not domesticated and still retain their natural instincts, they sometimes can be unpredictable. Their small size makes housing them in cages a convenient solution to these problems.
Some people find housing birds in cages to be cruel. In general, the larger and the more active the bird, the larger the cage one should use. Some birds have special requirements. Parrots tend to gnaw on cages, and macaws are known to bite through metal. Amazons prefer horizontal bars, as they like to climb. Messy eaters should have a seed skirt to catch food. Breeding may require nesting boxes. Smart birds, like psitticines and corvines, need secure latching mechanisms to prevent them from figuring them out, and often require toys and/or playstands to keep them entertained.

While small cages are relatively cheap, large, parrot-sized cages can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. The materials used to build the cages has a lot to do with the price level. Most cages are made or wrought iron and painted with a non-toxic paint referred to as powder-coating. However, the newest trend in the market is cages made of solid stainless steel. Large parrot cages made of stainless steel can cost thousands of dollars and will actually outlive a powder-coated cage by 5 to 6 times.
The cage of a bird should have vertical bars, and should be wide enough for the bird to stretch its wings. The bars should be spaced so that curious birds, such as the parakeet, cannot stick its head out of the cage and have it stuck. The cage should also be non-chip paint, because birds tend to gnaw at the cage, and if the paint is consumed, they can die from poisoning.

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See also

See also

★ Aviary

★ bird discussion forum

★ Aviary Specialist - South Africa