Selecting a Budgie Cage

A cage for a budgie is an important purchase.  Your budgie will be confined to it for several hours during the day and it needs to be safe, entertaining for your pet, and also large enough for him to feel comfortable.  There is so much information that needs to be taken into consideration before buying a cage.   The budgie needs to feel protected by his cage so it’s important that the right cage be selected.  It can be intimidating to find the perfect cage because there are so many sizes and so many shapes to choose.  Being attentive to your birds needs and keeping up on new material regarding the purchase of bird cages or other general bird information will help you have a more healthy and happy pet.  Hopefully this information will give you the confidence to purchase the right cage for your pet budgie.

We are always given specifications as to how large a cage should be.  But the truth is there are many factors that determine the size of the cage.  These factors to be considered are things such as location, the number of birds that will be sharing the cage, and also how much space can you devote to this bird cage. So rather than provide you with specifications as to how large a cage should be, I prefer to give you a few guidelines when selecting that home for your pet.

First, make sure the cage is large enough to accommodate food bowls, perches, and toys.  This means that when your parakeet is standing on his perch the food bowls should be far enough so that droppings cannot fall into his food or water. The perches need to be arranged and placed in such a way that you have easy access to your bird.  Lots of perches that are improperly placed will collect excess poop and make cleaning up difficult. 

Toys also need to be taken into consideration.  How many are going to be used inside the cage and how much room will it require for the parakeet to properly play with them.  The cage needs to be spacious enough so the toys are not above bowls or other toys.  Any equipment placed above each other can easily get covered with droppings. The key is trying to find a balance between the perches, food bowls, and toys.  It can take work and lots of investigating but it needs to be done.  The goal is to minimize droppings on all equipment while your parakeet is housed inside the cage.

The next factor is determining how many budgies the cage will house.  If you plan on housing more than two parakeets then the cage needs to be large.  Budgies are very active and will fly around, climb, and hop from perch to perch.  An overcrowded cage will become dirty very easily and cause more problems down the road. As a rule of thumb each bird should be able to hop from perch to perch, flap its wings, and move a body’s length from side to side without touching the sides.  This means if you wish to house two budgies then you need to consider doubling the cage size.

The door of the cage is also very important.  Most cages are equipped with three doors, one for food, one for water, and one as a main entrance.  These doors need to be easy to open and shut.  The doors should all accommodate your hands and should be easy to open.  They should also be able to accommodate at least half an arms length inside the cage.  This is important if the bird needs to be retrieved and will reduce any added stress.

Trays are important and should be included with all cages.  They collect all droppings or food that has spilled from food bowls.  This tray needs to be below a grill because a curious parakeet will rummage through anything on the ground. A properly installed grill will prevent this from happening.  The bottom tray needs to easily slide out for proper cleaning.  Trays designed for cob beddings or wood shavings should not be used.  They only make more of a mess and are more prone to harmful bacteria if not changed regularly.

The bars of the cage should be stainless steel or should be covered with non toxic paints or sealants.  Cages should not be purchased if they do not have finishes or if they are made of brass.  Rusted cages can cause metal poisoning and are very toxic to budgies.  If bars are exposed and do not have a finish it may contain zinc.  If consumed your budgie can become ill and die.

The space between the bars needs to be about a ¼ inch apart.  Bars that are not spaced correctly can cause your parakeet to get its head stuck or it can possibly escape.

Don’t rush things when deciding to choose a cage.  You want something that is going to be easy to clean and something that is durable.  You want a cage that is going to keep your parakeet happy and one that he will feel secure in.  Remember, a cage can last as long as 10 or more years if it is properly maintained.