Cage Size/Style
Although budgies are only a small parrot they need a reasonably large cage, because they are pretty active. The minimum size of cage you should consider is 20 inches wide, by 12 inches deep, by 18 inches high. The best style of cage is one with horizontal bars to help them to climb up the sides, with gaps between the bars that are no more than 1/2 inch wide.

Budgie Cage Accessories
Budgie cages need to contain a lot of perches of varying sizes and textures. This is important because it will help to keep your budgie’s legs, feet and beak very healthy and very strong. Budgies also like toys, so make sure there are a few in the cage to keep your pet entertained – budgies love toys!

Cage Location
Budgies (like most parrots) are very sensitive to smells/aromas that are found in most normal homes (e.g. certain cooking smells). In the worst cases, exposure to some of these smells could kill your budgie. Another thing that budgies are really sensitive to are drafts. For these reasons, you need to pay careful attention to where you locate the budgie cage – don’t locate it in the kitchen, and don’t place it in a draft.

At Night
Budgie cages need to be covered at night. The complete darkness that this affords will enable your budgie to get a proper rest. Another benefit of covering the cage is that it will stop any drafts from disturbing your pet’s important overnight rest period.

Post from the Parrot Care Made Easy blog. The resource for all things parrot - e.g. parrot training, parrot food etc...

Budgie Cages

Size/Style
Cockatiels need to have a large bird cage, because they are very active parrots, which like to do a lot of flying and climbing inside their cage. The minimum size you should consider is 20 inches wide, by 20 inches deep, by 26 inches high. The best style of cage is one with horizontal bars to assist in their climbing activities. The gaps between the bars should be less than 3/4 of an inch.

Cage Accessories
Cockatiel cages should contain lots of perches of varying sizes and textures. This will help to keep their legs, feet and beak healthy and strong. You should also make sure that it contains several toys to keep your pet amused.

Location
Strong smells such as insecticides, smoke and air fresheners etc… can very easily damage a cockatiel’s respiratory system, and may even kill him. Something as simple as over-heating a Teflon pan can give off a gas that is fatal to cockatiels. Therefore, where you locate the cage is really important. You need to ensure that it is located away from any such odors, and also away from any drafts, because cockatiels like to keep warm.

At Night
Make sure your cockatiel cage is covered to prevent any drafts, and to allow your cockatiel to get a good night’s rest.

Post from the Parrot Care Made Easy blog. The resource for all things parrot - e.g. parrot training, parrot food etc...

Cockatiel Cage

If you choose a parrot cage that is too small, your parrot will become stressed, which could result in unwanted behavior, such as aggression and feather plucking. The bigger the cage the better – you cannot pick a parrot cage that is too big. Note: Baby parrots may be intimidated by a large cage, so it is best to also have a small cage to start off with.

The best way to determine the MINIMUM size of cage is as follows -

• When on any perch, your parrot’s head must not touch the top of the cage, and his tail must not touch the bottom or the sides.
• When in the middle of the cage, he must be able to fully stretch out his wings without touching the sides of the cage.
• He must be able to fly from perch to perch. Parrots fly horizontally, so it is preferable for your cage to be wide rather than tall.

The other main considerations when buying parrot cages are -

• Is it made from strong enough materials for the type of parrot you own?
• Is it made from materials that could poison your parrot (e.g. rust can damage your parrot’s crop)?
• Are the gaps between the bars small enough to prevent your bird escaping, or getting his head stuck?

If you stick to the simple guidelines above your parrot will be more than happy with his home.

photo credit: Orin Optiglot

Post from the Parrot Care Made Easy blog. The resource for all things parrot - e.g. parrot training, parrot food etc...

Parrot Cages