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What's a good size cage for a parrotlet?

jahpan

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I am hoping to get one from a bird fair or my lovebird's breeder. I was just curious because the one that I had for my current parrotlet is smallish, and I wanted to see a picture of a cage that would be good and that would fit on a 8in wide book shelf o.o
 

sthiele

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Unfortunately you won't find any cage for any size bird that would be suitable to fit on an 8 inch wide shelf. If I were getting a parrotlet, that bird would be in a flight cage, which is roughly 32x21x35 inside.
 

Mizzely

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I would say the absolute minimum cage size would be 18x18. Remember that vertical space does little for them - they aren't helicopters. Imagine that a cage is like a closet. If it's short and narrow but 10 feet tall, would you consider that a "big" closet?

This is a decent cage for a decent price: Petco Designer White Finch Flight Cage - Finch Flight Bird Cage from petco.com I use these for vacation cages or sleep cages for my conure and quaker, but it would give a parrotlet a lot of room on a budget. Drawbacks: the doors can be easy for an industrious bird to open, no feed doors, and the grate is not removable.
 

jahpan

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Unfortunately you won't find any cage for any size bird that would be suitable to fit on an 8 inch wide shelf. If I were getting a parrotlet, that bird would be in a flight cage, which is roughly 32x21x35 inside.
Do you have a picture example for this?
 

jahpan

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I would say the absolute minimum cage size would be 18x18. Remember that vertical space does little for them - they aren't helicopters. Imagine that a cage is like a closet. If it's short and narrow but 10 feet tall, would you consider that a "big" closet?

This is a decent cage for a decent price: Petco Designer White Finch Flight Cage - Finch Flight Bird Cage from petco.com I use these for vacation cages or sleep cages for my conure and quaker, but it would give a parrotlet a lot of room on a budget. Drawbacks: the doors can be easy for an industrious bird to open, no feed doors, and the grate is not removable.
Do you have other examples for like a door that the lock can be secure? My lovebird has a cage where he tries to open but never gets out, but i have to put locks on them XD
 

Bokkapooh

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What cage does your lovebird have? Its probably safe for a parrotlet, too.

If you want a cage with a door that can lock, than a standard flight cage would be acceptable. But it wont fit on a 8" shelf. Any cage that would is not appropriate for birds.
 

Bird_lover6

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Our parrotlet, Skeeter, is in an HQ flight cage, and is what I would highly recommend.

The smallest tabletop cage I would consider: get Amazon.com : Prevue Hendryx Flight Cage, Green and Black : Birdcages : Pet Supplies It's 26" long and 14" deep. Arrange the cage so that he can fly the entire length of the cage. A parrotlet does not have a wide wingspan.

ETA - throw out the dowels and put perches at both ends of the cage. Put a swing in the middle of cage. Arrange toys strategically, so bird will have a clear flight path.

This is the same cage by Prevue that you can find with the triple roof or dome roof, etc. Avoid those. The flat roof gives the greatest possibilities for toy and perch placement, and the flat top allows you to put a play gym on the top.
 
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JudiNH

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MissingMango

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I agree with a flight cage! I have Opie in an HQ Flight cage and he uses EVERY INCH! Even though they are tiny, they are VERY active. Personally I would not go smaller, but I do know a lot of people keep them in smaller cages.

Even though the HQ Flight is my favorite, I have seen a lot of people using these also:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0012DOXFM...TF8&colid=1JXUQ49QP53PA&coliid=I1Z1D2SY6OCSGP

This is the absolute smallest I would consider ok...and even then only if you offered a lot of out of the cage time. It also isn't as sturdy IMO.
Petco Designer White Finch Flight Cage - Finch Flight Bird Cage from petco.com
 

Jenphilly

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I am fostering a family of parrotlets and just separated everyone. We are using flight cages for them. They are super active birds and need space to flit about. An 8" wide cage might make a travel carrier, but these little guys need a cage size comparable to a conure. Trust me they use all that space too!!
 

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A flight cage all the way! Plets are such busy bodies that I can't see them in anything smaller.
 

Mskarenlynn

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Hi, I'm new! I have an 8 month od P'let (Louie) that I got when he was 4 months old. He seems SO unhappy. He won't play with any toys and he looks so bored when he's in his cage. Right now he's in a cage that is 18x 18 which was recommended by his breeder. Wondering if I got him a flight cage if it would make a difference. While I'm at it, he won't eat anything but seed and millet. I keep trying and he just won't eat anything else.

He finally seems comfortable snuggled on my shoulder in my hair, but that's about it.

He makes me feel so bad for him.

Help....
 

Milo

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Hi, I'm new! I have an 8 month od P'let (Louie) that I got when he was 4 months old. He seems SO unhappy. He won't play with any toys and he looks so bored when he's in his cage. Right now he's in a cage that is 18x 18 which was recommended by his breeder. Wondering if I got him a flight cage if it would make a difference. While I'm at it, he won't eat anything but seed and millet. I keep trying and he just won't eat anything else.

He finally seems comfortable snuggled on my shoulder in my hair, but that's about it.

He makes me feel so bad for him.

Help....
You may try posting your own thread in the plet section here :) you'll get more responses! Go here Parrotlets Place | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum then in the upper right you should see "post new thread" in a blue box :)

A flight cage may help your little one, knowing more about his routine and pics of his current setup would be helpful too. Has he had a vet check recently? There are many, many things that you can try but I don't want to be redundant and suggest things you've already tried. Welcome to AA! :)
 

Mskarenlynn

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Thank you I will do that. Yes a vet checked him out he said he's healthy and I just need to try to keep introducing new things to him. He does step up now but he will do that a few times and then want to be in my hair.

Vet had me keeping pellets in his cage all day and replacing it with his normal seed in the evening. Louie would go all day without eating so I'm trying to mix it now.

The only toy he will go near is kabobs on a string. He barely makes any noise.

He's breaking my heart. I had a lovebird for 22 years. So different! Trust me, any help you can offer will be appreciated! Thank you!

Pictures to come...
 

Samurai

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My p'let is in a cage that measures 18x18x30inches but i'm looking to upgrade this later in the year as she loves her toys and a bigger cage = more space to hang toys :). I find Gizmo climbs and walks around her cage like a lot of the larger parrots do rather than flying around (admittedly there's not a lot of flying room with her toy collection in there). They are active little birds that needs lots of mental stimulation.

This is the sort of cage I want to upgrade Gizmo to but looking for a similar one with bars she can climb
Little Friends Hamberley All Metal Cage: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies

I also like ferplast piano 7 cage :)
 
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Pentameter

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Bokkapooh

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No they most likely would not. My guys never did. But bread ties hold them close.
 

Pentameter

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Thanks for the response and sorry for the double post... my stupid internet's been weird lately and it looked as though the message didn't send. Apparently it did xD
 
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