Dog crate into bird cage?

[Odin]

I am wondering if anyone can comment on making a large dog kennel into a bird cage? My budgies are needing bigger home, and I read online you can mesh a dog crate then use it as a bird cage. Thoughts ?

 

[Animallover03]

I have wondered the same thing, but I would worry about what the metal is made of. Be sure to check into it if you do end up doing this.

 

[karen256]

Many dog crates are galvanized (zinc coated) but some are powdercoated and would be safe - in fact, many people use small dog crates as travel cages for larger birds.
But, realistically, putting mesh over a dog crate to hold small birds would not work out well. It would look unattractive, be harder to clean, and there would still be the larger gaps between the door and the cage sides that you couldn't really cover with the mesh.
I think you would be better off buying a cage meant for birds.
Prevue makes a small flight cage that you should be able to get for under $100.

 

[Jaguar]

Hardware cloth is galvanized steel, meaning it's been dipped in zinc to prevent rust. Zinc is a heavy metal, very toxic in high amounts. Birds that climb with their beaks may ingest the zinc on the coating. Some claim GAW (galvanized after weld) or weathered hardware cloth is safe... but this leads to the next point. Cages have to be cleaned. Birds love to bath. It WILL rust eventually - much sooner if it's weathered.

Couple other points... hardware cloth is incredibly sharp and difficult to work with. You'll scratch and cut the crap out of yourself. It might even cut your birds if you aren't careful to take off sharp bits. It's also not rigid and would need to be strapped to the crate with extreme care as to not leave loose spots a bird could fit a head or feet.

Also... a lot of dog crates are vinyl coated. Vinyl coating is much easier for a curious parrot beak to flake off... and possibly ingest.

Overall you're probably going to end up with scratched up arms, a dangerous cage that you hate, and wasted time/money/energy. I wouldn't bother...

This was a Ferret Nation cage that I wrapped in hardware cloth for my rats. It worked just fine for them, but the design of the cage was much more accommodating for the mesh, and much less dangerous. Regardless, it started to rust after about a year, even though I meticulously dried it after every cleaning.

 

[Odin]

Thank you everyone, I am desprete to get them a larger home They are all three in this beige cage now. I hate it. Is it torture for them to be in a small space like this?

 

[CaliEckies]

I use a Great dane crate when I have special needs birds. It lets them climb and have lots of horizontal room with limited vertical space to fall far.

 

[AzaleaMist]

Oh my goodness, I can see wanting to get them a new cage, but it certainly isn't torture. What are the measurements?

 

[Jaguar]

I use a Great dane crate when I have special needs birds. It lets them climb and have lots of horizontal room with limited vertical space to fall far.

Works fine for big birds, but most dog crates are well over 1" spacing. A budgie would just walk right out

 

[itzmered]

How much space do you have for s cage? There are some really nice fairly inexpensive flight cages out there

 

[JosienBB]

What is your budget for a new cage? I'm sure we can find something

 

[ariana&mia]

I just ordered a flight cage off of amazon that was only about $100
Here's the link in case you are interested:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C332AOG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_2S7KxbVG2NDK5

 

[SweetAmber]

Couple other points... hardware cloth is incredibly sharp and difficult to work with. You'll scratch and cut the crap out of yourself. It might even cut your birds if you aren't careful to take off sharp bits.

A-freaking-men

I am a farmer, it's what I do. Mostly small animals such as chickens, guinea fowl, goats, pigs, rabbits.. I refuse to use hardware cloth. It's a bloody nightmare. Literally.