cage help ?

[whatsizname]

Hi there, I am wanting to get a green cheek conure, but having trouble settling on a cage, I have limited space as it would be going on a drawer unit which is 75cm long by 41cm deep, as for height, I want it to be anywhere between say55cm to 75cm maybe 80cm tall, Ive not owned a conure before, only ever owned a couple of budgies and a cockatiel in the past.

Ive had a look around on ebay, amazon and a couple of other places and seen these

LIBERTA DAHLIA LARGE BLACK BUDGIE PARAKEET COCKATIEL LOVE BIRD CAGE NEW | eBay

BIRD CAGE BLACK TAZMIN BUDGIE CANARIES PARROTLETS BIRDS: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies


Not to sure whether they are suitable or not however, I do want one with a grill on the bottom for easier cleaning, and a larger door for easier access


Went into a pets at home in my town today, and saw the vision 2 cages that seem quite popular online

Hagen Vision II Large Bird Cage (L01) | Free P&P £29+ at zooplus!

I do like the look of the vision one, but I am not sure whether the standard height is tall enough, the taller one is too tall as it would place the bird extremely close to my ceiling light



any help here would be amazing

cheers.

 

[Colbon2]

I feel like all those cages are much too small for a GCC. This cage picture below is what I would be getting for a Crimson bellied conure at the very least and I have flight cages as well that I use. I understand you don't have a lot of room but this cage is considered to be within the limits for a bird like a conure. I personally would never use the play open top portion, but this cage can also come off of the base stand and can sit on a table or desk etc.

The only one I could maybe see as being close, if you really can't make the space, would be for the Hagen vision. I personally don't like these cages for bigger birds as everything is plastic and although birds are intelligent and don't usually swallow plastic it is always a risk. Also they have been known to be easy to escape from.

If you were only planning on the cage to be a sleep cage and have the bird out all day then it wouldn't be too bad but if your conure will be spending a great deal of time in the cage it should have the biggest amount of space possible. I would maybe also recommend a smaller bird or waiting until the needs of the bird of that species can be met fully if you can't get a larger cage and the bird will be spending a great deal of time in it. However there are places that recommend minimum to be 16" X 16" X18 so your measurements are not to far off from that.

I wish you Luck and keep us posted on how everything goes...

Victorian Top Small Cage

Technical Details
• Exterior Dimensions: 26"x20"x65"
• Interior Height: 35"
• Bar Spacing: 1/2"
Product Features
• Bird proof front door & feeder door locks
• Bird cage top opens into play top
• Horizontal side bars, vertical bars front & back
• 3 swing out feeder doors & additional breeder box door
• 3 stainless steel feeder cups & 2 perches
• Removable seed catcher
• Slide-out grill & tray for easy cleaning
• 4 easy rolling casters
• Legs can be removed for tabletop use
• Non-toxic, durable and safe powder coated finish

 

[Heather F]

Yeah, I'd say those are all too small for a conure. You notice that they are advertised for budgies, canaries, lovebirds, finches -- all birds that are significantly smaller than a GCC. Mine has a free-standing cage on casters which is about 55 X 60 cm and I would definitely not want it any smaller - in fact I could wish it was a bit bigger. Chopping 15cm off one of the dimensions would be pretty cramped, even if the width was longer. I would also worry about stability with it being set on a shallow drawer unit. Is there nowhere else you could put it?

 

[Samurai]

I agree the cage sizes are too small for a GCC. My birds are in cages 30in long by 18in wide and high and I feel these are too small for them and will be upgrading soon. The smallest size cage I've seen recommended for a Parrotlet (which I have) is an 18inch cube which I would not be happy seeing one of these birds living in and they are very small by comparison to a GCC, I can't imagine why someone would recommend a cage 14x14x18 for a Conure! Once you've added several perches (if there is even space for several in there), several toys (parrots will get very bored if they don't have enough to do), food bowls etc there will be little to no wing flapping space and never any flying space in there.

I agree to some extent with Nikki saying if it's a sleeping cage then it's more acceptable but I still prefer enough space to allow birds not to feel too cramped.

Have you considered getting a smaller species as you don't have a lot of space, like maybe a parrotlet? or looking at a different location at home that would allow for a bigger cage?

 

[whatsizname]

Sadly, you all have good points haha. I was originally going to get another budgie, been a couple of years since my last one died and have been missing the companionship

Decided I wanted to look at different birds, something with, well more longevity tbh, considered lineolated parakeets, parrotlets and a conure, linnies apparently live for somewhere between 5-10 years, so ruled them out, and my uncles work boss has bred birds in the past and declared parrotlets to be "vicious nasty b**tards" contradicting stuff Ive read about them, but it did admittedly put me off, that left the conure, seems smaller than a cockatiel and Ive seen cockatiels in cages at similar dimensions to what Ive looked at.

I live with my mother, so my house is basically my bedroom, when I'm home, which is often I'm usually in there, the birds Ive had in the past have quite happily lived up here with me in fact fun story - first budgie I had spent most of his life downstairs getting told to shut up all the time by mother, so he didn't let anyone near him at all, she wanted to get rid of him after 3-4 years, so I took him upstairs, 30 minutes later I put my arm in to change the water bowl and he jumped on it and sat there, leaving me wondering what to do, withdrew my arm with him, he wandered up to my shoulder carefully and just sat there for like 20 minutes , best friends after that


So anyhow, yeah there's only one place for a cage to go. Any bird will spend lots of time out of the cage but will spend lots of time in there naturally due to work.

Hmm, maybe not a conure then. Are parrotlets typically nasty ? Most of the things Ive read say they are quite sweet normally, so it was odd to hear someone condemn their species haha, do you guys think the kinda cages Ive posted would be suitable ?


I was messaging a pet shop in my city center that sells parrotlets and conures and they stated as well that parrotlets need to be kept in pairs - coincidentally they only had two parrotlets left as well I do wonder if that was just a sales tactic tbh, but is that advisable ?

cheers for the responses btw guys, I did join another forum and the thread just died

 

[Heather F]

Yeah, they're just trying to make an extra sale. Parrotlets tend to be quite territorial, and if they had to share a single small cage you'd probably be running into problems sooner or later, even if they get along great right now.

It's probably best to wait until you have a place of your own to think about getting a larger bird. I'd visit the parrotlet section and read the "good bad and ugly" on them to see if you think they might be a good fit with you. I seriously considered them before I got my green cheek - both species pack a lot of personality into a small package. You'd definitely want to get the biggest cage you can fit into your space, since they are pretty high energy.

 

[webchirp]

I agree with all above and those smaller cages will have missing paint from a GCC in no time. And depending on the bird, you might get a super high energy bird. Zephyr has a double flight all to himself and I swear it isn't big enough for him.

 

[whatsizname]

will have a think about parrotlets again, I did read that thread a couple of weeks ago actually when I was looking up on them, interesting read

What are peoples thoughts on lovebirds ? I havent even considered them

 

[Kelli]

my parrotlet is fiercely protective of her cage - but a sweetheart away from it. Try to avoid pagoda style tops. In my opinion they really limit the places you can place toys and perches making a small floor plan feel even tinier. Try to find something with a flat top if it's going to be on the small side.

 

[Beanurita]

will have a think about parrotlets again, I did read that thread a couple of weeks ago actually when I was looking up on them, interesting read

What are peoples thoughts on lovebirds ? I havent even considered them

I have had parrotlets in the past at different times and both were very territorial of their houses and one was mean all the time and very unpredictable I have a dilute rule boy now that is a total inside & outside his house! He loves nothing more than scratches and snuggles! Are they feisty? Yes! But with all birds it's about time, socialization and gaining their trust! This is BluJay, my little Blu!!




Blu is molting here and was tired! He decided to sleep cupped in my hand while on my chest! Now he love to be "cupped"

 

[whatsizname]

Awesome pictures haha, so definitely think I am gonna go Parrotlet then, with the vision L01 cage, I would love to get the L02 cage, but that would put the cage extremely close to my ceiling light and fan. Plus, having had budgies before, I know birds just love to chill at the top of a cage so having an extra tall cage would mean if I needed to put him/her away it would become a struggle if they didn't want to haha.

Interestingly though, reading the reviews on the vision L01 through the link I provided and I come across this review:

"I brought this cage for my conure and I am delighted I have been in the pet trade most of my life now retired and its amazing how it works its made bird keeping a pleasure again zooplus your delivery and packaging was excelent I have since then brought another vision cage for my budgies"

So someone seems happy with the l01 for a conure

 

[JosienBB]

So someone seems happy with the l01 for a conure

A lot of people keep their birds in too-small cages. Doesn't make it okay, or right

 

[parrotlover4]

The vison l12 may work. Appolo is in that one and it is quite roomy.i can fit multiple perches and toys in it and she can move around freely. The first two cages look to small. Remember that you need 4 diffrent kinds of perches in there and 3 diffrent toys at least. In appolos cage i have 8 perches and could probally fit 2-3 more and i have 6toys but i could fit another 4 toys . The bigger the better.also a budgie should live to be 15 plus years. The oldest ever budgie was 29 and a cockatiel could live to be 30 . The parrot would have to be on a poor diet and tiny cage to only live 5-10 years.

 

[Monica]

I agree with the previous poster who said to hold off on gettin a bird until you get a place of your own. Those cages are (for the most part) even far too small for budgies, lovebirds and parrots. Parrots fly horizontally, not vertically, so you want a cage that has width more so than height, unless it's an aviary.

 

[Kelli]

I do have experience with the vision cages and love them, but do not use them as permanent cages for any of my birds. I wish they made them in a wider size closer to a square then I would be a huge fan. I have the M01 medium in my classroom for when my parrotlet comes to visit. She does not stay overnight, but it provides a nice place for her to hang out during the school day and is completely mess free. I also have the L02 large as a vacation cage for my 2 green cheek conures when we are at my parents house for my grad school and holidays. It works well for them and although most birds do use the horizontal space more than the vertical, I have to say my green cheeks really do climb up and down the entire cage and I believe the extra height makes it bigger for them. They use the whole thing. Their regular cage is one of those HQ/AE flight cages in my apartment. I would not put anything with a stronger beak than a green cheek in one as I definitely wouldn't trust my blue crowned conures with all those plastic pieces.

 

[CrestieLover]

Gotta input. Even though parrotlets are small - they require a lot of room. At least 24" in Length. They are very active little birds.

I have had several but they are just NOT my coice birds. They are too nippy for me.
And yes they can be very territorial over their cages & their chose person. You would not want more than one because they will bond to each other & have no use for you. They normally do not tolerate other pets in the house either - they will attack them.

 

[karen256]

The cages you linked look too small, but you could fit an adequately sized cage into that space.
What is your cage budget?
Something like this would fit your space (it lifts off the stand so you could place it on a dresser) and would be fine for a GCC as long as it gets enough daily time out. I wouldn't really go smaller though.

 

[whatsizname]

Hey, sorry, been busy and not really online.

Well, I bought one of what I thought was the vision l01 and set it up, only to realize that the pet store I bought it from is actually selling the vision L11 which is exactly the same but has a 2cm bar spacing - yet oddly advertises it for lovebird and cockatiel size bird and whilst I am no lovebird expert, it seems to me it'd get its head through.

So taking that back either tomorrow or Sunday with my dad. I do like the cage design though, and its made me realize, I could quite comfortably fit the L02 cage in the space which is 29.5" length by 15" deep by 36" high, it wouldn't be too close to the lights either - I also remember my ceiling lights can be turned and rotated away anyhow.


Karen, cheers for responding - I had looked at the amazona, and do like it, but I am a little worried that it would overhang my drawer unit just slightly (1 inch) I mean, I can pull the unit forwards an inch so the cage is flush at the front, overhanging that slight amount at the back and using the wall as extra support, but I dunno whether that would be wise, lol I could even get a suitable sized piece of wood that gives it a lip and nail that to the drawer unit, that would certainly work

 

[whatsizname]

oh and with the amazona, aren't the vertical bars an issue for climbing ? I've always been told that horizontal bars are the best idea for climbing purposes

 

[JosienBB]

Hey, sorry, been busy and not really online.

Well, I bought one of what I thought was the vision l01 and set it up, only to realize that the pet store I bought it from is actually selling the vision L11 which is exactly the same but has a 2cm bar spacing - yet oddly advertises it for lovebird and cockatiel size bird and whilst I am no lovebird expert, it seems to me it'd get its head through.

So taking that back either tomorrow or Sunday with my dad. I do like the cage design though, and its made me realize, I could quite comfortably fit the L02 cage in the space which is 29.5" length by 15" deep by 36" high, it wouldn't be too close to the lights either - I also remember my ceiling lights can be turned and rotated away anyhow.


Karen, cheers for responding - I had looked at the amazona, and do like it, but I am a little worried that it would overhang my drawer unit just slightly (1 inch) I mean, I can pull the unit forwards an inch so the cage is flush at the front, overhanging that slight amount at the back and using the wall as extra support, but I dunno whether that would be wise, lol I could even get a suitable sized piece of wood that gives it a lip and nail that to the drawer unit, that would certainly work

Bigger is always better, so if you can make the amazona work, go for that one!! It's really the smallest I would recommend for any bird, really, parrotlet or lovebird too.