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Cages that are wider than longer?

WikiWaz

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I'm in need of purchasing Bowie a new cage, but whenever I shop I'm frustrated by the dearth of cages that are horizontally longer than vertically high. Bowie only uses the top half of his cage, so it makes no sense to buy a huge flight cage if he won't utilize the lower half.

Does anyone have any recommendations for cages that are more horizontal than vertical?
 

Shezbug

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Destiny

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How big do you need/want? What are your ideal dimensions for all sides?
 

Mizzely

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You could always make a false bottom for the cage using the grate or plexiglass, and use the bottom half for storage :)
 

FeatheredM

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I have the 52inch yehatech cage that is almost sqaure very spacious
 

WikiWaz

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@Shezbug @Destiny @Mizzely @Feathered

Bowie's current cage is 34 inches in height, 18 inches wide, 31 inches in length. My post title says "cages that are wider than longer" but I what I meant to say is "cages that are longer than higher", if that makes sense. Bowie really doesn't utilize the lower half of his cage but I think he would explore more if his cage were longer than taller. I put his favorite toys on the lower half so he has to move around more to get them.

It's interesting that everything I read about cages tell me parrots fly horizontally and not vertically, and recommend to look for cages that are longer rather that taller...yet whenever I cage shop, I see cages that have height as the longest dimension.
 

The_Mayor

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I have this cage, which I used with the divider out. It was enough for my birds to have some room to fly and my observation was they used pretty much all of the space - of course Bourke's are ground-feeders so they may have spent more time on the cage floor than other birds might have.

I know there are other cages with similar dimensions available from other manufacturers as well.
 

Destiny

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Something to keep in mind when shopping for cages - even though your bird isn't going to utilize the bottom half of the cage as much as the top half, that doesn't mean the lower space is completely wasted.

Birds appreciate height. It provides them with a sense of safety to be "high". It is natural for them to seek out the higher perches and hang out in the upper reaches of their cage because it feels more secure. If you give them a cage that doesn't have any height to it, I suspect that they will not be as happy as they would be in a cage that allows them to get up higher. It might be necessary to make a very long and low cage for a disabled bird, but the average flighted bird would rather be up. You can also arrange the cage in such a way that all areas get utilized for different activities, like bathing, eating, foraging, playing, etc.

However, since they are going to be spending the majority of their time in the upper reaches of the cage, you can't consider all shapes as completely equal when comparing usable space. A cage shaped like a skyscraper gives the bird some nice height, but very little flight-space and it makes it hard to find a good spot for perches and toys. If you had a cage that was shaped more like a cereal box, it would have height AND length. This would allow you to set-up the interior in a way that lets the bird fly across the middle and also arrange perches so the cage stays cleaner. And the bird can enjoy being up high, when he needs to feel more secure.

If you are looking for a large cage that is longer than it is tall, you will probably need to customize your own cage. For example, by modifying two flight-cages so they are connected on one side. You can also find some cages that have removable dividers.
 

Lady Jane

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Cages should be wider than taller.
 

ddobs

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I have shopped cages for hours online looking for the same thing. Both A&E and Kings Cages make a double flight cage with a divider. Those cages are about 65 inches long, and tall. Natural Inspirations makes a divided cage that is 50 inches wide that is is also tall.
 

WikiWaz

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@Mizzely - Thanks for the idea! Fortunately, I'm good on space. When I moved my books out of the bird room, I converted the old book shelf to bird storage. I was afraid my books would get too dusty.
@The_Mayor - Thank you. I think I am going to get a double flight cage.
@Feathered - Thank you for the suggestion. I looked at the 52inch yehatech cage and it is only about 3 inches longer than the current length of Bowie's cage.
@Destiny - Do you think the 64"x21"x34" A&E Cage Co. would provide enough height for my bird to feel safe?
@Lady Jane - I agree.
@ddobs - Thank you. I think I am going to buy a double flight cage with divider, then remove the divider. Thank you for saving me the time of shopping for hours online to probably come to the same conclusion. :)
 

ddobs

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@Mizzely - Thanks for the idea! Fortunately, I'm good on space. When I moved my books out of the bird room, I converted the old book shelf to bird storage. I was afraid my books would get too dusty.
@The_Mayor - Thank you. I think I am going to get a double flight cage.
@Feathered - Thank you for the suggestion. I looked at the 52inch yehatech cage and it is only about 3 inches longer than the current length of Bowie's cage.
@Destiny - Do you think the 64"x21"x34" A&E Cage Co. would provide enough height for my bird to feel safe?
@Lady Jane - I agree.
@ddobs - Thank you. I think I am going to buy a double flight cage with divider, then remove the divider. Thank you for saving me the time of shopping for hours online to probably come to the same conclusion. :)
Glad you've narrowed down your options! IMHO, avoid the cheap flight cages as the bars are flimsy and the parts sometimes don't fit together properly.
 
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