How many in a cage? Advice needed!

[gritsinct]

Hello. I recently took 3 male parakeets because the woman was thinking of trying to starve them to death because she didn't want them any more (true story)! I already have 5 cockatiels and 2 parakeets that are all either caged in pairs or singles depending on personalities, etc. These 3 were together in a small cage. I immediately moved them all into a larger flight cage, but that was the only change I wanted to make right off the bat. They are not at all tame but are very outgoing and quite the characters, much more active and loud than my other two.

So now they have plenty of room and seem generally very happy, but there is one that is definitely the 3rd wheel. He is quieter and less active than the other two and while they interact with him, they definitely spend more time with each other. Also, sometimes when I uncover them in the morning, one or the other of the 'pair' with get in a scuffle with the 3rd one (looks like they are wrestling on the bottom of the cage). I always hang around and if they start I immediately break it up, and the only time I've seen them do this is right after they are uncovered in the morning. Overall he seems very happy and healthy, but I feel like this is a bad situation for this outcast guy!

I'm thinking that maybe I should put him into his own cage and perhaps get him a friend? The problem is that I just moved into a very small apartment (and I have cats, so the birds are all in my bedroom). I have enough room to walk from my closet to my bed but the entire rest of my room is taken up by bird cages! I don't have room for another cage unless I stack it on one of the other cages, which would limit the light into the bottom cage. Also, I was able to quarantine these 3 in a different room, but if I got another bird now I have no idea how I could quarantine!

Can anyone give me some suggestions? Is it OK to stack another flight cage on top (weight wise it would be fine)? Should I try to add a 4th bird to the existing cage? (I just read another thread that said they do better in even numbers). Should I just leave well enough alone, as they are at least a couple of years old and have all been OK up to this point? I really want all of them to be happy and I'm not sure of the best way to go about this.

Thank you and sorry this is so long!

Here is the Budgie Area of the room. (The green guy is the 3rd wheel)

 

[atvchick95]

budgies do do better in even numbers but in those cages I really don't recommend more than 4 and that is with A LOT of out of cage time

I use ones a bit bigger for my breeding pairs (2 budgies per cage) and my Lovebirds (2 lovebirds per cage) and that is all I'd permanently put in, now for traveling purposes i've had several in one cage but I was just moving less than 5 mins away so it wasn't for long


I actually Like Critter nation cages for my bird cages, I have many of them One right now houses a total of 13 parakeets

one has 9 Lovebirds, then the rest are breeding Pairs (a pair of Quakers, 3 have a pair of tiels, and one has a pair of Conures, One has a lone Tiel (he has no mate I'm short a female) I like the critter nation cages a lot better than Parrot cages, the doors open wide and out, no trouble getting toys/perches in there Easy to clean and tons of room for the birds

 

[lotus15]

First of all... thank you for saving those birds from a horrible situation!!!! I can't believe some people.

Onto your questions: you can actually get stackers for those style cages to stack them on top of the other. As long as you make sure the lower ones are getting light (lamps, floor lighting, etc.), it should be okay However, I think those cages are a little on the small side for three budgies. I can't tell if those are the 24" wide ones or the 30" wide ones, but typically most sites quote 30" wide by 18" deep by 18" deep as the minimum size suggested for two budgies only. So, three is pushing it-- and if you were to get a fourth I would definitely say get another cage.

I agree that it's probably best to remove that third wheel from the situation. I would probably get him another friend as well, but just remember there's no guarantee they will get along. You will have to introduce them carefully and be prepared to keep them separate if they do not like each other.

 

[SDavies]

them cages are designed to hold two budgies at the most, i suggest you buy another one and place it on top
the stack well and pair him with one from the cage on the right so there is two in each and then they can all enjoy out of cage together

 

[gritsinct]

Thank you for the responses. The cages are 30" long. They were the biggest ones I could find that had bar spacing for smaller birds. It is my understanding that wide is better than tall so that they can fly.

I was thinking another cage was the best solution, I just wasn't certain about stacking...

If someone can recommend a better cage (that isn't really expensive), I'd like to check them out and see if I could make something work.

 

[lotus15]

How about a flight cage?

HQ Flight Bird Cage - Presented by BirdsComfort.com

 

[HeatherM74]

How about a flight cage?

HQ Flight Bird Cage - Presented by BirdsComfort.com

I think I'm in love with a cage! See, if my lovebirds could be friends, I'd buy that, put my 5 budgies in that and my 2 lovebirds in the budgie cage.

My budgie cage is smaller than the flight cage in the link above, but quite a bit bigger than the ones you have now. I wouldn't put any more in mine. I don't think I'd put more than 2 in the one you have now either, but if the others say stacking is ok, I say stack!

I've only had a couple of disagreements between mine being an odd number and it's never ever the girls fighting. It's Penelope telling one of my boys to get out of their space bubble.

That being said, I'm wondering if mine aren't unusual. I've heard odd numbers aren't great with budgies unless it is 2 boys and 1 girl. I've got 3 girls and 2 boys. 1 bonded pair. My other male hasn't bonded off with anyone. Not that he hasn't tried, I think he has a crush on Penelope, the older woman, but she will have nothing to do with him. Poor Angel.

I have to say thank you for giving them a better home too! What a horrible thing to do to the little ones!!!

 

[atvchick95]

not sure what your Limit is on a cage but This is what i use I have the double stacks and I use a single for my sons Ringneck doves (2 are in there 4 will fit nicely but no more than 4 for them guys)
and the Critter nation is 1/2 bar spacing it is what my parakeets, lovebirds, cockatiels and Quakers are in, my conures are in a Ferret Nation cage and the bar spacing is bigger (a budgie fits through w/out getting stuck)
Midwest Critter Nation Small Pet Habitat - Habitats & Cages - Small Pet - PetSmart

a single stack is around $145

BEST cage I've ever had!

 

[Anne & Gang]

I agree you have to get the third wheel out of that bad situation and the sooner the better even if you end up putting him in a small cage by himself..just make sure he has lots of toys and food etc thank you for taking them in....

 

[myakando]

You're an angel for saving those poor helpless souls. Thank you

 

[gritsinct]

Thank you for these cage suggestions!

This is what i use I have the double stacks
Midwest Critter Nation Small Pet Habitat - Habitats & Cages - Small Pet - PetSmart

BEST cage I've ever had!

How about a flight cage?

HQ Flight Bird Cage - Presented by BirdsComfort.com

See this confuses me! The dimensions on the cage say it's only 2" longer than mine, but it's obviously quite a bit taller. Everyone I talked to said vertical space would not be that helpful!? Can someone educate an apparently ignorant bird mom here? (I did a lot of reading and talked to a lot of supposedly knowledgeable bird people before buying these cages and was consistently told that I needed to go for length for these birds, not height.)

If I could put all of them in one of those cages (which I never would because my other 2 rescues (Bleu and Belle) would be totally freaked by the wild ones), I MIGHT be able to fit it in my room. But I'm definitely bookmarking the sites and will try to come up with some way to make something happen. Thanks!!

Last question: Even if I got one of these bigger cages, I'm thinking it would still be better to move the green guy to his own space? (I REALLY need to come up with names - I've been calling them the 3 Musketeers because I just can't seem to settle on names!)

 

[atvchick95]

Thank you for these cage suggestions!





See this confuses me! The dimensions on the cage say it's only 2" longer than mine, but it's obviously quite a bit taller. Everyone I talked to said vertical space would not be that helpful!? Can someone educate an apparently ignorant bird mom here? (I did a lot of reading and talked to a lot of supposedly knowledgeable bird people before buying these cages and was consistently told that I needed to go for length for these birds, not height.)

If I could put all of them in one of those cages (which I never would because my other 2 rescues (Bleu and Belle) would be totally freaked by the wild ones), I MIGHT be able to fit it in my room. But I'm definitely bookmarking the sites and will try to come up with some way to make something happen. Thanks!!

Last question: Even if I got one of these bigger cages, I'm thinking it would still be better to move the green guy to his own space? (I REALLY need to come up with names - I've been calling them the 3 Musketeers because I just can't seem to settle on names!)

when it comes to cages - specially for parakeets Longer (wider) is better than taller since they don't fly upwards but up and side to side

Do you have an area for a cage other than on your dressers? If the dressers are the only area you may have a bit of trouble finding one to sit on top of it w/out being to big and having a chance of being bumped off

The cage I posted - the single version I wanted to put on my son's Dresser with his Doves in it because it would take up less space But his dresser wasn't wide enough from the Front to the back to hold the cage with out it being wobbly it was long enough (if you stand in front of it and look left to right - that direction was more than long enough just not enough space from front to back ) which bummed me out BUT we came up with a pretty decent plan of action - and as long as I double (and sometimes triple)check it after we have to move it to make sure its stable It works great - the kids have actually ran in to it a few times and never knocked it off

I used one piece of a rubber maid plastic Storage shelf (it looks like a table ) and that became the stand for that cage


and its a great height even for me It doesn't kill my back to bend down and help my son with the paper changing or anything

of course with the doves we chose to put the tray on the inside so he could get to the paper a lot easier since we don't have the actual stand the cage sits on to put the tray underneath - but it works well for the doves

 

[Renae]

First of all... thank you for saving those birds from a horrible situation!!!! I can't believe some people.

Onto your questions: you can actually get stackers for those style cages to stack them on top of the other. As long as you make sure the lower ones are getting light (lamps, floor lighting, etc.), it should be okay However, I think those cages are a little on the small side for three budgies. I can't tell if those are the 24" wide ones or the 30" wide ones, but typically most sites quote 30" wide by 18" deep by 18" deep as the minimum size suggested for two budgies only. So, three is pushing it-- and if you were to get a fourth I would definitely say get another cage.

I agree that it's probably best to remove that third wheel from the situation. I would probably get him another friend as well, but just remember there's no guarantee they will get along. You will have to introduce them carefully and be prepared to keep them separate if they do not like each other.

I second this! I have 10 budgies in a long and big flight cage.

 

[lotus15]

See this confuses me! The dimensions on the cage say it's only 2" longer than mine, but it's obviously quite a bit taller. Everyone I talked to said vertical space would not be that helpful!? Can someone educate an apparently ignorant bird mom here? (I did a lot of reading and talked to a lot of supposedly knowledgeable bird people before buying these cages and was consistently told that I needed to go for length for these birds, not height.)

If I could put all of them in one of those cages (which I never would because my other 2 rescues (Bleu and Belle) would be totally freaked by the wild ones), I MIGHT be able to fit it in my room. But I'm definitely bookmarking the sites and will try to come up with some way to make something happen. Thanks!!

Last question: Even if I got one of these bigger cages, I'm thinking it would still be better to move the green guy to his own space? (I REALLY need to come up with names - I've been calling them the 3 Musketeers because I just can't seem to settle on names!)

You ARE right about width being more important than height-- but, that's more just so that people don't buy those really tall and skinny cages. When we're talking about two cages with the same width/depth but one is half the height of the other, the height does make a difference. Flight cages can usually happily house a good 5 or 6 budgies comfortably

 

[gritsinct]

Thank you all so much for the advice! My dressers are the only available space as I literally only have a small walking path through the room otherwise (although potentially I could remove the smaller dresser as it's only there to be a bird cage stand - but a cage with stand could not be any longer than the dresser because my other dresser is completely against the door frame - no extra room at all!)

So if I got one of the big cages - would the idea be to try to consolidate all of my budgies into the one cage? Or is it better to keep the ones separate that are at this point? Again, I want to do what is best for the birds - but there is definitely no way I can fit two of those cages in my room!

As you see in the picture, the cages are side by side and they all talk to each other through the cages. I never let any of the parakeets out because they are all very wild and I didn't realize I should be trying to do that! The quieter pair on the left almost hyperventilate when I come close to the cage (I think their last home was pretty rough), so I thought it would be more traumatic than good for them. (I've had them about 6 months and they are just starting to stretch and fluff when I come talk to them, but freak if I put my hand anywhere near the cage.) I do let the cockatiels out the entire time I'm at home and awake, but they are all very tame.

I'm so glad I found this website - there is a ton of information on it and I will be reading everything I find to make changes to give my birds the best I can.

 

[atvchick95]

none of my budiges are tame

at my old house they were out at the start (when i first moved in) 24/7 They all had cages the doors were always open you'd go in some would be asleep in a cage, some on a cage some on a play stand I gave the birds the option but at the time in that birds room i only had parakeets and tiels and they all got along and Wanted to be together (I tried to keep them apart it worked for no one) then I'd start putting them up at night

there's a couple ways we did it One was Feed them and let them go in on their own then close the doors the other took 2 people One to operate the light switch one to get the birds

I did the light switch my b/f got the birds We'd wait til dark and then I'd shut out the light he'd get a bird or 2 or 3 how ever many was close enough together he could get and then I'd turn the light back on he'd put them in their cages and We'd do it again until all were put away.

but after a few weeks they were putting their self to bed and we'd only have to snag up a couple who didn't want to go to bed.

 

[lotus15]

Hmmmm, I would still keep them all separate rather than throwing them in a flight together, since you KNOW they get along in their pairs but aren't sure how they would do as a flock.

How about something like this?

BIRDCAGES4LESS.com: Bali Bungalow™


Or you could do a double-stacked FLIGHT like this:

BIRDCAGES4LESS.com: Double Pali Place™

 

[gritsinct]

Again, thanks for the responses and the links! I will get another cage (and possibly a partner) for my outcast. And work on some creative positioning to try to get some larger cages in the room.

 

[atvchick95]

Again, thanks for the responses and the links! I will get another cage (and possibly a partner) for my outcast. And work on some creative positioning to try to get some larger cages in the room.

out of curiosity how's your closet size??

I've lived in many homes where my bedroom was just so dang small my dressers didn't fit and if i got them to fit well it wasn't much of a bedroom more of a big closet with a bed that i couldn't get to LOL

but I got lucky at a few the closet was big enough to put my dresser inside

the house I'm at now i have 2 stand up (tall) dressers One is in my room one is in the hall way right outside my room because I have no room in my bedroom for it. It looks tacky but Oh well I make do with what I have

and I can't get rid of a dresser because then I'd have no place to put all my clothes that are in them

 

[gritsinct]

Wow, you just described my room perfectly - a closet with a bed in it! My closet is pitiful! It's about 14" wide and not even deep enough to put clothes hangers! Gotta love old houses! I have a wardrobe in the dinning room (don't ask LOL) to put my hanging clothes. I seriously down-sized in June to get an affordable place somewhat close to work and it's been a challenge all around.

I think I've figured out a possible solution - trade my full size bed for a twin bed! That should let me eek out enough room for the cages.

People at work already call me the crazy bird lady... guess I'd better not tell them I'm giving up my bed for my birds!