New house, new aviary for our birds

[Pensfan]

We are moving into a new house in about 6 weeks and we found one with a perfect aviary space already on place. The former owners used it as a greenhouse so it should be comfortable temps year round. There are screened windows in 3 panels for air flow. During extreme weather we can bring them inside, but weather here is pretty mild other than a couple weeks in summer & winter.

We have two budgies and one cockatiel, all flighted, that will live in there. They are used to large windows in our living room where they are now, so glass windows shouldn't be a problem. We plan to have them out of the cages 24hrs daily unless we leave the home for an extended time. We need to remove the carpet and seal the floor, cover/remove the current wood in there, and stock it with homemade trees, indoor/outdoor furniture for us to spend time with them, toys, hanging patches, bird safe herbs and plants, etc. We have two large cages we are going to put in there as well for shelter or alone time if they need it. The picture is from the former owners, so no gym equipment in there lolol

Thoughts or ideas for it?

 

[sunnysmom]

Congrats! That's great! @JLcribber ?

 

[tka]

This looks very much like @saroj12's set up. She's posted a lot of photos so you'll be able to get ideas!

 

[Toy]

Neat space for an aviary. You might consider covering part of the roof so they have a shaded area & also feel more safe from predators. Maybe metal roofing over one section. All that glass can be a problem too, if they get spooked by wild birds or animals, as they may fly into it. They make vinyl stick on decals you could add so they know not to fly into the glass. Another option is tall palm plants, etc., in front of the windows.

 

[saroj12]

No glass in this one. Welded wire and double screened. Overhead misting system. Bird safe plants

 

[Pensfan]

NICE! I love that and consider some of those ideas stolen lol

 

[Pensfan]

@saroj12 With all the toys, perches, etc, what does your daily/weekly cleaning routine look like?

 

[saroj12]

@saroj12 With all the toys, perches, etc, what does your daily/weekly cleaning routine look like?

Daily I change papers and clean surfaces. 15 min tops. Sunday I have two girls from the vet clinic come by and clean for 2.5 hours.

 

[saroj12]

@saroj12 With all the toys, perches, etc, what does your daily/weekly cleaning routine look like?

Oh wait they don’t live outside. This is their connected room

 

[JLcribber]

No glass in this one. Welded wire and double screened. Overhead misting system. Bird safe plants

I did not realize there was no glass in that room. I always thought you just had screening over the glass. I like that even more.

 

[Pensfan]

Daily I change papers and clean surfaces. 15 min tops. Sunday I have two girls from the vet clinic come by and clean for 2.5 hours.

That is about what I was thinking, 15mins daily and more for the weekend clean.

Thoughts on the two cage in the aviary and putting them in at night? Or just keep one cage covered so they can go there when they want?

Thanks for all the great info and ideas everyone!

 

[saroj12]

That is about what I was thinking, 15mins daily and more for the weekend clean.

Thoughts on the two cage in the aviary and putting them in at night? Or just keep one cage covered so they can go there when they want?

Thanks for all the great info and ideas everyone!

Depends on the bird I would think. my grey sleeps in a tunnel in his wood playhouse. The rest sleep in cages.

 

[Pensfan]

All three of our birds live together and the cockatiel lets you know, loudly, when it is time for bed and to be covered lol

We are really excited for it and can't wait the six weeks

 

[MR. Mango]

i can't wait to see ur finished aviary/ bird room!

 

[Pensfan]

It is going to be a couple months, but I'll definitely post up WIP pics once we move

 

[rswann]

No glass in this one. Welded wire and double screened. Overhead misting system. Bird safe plants

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Love your aviary. I have the same rope nets as you have but my grey and my Amazon has already began destroying it. My husband has had to fix it several times and at the rate they are going at it then it won’t last them a year. The one I bought was really expensive too. Where did you buy yours at? If you bought it online could you please post a link to it?

 

[Pat H]

Who was that who used the wide rolls of [newsprint] paper for the worst pooping spots?

Are the wood fence boards untreated? I'd sure give EVERYTHING a good cleaning -- if they did use it as a greenhouse... did they use sprayed chemicals, which then might have contaminated interior surfaces. Will you keep the carpet? Since your birds will be free-flight...

 

[saroj12]

Love your aviary. I have the same rope nets as you have but my grey and my Amazon has already began destroying it. My husband has had to fix it several times and at the rate they are going at it then it won’t last them a year. The one I bought was really expensive too. Where did you buy yours at? If you bought it online could you please post a link to it?

Thanks! GetAGrip is the product name by estarbird.com. Not on the site anymore. I don’t have these but are the closest replacement

Climbing Nets|Cargo/Canopy Nets for Parrots|Discounted - Free Shipping Available

An enlightening line of natural foraging and enrichment toys. Aronico - where foraging and enrichment begins Product nbsp;Picture courtesy of nbsp;Katie, a Harlequin Macaw, nbsp; and Greg P of the Sarosota Parrot Conservatory nbsp;

www.mysafebirdstore.com

i have smallish birds and they don’t chew it. Maybe provide a chewing allowed net made attractive with chewable destructible hanging toys?

 

[saroj12]

@Destiny has an awesome greenhouse converted aviary!

 

[Destiny]

Destiny has an awesome greenhouse converted aviary!

Aww thanks! I do love my aviary, although I think yours is much bigger and nicer.

...

That greenhouse room looks like a lovely space for an aviary. One thing I would mention about converting a greenhouse to a bird space is that you may need to provide additional heating and cooling systems, if they are not already present in the current greenhouse design. Plain glass is not a great insulator, so depending on the type of windows that were installed, you might have a room that is warm on a sunny day but rapidly cools off at night. If the glass is double paned or extra thick, it might provide good insulation, but I wouldn't assume that a greenhouse will stay comfortable temperatures year round. For many plants, you are just trying to keep the soil from freezing solid, so a drop in temperature at night is not a big concern. If the greenhouse was designed to house tropical plants, it will have more climate-control features to maintain a steady temperature, including glass with better insulating properties to save on heat loss during winter and a heater to maintain a steady temperature at night and on cloudy days. On the other side of the equation, you might need a fan to vent excess heat during summer time, although crosswind through the screened windows that you mentioned might do the trick on their own.

I would recommend setting up a thermometer inside the aviary to monitor the temperature and paying close attention during your first year when the weather is hottest and coldest.

My converted greenhouse aviary is NOT well-insulated so I end up spending a pretty penny to keep it acceptably warm in winter. In the summer, the night time temperatures are fine but day time highs can get too high at times, so I have a ventilation fan on a thermostat that kicks on when needed and a misting system to help keep the birds happy and cool.

This is my aviary from the outsids:



And inside: