Perfect cage?

[RN48]

Hey,

So Im about to buy a couple of IRNs and I want the best cage I can get for them, now I keep seeing conflicting advice about cage size, when one site says your birds wingspan x3 another says x2 and another says double the span then x3!

I just want a cage(s) that is definitely going to be big enough for my feathered friends and give them enough room to express normal behaviour - any advice is welcomed!

Thanks in advance!

 

[flyzipper]

The wingspan aspect is valuable to consider, but I'd also encourage you to think about what activities need to be supported by the enclosure.

A sleep cage that's only used when they're inactive can be smaller than one that will house them during the day while you're away at a full-time job -- their active hours, busy with foraging, play, wing flaps and short flights, etc.

Are you planning on housing them together or separately (together means a bigger enclosure, of course)?
Do you know they get along (if they don't, you'll need space for two different cages)?

 

[Joe&Mango]

how old are they?

 

[Joe&Mango]

this is for one of my birds and its plenty of room

 

[Mizzely]

If they are going to be in it a few hours a day, 2x wingspan wide and at least wingspan deep is probably fine. 3x is better if they spend 40 hours a week outside of sleeping. If you are trying to house two in one cage, I would opt for the 3x wingspan regardless.

If they are not already housed together, or are babies, you will likely need two cages to start out with.

 

[RN48]

Thank you all for your speedy responses, they are still very young at the moment so I know they will need a smaller cage until they get bigger, so they don't get too overwhelmed/lost within the cage.

Enrichment wise Ive got covered and know what there having in with them while I am at work, enough to simulate them but not too much to crowd the cage.

Of course bigger is always better cage wise I just didn't want them to loose space for themselves should the need arise for me to separate them, so wanted advice in that area

 

[fashionfobie]

For two IRN I believe it is risky to cage them together unless they are in a walk-in aviary. You will need to double up on cages and enrichment toys. The birds can interact with each other outside of their cage in the common play area. The danger is that in a cage if two bird squabble they do not have the room to disengage naturally, which means things can escalate, sometimes involving grave bodily harm to one or both the birds. If the birds are very very young, as in they lack motor skills, they can share space until they are more independent.

 

[Joe&Mango]

For two IRN I believe it is risky to cage them together unless they are in a walk-in aviary. You will need to double up on cages and enrichment toys. The birds can interact with each other outside of their cage in the common play area. The danger is that in a cage if two bird squabble they do not have the room to disengage naturally, which means things can escalate, sometimes involving grave bodily harm to one or both the birds. If the birds are very very young, as in they lack motor skills, they can share space until they are more independent.

I'm no expert but my birds get along but yeah they do need there own space or your asking for trouble

 

[RN48]

Thank you again for your advice, having spoken to the breeder, he said because there from the same clutch and are super tame (I can confirm this myself due to having spent time with them already), that they could be housed together as long as they have enough time outside there enclosure, which I fully plan to give them!

 

[tka]

This is some information on wingspan: Wingspan Info | Natural Inspirations Parrot cages

The cage that @EgyptianJo linked is on the smaller side and wouldn't be suitable for two birds sharing a cage. As @fashionfobie says, I really would be hesitant about caging two birds together. Birds' primary way to avoid conflict is to simply fly away and to use physical distance as a way of neutralising conflicts. A cage doesn't allow them to put the necessary distance between a pair, so conflicts will escalate into flights.

 

[fashionfobie]

Thank you again for your advice, having spoken to the breeder, he said because there from the same clutch and are super tame (I can confirm this myself due to having spent time with them already), that they could be housed together as long as they have enough time outside there enclosure, which I fully plan to give them!

I would take that advice with a grain of salt. You may get lucky and never have problems, but one bad day is all it takes.

I agree that clutch mates will flock together immediately after fledgling, but they usually do seperate. It is called sibling rejection, and it is evolutionary advantageous to prevent sibling pairings. Parrots will usually start to fight or pester one another at some point, eventually to fly off and find their own mate. In captivity the birds do not have the chance to part ways as they naturally would. This means even if your birds are raised together, that doesn't guarantee they will be chummy after they hit puberty.

You may keep them together successfully for a while, even a few years, but this doesn't mean this won't change when they are around 3 or so. It is natural, and nothing to assume you can control perfectly. Having another cage on the ready will be worth it. Instead of needing to radically change their routine because a fight happened and one lost their toe or foot. These type of injuries really do happen. It is of no fault to any bird. As @tka mentioned, birds avoid conflict by making distance, otherwise they may fight.

 

[RN48]

Thank you all for your help and advice in this matter, I think I've narrowed my choices down to either the

LIBERTA RALEIGH LARGE CORNER CAGE 2ND EDITION

Or

2x LIBERTA ANGEL MEDIUM BIRD CAGE WITH PLAY AREA

Obviously if I can get an indoor aviary within the space I have I will get the biggest I can but then I have to be careful with such things as bar spacing etc or should I not be concerned about bar spacing?

 

[fashionfobie]

Obviously if I can get an indoor aviary within the space I have I will get the biggest I can but then I have to be careful with such things as bar spacing etc or should I not be concerned about bar spacing?

Bar spacing is always an important consideration. A bird can get their head stuck or they could get a wing caught in a night freight. I heard a horrible story of a Gouldian finch getting caught and degloved. Poor little birdo.

 

[RN48]

Bar spacing is always an important consideration. A bird can get their head stuck or they could get a wing caught in a night freight. I heard a horrible story of a Gouldian finch getting caught and degloved. Poor little birdo.

I think with that being said, I need to ensure that the spacing is half an inch instead of an inch as ultimately, I don't want the parrots being injured, and if I can do everything in my control to stop that happening then I'm happy if my birds are happy!