Advice on Cage Needed

[Laurallei]

Hello All,

I am at a loss on what type of cage to purchase for my nine year old rescue Budgie Jo.  Currently she is in a small Ranch Style cage from Petco that we purchased not knowing any better by this first timer that is 16x11x22 inches.  She does have out of cage time when we are home but my concern is during the day while at work 7 plus hours. I have spent hours on the internet looking for a new cage and cannot seem to find a decent table top cage.  Most are not very sturdy according to reviews or not the recommend minimum size for a single budgie.  

I have gone through the threads here and do see that a flight cage is recommended but I do not have the space for such a large cage.  I had started considering a Vision Cage and have no problem purchasing one if its the best option but would prefer a pull out tray below.  I have found a larger cage at Petco called Designer Gable Playtop cage that is 24x20x32 inches.  I know that wider is better but the only other option at Petco would be a Designer White Finch flight cage without removable bottom grate.

I was instructed by a local breeder that I have visited to not have the grate at the bottom of the cage as she has said that if the bird should fall they could get there feet caught and possibly break a leg.  Up to this point I have removed the grate from my current cage and have found Jo at the bottom playing occasionally.  

I would appreciate any input on the above cages or possible ideas one might have to. 

Thank you,

Laura

[samwiseg]

Hi there Laurallei and welcome

It does depend on a couple of things:

How much can you afford to spend? And if your bird is going to be in its cage for long periods or out most of the time so as you have said, size is very important.

We like to advise buy the biggest your budget and size of cage you can afford!

Have had a look online for you at some sites in the US and found these for ideas:

www.bambuzo.com/us/prevue-hendryx-91210-square-roof-bird-cage-kit-white-and-purple.html?___from_store=uk

This one you can remove the grill at the bottom: www.ebay.com/itm/Medium-Bird-Cage-Budgies-Canary-Finch-Birdcage-Perch-Supplies-Lovebirds-/221699306945?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item339e4ef5c1

I hope that helps!

[OP]

Hello and a warm welcome Laurallei, it seems there are so many cages to choose from these days. My personal choice for a number of reasons is the Hagen Vision cage. The medium sized one will fit on a small table top and yet is quite big enough for one budgie to be in for many hours at a time. The grid at the bottom can be removed although I prefer it in place. If a budgie does happen to fall to the bottom the foot/feet will fall through the grid rather than hitting a hard plastic bottom, it also allows most of the soil to fall through out of reach of the inquisitive beak. That is just my personal choice others have their own choice. Good luck in your quest and if I have given you an idea I am more than pleased to help.

[Laurallei]

Thank you so much for the replies. Looks like I will go ahead with the Vision medium. At the end of the day I want Jo to be happy so if it doesn't have a bottom pull out drawer oh well

Regards,
Laura

[Hezz]

Not sure if anyone has helped you with this, but instead of removing the grate, if you cover it with newspaper Jo will be able to happily go onto it and scratch around, it makes cleaning much easier at the end of the week because you would change the paper every day and just throw away the dirty stuff, of add it to your compost if you have one. To make it really easy lay enough sheets to get you through the week, when your sheets have run out it is time to clean. I usually put down two sheets for the last day as having only one can be a bit flimsy.

How sturdy the cage needs to be depends a lot on whether you will be moving it around much, or not at all.

[Laurallei]

Thank you Hezz for the advise on the newspaper. That's a great idea!. Jo's cage currently sits on a side table by our couch so only is moved for cleaning at this point.

Regards Laura