Prioritizing your pet bird’s health should be on the top of your list as its owner. Keeping it healthy is what will allow it to maximize its lifespan and spend the rest of its life happy, healthy, and actually fun to be with. That means that it is your job to make sure that it gets the right nutrition, the proper types of food, and a clean and healthful environment.
However, keeping a bird happy and healthy is not just all about giving it the right kind of food and a clean environment. While food and cleanliness are very important, giving your pet bird, the best kind of cage is just as important as well. After all, your pet bird will be spending its entire life in its cage and will be doing all of its activities (eating, sleeping, playing) inside of it. As such, it is high time that you put the bird cage into consideration as your top priority before you even get yourself a pet bird.
Why is a bird cage very important?
A lot of people tend to overlook the importance of choosing a high-quality bird cage for their pet birds. In some cases, there are owners who think that putting the bird inside any ordinary cage will already be enough for it to live healthy and happy. However, that actually is not the case because your pet bird needs to be in a good home in the same way as a human needs to live in a suitable house for him or her to stay healthy and happy.
Here are the reasons why a good quality bird cage needs to be one of your top priorities:
· It is where your bird lives
This is the most obvious point you should take into consideration. Birds live in their bird cage and spend their entire lives in it. That means that you should not skimp out on the quality of the cage as your bird also needs a good home to live in if you want it to be as happy as it should be.
· A high-quality cage will last for a long time
Many bird experts agree that the most expensive item you should buy for your bird upfront is its bird cage. You should never skimp out on the money you will be shelling out for your pet bird’s cage because a single purchase of a high-quality cage means that you wouldn’t have to spend for another cage in the future. If you buy a cheap and low-quality one at first, there is a chance that it won’t last for a long time and that you will need to replace it in the near future. But choosing to buy an expensive yet high-quality cage promises durability and long-term savings on your part.
· A good cage is less toxic
Since your bird will be spending its entire life in its cage, it follows that it will get exposed to whatever material its cage is made from. So, for example, if the cage is made of cheap plastic and hazardous paints, the bird will eventually get exposed to these toxic materials, especially if it starts biting the bars on its cage. However, if you go for a good cage, it is less likely to be made of toxic materials and will be less hazardous to your pet bird’s overall health.
· The right bird cage will help in making your bird happy
The perfect kind of bird cage for your pet bird will help in making it happy because of how it fits its needs. Bird cages should not be a one-size-fits-all kind of product that you should just buy without putting into consideration the type of bird you have. By considering your bird’s needs and factoring those into the type of cage you are buying, your bird will end up becoming happier had you chosen a generic bird cage for it.
What to consider when selecting a bird cage
When selecting a bird cage, there are a lot of things you need to consider first before you get to choose the one that is perfect for the pet bird you have, or you are planning on getting.
· Size
We cannot overstate how important the size of the bird cage is. You do not necessarily need the biggest cage you can find. However, what you need to consider here is the size of your bird. If you have smaller birds, it will be fine to go for smaller cages. However, the more active and bigger your bird is, the larger the cage should be so that it will not feel cramped and trapped inside its habitat. If you keep the bird in a cage that is too small for it, it will lead to psychological problems such as feather plucking.
· Style
The style of the bird cage is just as important as its size. When you are talking about style, we are factoring in its overall shape and design. Some cages that are angled are considered to be some of the best types of cages for birds to live in. Meanwhile, you can also go for cages that are suspended. On the other hand, it is believed that round cages are not the best for your birds’ overall psychological health.
· Bar spacing
You can never overlook how important bar spacing is when it comes to choosing the right kind of cage for your pet bird. That is because bars are there to prevent them from escaping when they try to squeeze through in between the bars. This not only leads to a bird managing to run free in your home or even out of it, but it can also lead to injuries if your pet bird gets stuck in between the bars.
Smaller birds need to be housed in cages with bars that are at most half an inch apart. Meanwhile, larger birds can be placed in cages with larger bar spaces. Do not house larger birds in cages with small bar spaces, or else they will feel trapped as the bars will obstruct their view of the outside. You can also go for horizontal bars if you have larger birds as the bars will allow them to climb up and down the cage to provide them with a means of having fun and of exercise.
· Door and locking mechanism
You would not believe how important it is to factor in the door and locking mechanism of the cage when choosing a house for your bird. There are actually pet birds that are too smart for their own good that they will learn how to open their cages by themselves if the door and the locks are too easy for them to open. As such, always factor in your bird’s intelligence when choosing a cage as the more intelligent ones are expert escape artists that can observe how you open their cages.
· Materials and quality
As mentioned, you can never overstate how important the materials used, and the overall quality of the cage is. When it is made of good materials, it will be less likely to be toxic to your bird’s overall health. And when the craftsmanship, materials, and overall quality come together, the cage will end up sturdy, durable, less likely to chip, and easier to clean than cages that are made of poor materials and are of poor quality and craftsmanship.
