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 About Bird Cages | Choosing Your Parrot Cages
 

Is It Time For a New Bird Cage?
Making Safe Choices

Your bird will spend a lot of time in his new home so this important investment begs for a crucial selection process.  Three basic considerations in choosing the perfect bird cages are:  safety for your bird, appropriate cage size, and ease of maintenance.  Beyond these essential needs there are other options to explore that will transform this important habitat into an attractive and comfortable home.  Here are some things to consider:

 Bird Cage Safety

Be sure your new bird cage does not contain lead or zinc which are toxic to birds.  Bird Cage Portal's cages and other products are safe and do not contain any toxins in the metal or finishes.

Choose a rectangular-shape cage rather than a round one. Hexagon and octagon are ideal substitutes for a round cage.  There is a brief explanation of their benefits below.

A round cage does not have a corner for the bird to escape to if it becomes frightened.  Round cages normally have all vertical bars which make climbing more difficult.  They sometimes have converging bars that can trap a bird.  Round cages may also affect a bird's tail feathers.

Good alternatives for a round cage are hexagon and octagon stylecages.  They afford more room, have horizontal bars for easy climbing and a number of other features sought in quality cages.

Be sure all welds are smooth and the bird cage doesn't have any sharp edges.

All cage doors should have closures that are escape-proof and are designed so that clever birds cannot unlatch them from the inside.

Choose a cage that is either stainless steel or powder-coated with a non-toxic finish.  Be aware that some wrought-iron painted cages have unsafe finishes that are dangerous to birds.  Bird Cage Portal's cages are completely safe.

I selected cages for my own use that have a glossy type of finish to the powder-coat.  I've found these cages very easy to clean.  For more information on these cages just click the Live Support Link, go to the Customer Service page, or give a call 760-723-8667.

Choose a bird cage with appropriate bar spacing and bar dimensions for your bird.  Birds can become wedged between cage bars or break the bar welds if placed in cages not designed for their size and strength.

Be careful when adding cotton rope perches because threads and strings can come loose.  If you add this type of perch for variety be sure to monitor it and remove anything that may pose a hazard to your bird.

When covering your cage it is safer to use a cage cover manufactured for that purpose, like a Cozzzy Cage Cover.  Covering your cage with towels and sheets allows the bird to chew the material so that strings and threads become a hazard.

 Secure Doors
Parrots are clever creatures so it is essential to purchase a bird cage that has secure, escape-proof latches on all doors ... the main door and any doors that allow access to food bowls and breeder boxes.

A parrot's strength and cleverness should never be underestimated ... especially the larger parrots. 
 Safe Cage Bedding

Other good cage bottom liners include include paper (packing paper or black/white pages of newspaper). 

Choose the safest cage tray liner or litter for the bottom of your bird cage.  Corn cob litter and walnut shells are particularly bad choices because birds can ingest them with bad results, and they harbor fungus and bacteria.  Cedar bedding material is toxic to birds.
Good cage bottom liners include include paper (packing paper or black/white pages of newspaper).  For convenience and the added benefit of helping to reduce mold and bacterial growth consider Cage Catchers or Kageliners. Also available is Neater Tweeter Mess Magnet for small cages.  These products can be found here.
A healthy, environmentally safe litter choice is Earthsafe-Luv My Birdie Litter.   The Luv My Birdie Litter product is 100 percent natural recycled wood which reduces the development of mold and the respiratory diseases it can cause.  Use with a grate to prevent your bird from accessing the litter.
 Safe Cage Size

Although minimum cage size guidelines are offered by cage manufacturers and others, as provided at the link below, please understand these are the approximate spaces a bird can live in.

It is generally accepted, and I whole-heartedly agree, that you should purchase as large a cage as you can afford keeping in mind the appropriate cage bar spacing and diameter appropriate for your bird.  The result will be a happier and healthier avian companion.

For more information about cage sizes please visit General Bird Cage Size Guide.

 Safe Perches

The subject of bird perches may seem like a simple one ... afterall the name just implies something a bird sits on.  In fact is there is more to consider when it comes to choosing bird perches.

Pet birds spend most of their lives, whether awake or asleep, standing on their feet. Standing and even using their feet to eat exerts special stresses so it is important to provide a variety of shapes, sizes and textures. Offering a variety will help alter the weight-bearing areas of the foot which allows the bird to exercise, strengthen and condition their feet, and lessens the chance of serious foot problems and sores.

There are several choices of perching material.  Wood is by far the most commonly used material, with natural branches being ideal, such as: manzanita, eucalyptus, fruit and nut trees and Java wood.  Branches offer a bit of nature with tapering widths ideal for our pet birds.  Birds enjoy peeling the bark from these natural woods which provides stimulation and entertainment for a caged bird.

If you make your own perches be sure to choose a safe, pesticide-free wood that does not have excessive sap.  Wash it well with soap and water and let it dry thoroughly before putting it in your bird's environment.  It may be best to rely on commercially available perches so you can be assured they are appropriate and safe.

To make slippery wood easier to grasp it can be distressed by sanding, sandblasting or scoring with a router for secure textured footing.

An important factor in selecting perches is stability. Be sure to mount perches securely.  A loose, wobbly or slippery perch may contribute to falling accidents and undermine your parrot's feeling of security.

Perches should be mounted to cage bars with lag studs, washers and wingnuts.  Another method is to cut your perch approximately 2 inches longer than the cage dimension and notch both ends deeply enough so the perch can be held in place by fitting it over the cage bars.

Psittacine birds are agile climbers and usually prefer the highest perch. However, it is best to provide at least two perches of varying thicknesses placed at slightly different heights. Three or four perches are ideal if they do not cause overcrowding. Cage birds such as finches, which prefer flying or jumping rather than climbing, should have at least 2 perches, one at each end of the cage.
 
 Have Something to Add?

Have you had an experience regarding the safety of bird cages that you'd like to share with visitors to Bird Cage Portal?  Just send your comments by clicking our Live Support Button or visiting our Customer Service page.  We are committed to providing good information to all our visitors and will be happy to include safety suggestions or important warnings to aid folks in making good choices regarding their birds.

 Safe Cage Bar Spacing

Cage bar spacing must be considered when choosing your bird's cage.  If cage bars are too widely spaced a bird will poke it's head through them and become wedged between the bars.

Cage bar diameter is also important, especially for large birds.  If the diameter of the bars are too light weight for the size of bird they will be able to dismantle the bars, risking injury or worse.

Choose the right size cage bars for your bird.  Here is a General Cage Bar Size Guide.

 Safe Cage Cleaning

Cleaning bird poop from cages and nearly anything else is now an easy and safe activity.

Not only is it now possible to remove bird droppings from bird cages, perches, carpet, toys, walls, clothing, etc., you can do it without harming yourself, your bird/pets or soiled surfaces. This is all possible due to a product called Poop-Off. 

Poop-Off works instantly to separate bird droppings from a surface whether the matter is fresh or old and dry.  It took the creator of Poop-Off a total of 6 years to formulate his non-toxic, biodegradable solution of special cleaning agents, active enzymes and proprietary lubricants.  Bird owners have discovered this product really works and it is now an international favorite.

The #1 best and safest product for bird cage disinfecting as well as a list of other uses is Pet Focus.

 Safe Perch Cleaning

Bird perches should be kept clean. To lessen soiling place them in the cage to prevent contamination from droppings. Perches should be washed with soap and water and can be sanded to remove debris. I use a stiff paint scraper to remove droppings from the perch exterior and crevices before further cleaning.

If you make your own perches from safe, pesticide-free wood they will need to be cleaned and disinfected thoroughly.  Wash them in soap and water, and/or a 10% liquid bleach solution.  Rinse and dry them thoroughly.  Small perches that will fit in the oven can be baked at 200 degrees for a couple of hours to rid them any pests. Larger perches can be left in the direct sun until thoroughly dried which also helps disinfect them.

Bird Perches that are damaged from chewing or become heavily soiled should be replaced. 

 Safe Disinfecting

Buying your bird cages, pet bird supplies and accessories from reputable businesses like Bird Cage Portal is a good decision.  Reputable companies do not manufacture or store their goods where they can be exposed to birds.  This eliminates potential contamination from bird related disease or illness.  Even with this assurance of safety it is always a good idea to disinfect new items such as cages, perches and washable toys and accessories before giving them to your bird.  The #1 best product on the market for general disinfecting is Pet Focus.

Pet Focus is a 1-step formula which means it does not have to be rinsed off.  It is totally non-toxic and completely safe and is certified by the EPA.  It can be safely used on cages, perches, toys, walls, floors, counters ... as well as feeding dishes and is good for soaking feeding syringes.  Just spray it on and wipe it off.  It has a pleasant scent. 

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Pet Bird & Parrot Supplies - Bird Cages plus everything else Your Bird Needs to Succeed - Basic Bird Care Information

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Bird Cage Portal is a great online source for buying quality pet bird supplies, accessories, bird cages and so much more ... at the lowest prices.  It is also offers a guide to learning about good bird care and provides resources to insure the best life for your bird and the most enjoyment for you.

 

PAYING FOR YOUR ORDER
New information effective 10/4/19

It has been our pleasure to provide quality bird supplies since 2007.  Since inception we have offered major credit cards (VISA, MC, Discover, AMEX) as well as Paypal for the convenience of our customers.  Commencing October, 2019 we will no longer provide credit card payment services directly on our website.  Credit Card payment services will now only be available through Paypal.  The reason for this change is to reduce our business costs which directly impact the prices we can offer our customers which makes our commitment to continue providing low prices possible.  The good news is that by using Paypal to pay for your order, you are not limited to using funds in your Paypal account, but can also use your credit card.  The only requirement is to have a Paypal account ... and that is easy and free to do.  Just go to Paypal to open one.


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