anything i need to know about a new cage

[4 way borbs]

I already ordered a new cage but i need help in case there is anything i need to know about

 

[4 way borbs]

I own two parakeets

 

[hiriki]

Here is some tips.

1. The cage needs to be at minimum large enough for the birds to spread their wings fully, unobstructed. I personally prefer cages that are large enough for my birds to fly from one perch to another. Regardless of cage size, plenty of out of cage exercise is good.
2. One of the first results on google suggested at minimum, 24'' width, 18'' depth, 18'' height. I would consider that absolute minimum.
3. BAR WIDTH IS IMPORTANT. If you bought a small cage then your spacing is probably appropriate but if you went for a bigger flight style cage, verify bar spacing. 1/4'' to 1/2'' is appropriate for budgies.
4. What goes in the cage is just as important as the cage itself. You want a variety of perches, ideally with a variety of textures and widths. I use natural wood perches. This prevents bumblefoot. Furthermore, some perches are covered in a sandpaper-like texture to "file down talons." Imagine how unpleasant it would be to stand on sandpaper all day! Don't buy those.
5. Toys!! Remember, the point of toys is enrichment, and birds love to destroy. Opt for destructible toys that are made for budgies... Paper, cardboard, and balsa wood and craft wood are all good options that budgies can reasonably destroy. Also straw/grass toys, or those finger trap toys are great too. A lot of people get plastic toys with bells because they think they're more durable but that defeats the purpose. If you haven't given them many toy options in the past, buy lots of different materials and watch for what they like to destroy the most. If you notice they love tearing up cardboard or balsa or finger traps etc, you can buy those specific parts wholesale and repair destroyed toys instead of replacing. Periodically move things around so they don't get bored.
6. Dishes! Most cages come with plastic dishes if you buy budgie size cages. They slide in through food doors and kind of latch onto the side. Personally, I throw those away. They are a weird shape that's difficult to clean with a sponge, and in general plastic is more likely to build up bacteria that sticks around even after a wash. For that reason all of my dishes are stainless steel or ceramic, and it's easier to find stainless steel bowls if you're looking to affix it to the cage with brackets.
7. Water--a lot of people get the reservoir type water dispensers. Personally I do not use those, for similar reasons to the point above. They're usually plastic, they don't get very clean even when you scrub them, you'd need a bottle brush anyway to get any kind of thorough clean, and to top it all off the reservoir style just kind of encourages you to fill and forget. You should be scrubbing water dishes daily, if not multiple times if you notice it gets dirty.
8. Liner. What do you plan on using? Bedding isn't great because some birds might ingest it and it's difficult to see a birds poop in all the bedding pieces, so you might miss signs of illness. Best options include, from least to most expensive: unprinted newsprint paper, newspaper, paper towels. I recently discovered newsprint paper on Amazon... it comes in a lot of sizes. Just make sure you're getting a heavy enough stock or you'll be miserable when cage cleaning time comes. I usually put a sheet on the tray that I leave for a week or two to catch stray food, and then a sheet on TOP of the grate to catch poop that I change every day or every other day.

This is pretty much every advice I can think of. It's a lot but I'm passing time on my phone lol so I got carried away. Lmk if you have questions.

 

[4 way borbs]

Here is some tips.

1. The cage needs to be at minimum large enough for the birds to spread their wings fully, unobstructed. I personally prefer cages that are large enough for my birds to fly from one perch to another. Regardless of cage size, plenty of out of cage exercise is good.
2. One of the first results on google suggested at minimum, 24'' width, 18'' depth, 18'' height. I would consider that absolute minimum.
3. BAR WIDTH IS IMPORTANT. If you bought a small cage then your spacing is probably appropriate but if you went for a bigger flight style cage, verify bar spacing. 1/4'' to 1/2'' is appropriate for budgies.
4. What goes in the cage is just as important as the cage itself. You want a variety of perches, ideally with a variety of textures and widths. I use natural wood perches. This prevents bumblefoot. Furthermore, some perches are covered in a sandpaper-like texture to "file down talons." Imagine how unpleasant it would be to stand on sandpaper all day! Don't buy those.
5. Toys!! Remember, the point of toys is enrichment, and birds love to destroy. Opt for destructible toys that are made for budgies... Paper, cardboard, and balsa wood and craft wood are all good options that budgies can reasonably destroy. Also straw/grass toys, or those finger trap toys are great too. A lot of people get plastic toys with bells because they think they're more durable but that defeats the purpose. If you haven't given them many toy options in the past, buy lots of different materials and watch for what they like to destroy the most. If you notice they love tearing up cardboard or balsa or finger traps etc, you can buy those specific parts wholesale and repair destroyed toys instead of replacing. Periodically move things around so they don't get bored.
6. Dishes! Most cages come with plastic dishes if you buy budgie size cages. They slide in through food doors and kind of latch onto the side. Personally, I throw those away. They are a weird shape that's difficult to clean with a sponge, and in general plastic is more likely to build up bacteria that sticks around even after a wash. For that reason all of my dishes are stainless steel or ceramic, and it's easier to find stainless steel bowls if you're looking to affix it to the cage with brackets.
7. Water--a lot of people get the reservoir type water dispensers. Personally I do not use those, for similar reasons to the point above. They're usually plastic, they don't get very clean even when you scrub them, you'd need a bottle brush anyway to get any kind of thorough clean, and to top it all off the reservoir style just kind of encourages you to fill and forget. You should be scrubbing water dishes daily, if not multiple times if you notice it gets dirty.
8. Liner. What do you plan on using? Bedding isn't great because some birds might ingest it and it's difficult to see a birds poop in all the bedding pieces, so you might miss signs of illness. Best options include, from least to most expensive: unprinted newsprint paper, newspaper, paper towels. I recently discovered newsprint paper on Amazon... it comes in a lot of sizes. Just make sure you're getting a heavy enough stock or you'll be miserable when cage cleaning time comes. I usually put a sheet on the tray that I leave for a week or two to catch stray food, and then a sheet on TOP of the grate to catch poop that I change every day or every other day.

This is pretty much every advice I can think of. It's a lot but I'm passing time on my phone lol so I got carried away. Lmk if you have questions.

thanks for the tip's!