Are tall cages good?

[snowflake311]

I need to get my little BCC a new cage. He needs a larger one. My parents have a fancy expensive cage it is 24"x24" by 30" . It sits on a stand and it make the top of the cage a little over 5 feet. It's so tall.

Are tall cages good or bad? Do you think it causes the bird to feel like it is the king of the house since it is always looking down on you?

It's a nice cage but I think too tall. What do you guys think about tall cages?

 

[Terry57]

I think width is more important than height, but most of my birds have cages taller than I am and I have had no issues with height dominance with them.

 

[Kiwibird]

Kiwi's cage, new hanging gym and swing stand all put him taller than me. Never had any issues with him falling out of line because he's up high. He knows who rules the roost (that would be hubby!) and that he has to listen to me too. Every once in a while when he's hormonal he will become obstinate for me (not height related, but if he's on the back on my cage it is harder to reach him when he's protesting), but I just grab the stick and he knows he best step up to that stick.

As for general concerns with shape, as long as he has enough room to move around horizontally, taller than wider is fine. My bird likes to climb and uses his cage top to bottom, so having a tall cage actually works out well for him in that regard

 

[Printer bird]

I think the height = dominance is a myth with parrots. They don't really have hierarchy in their flocks, height simply means safety as predators are less likely to be able to snatch them (except for eagles and such!).

 

[chris-md]

They are nice because they give YOU piece of mind. But you also may well find the bottom half of the cage goes unused which bugs the hell out of me. Not sure why, just makes me feel like he's restricted in this large cage.

 

[snowflake311]

I feel Sprinkels might not use the bottom much. At the same time he is a very active conure so if I put branches all over the cage and toys up and down I think he will use it all. Then again birds lot to be high up so...

It is so hard to find the right cage. I like the bars to be horizontal like a ladder. I would lIke longer not tall. I would like to have more secure food cup doors. I put twist ties on my cage now.

 

[EdwardH]

If the birds spends a lot of time out of the cage then it doesn't really matter. If it spends most of the day in the cage then tall isn't all that good for a few reasons.
1. they end up walking all over their poop cause tall cages are usually narrow cages
2. birds fly horizontally not vertically so they get little flying space
3. cages that are a bit larger than the birds wingspan are always way too small
4. there is little room for toys, foraging etc as they poop on everything in the lower part of the cage.
5. tall narrow cages are designed with the viewer in mind, not the bird. The cage is a pretty ornament and only rarely practical for the bird.

 

[MonicaMc]

My biggest cage is 6' tall. I'm 5' 3" on a good day!


My tamest birds will happily come down for attention. The not so tame ones will go back in the cage for food!