Can any one help?

[Stitchthestitch]

I'm in the process of getting together a short list of cages for an eclectus parrot and it seems that all the ones I look at are coming up too small (I'm not good at visualising any length beyond 2 inches so using my trusty tape measure)

Can any one give me any tips on what I'm actually looking for in a decent cage. Ideally I'd like one with a play top. I am in the UK as well, before any of you lovelies give me links to USA based shops.... Import would probably cost more than the cage and parrot combined!

I don't want to make an expensive mistake and end up buying twice because the first one I buy is too small if that makes sense?

Thank you for you help, it's really appricated. This place has become such a valuable source of information and I don't feel silly asking any (what seem to me like) obvious or dumb questions.

 

[Cagzo]

I think they're all still asleep in the US!
I only have a Conure but bought her a big cage as her outside time is well supervised.....cats. However I would think this size would be ok for your parrot. 85cm x 48cm. I wouldnt go smaller though. It has a big door which I can get right in to clean,and a clam top for playing, though I dont open it for her as she tries to dominate me if shes higher than me. Will try and do a pic.
I got it from Amazon and it was almost £200, but well worth it,as she loves it.

 

[Stitchthestitch]

Thank you for your help it's an absolute mine field trying to find sutibke hones for them.

 

[Cagzo]

Help! How do I post my cage pics here?

 

[Cagzo]

url=http://www.parrotforums.com/gallery/show image.php?i=32

 

[Rozalka]

Help! How do I post my cage pics here?

http://www.parrotforums.com/technical-support/6287-how-post-pictures.html

 

[Cagzo]

PM sent to you Stitchthestitch.

 

[Stitchthestitch]

@cagzo, I've just seen your pm and I can't send one to you until I've posted 20 time. Thank you for trying to help me though.

 

[charmedbyekkie]

For an ekkie, you should be looking at no smaller than 106cm (W) x 76cm (D) x 121cm (H) for internal dimensions [or 42"(W) x 30"(D) x 48"(H)]. Remember the rule of thumb with size of cages is 1.5x their wingspan.

For our ekkie, his cage is 121cm (W) x 86cm (D) x 152cm (H) for internal dimensions [or 48"(W) x 34"(D) x 60"(H)].

A playtop is a personal choice - our little guy doesn't seem to care that he doesn't have one - he plays on top anyway and I attach toys there for him.

Just make sure it is either stainless steel or a good powdered coating. I love our white powder coating because it's easy to see where I really need to clean, but it scratches off if you attach metal washers.

Bar spacing should ideally be around 1 inch (2.54cm). I do recommend finding more horizontal bars than vertical bars as it is easier for them to climb along the walls that way.


I don't live in the UK (and also not the US), so can't give exact websites.


As for images, use imgur is the easiest way to go. Let me go take a few quick photos of his cage and attach them.

 

[Stitchthestitch]

@charmedbyekkie, thank you for the measurements in both cm and inches, it helps! The cages I was looking at (advertised for macaws) I knew were small but now I know they are waaaaay too small so thank you for that.

Well, the search must go on!

 

[bigfellasdad]

I bought my cage from here, not too far away, great prices and ordered my cage in a few days..

Lister Fisheries & Pet Centre (liverpool), loads and loads of cages on show, please dont mention your a manchester united fan though, the ridicule would be unbearable for you....

 

[bigfellasdad]

also, for a cage, a big tall front door is great for access. Ive found birds like to sleep high up so ive always had domed top cages, as mentioned above, the bird will play on top either way. Dont go for a dark cage btw...never again, white or light grey i think works best in the home.


http://www.parrotforums.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=3036&original=1

 

[Stitchthestitch]

Would either of these be sutible?

https://www.scarlettsparrotessentials.co.uk/liberta-cambridge-play-top-cage

https://www.scarlettsparrotessentials.co.uk/rainforest-dakota-medium-bird-cage

 

[charmedbyekkie]

Would either of these be sutible?

https://www.scarlettsparrotessentials.co.uk/liberta-cambridge-play-top-cage

https://www.scarlettsparrotessentials.co.uk/rainforest-dakota-medium-bird-cage

Those are good sleep cages, not cages you would expect a bird to spend any time in.

One rule of thumb I try to keep in mind is, if *ahem* things hit the fan (like hospitalisation), will I be ok with this bird spending most of his day (if not several days) inside this cage? And it has happened to members on this forum before, where hospitalisation or family emergencies happen and the birds cannot be let out for several days to weeks at a time.

Mind you, the average ekkie wingspan is 90cm. None of these cages are anywhere near 1.5x that (being 135cm). You can check out thoughts behind this sizing.

To give some idea of the size:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5e3Y8wl6Du/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6Gi2gJl2Gi/

Outside:

Inside:

 

[charmedbyekkie]

This would be the smallest I would go if you really want a playtop: https://www.scarlettsparrotessentials.co.uk/rainforest-belize-large-cage

Still in the above cage, your ekkie won't be able to flap his wings, which means it is your duty to make sure he gets enough wing flapping exercise regularly for the sake of his health.


And if you want peace of mind (like I do because I work 9-6), I'd go for this cage: https://www.scarlettsparrotessentials.co.uk/rainforest-rio-grande-large-parrot-cage

Our ekkie does flighted hops inside his cage, and even then, he still squeaks happily when he is let out of his cage and can zoom around the house.

Bigger is always better, but my partner pushed back on having too much floor space taken by the bird. So we made do.

 

[bigfellasdad]

Again, please check out the pet store I gave you above. A lot cheaper than Scarletts.

 

[Stitchthestitch]

Thank you charmedbyekkie, and I will check out that pet store bigfellasdad, I was using scarlettes more so I could get a better idea on size.

However, I'm starting to feel that, as much as an ekkie will be an amazing addition to our family (and is my dream bird), I don't think I've got the space to make him or her truly happy. I don't want to cause the stress and become a plucker because of their living space.

Can any one help me with a list of parrots that could fit in the cages I linked so I can research those please?

 

[charmedbyekkie]

My cage is definitely on the larger side of minimum size cages for ekkies. I believe a few ekkie members have cages the size of the ones I linked to you which are a bit smaller than mine.

That being said, the reason I went with such a large cage is because our boy's history is that of a free-flight bird. He has never been clipped. Of all the words that he uses in context, he uses "fly-fly" the most as a request and as a recognition of the location for his outdoor flying.

If you have a bird who never knew flight and only knew to walk on the floor (our boy doesn't know to walk on floors), perhaps you could do with a smaller cage. Not sure on that. I'd let other ekkie owners weigh in.


In terms of those cage sizes, they are good sleeping cages for ekkies. A smaller bird might not be good with the width of the bar spacing - I defer to other forum members because I've not researched for birds other than ekkies.

According to this page, for bar spacing of 2cm:
Smaller African Greys
Smaller Amazons
Alexandrine & Ringneck Parakeets
Caiques
Smaller Cockatoos
Conures
Jardines
Lories
Pionus
Quakers / Monk Parakeets
Senegals

Mind you, many of these birds have very, very different personalities to the ekkie personality. So you might want to consider what attributes you're looking for.

 

[Stitchthestitch]

I'm very drawn to their independence and how they can keep themselves occupied when needed, along with them being a quieter bird (I do understand that that's a generalisation and that there will always be exceptions to the rule) . They are also my favorite bird. They are incredibly smart and they can (if trained) talk if they so wish (not my reason for purchase, although it would be fantastic if it did learn to chatter away.) they can be very sweet when they want to be or they can be little monsters when they choose. They appeal to me far more than the other birds I've looked at - by which I mean traits and characteristics, not colour or speaking ability.

The breeder I'm talking to/on the wait list, said his birds are never clipped as he feels that the bird needs to learn to fly to fully develop the wing and chest muscles and to prevent the from injuring themselves should they try to fly with clipped wings.

 

[SailBoat]

The breeder I'm talking to/on the wait list, said his birds are never clipped as he feels that the bird needs to learn to fly to fully develop the wing and chest muscles and to prevent the from injuring themselves should they try to fly with clipped wings.

Love your Breeder!!!

Okay, my dear International friends; I have worked near my entire career for European Corporations, plus traveled Eastern and Western Europe near every other month for decades, and over those many years they had always used only mm and meters for measurements. Yes, I was aware that cm existed as a measurement, but since I never used it, I'm unable to envision a cm and will need to look up its conversion... Aaah, the joy of life..

I take a slightly different approach to cages. I full agree with as long as one can find. But with depth, I prefer to keep the depth (width) of the cage so that it fits out the front door (without the seed catchers) and an open path from the location of the cage to the front door available at all times. Long ago, we needed to quickly have one of our past Amazon outside like Now! and he was not participating... With Amazon in cage, we where out the front door a minute later. It may seem like crazy thinking, but have been there and done that! So, just my two cents...

FYI #1: We only use full height front doors!!!

FYI #2: Love Cairo's cage and deco!!!! Your lucky you can pry him out of there... Oooh Yaaa Flighting! How could I forget...