Is this cage big enough for a green cheek?

[GlennO]

Hi guys, looks like a great forum you have here. I have an existing cage that I used in the past to house a pair of budgies and I'd like to know if it would be suitable for a single green cheek. I came here because I couldn't find what I was looking for on the net, where alot of sites say the minimum size cage for a green cheek should be around 18" x 18" x 20" but mine is a different shape being twice as long as it is wide.

The internal dimensions are 27"(L) x 13"(W) x 20"(H).

The bird would have several hours per day out of the cage. What do you think?

Found a link to the cage:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Vision-Bird-Cage-Model-L01/dp/B0012DOXFC"]Amazon.com : Vision Bird Cage Model L01 - Large : Pet Supplies[/ame]

Thanks for help.

 

[SoCalWendy]

They have long tails so the width will not accommodate for thier tails. So when you add bowls, perches, and toys, there will be no room left for your bird. My plet is in a 18x18x18 when she really should be in no less than a 20x20x20 (which is what I thought I bought) believe it or not the 2" makes a difference and she is so much smaller than a GCC, like 31 grams and no long tail. Much of the time though she is outside her cage and / or hanging out in other areas of the house so her cage is fine for her. Minimum is never the way to go, always go bigger, especially if you have the room. I live in an RV and some how I manage to have two cages, the one I mentioned and another for my senegal. Her cage is flight cage and quite large. She is so happy in it and I can add variety.

 

[thekarens]

The short answer is no. I'd check out the Prevue Hendrix F040 on Amazon. It's about $120 and would be a decent size, though personally I'd go with the F050. Green cheeks are small but very active and need more space.

 

[RavensGryf]

I wont lie, it's small. That being said, my Red Bellied which is considerably bigger than a GCC has loved his 20x24" cage for 20 years. It's fairly small, but he's not a real active bird and has adapted nicely to it. But I think a GCC is more always on the go active side aren't they? The activity level of a bird (how hyper/inquisitive vs sedate) also dictates what the minimum space should be.

I looked at a larger cage just like that when I saw one on sale. I considered it for my budgie as a flight cage. At first I liked the features, THEN... I noticed there is no slide out bottom tray! In order to clean and put new bottom paper in, it looks like you literally have to detatch the cage off of the bottom part and lift it off. I didn't think that was a very smart design. It's a bit odd. I decided against it because of that.

Edit: like Wendy said about the long tail, then adding things inside which will take away further space, it's really just too small.

 

[SoCalWendy]

This is the cage I got on Amazon for Rio my Sennie. I love it and so does she. She loves playing on the top. I do not use the bowls and locked all the doors except the large front door. Putting it together was a snap. I did it myself in about 20 min. Stand and all. This or something similar would be a great size for a GCC. I would even love to put my plet in one of these she loves this cage too, but in my RV I only have room for one.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Pawhut-Large-Metal-Aviary-Stand/dp/B00BZDFYYS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1417395658&sr=8-2&keywords=pawhut+bird+cage"]Amazon.com : Pawhut Large Metal Bird Cage Aviary w/ Stand - 32" x 18" x 63" : Pet Supplies[/ame]

 

[GlennO]

Thanks for the quick responses. I guess the consensus is that it's not wide enough. I could add an expansion pack which would turn it into this cage:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Vision-Bird-Cage-Model-L02/dp/B0012DOXFM"]Amazon.com : Vision Bird Cage Model L02 - Large : Pet Supplies[/ame]

That would nearly double the height but still the same floor area so the width might still be an issue. Maybe I need to find a species with a shorter tail?

I looked at a larger cage just like that when I saw one on sale. I considered it for my budgie as a flight cage. At first I liked the features, THEN... I noticed there is no slide out bottom tray! In order to clean and put new bottom paper in, it looks like you literally have to detatch the cage off of the bottom part and lift it off. I didn't think that was a very smart design. It's a bit odd. I decided against it because of that.

I was skeptical at first. But, it's turned out to be one the great features of the cage. No seed getting in around and under a tray, super easy to clean. Best of all, no waste gets out of the cage. If I'd had this cage for the last 40 years I'd have saved about 1000 hours of vacuuming.

I'm keen to keep this cage and I'd like to find a small parrot that would be comfortable in it rather than buy a new cage.

 

[thekarens]

If you want to use the cage I'd stick to a budgie, but personally I don't think it's wide enough.

 

[GlennO]

Thanks for your help. I've kept budgies and canaries all my life, but they are all out in the aviary now and I was just thinking of trying something different as an inside pet. The green cheeks came to mind since I've seen quite a few of them in shops lately and they didn't look much bigger than a budgie. But I've never seen them here until recent years so still learning about them.

 

[SoCalWendy]

The only parrot that comes to my mind is a parrotlet and that cage may even be too small for one of those. If your more concerned about mess then the comfort of your bird then possibly "inside" bird ownership isn't right for you. As you already know they poop, throw food, they make a mess all the time. It's constant cleaning around here.

 

[Kiwibird]

Honestly, that particular cage looks to be designed for budgies or parrotlets. The bar spacing, branches, length (little birds hop around a lot) everything about it is just tailor make for XS parrots. My guess is that you're drawn to the look of that cage (I think it's really cool too!).

Heres a *similar* look better suited for a GCC sized bird:
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Kaytee-Care-Front-Playtop-Bird/dp/B001JI2BZY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417400413&sr=8-1&keywords=acrylic++bowed+cage]Amazon.com : Kaytee EZ Care Bow Front Playtop Bird Cage : Bird Cage Acrylic : Pet Supplies[/ame]

If you want a parrot that would be comfortable in that particular cage (with the extension pack) look into parrotlets. All the "attitude" of the bigger parrots, but in a much smaller package

 

[GlennO]

Perhaps you misunderstood me Wendy. The comfort of my birds has always been a priority and is one reason that I am asking these questions about a species that I am unfamiliar with.

The Hagen Vision cages incorporate a number of features designed to benefit both the bird and the owner. You can read more about them here, if you wish:

https://ca-en.hagen.com/vision-bird-cages-convenient-bird-keeping

 

[GlennO]

Honestly, that particular cage looks to be designed for budgies or parrotlets. The bar spacing, branches, length (little birds hop around a lot) everything about it is just tailor make for XS parrots. My guess is that you're drawn to the look of that cage (I think it's really cool too!).

Yes I think you're right. I realise now that it's not ideal for a green cheek. Unfortunately parrotlets are not available in Australia, but there are other small native parrots here besides budgies. I may consider a hand-raised Bourke parrot. They are slightly bigger than the average budgie, but less active.

 

[RavensGryf]

My mom has a Bourke's. You're right, not very active. I joke that Pinky is a fake bird just sitting much of the time. Cute though.

So is that how you access to clean the bottom, by lifting the cage off of the base?

 

[GlennO]

My mom has a Bourke's. You're right, not very active. I joke that Pinky is a fake bird just sitting much of the time. Cute though.

So is that how you access to clean the bottom, by lifting the cage off of the base?

Yes that's right. I just lift it off and place it on newspaper then clean the base and replace the cage.

I line the base with paper towel which makes it super quick to clean. The most time consuming part is cleaning the wire grate, but that goes for any cage with a wire grate if you use one.

 

[SoCalWendy]

Perhaps you misunderstood me Wendy. The comfort of my birds has always been a priority and is one reason that I am asking these questions about a species that I am unfamiliar with.

The Hagen Vision cages incorporate a number of features designed to benefit both the bird and the owner. You can read more about them here, if you wish:

https://ca-en.hagen.com/vision-bird-cages-convenient-bird-keeping

I'm sorry I didn't mean to give the impression that you didn't care for the comfort of your birds. Ive know many people who have used these types of cages on a parrotlet forum I used to be on and they loved them. However, I personally think bigger is better when it comes to the comfort of any bird, especially if they are going to be confined for any length of time.

 

[GlennO]

No problem Wendy. My own problem is that I still want a GCC.
So I've relented and started looking around for cages. I've noticed that it's not easy to find large cages here in Australia with small enough bar spacing.

But I have these two at the top of my list at present:

1 x New Large Black Open Roof Pet Bird Parrot Canary Cage Castor Wheels 180CM

Large 1.7m bird cage parrot aviary - Pet Supplies - Living

Any opinions from anyone on these designs would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[RavensGryf]

I like the first one Glenn . I saw that one available in US while I was browsing to see what's out there for a new cage for my Red Bellied. I like it but might be smaller bar gauge than I want for Robin. Should be good for a GCC.

 

[Danny90]

Hi guys I got another question for you what size cage would you use for two green cheeked conure.
Cheers

 

[lisa6373]

I have an HQ Flight Cage for my conure but we did have a budgie in that same Vision cage that you have. We now use the Vision cage as a travel cage for the conure.

 

[bonita]

Dear GlennO, I would go larger. Paddy my GCC is in a Amazon size cage. I got from a bereaved couple who lost their bird to an accident. It was in great shape. I recommend checking Craig's list. Bigger is better almost always. Hope it helps. Bonita