Never set up a cage before...

[TexasWade]

I have no idea how much a baby cockatiel will jump climb or fly around to get at stuff in his cage. I've got a few things in there so far and I've tried to make it mostly accessible by climbing only. Also I have his toys all near perches, is that the right thing to do? I think I want a few more perches to make climbing up from the floor easier, and one near the door for stepping in and out of the cage. Also I want to get a cuttlebone in there and maybe some sort of flat perch or even a little alcove where he can feel protected on two sides... So maybe it's a bit much but I want my fid to be comfortable and happy whenever his humans aren't home .

Seems like it's hard to get good pictures of the cage setup but here's what I have so far. The boing almost touches the cage floor so I'm thinking he can climb that or the cage wall to get to the lowest perch, and can run to the other perches from there. He can also get at the two dishes from the boing, the loofah chew toy from two perches, and the paper chew toy from either of the long perches. The cage is also next to a North facing window so he'll be able to get some sun and see outside, but he won't have any direct sun. I hope it might be exciting for him to see dogs being walked and wild birds right outside his window.

Not shown in the pics are his tiny sneaker that he can untie, and two small vine balls. I'm thinking I can also hide some treats in those toys.

Also the food and water dishes thing... I'm not really happy with those big open dishes and have been thinking of using a bottle for his water and foraging toys and covered feeders for his food.

 

[RavensGryf]

I think the set up is the fun part of getting a new cage!

One suggestion would be to get more 'natural' type branches like the little one you have in the back there. It's okay to leave one dowel if you want, but the size variation and textures of the natural branches are much better for the feet. It allows them to grip different circumferences and angles and exercise the feet and avoid potential pressure sores. I'd get a few more of slightly different circumferences. Also looks so much better than dowels from an asthetic standpoint too. If you have the exact measurement of the cage, they also have the natural branches that go all the way across.

My cages have about 5 pieces of "furniture" meaning branches and swing/hammock. That cage you have is also large enough to fill it with plenty of toys. All my cages have more toys than they really even need . You can then rotate or change some toys periodically, and leave in any favorites. Try a variety of toys - shreddable stuff like wicker, and soft wood like yucca or balsa, or Popsicle stick toys, ones with beads, wiffle balls, leather, etc. then you can start to see what type of toys might be Dusty's favorites. The vine balls with hidden treats is a great idea and an easy way to teach foraging.

Edit: About the open water and food dishes, just make sure to strategically place them, and not below a perch . I've never used a water bottle and have never had a problem. Some people's birds make "soup" but you'll have to see if Dusty does or not lol.

 

[Flboy]

Agree, being in Texas, you should have bottle brush, guava, citrus, and sycamore, all good for making simple perches! Simple? Just jam them in any way that seems to work!

 

[TexasWade]

Cool, so I guess I'm not totally out in left field then with what I'm trying to do. I'm not a fan of the dowel perches that came with the cage and had planned on getting more like the small slingshot perch in the picture. The natural perches idea sounds perfectly great to me too. I don't get out away from town like ever, but I have friends that hunt and I'm sure I can get them to bring me as many thumb and finger sized sticks and branches as I could ever want. Of course I'll only use approved tree species and everything will get washed and baked before it goes in the cage.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Hi have you seen JerseyWendy's fantastic set up for Niko

http://www.parrotforums.com/photo-month-contest/60881-april-potm-contest.html

 

[TexasWade]

Hi have you seen JerseyWendy's fantastic set up for Niko

http://www.parrotforums.com/photo-month-contest/60881-april-potm-contest.html

I did! I even posted in that thread saying how happy I was to see this right now and I hope to see many more nice cage setups. Thanks!

 

[JerseyWendy]

Here, please have a look at this thread http://www.parrotforums.com/budgies-parakeets-cockatiels/49150-budgie-cage-makeover.html

That should give you some awesome ideas.

 

[ZephyrFly]

collected branches are great but make sure their from a safe tree. No lichen or any obvious problem to the tree and that its a safe wood, not all trees are safe to use for our birds.

 

[Piasa]

Toys near perches is a good idea, also flat perch or shelf. I usually put things in and then see what the bird does, then end up rearranging!

You can also weave stuff like a seagrass mat between the bars to provide some privacy and also to play with.