New Cage Suggestions

[MichelleV]

Hello
I'm looking into getting our sulpher crested, Cocky, new cage. He is almost 45 years old and has been living in the same small style cage his whole life. i'd really love to get him a new one because I can't stand him being in a small space any more. He's not overly tame. We can't handle him without being bitten, but he is friendly and affectionate enough that he lets us scratch and pat him (when he's in a good mood of course!)

Anyway, cocky is pretty much an outdoors bird. His cage can be carried by my dad to our garage (where he sleeps at night) and during the day he sits on the grass in our backyard were he interacts with other birds and wanders around freely (He can't fly, but he knows know to open the cage door and wander around as he pleases. It's rather amusing when he shuts you out!) On hot days or rainy ones he has a spot on our back deck. And on super hot days he stays in my brothers room downstairs whistling along to the radio )
Our house is on a hill also, so a giant rolling cage will not work...


This is what is giving me problems though. I know he needs a bigger cage, but logistically, it's impossible to get him one of those nice big cages he needs and allow him to be moved around as needed. With a big cage he's basically restricted to our back deck, but with something more permanent on the grass like an aviary, the heat/cold in winter is an issue.

Sooo basically I've come here to wrack your brains. I need to somehow introduce my 45 year old bird to a new, larger cage without scaring the life out of him, while somehow finding something suitable for his outdoor lifestyle, and indoor one.

Any ideas?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Kiwibird]

My parents birds (who they got in the 70s) have also spent their lives in the old style cages that are "small" by today's standards, but like Cocky, they aren't actually in their cages except when they sleep or my mom has to run an errand. Really, those gigantic cages are geared towards the parrots who spend most of their time in them. Just wondering if Cocky has been seeming to dislike his cage lately or if it's you who want to go bigger for him? I'm just thinking from the standpoint of a 45 year old bird that it may be a bit traumatic for his home to be suddenly changed, especially if he's perfectly happy with it and doesn't spend a whole lot of time in there to begin with. About 15 years ago, my mom went and bought her birds these huge new cages because they got a bigger house and had the room. The birds were TERRIFIED and would not go near them, and she ended up having to return all 3 cages and give them back their old ones. IMO, when you have an older bird who's perfectly content with their situation as is- if it's not broke, don't fix it.

I guess if you really really want to get him a bigger cage, you could keep his old cage on the back deck for periods of inclement weather, and put a bigger, new cage out in the yard? That way he still has the home he's used to available, but can also enjoy the bigger space if he so chooses.