by S. August Abbott (TheCaretaker)

Created on: January 11, 2007   Last Updated: October 01, 2010

Wow!  Great deal on a parrot - just $ xxx and a bag of seeds on the way out the door.  Woo Hoo!  Someone said to buy the "biggest cage you can afford" and since you have an extra $20, that canary cage should work for this macaw.  That's the 'rule' right?

And thus the beginning of the tragic end to a promising love story.

As an animal rescue org owner and certified avian specialist, I have seen too many sad results of well intended bird purchases. Care and feeding is a lot more than a cage with a bowl of seeds and some water. Let's go over the reality of the cost of a pet bird.

First, a proper cage with the proper bar spacing for your particular bird, needs to be the biggest possible cage you can fit in your home.  Not the biggest you can afford, the biggest that will fit, no matter what the cost.   You have to consider this a part of the actual cost of the bird and if you can't afford it, you need to wait.   Please.

We have 3' high, 2' deep indoor cages for our cockatiels (1 to 2 per cage) and 18' square outdoor aviaries with partial coverage (top to bottom) and environmental controls. Though outdoor raised tiels can tolerate some very cold temps when they have the proper housing, extremely hot temps need to be monitored as well.

Inside the cage, three different types of perches are necessary, not optional. A natural wood perch, a rope perch and a grooming perch. If you're not absolutely sure about which woods are available in your area, while you learn about these things, opt for a pet store branch that comes ready to install. A rope perch is a pleasant sleeping or long-term standing perch for the birds and can be washed off in your sink or tossed in the washing machine. Clipping off any stray pieces of rope helps it last a very long time.

The grooming perch should be made from calcium or concrete, helpful for their beak shaping and even in keeping nails worn down (although nails will still need occasional clipping).

The size perch for your bird depends on their feet. One perch should allow their feet to grip 3/4 of the way around; another allow for 1/2 way grip and the third perch, probably the grooming perch, should be fatter - maybe a 1/4 grip.

Toys are not options - they are necessities. A toy that can be shredded, preferably a combination of paper, wood, other materials as sold in most pet stores is one; a noise making toy like a bell (with solid attached clapper that they cannot remove and possibly swallow)

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