Bird Cage Bar Spacing & Perch Diameter
Parrot inside a wardrobe with the door destroyed

Bird Cage Bar Spacing & Perch Diameter

Windy City Parrot recommends
the following birdcage bar spacing and perch diameters.

Every website has recommended cage sizes. We can’t recommend what size cage to buy. We don’t know your needs. We don’t know how much room you have. We don’t know how much social time your bird experiences.

You may have many small birds you seek to house together. Our point? Choose the size cage that’s right for you and your bird. Just make sure the bar spacing is appropriate.

(more…)

Continue Reading

Appropriate Types of Perches for Bird Cages

It’s OK for a perch to be a little smaller or larger in diameter. Basically don’t install a perch too large that a bird’s foot can’t grab comfortably (except for manicure perches) and may cause a bird to fall. Conversely, too small a diameter may allow a bird’s foot to wrap all the way around and cause pain or injury to its own foot.
(more…)

Continue Reading
What Is Wrought Iron? Why Are Bird Cages Made From It?
African Gray Parrot sits on cage and looks down. Playful and affectionate bird able to talk. loving and friendly social companion bird. stunning dusty-gray color and looks quite similar to a pigeon

What Is Wrought Iron? Why Are Bird Cages Made From It?

 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Wrought iron is a very pure form of commercial iron, having a very small carbon content. It is tough, malleable, ductile and can be easily welded. However, it is too soft to make blades and swords. When formed into bars, it is known as “bar iron”. Wrought iron has been used for thousands of years, and represents the “iron” that is referred to throughout history.

(more…)

Continue Reading
Arranging Your Bird’s Cage: the Cage Canopy Concept
coconut-toys-macaw-blog.3

Arranging Your Bird’s Cage: the Cage Canopy Concept

Mitch mentioned something to me the other day that I had never given any thought to the cage canopy. I had more or less arranged toys in the top part of the cage, from instinct I suppose, but never knew why I did it or thought that others might not do exactly the same. 

In the wild, parrots and other types of flighted birds (as opposed to emus and ostriches (that can’t fly) spend a lot of time foraging, often on the ground. All the rest of their time is spent in the upper branches of trees.

This provides the best cover from predators by preventing the things that want to eat birds from easily spotting them while the rustling of leaves alerts the birds to the presence of some creature in time to make every effort to escape the danger. The birds play, sleep and nest for the most part in the top one-third of the tree canopy. 

(more…)

Continue Reading
Fixing the My Bird Hates Pellets but I Love Pellets – Enigma
woman-with-amazon-parrot-on-right-hand-left-shoulder-blog

Fixing the My Bird Hates Pellets but I Love Pellets – Enigma

Some of you realize – many of you don’t. The majority of social media posts you read were programmed days or weeks before for “future distribution”. This means whoever is pushing the erudition out won’t be around when you’re reading their content to actually engage you in a discussion about this new important “message” from the person or brand you are following.

Water from a fire hose is fine for putting out fires, but you can’t drink water from a fire hose and you can’t water plants with a fire hose. Getting information from social media is like getting information from a fire hose.

(more…)

Continue Reading
I Love My Bird – I Hate the Mess – A Helping Guide to Bird Mess Containment
man-vacuuming-under-couch-with-grey-parrot

I Love My Bird – I Hate the Mess – A Helping Guide to Bird Mess Containment

Every parrot owner deals with the issue of messiness with seeds or pellets that get tossed out of the cage or water splashes wetting the cage liners.

No parrot parent likes to have just changed the cage liner, swept or vacuumed debris from around the cage, and provided clean water dishes only to realize that their bird has just decided to soak the entire cage floor and the food by trying to bathe in their water dish or has decided to toss out part of their food in a wide sweep that sprinkles on the newly-cleaned floor, has just taken a poop in their water dish or had poop fall into the newly-served food.

(more…)

Continue Reading
Birds and Full Spectrum Lighting. We Got It Wrong.
Two parrot Corella on a background of tropical flowers

Birds and Full Spectrum Lighting. We Got It Wrong.

I was at my first AFA convention last week. It was the 41st annual convention of the American Federation of Agriculture. You’re familiar with the organization – right? Or not so much.

Members of the AFA are the unsung heroes helping solve legal, behavioral and nutritional problems if it has anything to do with an exotic bird or parrot   (more…)

Continue Reading
Close Menu