4 Alternatives To Cage For Pet Bird (Helpful Examples)

Several organizations are decrying the inhuman treatment of pet birds in small cages. According to these organizations, such a move denies birds the freedom of their natural flight instinct. This causes the birds to suffer from loneliness, the stress of confinement, and malnutrition.
And some argue that pet birds are better off if left to roam freely. Therefore, there are several alternatives to pet bird cages that you should explore to keep your birds in good condition.
Here, we consider alternatives to pet bird cages worth your attention.
Bird Rooms
This is a room dedicated to playing gyms, parrot cages, and other things. The room is arranged for easier cleaning. Since bird rooms have large spaces, you can use them as alternatives to cages to give birds more room for flight.
Benefits
Using a bird room allows you to contain the noise and mess of birds with ease. Most of the time, they’re designed with quality flooring to make cleaning messy foods easier. It also becomes possible to get your birds bigger cages. This translates into more space for climbing and playing.
Bird rooms encourage more flight and exercise. They’re decked with swings, perches, and play gyms that might be hard to maintain in your main house. You can even set up waterfalls and mister systems for some bird rooms.
Bird rooms also mean that you can reinforce good behavior in birds thanks to the ability to easily control the environment. You’ll like more about the bird rooms because they can be as engaging as you’d want them to be.
Downsides
Keeping birds in bird rooms presents some downsides worth your attention.
First, they exclude birds from the general family activities. It becomes difficult to keep them in the family and reinforce good behavior. Therefore, we recommend that even when you have a bird room, have some play spaces in your main house for the birds to come and enjoy time with your family.
Additionally, most bird rooms are too devoid of enrichments, without parameters around vocalization, and too far removed from reality. This presents a noise challenge that becomes difficult to solve.
Overall, bird rooms are a good alternative to cages as far as space is concerned.
An Aviary
Setting up an aviary would be the best option for those with enough space and an unmatched passion for birds. An aviary enables you to look after several birds that can enjoy life and have fun in an outside environment.
Some of the birds we recommend for keeping in an aviary include:
- Budgies
- Lovebirds
- Rainbow lorikeets
- Chinese painted quails
- Zebra finches
The Number of Birds You Can Have In Your Aviary
The total bird number you keep in your aviary is determined by its size. In some instances, the local ordinances and laws determine the number of birds you can keep. With most aviaries, you can have only a pair of birds. However, some people house multiple pairs.
If your aviary measures 20 ft by 40 ft, you can house about 40 small songbird pairs. A larger aviary measuring 30 ft by 50 ft can house up to 60 small songbird pairs. However, this is just an estimate since the actual number depends on the species and size of the aviary.
What Birds Need In An Aviary?
It will depend on the species of birds you have in an aviary. However, all birds will at least require access to food and water. You’ll also have to provide enough space to fly and an excellent UV rays source.
And to offer birds enough room to play, install a perch. Since most tropical birds require 72-86 degrees Fahrenheit, you need to have a heater inside the aviary.
At the base of your aviary, put either sand or soil. They’ll help to absorb waste and moisture. The whole aviary should be designed with security, safety, and comfort in mind.
Pick a properly sized aviary to offer enough ventilation, especially on hot days. You should also protect birds from wet and cold weather.
Nest Boxes
Having nest boxes in your yard offers a critical nesting area for most bird species. It also provides ample space for young birds to raise their young ones. You’ll have a very rewarding experience and fun watching the whole bird process.
Birds That Take Nest Boxes
Great tits and blue tits are the two most common garden birds that are likely to embrace nest boxes. Other bird species that embrace nest boxes include:
- Tree sparrows
- Starlings
- House sparrows
- Coal tits
- Robins
- Nuthatches
Where To Place Nest Boxes?
First, ensure you choose a location that isn’t in the way of direct sunlight. Direct sunlight causes the box to become very hot, thus potentially killing any young birds. Even if you select a wall or tree, ensure there is a cover around.
We recommend a nest box of about 1.5 meters above the ground. This will guarantee proper bird health.
Perfect Time To Put Up Nest Box
You can put up nest boxes any time of the year. However, early winter and autumn are perfect since most birds start looking for nest sites.
We recommend putting up nest boxes in January. This will offer a warm shelter to roosting birds.
Attracting Birds To The Nest Box
You need to place bird feeders and bird food closer to the nesting box. You can check out how you can attract pet birds to your garden or home here.
Perches and Play Stands
Alternatively, you can position play stands and perches in your room or out in the garden. Play stands will enable your birds to play and have quality exercise.
With play stands, birds can roam freely in the house or garden. However, they’re exposed to more danger than being in an aviary, bird room, or nest box.
One benefit of using play stands and perches is that you can implement a DIY project to save money.
Final Remarks
Keeping birds in cages denies them the freedom to fly and roam around, thus exposing them to stress, loneliness, and malnutrition. Therefore, you need to consider better alternatives such as bird rooms, aviaries, nest boxes, and play stands. These options are spacious and give birds enough room to exercise and feed.
Whether you use bird rooms, an aviary, nest boxes, or even cages, just ensure that the environment inside is conducive for the birds. You should also provide enough food and water.
Sources:
What’s The Matter With Bird Rooms?
The Best Outdoor Aviary Birds for Beginners