Cage Too Big???

[lorilazerson]

Is there such a thing as too big of a cage for an CAG??? We went to pick up the cage we ordered and I think it may be too big, vertically. The length and the depth are just fine. 36L x 24D. However, it's 67H and I don't know if that's too much wasted vertical space. There's another one we really like now. It even has a small door in front towards the top that opens out (like a ledge). It measures 65H x 32L x 23D. I took some pics of them at the store.
The first one is the smaller of the 2, the second one is the one that has a lot of vertical space, and the 3rd one is of both of them....on the far left and the far right of the pic. The larger of the two could house an Umbrella Cockatoo or a Moluccan Cockatoo...Is that too big for a CAG????
thanks so much for all your advice and insight. I just want to do it right the first time!
lori

[DarwinTheSun]

Personally, I don't believe a cage can be too big. They can be the wrong dimensions, the wrong bar spacing, etc, but I don't think too big is ever a problem. There will inevitably be times when your bird will have to stay in it for long periods of time (at work) and it is good to have space to move around in.

[drheather]

The only problem I can foresee with a tall cage is the bird falling down and hurting itself and then fearing the cage. As you probably know greys are not the most graceful parrot out there. Gonzo's cage including the playtop is also 67" high. When we first got Gonz we "built up" the bottom of her cage with cardboard boxes to cushion her when she fell, and she did several times. But after she learned how to really navigate her perches then we took the bottom out. She does explore her whole cage and we encourage her to do so with toys on the bottom and stuff like that. So I'd say go big or go home, lol! Sorry...been watching the olympics too much :)

Oh and I just wanna add that the one with the ledge is cool and all, but if you're not planning on putting on the seedguards you will quickly accumulate piles of poo on your floor if the ledge becomes a favorite hangout spot. Trust me on that ;)

[babypiggy]

the bigger the better
:)

if u think about it in the wild they have miles and miles to roam

[drheather]

here's a pics of her cage, its kinda far away but you can see its a tall cage. I told someone on africangreyforum.com that I would take pics of my cage and post them so I'll make sure I get on that tonight so you have a better idea of what I"m talking about.

I zip-tied the cardboard firmly about a foot up so she had a cushier landing when she fell. I kept it up for about a week and a half to let her get used to her new BIG cage so she wouldn't be in fear of the bottom when she fell (she still does, she's as clumsy as her mom )

Also, I have mangled her boing so it bends down to the bottom and then curves back up so when she does fall or when she is exploring she really uses that to climb around.

[Amie]

Of all the birds my mother and I have had, ONLY Scarlett prefers a smaller cage. She keeps moving back into the smaller ones, and if she's in one that's too big, no matter how many fun things we put into it, she stands in one corner, and screams when she's in it. And it doesn't go away, either. We kept her in a large cage for 2 months thinking she'd eventually get over it, but nope. So, now we just buy her smaller cages. They're just a bit bigger than the "minimum cage size" for an ekkie/grey. And she still won't go into the back right corner of it.

All other birds I've ever known who weren't special-abled, wanted as much space as absolutely possible.

[lorilazerson]

Thanks so much for all the insight. I'm going back to look at the cages again and bring a measuring tape as well. I think we're leaning towards the bigger one right now. That one has all horizontal bars around it and it's beautiful!!!!
lori

[Bellco]

Also empty cages look so much bigger. Once you start filling them up with stuff you realize that even macaw sized cages cant hold all the cool stuff you want for your bird.

[Luisa]

I have a similar problem with my Senegal. I bought the exact same cage (upper left with victorian top), he HATED it. He stayed in one spot and did not play with any toys at all. I think he was just scared. He much prefers his smaller cage, so I gave in and let him have it.

[pippy]

Originally Posted by Bellco

Also empty cages look so much bigger. Once you start filling them up with stuff you realize that even macaw sized cages cant hold all the cool stuff you want for your bird.

Ha ha! Tell me about it! I shall have to rearrange the contents my big cage before my CAGs come home as I've put too much stuff at the top!

There's plenty of room for them both to be able to spread their wings and have a good flap (they aren't, and won't ever be, clipped and will be free to come out and fly when we're in) it's just I haven't left sufficient room for them to do so!

I'll move some of the stuff to the side to create more space. I've also put a few things towards the bottom of the cage and on the floor of the cage itself to encourage them to utilise all the space.

I've ordered a nice big playstand for them too.