China Hutch Converted To Enclosure..Your Thoughts??

[Kelly]

Hi All~
Since I got my birds my friends have been sending me all kinds of pinterest things on china hutches converted to bird enclosures..Some are really beautiful..Thoughts on the idea please

Thanks

[DanteD716]

Hi Kelly! My main concern would be ventilation.. also a smaller door may need to be installed to prevent birds from attempting escape every time you try to open the cage.

[Sally]

As Dante has said, ventilation would be a concern, as well as a way to service the flight without the birds escaping. What others often do is replace one side of glass with mesh, or replace part of the back with mesh if the unit is on wheels so the back can be accessed. If you do a search here, you will see many cabinets/armoires that have been converted.

[Babs _Owner]

Kelly

Yeah I'd take out the glass and go with wire mesh all around so you can hear their beautiful chirps and songs

[wildbird]

While it looks pretty from the outside, would you like to live in a glassed in enclosure? The birds are more likely to fly into the glass, and they don't have wire to hang on to. It's just my opinion, but I think a glassed in enclosure is too confining, stuffy and just not a natural environment for birds. It may even increase the chance of repiratory problems. I would at least remove the glass and replace all of it with mesh wire.

[lovezebs]

Kelly

That's awsome! Very beautiful set up.

I would imagine that it has mesh on top, and access doors in the back.

Who was the fellow on here who was building these things recently. I bet he would love seeing this piece.

[Lucille]

Very pretty picture, and a cabinet of course, helps contain the mess. Bear with my long post please, as I bring up several ideas, Kelly:
My home has several large trees in the yard including a huge oak, so my house doesn't get a lot of sun. That is a good thing, in Texas in the summer. But is also means that there is not as much natural light as there could be inside even with regular wire cages. I have sheers on the windows that let in a fair amount of light, and I have supplemental lighting also, on all day in the room where I have the birds.
I think the value of quality light is often overlooked when keeping birds.
Your light is a factor when deciding whether to use an enclosed habitat such as the one pictured above. If you use all artificial light inside the cabinet, you need to have high quality daylight bulbs that will not produce too much heat.
Also, one must be cautious about the furniture itself. A lot of furniture is made with particle board which apparently may have fumes.
The popular 'chalk paint' finish (which I painted my china cabinet with) has a final layer of wax which is replaced a couple times a year, and since it does need to be replaced, the evaporating wax fumes may be a concern.
Finally, such a magnificent piece of furniture is only magnificent if you do your part. Dust, feathers, and the occasional poop are going to glom onto the inside of the glass, which means you will be forever cleaning the inside of the glass. And you can't use something convenient such as Windex because of the fumes.
There is no denying it is beautiful, but there is lots to think over first.

[Kelly]

Absolutely a ton of things to think over..I was just toying with the idea..I don't have one..My big concern would be air quality and lighting..and with lighting there is a heat concern..Many zoos and bird sanctuaries use glass enclosures for their birds..So yeah it was just something I was thinking about because they can be really pretty..