FINCHforum

I like the look and idea of the indoor aviarys (or are they called large flight cages?) that people have been building out of screen doors etc. The size you could put wheels on and move but still quite large. What are the pros and cons to aviarys vs cages? It is too cold and wet here to have an outdoor aviary but I do have a large basement and a couple of vacant bedrooms now. Right now I have my finches in cages. I have seen some beautiful cage set ups as well with them on nice shelves and stacked. Also, is the reason for very large aviarys/flight cages to give the finches a more natural area to live or is it better for breeding or both?
So if you have an opinion or experience with both, I'd love to hear it.

well, the main difference is of course, the size. A larger aviary means more room to fly and exercise, keeping birds healthy and fit. It also allows you to put more natural elements in with them; more beaches rather than pet store perches, larger plants or even small trees (real or fake). Makes for a more natural environment for the birds, and much prettier to look at.

Of course, cages can offer flight space too, and are better for breeding situations. A group of birds in an aviary can be very hard to tell who the parents are of a particular chick. Also no way to control who breeds with whom. Cages let you separate them out, and make it easier to keep an eye on everybody for any problems.

Some people let their birds fly in an aviary most of the year, then at breeding season catch and separate them into caged pairs. Depends a bit on the species you keep, and how interested you are in getting certain birds to pair up.

Then too, with entire extra rooms to spare, you could skip the aviary and go to the next level, a bird room! Section off half the room, and let the birds have the other half! Then you'd really have space for large plants, trees, even a fountain or small pond! It would take some work to prepare the walls and floor, but I think totally worth it!

The choice really depends on the space you have, the time and money you can devote, and how serious you are about breeding. Yay finches!

I turned my sunroom into an aviary. You can check out some pictures here: https://picasaweb.google.com/udmoran/My ... directlink The pictures are not new and I have changed a few things since then, but the basic setup with aspen shavings on the floor and a mix of fake and real plants is the same.

I am NOT a breeder, though. I keep my birds for enjoyment in the aviary and want to provide a big space for them. I actually discourage breeding because I don't want to have to give some away because of overpopulation.

Like Ria said, it depends on your intent of birdkeeping.

Thanks for all the information! there are a lot of good points both ways.
Ursula, your bird room is amazing! and you have button quail!!! I love those cute little guys too! You have a wonderful variety of birds all very beautiful! How do you keep them from breeding? Do you have same sex in each breed? I see a couple snuck some babies in on you. hahaha little stinkers I have the same brass bird feeder for my wild birds outdoors as you have. How often do you change the floor shavings and wash the plants etc? Did you use a pond liner on the floor? What a great idea! I'll bet your birds love to bask in the sunshine!

Trish-
I just built somethiing similar to what you are talking about. I love it. The only negatives are that it is a little tougher to clean, tougher for feedings, and a real bear if you had to try and catch your birds for some reason.

Make sure when designing it that you keep in mind feeding, water changing, treats, etc. I did a half door so the birds are less likely to fly out. And for one of the sides I flipped the door upside down and used the "middle space" to put a swivel door so I could feed easier. I also put the lights inside and should have put them outside. I used plastic mesh and I was worried about it melting or something. Those are just some thoughts.

Here are pics that you may have seen : http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12887

Thanks Chase! I did see your photos! Actually that is what got me thinking about building something similar. A large flight cage like that makes me think of living art. I would love to have it in any part of my house to look at. I'll have to think about the cleaning and feeding. What kind of lights did you install? It seems there is a HUGE debate on the internet on how good full spectrum lighting really is. Or isn't. I was so confused about it all I just quit reading

6finchfriends wrote:Thanks for all the information! there are a lot of good points both ways.
Ursula, your bird room is amazing! and you have button quail!!! I love those cute little guys too! You have a wonderful variety of birds all very beautiful! How do you keep them from breeding? Do you have same sex in each breed? I see a couple snuck some babies in on you. hahaha little stinkers I have the same brass bird feeder for my wild birds outdoors as you have. How often do you change the floor shavings and wash the plants etc? Did you use a pond liner on the floor? What a great idea! I'll bet your birds love to bask in the sunshine!

Thanks!

I agree with Chase, trying to catch birds in a large avairy is a huge task and something I only had to do a few times in the past. And I hope I won't have to do it often in the future either! I use a bird net and my husband as helper on the other end of the aviary.

I pretty much keep them from breeding by not providing nesting space. I do put in hay and other materials because it seems to keep them occupied and they are less likely to tear up the plants. I did let the budgies breed a couple of times, and they won't breed when they don't have nest boxes or - like I used - fake hollow "tree branches". The quail you keep from breeding by taking the eggs out. I also let them breed once and it broke my heart to have to give some away... You can't keep them in a large group, there's too much tension. I now have 3 males left and they get along great. (And no breeding anymore. ) My black-rumped waxbills bred once in a nest they built of coco fiber on the aviary floor! It was a tight ball and you couldn't even look in because the opening was to small. They successfully raised 2 kids, but 1 adult sadly died. I don't know the sex now, but they didn't attempt any nest building since then. The Cordon Bleus built a nest once too and raised kids successfully. But I think they now disturb each other too much for breeding because I have 2 males. They chase each other, but since nothing serious happens I keep them. (I wouldn't recommend 2 CB pairs in a smaller environment though.)

As for the cleaning: My husband and I "spot clean" the dirty areas every other week or so, take shavings out and take out the fake plants to soak them in the tub, and clean the windows and the table and other surfaces. About twice a year we do a major overhaul with replacing most of the shavings and putting in new branches etc. Of course we change water and fresh food daily.

It IS work, but it's definitely worth it. I just enjoy watching them fly around instead of hopping from perch to perch.