Newbie shopping for housing

[frillwing]

I have a Dutch Frill Canary and am looking for a cage with max space yet stylish and suitable for a canary. Possibly going to add another bird in the future. I like bamboo and gothic style.
Any suggestions /recommendations?peace.

[Icearstorm]

frillwing

Custom made is probably going to be the best, but it isn't too hard to convert a cabinet or something into a finch cage if you want to do it yourself. Untreated wood can be a huge pain to clean, though, so I wouldn't recommend wood bars unless you coat all of them with 2+ layers of Polycrylic or other sealant that is safe once cured. Even then, bars do tend to be somewhat annoying to clean. You could use hardware cloth for the spaces between the frames instead; it isn't too obvious but is simple to clean and install.

Any pre-made bamboo cage is likely going to be far too small for birds long term (30" x 18" x 18" tall is the recommended minimum where I am), so would need to be custom made or modified. There do seem to be pre-made gothic bird cages, but once again, many of these are too small or too difficult to clean. Bar spacing could also be an issue; many look like smaller birds could slip out. Lots are round cages as well, which aren't as good for birds' mental states (one theory is that the bird has no corners/landmarks to judge the edge of its territory, so continues to fly in circles). In a large cage, this may be correctable with good cover and stress perches, though it still isn't ideal.

[frillwing]

I’m really liking this cage. It doesn’t say what the spacing between the bars is though.
https://www.petsmart.com/bird/cages-and ... gid=400103 peace

[frillwing]

I just checked petsmart and somebody replied:

I looked the cage up on Amazon, the bar spacing is 3/4”

Is the spacing too large for a canary?thanks.peace.

[lem2bert]

Frillwing, First of all welcome to the forum. I would not feel comfortable with a canary in a cage with 3/4 inch bar spacing, I would be concerned that it may get caught between the bars. I do not know if you are familiar with Amazon, but I purchased a cage from them that my canary enjoys very much !!! It is called the prevu pet products Hampton delux divider breeder cage system with stand. It is 37 1/2 inches long, 18 inches wide and 18 inches high (cage only) the measurements of the cage on the stand it is 40 1/4 inches high. I paid 159.00 for the cage with the stand. You can purchase additional cages and they stack on top of each other. The cage comes with a divider in case you want to add additional birds. I am enclosing a picture.

[Sally]

I would say that any spacing wider than 1/2" would be too wide for a canary.

[frillwing]

What do you guys think of this cage? It has 3/8” bar spacing.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/55-Large-Fligh ... 0005.m1851

[lem2bert]

frillwing that is a beautiful cage and the bar spacing is perfect. From my experience with canaries....the bottom half of that cage is a wasted space.....canaries prefer to fly across a cage....they do not fly down very well. Of course it is your choice which cage to buy, if you like this one the bar spacing is great.

[frillwing]

I actually purchased the cage below. It’s still in its box. Just having second thoughts. Thinking I should have gotten a bigger cage for the canary. Ultimately I have the bird in mind. Just want it to have a good home. Which cage would you go with?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/232576584273

[frillwing]

I’ve decided to go with the cage I’ve already bought. Seems to make the most sense. Any opposing views is most welcome. Thanks.

[frillwing]

I’ve decided to go with the cage I’ve already bought. Seems to make the most sense. Any opposing views is most welcome. Thanks.

I meant to say any other suggestions is much appreciated

[Dave]

Usually I see cages that are tall but not so wide--not good for birds.
That can be less of a problem if your birds can get out every day and have the chance to fly around the room.

I don't ever see a commercial cage that is right for finches. I think a minimum width is 36". Height and depth aren't so important; I use 18" or 24" for those measurements.

My own opinion is that the only way to get a good cage is to build one.

[lem2bert]

frillwing I agree with Dave, The size of the cage is not that important as long as the bird gets some free flight time everyday. I let my canary have free flight time and he loves it.

[Birdie]

Ok Dave, do you have any helpful hints, pointers, suggestions, or recommendations for building a great cage?

[Dave]

There are multitudes of ways and plans to build cages on the internet. And there is a Facebook group about Do It Yourself cages for birds. https://www.facebook.com/groups/356038381533221/

I would suggest a plywood box built to fit a plastic rabbit tray. A slide-out tray is the most difficult part of building your own bird cage. It is much easier to use a plastic tray and build your cage to fit it. Look here: http://www.klubertanz.com/Catalog_0119.htm

Then build the box (with one side open) to fit the tray.

Paint the inside of the box with light-colored neutral paint. Pure white is almost too white. I used off-white and I like that.

Cover the open side of the box with 1/2" hardware cloth, or 1/2"x1" rabbit wire. A rabbit supply company will cut the wire to fit, so you don't have to buy a roll.

It may take a few cages to get one you really like. The best cage I ever built is the last one.