Looking to build my own indoor cage for Finches

For questions about finch enclosures (cages & aviaries).
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wilykit
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Looking to build my own indoor cage for Finches

Post by wilykit » Tue Oct 05, 2010 11:46 am

Hi everyone,

I became a mummy for 2 gorgeous little finches at the weekend. I have a cage for them but I can't help but want to build my own to give them as much room as possible.

I would rather make it than purchase one as it will be cheaper so I will get more for my money and can build it how I want and how I think is best for my birdies :)

It is to be indoors (as the title says lol). I was just wondering if anybody had any advice or tips on this - the best materials to use, how to build it etc. I sort of like the idea of a mini indoor version of the outdoor aviarys I have seen on here!

Thanks!
1 x English Bull Terrier, 1 x American Bulldog, 1 x Cat, 1 x Giant Rabbit, 2 x Fish, 2 x Corn Snakes, 2 x Leopard Geckos, 1x Indian Ringneck and 2 x Finches!...and still going!

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poohbear
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Re: Looking to build my own indoor cage for Finches

Post by poohbear » Tue Oct 05, 2010 1:38 pm

Depends what space you have...these are two I built in the past.

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debbie276
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Re: Looking to build my own indoor cage for Finches

Post by debbie276 » Tue Oct 05, 2010 2:02 pm

Not sure just what kind your looking to build but here is a picture of ours. The 2 sides and bottom are melamine board for strength. The back is white board, found with the paneling in home improvement stores. Wire is 1/2 inch hardware cloth. We came up from the bottom with 8 inches of wood to keep the mess inside. The top also is white board which we added later. Originally it was wire but the large outside birds disturbed the aviary too much, especially the hawks. Nest boxes are hung outside of the aviary so they take up less room and easy inspections.
Wanting to give the birds more fly space we added a "flyway" over our doorway. It has a sliding door so we can close it off, especially handy when we need to catch the birds.
Ease of cleaning was my main concern.
myaviarya.jpg
myaviarya.jpg (24.17 KiB) Viewed 1219 times
myaviaryb.jpg
myaviaryb.jpg (26.64 KiB) Viewed 1219 times
Debbie
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wilykit
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Re: Looking to build my own indoor cage for Finches

Post by wilykit » Tue Oct 05, 2010 2:06 pm

Thanks for the replies :)

Debbie I love that corner cage - nice and large enough for the birds but not too large that its obtrusive.

I will definitely take that design into consideration!

Also - it is a good idea because then my cat can't jump up and scare them :D
1 x English Bull Terrier, 1 x American Bulldog, 1 x Cat, 1 x Giant Rabbit, 2 x Fish, 2 x Corn Snakes, 2 x Leopard Geckos, 1x Indian Ringneck and 2 x Finches!...and still going!

ac12
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Re: Looking to build my own indoor cage for Finches

Post by ac12 » Wed Oct 06, 2010 1:28 pm

Since you have a cat, you need to use a POSITIVE locking mechanism on your cage doors, so the door is not left in a position that the cat can unhook the latch.
The other problem is the cat can stress out the birds by looking at them, or jumping/climbing on the cage.
Gary

gouldians (GB,YB,BB), blackbelly firefinches (trying to breed), societies (foster parents).
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wilykit
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Re: Looking to build my own indoor cage for Finches

Post by wilykit » Wed Oct 06, 2010 6:50 pm

a12 - whilst i know you were trying to help, i am fully aware that i need to have a cage that is cat-proof, i would never jeopardise my birds by being careless.

and i addressed the situation where my cat may scare them - hence me taking into consideration the wall-mounted cage.
1 x English Bull Terrier, 1 x American Bulldog, 1 x Cat, 1 x Giant Rabbit, 2 x Fish, 2 x Corn Snakes, 2 x Leopard Geckos, 1x Indian Ringneck and 2 x Finches!...and still going!

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