Cage & Bar Spacing for 2 Orange Cheeked Waxbill Finches?

[ashgate]

I am adopting a Orange Cheeked Waxbill Finch that was plucked so bad the feathers came in black on the cheeks where its supposed to be orange... anyone know if they will ever come in orange? doesnt really matter to me just curious. I a also buying another one so now i need to figure out what kind of cage and bar spacing I need for the 2 of them. I have read that these types of finch can slip through 1/2" bar spacing.... so I am wondering what type of cage has smaller than 1/2 spacing. I am open to all suggestions

[L in Ontario]

3/8" should be fine for the smaller waxbills.

[ashgate]

i was talking to the lady who is adopting out the one and she offered to sell me this cage for $10 (she cleaned it and honestly it looks new) its dimensions are:
18.5"L x 14.2"W x 28"H and 3/8" bar spacing here is a picture: http://www.petsmart.com/product/zoom/in ... Id=4186113

i know length is better but would this work till i found a better cage? there is not much of a selection at my petsmarts or petco stores in my area... and i currently dont have time to wait for one to be shipped.

[Sally]

I can't say if the plucked feathers will come back orange with the next molt, just have to wait and see. As far as the cage, it is too small for permanent status, but it will be fine as temporary housing. You always need to have an extra cage on hand for sick or injured birds, or quarantine, whatever, and for $10, that cage is a bargain. What you will find with many 1/2" bar spacing cages is that the bars are not totally rigid, so it is easy for the tiny birds to squeeze thru. Some cages also have slightly larger than 1/2" spacing in the corners, or where the doors are, etc., so you have to watch for openings or spaces like that.

[L in Ontario]

Yes that would be fine temporarily, until you find a cage longer rather than higher.

[ashgate]

would a 30x18x18 flight cage sold at petco with 1/2" bar spacing work? or should i just continue searching for a good sized cage with 3/8' spacing?

[Aubrey]

I started with Orange Cheeked Waxbills but they were too small for my cage with 1/2 in. spacing. They were fine until I would try to put something in their cage, once they would start fluttering about, one inevitably would figure out how to squeeze out. I figured I didn't want to have to chase them about with a net each time I cleaned their cage so I exchanged them for bigger birds. Long story short... 1/2 inch bar spacing does not work. Don't try it...or you will be chasing little flappers around your house!

[ashgate]

I am having a hard time finding a cage with the 3/8" bar spacing... that is wider than taller... I have found a 18x18x22"H, and a 18.5"L x 14.2"W x 28"H (the one the lady was offering), and a 14"L x 11"w x 16"H, I am going to a big bird fair mid april and hope to find something larger there... So today I am going to go pick up the little birds with the tall cage she has to offer and hopefully at the bird show or online somewhere i can find a longer bigger cage.

anyone have any suggestions on online stores that carry 3/8"?

[B CAMP]

I have them in a 1/2 cage for years and never had a problem,you might have problems with chicks

[kenny]

hi
i would be more worried about the chicks aswell,if they breed the little ones will be straight through those bars,i dont want to tread on anyones toes here but when i had some gold breasts ,my cages where built in banks and all i had to do was change the cage front,and in this country you can buy 1/4 inch cage fronts which i used because i didnt want any escapes..i didnt want to take the chance with my normal canary fronts as they where all 1/2 inch....but if somene has used 1/2 and had no escapes then why not!


ken

[managermania]

There should be some on ebay and the bird fair should have plenty if it's anything like the ones here.

[franny]

If you really want to give them a deluxe home, here's one for you:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002UPMQPA?tag ... 69C2TK6W2&

I made my own cage out of 3/8" hardware cloth and 1 x 1 wood trim (molding):

http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=3356

[ashgate]

thanks for the cage linky and the cage you made looks great, wish i was handy