It is important to remember that the bird’s tail should not touch the back or bottom of the cage or bump into toys or bowls when it’s sitting on a perch. At the very minimum the width of the cage should be 1-1/2 times as wide as your bird’s wingspan. When selecting your bird cage keep in mind that essential perches, toys, and other fun bird-safe accessories quickly fill a cage. So you’ll do your feathered friend a favor by providing him a comfortably large living area that will accommodate all the essential items that make his house an enjoyable “home” in which to spend his time.
A general bird cage size guide for some common pet birds is shown below. This guide as an approximate size reference. When possible, choose largest cage you can afford as long as the cage bar dimensions were appropriate for the bird, as they spend a good portion of their time in there.
1. BAR SPACING:
This is the amount of room BETWEEN the bars of the cage, and is very important. Trouble ensues if the bar spacing is too large and the bird’s head can squeeze through the bars. If the spacing is too small, your birds visibility is decreased, they could bend or break the bars with their beak, and you can’t see your new little friend as well, either! Proper spacing helps them climb around their new home easily, as well.
By alphabetical, not size, order
| Bar Spacing Guidlines |
Small Birds
Up to ½”
|
Medium Birds
⅝” – ¾”
|
Large Birds
¾” – 1″
|
X-Large Birds
1″ – 1 ¼”
|
| Budgie/Parakeet
Canary
Dove
Finch
Meyers
Lovebird
|
Caique
Cockatiel
Conure
Lory
Parrotlet
Pionus
Quaker
|
African Grey
Timneh or Congo
Amazon
Cockatoo (sm-lrg)
Goffin to UmbrellaMacaw – (Sm-Med)
Hahns/Noble, Mini |
Cockatoo (Lg)
Moluccan
Macaw (Lg)
Blue & Gold, Scarlet, Hyacinth, Greenwing |
2. CAGE DIMENSIONS – What size should my bird cage be?
Experts will tell you (within the confines of safe bar spacing, of course) to select as large a cage as you can afford (remember, your living room can always be rearranged!)
It is important to make sure the bird’s tail will not touch either the back or the bottom of the cage while sitting on the perch. Another guideline is to choose a width at least 1-1/2 times your bird’s wingspan as a minimum starting size.
It really is amazing how quickly a small space fills up once you fill it with toys, perches, and other fun items! Keeping your friend occupied with a variety of playthings is essential to prevent feather-plucking from boredom, but fun should certainly not come at the cost of giving up free space inside the cage! (by alphabetical, not size, order):
| Cage Width Minimums (Suggested) |
Small Birds
|
Medium Birds
|
Large Birds
|
18″ and Larger:
Finches to Parakeets
20″ and Larger:
Lovebirds, etc. |
24″ and Larger:
Conures, Cockatiels, Etc.
32″ and Larger:
Amazons, Greys, Etc. |
36″ and Larger:
Cockatoos
40″ and Larger:
Macaws |
Avalon Aviary Bird Store proudly sells superior quality King's Cages. We slightly modified their FAQ cage guidelines and posted them here for easy access for those browsing our website.
Feel free to access their original version here:
King's Cages FAQ