upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

Here is a pic of Jackers' new cage. He loves it. Tomorrow I am getting some almond branches from the garden to put in his cage as perches for him.

[/img]

How wide is his cage- Just asking we have 4 ft, due to wanting enough wing spread room.

His cage is 2ft wide. I know that 3ft is better but he is only in the cage to sleep at night and out ALL day. When he gets bigger, we may buy him a bigger cage, anyway but it is ok for him now. It is 166cm high so is tall enough!!!

I agree with you, thats fine. Our Cockatoos prefer the smaller cages- I guess they feel more secure.

The cage should be large enough for your new bird to spread his wings out to stretch at least. 4ft wide x3ft deep really should be the MINIMUM size for a large macaw...even if all they are doing is sleeping in there.

I agree wiith "FireBottom"
My cag is in a bigger cage then that..
I have a BIG corner cage for my B&G.
I think in that case(as in a cage)Bigger is better

Most of the major rescue associations say you should be able to have 3 perches, 4 toys, 3 food dishes and STILL enough room for your bird to FLAP his wings in his cage. There are 40x80 "double macaw"cages on ebay for $650. My blue and gold has a 6 foot by 12 foot cage and uses EVERY single square inch

Hey folks, bigger is better, only if practical, but for christ's sake dont be so hard on other people who can not provide it for whatever reason. Lots of out-of-the-cage time to exercise is always preferable, and it looks like this is the plan here, anyhow. Most of your attitudes suck with your superiority know-it-all stance ... and I will bet, those of you that sport "attitude" like the latest designer label, or popular car to be seen driving in, then completely lack compassion for other's situations, have not had big birds for very long either. Yet, you feel a need to tell everyone what is best for them and their fids. Maybe this is a very lucky B&G who is very loved and has a big play area, and lots of time and space to explore the environment and exercise outside of the cage. But, everyone is so hasty to express their self-righteous opinions without getting all of the facts straight. I am tired of reading all of the snobby high faluting, unjustified attitudes towards others whose circumstances you dont have a clue about. I agree that bigger is better, but it is not always do-able, and there are other factors, too.

Nobody is getting nasty here (you are the only one with vitriolic postings). This is a first time bird owner whom other bird owners are engaging with.....i.e. why most people post here, so they can get advice from aviculturists who have more experience. Nobody said the bird was unloved or neglected. But simply put, that cage is small for a large macaw. I want a killer whale, but my swimming pool isn't large enough:) The advice that was posted is designed to help the bird and owner have the best chance at success by creating an optimal environment.

Bigger is not always better- I have experienced with our birds- yes a couple have really enjoyed the huge Macaw cages- but as far as our 2 U2's, Scarlet and Cag, they all prefer the smaller cages. Some just feel more secure and dont use the room, others like our Rosebreasted has a huge cage due to shes an acrobatic bird. Its what works best for each individual bird and what they are happy and content in. Even our Greenwing has lived 8 yrs in a 36x30 cage- we bought her and gave here a 40x40 and she is happy- but did not like the double macaw cage. Ive seen our Macaws, stretch but never flap wings, they do that while out of cage, and get exercise and carti- work outs daily.

May I ask out of curiosity what made you think your gw "didn't like" her larger cage? A gw has a 3ft plus wingspan, so a cage that is 30 inches by 36 won't give her the extra space to flap. This is very common. I know tons and tons of birds that won't flap in their cages if they are smaller. They prefer to wait until they are let out because they don't like hitting the sides or toys / perches with their wings. It took a cage 4/4/12 foot before my U2 felt like he had enough room to flap....and boy does he! He blows all the paper off the bottom!!!

- she now lives in a Width 48"" Depth 36" Height 76"
And has been relaxed and no problems. Believe me- Im a 7 day 24 hour at home I know when they are happy and are not. Mabey to- cause they are out all day long! And her cage she lived in for 8 yrs was before we bought her. And no I would not use it for a GW. Even our B&G's have same size cage. Scarlet we bought on for him, not happy until we got him a 36x36x76.

Well, not been on here for a while - sorry. Thought I would just update you all.

Jackers still has his "small" cage (sorry if that pees anyone off) but we are currently building him a 4.5metre x 2.5m outside play area/aviary and he is out of his cage ALL day and he has a great large parrot stand with loads of toys on it. Also, it is VERY difficult here in Spain to find a huge size cage. They also cost a lot more here than in the UK. Not sure why that is....

Anyway, Jackers is a very happy, very tame, very talkative macaw. He lies on his back in my arms for cuddles and loves attention. He says "hello", "no", "yeah", "hide peepo", "love you", "clever polly", "love you polly", "mmmmm", "step up", "clever boy". The polly bit is because my hubby has always called him polly and not Jackers!!!!

He still gets on great with my 3 dogs but he is definitely the boss. Guess the beak puts them off!!

Will try to stay updated on here now I have my internet connection sorted.

I believe that Loopyloro just wanted to show us the new cage for his baby.There was no mention on what we thought of the size.Geez quite being so critical. Loopyloro I think thats a wonderful cage and your baby is very lucky to have you

Junebug - thank you for your kind comments. Yes, Jackers (or Polly as my hubby and 2 kids call him....) is spoilt bloomin' rotten and a very loved pet. The outside aviary/play area is costing us a fortune - I would prefer to have that than a larger cage. Don't think you can buy a 4.5m x 2.5m cage for in the house!!!!! I have just ordered him a huge "ring" with feeders on it to hang from the aviary as well as the fact I have loads of tree trunks and large branches, perches, ladders and thick sisal rope to make him a fab play area. Will post pictures once it is finished - I can't wait.