GUIDE IN CHOOSING THE MOST SUITABLE BIRDCAGE.

Are you a first-time bird owner? Like most bird owners, you are probably thinking about the things that you need to consider when buying a birdcage for your pet. It is important to provide your pet with a suitable cage. The two most important things that you need to consider are the cage dimensions and bar spacing.

Bar Spacing
It is important to choose a cage with proper, even spacing between the bars. If the bar spacing is too wide, your pet might squeeze its head through the gap between the bars. If the spacing is too packed, the scope of view of the bird becomes limited. You also won't be able to see your pet that much due to the small gaps between bars. When the cage has proper bar spacing, your pet can climb around easily.

Ideal Bar Thickness
After determining the right spacing of bars, you also need to consider the bar thickness or bar gauge. You need to make sure that the bars will not bend, break, or sustain any damage that may render the birdcage useless or worthless. You don't want a birdcage that will not be able to protect your pet from escaping or getting hurt. Bars that can sustain damage easily may bring harm to your pet.

You measure the thickness of the bars by millimeters. Take a look at the following guidelines that can help you choose the most appropriate bar thickness of the birdcage that you need for a particular bird species.

- You must use a bar gauge of 2 mm or less for parakeets, finches, canaries, and other small birds.
- You must use a bar gauge of 2.5 mm for conures, lovebirds, cockatiels, and other birds of the same size.
- You must use a bar gauge of 3.5 mm for goffins, amazons, greys, Quakers, and other birds of the same size.
- You must use a bar gauge of 5 mm and above for macaws, larger cockatoos, and other birds of the same size.

Choosing the Most Suitable Cage Dimensions
Experts often advise choosing a large birdcage - truly practical advice. A big cage allows the bird to move around easily and may make your pet remain happy all the time. Please take note that your pet's tail should not touch the bottom or the back of the cage as it sits on the perch. You may choose a cage with a width that is at least 1.5 times bigger or longer than the wingspan of your pet.

Choosing a birdcage with small space limits the things that you can add inside the cage. If you have a small birdcage, you need to consider the things you can put inside. You may only put bird perches, feeder, and other essentials for your pet. Although it may be nice to add bird swings and toys inside the cage, the limited space will be easily filled with things leaving your pet with not much room to fly or roam around.

Having too many playthings inside the cage is not something that your pet can be happy about. A bird needs space to move or fly around to be content in its current home. If a small cage is all you can afford now, don't fill it with things that your pet may not appreciate. On the other hand, if you have money and want to fill the cage with playthings for your pet, you may want to choose a bigger cage.

• When measuring the width or length of the birdcage, you need to measure the sides of the cage.
• When measuring the depth of the birdcage, you need to measure from the front going to the back of the cage.
• When measuring the height of the birdcage, you need to measure from the base of the cage all the way to the very top of the cage.
• You may also want to measure the interior height of the birdcage to determine the living space of your pet. Also, when measuring mess guards, seed guards, or mess catchers, you need to add 7" to 8" to the depth and width of the birdcage - that's an additional 3" to 4" on each side.

Final Thoughts
You can make sure that your pet bird remains happy when you provide it with the right size birdcage to use. It is already quite difficult for your pet to have its movements restrained or confined within the limited space of the cage. The best thing you can do is make sure that the cage is wide enough for your pet to keep it happy.

It is also necessary to give your pet the proper diet, living environment, and other things that can make your pet feel content, healthy, and happy.