When it comes to cages, bigger is better. The good news is they are making them bigger than they used to. Two things you want to look for are stainless steel (which can be very spendy) or powdercoated. There are a bunch of styles out there, some better than others. As a general rule, no round cages, no super tall cages, and no teeny tiny cages. A bird needs to be able to stretch their wings out completely, and have room to walk around.

A 24”Wx24”D is going to be the minimum size cage for nearly any parrot, including lovebirds and cockatiels. You don’t want anything smaller than this. It works well as a sleeping cage, or for a bird who comes out most of the day. For cage bound birds, at least 30” is ideal. Bar spacing is important with these guys, you don’t want anything larger than 1/2” or you risk them being able to get their heads stuck.

40” wide and 30” deep or similar are good for a medium to large conure. We prefer larger cages in homes, being these guys are super active and need more space than most realize.

Petco carries a 38”x38”x64” cage that works nicely for larger conures, or cage bound birds. Anything in this size range is ideal.

For single amazons, greys, eclectus, or small cockatoos, we like 36” wide by 30” deep or similar. Arch top and flat tops are mostly the same. We do prefer arch unless the bird is out most of the day, it gives just a little more head room. Both are easy to build play gyms on top of. (pictured left)

We like to use 40'“ wide, 30” deep or similar cages for single macaws, large cockatoos, or a pair of medium birds like amazons or greys. (pictured right)

We use these extra large doubles for our macaw pairs. They are suitable for single macaws who are very active, as well as large amazon pairs. They often come with a divider that can be used to separate two macaws.

Handicapped Cages

Now and then, we have a bird that requires a handicapped accessible cage. Depending on the particular birds’ needs, you may need to raise the grate, add platforms, adjust bowls, or all of the above. The cage pictured is Ziggy, a Timneh grey who is a permanent resident and suffers seizures. He is on medication for them, but it is still necessary to have a high bottom that he can land on instead of falling all the way to the bottom of the cage. The grate is brought up to the bottom of the bowls, and secured with hose clamps. It can also be welded, if you’re handy like that.

Small birds often need different adaptations, in the form of metal wire platforms called sundecks. We sew covers using fleece or wool pads and place them around so the bird can move throughout their cage with ease. With these decks, moving the grate is often unnecessary. They are also a good perch for non-handicapped birds for more variation. The covers can be purchased here, and the proceeds go directly to supporting our Rescue (made in house). Custom colors and patterns are available. Small Platform Covers Purchase Here

See Beaker’s Story for more pictures of handicapped accessible cages.

Grates are the single largest poop catcher in the cage, and need to be cleaned every time the papers are changed. We use wire scrapers and water to clean them off several times a week. We only use newspapers on the bottom of the cages due to the recyclability, no cost, and safety. It’s also very easy to see droppings on the papers so you can monitor your bird’s health. For rusty and/or old cages, many auto shops can sand blast and powdercoat the cage. It’s not super cheap, but it is cheaper still than a new cage.

Here’s a few Amazon links we’ve found for appropriate sized cages. We don’t use all of these at the rescue-we only have A&E-so we can’t vouch for the quality. It’s on you to do the research as to whether or not it’s a good cage for your bird. These are simply very available cages that fit within the proper size range for each species.

Cage buying options on Amazon and Chewy

https://www.chewy.com/e-cage-company-elegant-style-flight/dp/224190

Our top pick for quaker, conure, Senegal, caique, or cockatiel cage. Made by A&E so they will last a very very long time.

https://www.chewy.com/e-cage-company-flight-bird-cage-stand/dp/224168

Good Conure/Caique/Quaker sized cage. A lighter A&E version, but still very sturdy. This cage does not come with good bowls.

https://a.co/d/0WAThPn

Good Amazon/Grey/Eclectus sized cage.

https://a.co/d/bfLmYvPA

A decent sized cage for a Grey, Pionus, or Orange-wing Amazon

https://a.co/d/gc7SUmi

Our personal favorite macaw cage. Double sized, or with a divider if you want to house two medium birds. Makes great use of the space with two greys or amazons.

https://a.co/d/bXlnOun

One of the larger cages for this price. Fit for a single Macaw or cockatoo.