how much is too much in a bird cage? (trying not to over crowd it)?

Question

I just bought a cockatiel cage that's 18x18, and very tall. It came with 4 plastic perches, but I bought 2 wooden fatter perches because I know that they need different sized perches. They're too short to go straight across the cage, so I put the 2 wooden ones diagonally in 2 different parts of the cage, and put 2 plastic ones straight across, in 2 different areas of the cage. I also put a swing at the top, and 2 different bird toys. is 4 perches in an 18x18 cage over kill? I tried to space them so that my future cockatiel can stretch its wings on each perch, and I tried to space them so that my bird can use the entire cage, but I dont want to over do it.

(what can I say...I'm trying to feng shui my bird cage)

I do plan on getting a much bigger cage as soon as I can afford it (a cage meant for a parrot or a cockatoo, probably). But when I get my bird It'll be with me most of the day, and the cage will only be used for sleeping, eating, and relaxation time, so he'll get plenty of exercise.

Answer 1

As long as your bird can move about freely, stretch and flap her wings it isn't too much. I wouldn't put in much more though, your 18x18 is the absolute minimum that a cockatiel should be kept in, I usually say no smaller than 24x24. Remember to take your bird out as much as possible, and this size won't be too much of a problem.

When you can afford it, you might want to purchase a much bigger cage. With cages, bigger is better, as long as the bar spacing isn't too big.

Answer 2

I put perches all across my cages. Most important is to space them so that the bird doesn't poop on them and then you have to clean, clean, clean. Remember that even if the cage is tall, birds tend to go to the top perches and height is wasted unless they have a very long tail. 18x18 is not a large cage for a cockatiel. They need a lot of room to move around and exercise-especially if you don't let your bird out. I put perches all over the cage because it looks better and I can have different sizes. I use much larger cages tho'.