Cage

How big should my parakeet cage be for 2 birds?

I have 2 parakeets and i want to know how big i need the cage to be and what kind of toys/food to get them and if i should let them out of there cage for a little. My house is big so should i put them in a small room? Thanks!

Public Comments

1. Birds actually like gages, bigger the better, but parakeets are not big birds but give them some room. It does not have to be huge like some parrot cages. Get a square cage round ones drive them nuts. Get one with a play area on top, with some stuff for them to climb on. At night put a cover over there cage. Have a pro clip their wings so they can't fly. Flying may seem fun at first but it will eventually end their life, they will fly away when a door opens or into something like a pot of boiling water or closed window, breaking their neck. Wonderful pets but a little exotic. You will need to learn a lot. It will be fine. Good a book on birds, especially for a the parakeet. They are not hard to take care of or live with, but they are not a dog or cat. Feed them bird food and keep the cage clean (they are messy with feathers and poo.) Some pet shops have some good "gourmet" bird food to give them as a treat. Some people food will kill them like chocolate. They like to bond with their master and ignoring them or giving them no stimulation will drive them nuts and be cruel. They are very social and you are family, so be nice to them. They will end up being very affectionate, want to groom your hair and look for you to pet their head. They will come when you call and hop onto your finger when you call. Kind of fun to have them crawl around your shoulder. Don't let them be above you or on your head because its a power thing. You don't want them on the "higher branch" so to speak, than they might not be as obeideant. You are the one in charge so keep them lower than you. When you know their poop cycle you can kind of put them over the paper and try and train them to poop on command. They have to go ever 30 min or so; if you have them out keep that in mind.
2. For all cages always, the bigger the better! If there is room for them to fly, it's great. Always when you have multiple birds they need to have room to get away from each other as well as plentiful water and food in case one picks on the other and keeps them from the food dishes. Here is more info on cage size; http://jamiesparrothelp.wordpress.com/2008/05/28/cage-size/ As for toys - try to go for naturally made toys. From pet stores get the ones from Planet Pleasures that are purely organic parts. Parakeets love to chew so the ones that allow them to do so are best and make sure you change up their toys often (bi-weekly and at least monthly) so they don't get bored, even if they haven't gone through that particular toy yet. Organic pellets are best and are not sold at petshops. There are two brands I know of; http://jamiesparrothelp.wordpress.com/2008/06/03/the-diet-your-parrot-should-be-on/ And it's good for birds to get true exercise. Letting your parakeets out is a great idea so they can really strech and fly around. Recall flight is best, so trianing them to come back to you on cue. You can do so through target training; http://jamiesparrothelp.wordpress.com/?s=flight+train+using+targeting Just make sure no fans are on, windows open, etc. or else they will die outside on their own and a fan is a dangerous thing for them to attempt to land on.
3. I would suggest gettin a cage with dimensions that are double the wing span of both birds put together. If they were stretching their wings side by side, there would be enough room for two more birds doing the same. The only problem with getting a big cage for such small birds is that if you ever wanted to catch them, it would be very difficult chasing them around in the cage if they have enough space to fly around a lot. It also stresses them out more if something huge is chasing them around their cage. Get a cage that they can't hurt themselves in and you won't have too much difficulty getting them out either.