Best 8 Parrot Cages: Species Members And Their Homes

Parrots are probably the first thing that comes to mind when we think of pet birds. We’re not surprised by this either since their beautiful colors and fun personalities have made a great impact on people.

The most commonly known member is the macaw but did you know that there are over 300 hundred parrot species out there. Here’s how to recognize them and how to care for them by buying them a proper parrot cage, and more.

The Summary

Parrots: Visual Identification

There can be a lot of confusion in terms of which birds are actually considered parrots. It doesn’t surprise us since there are over 300 parrots species out there. Visually, they all have curved beaks and have four toes on each leg. Their legs are strong and they have an upright stance. There are a lot of differences in size. They can be small, medium, or large even though most people associate them with the larger members like macaws and cockatoos.

Common Parrot Pets And Their Size Categories

We’ll separate the birds into the small, medium, and large categories. These are the most popular parrot species out there.

Small – Lovebird, Caique, Pionus, Kakariki, and Meyer’s. Parakeets and Parrotlets would be included but they’re their separate species with separate categories.

Medium –  Cockatiel, Senegal, Conure, Ringneck, Eclectus, Mini Macaw, Small Cockatoo, and African Grey.

Large – Macaw, Cockatoo, and Amazon

Is Keeping Parrots In A Cage Cruel?

No, it’s not but what is cruel is keeping them in a cage that’s just too small for them. We suggest you take time with choosing the right size and if you can, always go bigger. Enough out-of-cage time is also a must to keep the bird happy and healthy. Parrots are endangered species and most are bred and meant to be sold either way.

Are Parrots Happy In A Cage?

As long as their owner takes care of them, and fulfills their needs both mentally (playing, mental stimulation) and physically(the right cage size, frequent cage cleaning, replenishing food supplies, your parrot will love its cage. In fact, some may love it so much that they begin to view the cage as a safety point and can get aggressive towards anyone that wants to get close to the cage.

What Is The Best Cage For A Parrot?

All parrots will enjoy a larger cage and the construction material should be durable and tough. There are many other factors that go into making a cage best for a certain parrot though so let’s check them.

Bar Gauge And Spacing

The rules of bar gauge don’t apply to all birds. The rule is this, if your bird has a large and strong beak, bar gauge is something you should worry about. This includes Macaws, Cockatoos, Mini Macaws and Cockatoos, African Greys, and Amazons. We’d recommend a wire gauge of 8-13 for them.

Wire spacings will vary from parrot to parrot. They can usually be classified into small, medium, and large bird wire spacing categories. It’s important that the spacing isn’t too big because it might seriously hurt your bird otherwise.

Cage Materials

Parrots are no different than other pet birds so you’ll have to make sure that the material is safe for them. Remember, rust is bird toxic if ingested so it’s best to opt for a cage made out of stainless steel or aluminum. They’re very expensive though so the next best alternative would be a wrought-iron cage, iron cage, or an alloy steel cage.

Finish Coatings

With cages made from material that easily rust, you’ll have to make sure that the cage has a finish that’ll protect it. A powder coat finish is a standard since it won’t chip away easily and leaves exposed metal areas that would then rust.

How Big Of A Cage Does A Parrot Need?

The cage size is highly dependent on your bird’s size. The rule is to give them a cage that’s at least 1 1/2 times bigger than its wingspan. The same goes for height. Below are the minimum cage size requirements for the most popular species.

Parrot Accessories

These are one of the most intelligent birds out there. They’re highly social and toys and accessories stimulate them both mentally and physically. We suggest you rotate toys and extras frequently since they will get bored otherwise. Make sure you purchase toys that are easy to clean and that won’t hurt the bird if they ingest broken-off bits.

Price

Most parrot bird cages have to be made extra durable. even if they’re made with cheaper materials, chances are they’re going to cost upwards of $400. It makes sense that this is the case since you want to aim to make the cage a lifelong house for your bird (30+ years depending on lifespan).

Best 8 Parrot Cages

Prevue Pet Products Stainless Bird Cage

There’s no finish to worry about or rusting for that matter since it’s completely made out of stainless steel. This includes the accessories it comes with as well which would include the play top, perches, and bowls.

The front door is decently sized so you’ll have no problems accessing the inside to switch out the accessories and clean it. Even though it’s heavy, it’ll be easy to move thanks to the help of 4 wheels that are all lockable.

To the left and right sides of the front entrance, you’ll find smaller doors acting as feeding entrances. The front door features 2 bird-resistant locks. Even though the bar gauge isn’t specified, since they’re stainless steel made they’re more durable.

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King’s Cages Acp 2522 Bird Cage

Although aluminum cages don’t require a finish to be rust and corrosion proof, this one has it but it’s made with the anodization of aluminum bars. The color is bronze and is a feature only on the mainframe.

It sits on a stand featuring wheels and a shelf where you can store excess toys and supplies. The outside edges on the bottom feature seed guards that prevent seeds from falling onto your floor.

It does feature a play top. It includes two play ladders, a perch, and 2 bowls. There’s an additional perch for the inside and both are made from wood. The sides feature a total of 3 feeding entrances.

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Mcage Corner Bird Cage

The number one benefit of this cage is that you can place it in corners to save space due to the cone shape it features. The front is made up of a total of 3 panels. The center panel features the front entrance while the side panels feature feeding doors.

It’s designed for smaller parrots and the thing to prove it is its overall size, wire spacing, and gauge. The finish is epoxy but it still does a fine job of protecting against rusting and corrosion.

It sits on 5 wheels in total and features seed guards on the bottom as well. at the very top of the main entrance, there is an arched door that opens vertically. It can act as a resting spot for parrots.

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Mcage Playtop Bird Cage

The eggshell white powder coat finish will go a long way in helping this cage for parrots blend better into your home. It’s also smaller than some of the previously reviewed. Although it does limit you to housing medium-sized parrots, it’s still a benefit nonetheless.

The play top is made up of 2 arched ladders. The wooden perch rests on them and you’ll also get 2 bowls for food and water. Additionally, it comes with 3 more bowls and a perch for the inside.

It features seed guards right above the cleaning tray that you can easily pull out for quick cleaning. It also sits on 4 wheels, 2 of which you can lock to make it more stable when it’s not being moved.

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Yaheetech Rolling Bird Cage

Even though the cage can’t be removed from its stand with wheels, you wouldn’t even want to since it’s fairly heavy. The place where the stand transitions to the cage interior features seed guards. You can remove them but we wouldn’t suggest it.

There’s an additional cleaning tray on top that’s there because the play top consists of a wooden perch, 2 bowls, and a play ladder. The front door is around 21-in tall and 11-in wide so it’s enough for you to access the inside with ease.

The sides feature smaller feeding doors. You can attach the stainless steel bowls to them to easily replenish food and water supplies. It’s designed for medium-sized parrots.

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King’s Cages Double Bird Cage

In case you have no choice but to house 2 large parrots together, this is the cage to go with. It features a divider in the center that allows you to house them separately or together if you will.

It’s huge and it’s no wonder since it can house 2 birds. Each cage side features its large front entrance and a vertical entrance that can act as a rest area for the birds.

It sits on 6 wheels in total and has seed guards near the bottom as well. It’s made with 4 gauge wire so there’s not a chance that the parrots will ever bend the wire. It’s no wonder that it costs upwards of 1500 dollars.

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King’s Cages Gc 14022 Bird Cage

The biggest issue of these is their size and how badly they blend into homes. This one saves the day with the fact that you can place it into corners due to its irregular pentagon shape. It’s even colored grey to blend even better.

It has a welded bar design and what makes it even more durable is the 5.5 mm thick bars. It features a rest door that opens vertically right above the front door and it even has a nesting box door along with 4 feeding doors.

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A&e Dome 9003223 Bird Cage

The parrot bird cage primarily sits on a stand with wheels that does not feature a storage shelf. Even though it makes the interior of the cage shorter, what helps get it back up to taller levels is the dome top which also makes it look nice.

The sides feature feeding doors and there’s even a nesting box door closer to the top. It features seed guards to prevent seeds from spilling and has a decently sized door that allows you to access the inside with ease.

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What To Know About Parrots As Pets?

Parrots, unless they’re smaller aren’t beginner pets. Apart from their long lifespan, their intelligence makes them harder to handle. Most are not kid-friendly either.

Behavioral Issues

Biting, screaming, and destructive behavior is a sign of an unhappy pet. There are a number of reasons why this may be. The bird might be unhappy with its enclosure, they might be bored or they just aren’t getting enough attention. They can also be in their adolescent phase where they basically act like teenagers.

Training Difficulty

Although taming them isn’t a problem on its own, what is the time that has to be spent taming them. They’re prey animals so training them is a slower process than that of dogs for example. Once they’re tamed, you have to keep them tame by doing everything you were doing in the first place.

Housing More Than One Parrot

Although most parrots are flock animals, most are also territorial. Housing more parrots together is only an option if they were introduced to each other while young or if the breed is small (cockatiels, parakeets, lovebirds).

How Long Should A Parrot Be Out Of Its Cage?

If you have a smaller parrot like a conure, kakariki and similar breeds, a good rule of thumb is to let them out of the cage for at least 2 hours while with larger parrots, the rule is to let them out for at least 3 hours. This indicates the time investment needed when owning parrots since you can’t just let them run loose, they have to be supervised.

Do Parrots Need To Be Covered At Night?

Night covers give parrots the privacy that they value and can’t really get during the day. The bird is also more likely to keep quiet in the early morning when they usually get loud and vocal. Covers also block light that might otherwise be coming from various sources so it’s great to keep the cage covered but if you had no problems so far, you don’t have to.

Do Parrots Poop A Lot And Can You Toilet Train It?

Although a bit contradictory, the larger the parrot the less frequently it will poop. It can range anywhere from every 15 minutes up to every hour. Given the fact that these are highly intelligent animals, you can potty train them in a matter of 3 days even.

Cheaper Cage Options: DIY

To avoid too big an investment for a new cage, you can make it on your own. Supplies you’ll need: Aluminum corner panels, A drill, rivets, rivet tool, a wooden plank, a tape measure, door hinges, aluminum foil, glue, door handle, and wire mesh.

1. Step
Take your 2 16-in and 2 12-in aluminum corner panels. connect them on the edges and use a drill to make a hole in them. You’ll then use the rivet tool and rivets to connect them safely. You’ll make another one with the same measures for the bottom half.

2. Step
Take an additional 4 aluminum panels and connect them to the upper frame area using the same tools and technique as before. Connect the bottom frame to the side frames next.

3. Step
Next, you’ll drill 2 holes on the top and bottom frame and 1 in the center of each side frame. The holes should be spaced out evenly.

4. Step
You’ll use the top frame holes to connect 2 more panels to it. This will act as the door frame. Repeat the process of drilling holes and placing rivets on them to connect them to the rest.

5. Step
Take 2 4.5-in and 2 10.5-in panels and repeat the process of connecting them. This will make the door. Attach hinges to the door frame and door by drilling holes and fixing them with the rivet tool.

6. Step
Get your aluminum foil and cut it to measure, place it on the bottom on the inside and glue it to the sides. Flip the cage and make the same with your first piece of aluminum wire mesh. Then glue the rest of the mesh to the other sides and door, leaving 2 open.

7. Step
Use 2 additional panels and attach them with the rivets and rivet tool to the inside. Repeat the process for all sides. You will have to drill additional holes in some cases.

8. Step
It’s time to attach the door handle. You can add a door lock too and we’d recommend it although it’s not a part of the process in the video linked below.

Important note: This is a small cage, for larger birds, you’ll have to double or even triple the measurements. The wire mesh should also be thicker in the case of larger birds but we do recommend you buy second-hand if you want a cheaper option.

Second-Hand Cages

Buying a used cage is also a cheaper option but people usually avoid buying second-hand because they prefer the security of buying things that they don’t really have to worry about before they buy them. They are cheaper though so just make sure the cage is meant to house your parrot and if you can, inspect it for damage before buying. (damage may include chipped paint, rusted areas, broken cage locks, bent wire, and more)