We know that pandas enjoy eating bamboo and that it’s a type of wood that spreads like wildfire.
It originates from Asia but anyone can have some in their garden. If you’ve ever wondered about its use in making things like bird cages, we’ll help you show how they position on the market. We’ll also point out if they have the right to be your new safe cage for birds.
IN THIS ARTICLE:
The Summary
★★★★★
In case the bamboo bars ever break, you can count on the replacement bars to get the cage into functioning shape again.
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★★★★☆
The cage is wider so it’ll feel a lot more comfortable for small birds. Additionally, you’ll find plenty of extras inside as well.
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★★★★☆
The length and height make it big enough for you to comfortably house one bird inside without plenty of out-of-cage time.
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Bamboo Wood: A Good Bird Cage Option?
Originating from Asia, bamboo is a wood that grows incredibly fast so it’s readily available for sale and cheap too. It’s a lightweight wood that’s very flexible, and features high tensile strength. Overall, it’s considered a very durable and versatile wood option.
Common Cage Styles
When it comes to bird cages, it’s a commonly seen material. There are two types of cages that’ll make a big difference in which one you’ll actually choose. The first one is decorative cages and the second are actual bird housing cages. They’re also commonly known as Japanese and Chinese-style cages.
The Good And The Bad: Bamboo Bird Cages
Every cage material option has its good and bad sides. It’s up to you to weigh out the pros and cons and decide whether it’s a suitable option for you and your bird.
The Good
If you choose a bamboo bird cage you’ll be caring for the planet since it’s a much more sustainable option to go with than other types of wood. Since it’s light wood, cages are often made as options that you can hang. Another thing is that they just blend naturally into homes.
The Bad
Bamboo, like any wood, is a material that’s going to be harder to clean and can easily be infested with bacteria. It’s also not a bird housing option with a large life span and they’re mostly made as decorative options. If not, they can only house small birds like budgies, finches, and canaries. They’re commonly round which you should avoid unless you plan on having it hang outside like a wild bird feeder cage.
What To Look For In A Bamboo Cage For Birds
If you want to get your money’s worth buying a cage like this, you’ll need to look for certain features simply to make sure that the cage can actually house birds and it isn’t some decorative option that’s completely unsafe for them.
How It’s Made?
It’s fairly difficult to maneuver bamboo and make things out of it so often you’ll have handmade options. These are also the most wonderful-looking options whereas factory-made options won’t usually take your breath away with astounding looks.
Material Thickness
We’re thinking of bamboo wood bars when talking about thickness. You don’t need to care much about it but you should still aim for at least 2 mm thick bars just to be sure that your bird won’t break it by chewing on it.
Appropriate Cage Size
There’s no workaround the fact that they are small cages that can only house small birds considering the durability of the material. Small birds include budgies, finches, and canaries. There’s a plethora of other small birds but they’re still going to be too big for most of these. We advise you to provide these birds with a lot of out-of-cage time.
Spacing Between Bars
Since they are made to house small birds, each bar should be 0,5” apart at most. You can go lower than that and it will be for the better too because it lessens the chance that the bird will chew on the cage bars.
Inside Cage Accessories
You don’t want to overdo it with accessories but the basics should be provided which are perches and food and water bowls. Ideally, you’ll put a chew toy in there as well. The more accessories you put inside, the less space the bird will have.
Shape Of The Cage
If you find a round cage made out of bamboo wood, this should tell you right away that it’s not a safe option for housing birds and is to be considered a decorative option. Rectangular or square-shaped cages are going to be the best choice. Any cage with corners will work though.
Bamboo Cage Prices
We can’t speak for all bamboo cages and make the claim that they’re expensive but for the most part, they are and they’re really not worth it since there are so many complications that come with having one. Some can cost $300 which is as much as a large bird wrought iron cage that is going to be more functional than these.
Best 5 Bamboo Bird Cages
So you’ve decided to get a bamboo-made cage for birds but can’t decide which one you should get? We made the list for you and we took into account their safety, size, cleanability, and durability to bring you the best possible ones available right now.
Kpfaster Bamboo Bird Cage
SPECIFICATION:
Use Location: Indoor, Outdoor
Wire Spacing: 0.47”
Shape: Square
Extras: Cover, Cups, Perches, Replacement Bars
The main benefit of this cage is that it’s square. It might be a little small but you can use it as a travel cage or if you’d like, you can keep your birds out of the cage frequently to make it work. It comes with a metal hook on top so you can hang it.
It comes with a perch and 2 porcelain food cups. The door slide open and with some work, you can access the interior with your hand to remove the extras and clean it. It’s has a full on bamboo bird cage kit that includes a few replacement skewers, and a water bottle.
Safety:
Size:
Funcionality:
AVERAGE PRICE
$150 – $200 varies from webshop to webshop: Amazon
WHY TO BUY
- Features replacement parts to make it last longer
- Steel hook makes it easily portable or hanging
- Purposed both for indoor and outdoor use
WHY TO AVOID
- It’s very small and birds will have to get out-of-cage time
Xkun Bamboo Bird Cage
SPECIFICATION:
Use Location: Indoor, Outdoor
Wire Spacing: 0.47”
Shape: Rectangular
Extras: Perches, Cups
Since it has a rectangular shape, it means that it’s much wider than most square ones. Still, it can only house one bird for shorter periods of time. It does however feature plenty of extras like 4 porcelain cups and 2 perches.
The entrance is located on the side. There, you’ll also find located a loop that allows you to grab it to pull out the deep cleaning tray situated below the bamboo grid floor. Of course, you can also hang this Chinese-style bamboo cage.
Safety:
Size:
Funcionality:
AVERAGE PRICE
$180 – $210 varies from webshop to webshop: Amazon
WHY TO BUY
- Comes with plenty of extras
- Features a pullout cleaning tray
WHY TO AVOID
- It’s too expensive
Dswssh Bamboo Bird Cage
SPECIFICATION:
Use Location:
Wire Spacing: 0.47”
Shape: Square
Extras: Ring Toy, Perches, Cups
Since it’s so small, if you’d like, you can use it as a toy that you hang at the top of your regular cage. Then it acts as a bird hideout or nest area and if you cover it, it works even better as one of the two. It’s also a beautiful decorative piece due to the detailed metal hanging hook.
It comes with a perch, 3 porcelain cups and a loop ring toy birds can play with. It does feature a bottom but it’s simply a wire grid so you’ll have to place your own there to collect bird droppings efficiently.
Safety:
Size:
Funcionality:
AVERAGE PRICE
$250 – $270 varies from webshop to webshop: Amazon
WHY TO BUY
- Can be hung inside a regular cage
- It can be a travel option
WHY TO AVOID
- Doesn’t feature a bottom that can collect bird droppings
Liushop Bamboo Bird Cage
SPECIFICATION:
Use Location: Indoors Outdoors
Wire Spacing: 0.47”
Shape: Square
Extras: Perch, Cups
The front door slides open upwards so you and the bird can access the interior. It does have a gridded bottom but it’s located below the cleaning tray you can pull out with the handle it features. The hook to hang it is metal but doesn’t exactly look breathtaking.
It’s a handmade cage so it has to be expected that some measuring errors will occur. It’s best to use it as a wild bird feeder or you can use it as a secondary cage or toy in your existing bird cage.
Safety:
Size:
Funcionality:
AVERAGE PRICE
$100 – $120 varies from webshop to webshop: Amazon
WHY TO BUY
- Can be used indoors or outdoors
- Full ventilation provided so there won’t be smells
- Weather and drop resistant
WHY TO AVOID
- Doesn’t separate birds from their droppings
Miumaeov Bamboo Bird Cage
SPECIFICATION:
Use Location: Indoor
Wire Spacing: 0.59”
Shape: Rectangular
Extras: Nest, Perches, Cups
This is the only, truly decently sized caged when it comes to bird housing. It’s long enough for it although it’s not as wide but smaller birds like budgies shouldn’t have any problems being housed inside for longer periods of time.
It’s slightly elevated from the ground, features a pullout tray for cleaning, and a bamboo bottom grid. It comes with 2 perches, 4 porcelain cups, and even a nest. The front door slides open.
Safety:
Size:
Funcionality:
AVERAGE PRICE
$150 – $200 varies from webshop to webshop: Walmart
WHY TO BUY
- It’s large enough for housing one bird
- Features an artifical nest
WHY TO AVOID
- It’s overpriced
How To Clean A Bamboo Bird Cage
Cleaning a bamboo-made cage is going to take extra work and care if you want to keep your birds healthy and want the cage to last you a while. Remember, cleaning a cage is important to keep a bird and its owner happy and healthy.
Cleaning Steps
You’ll want to soak the cage with hot water, gently scrub down any particles that might have found their way on the cage bars and finally, disinfect the cage. Before using it again, you’ll have to dry it out first. It’s best to do it in natural sunlight so that the wood doesn’t get moldy.
How To Disinfect Wood
Although you can use a 50/50 water and vinegar mixture to disinfect the cage, that will only get rid of some bacteria. You can use bird-safe disinfecting wipes to wipe down the whole cage.
Cleaning Frequency
Food and water cups should be cleaned daily as well as getting rid of bird droppings left on the cleaning tray and wire grid. Perches should be cleaned at least every 3 days. The same goes for the cage unfortunately and even sooner if the cage is clearly dirty. If it were a metal cage, you could do it every 5-7 days.
Getting Rid Of Smells
Cages smell due to improper care. The recommended step in cleaning the cage should all help with keeping the stench away. Otehr reasons why your cage smells might be due to your bird’s illness and bad breath and hormonal changes.
Alternative Uses Of Bamboo Cages
If you’re feeling let down and don’t want to get your bird this type of cage, we assure you, there are plenty of safe uses for these, it’s just a matter of recognising which one you’d benefit the most from.
In Cage Hideout Area
Since they’re so small, you’ll usually have no problems hanging them inside a large existing cage. From there, they can act as a toy, a hideout or resting area or even a nesting box in some cases.
Travel And Secondary Cages
Travel cages are meant to be small and the only qualification they should have is that they’re slightly longer than the bird’s length. You can use them for trips to the vet or you can place the bird inside them while cleaning their main cage.
Bird Feeders For Wild Birds
In this cage, you won’t have to worry about cage shape. All you need to do is place the cage outside, place some food in there, keep the doors open and wait for the wild birds to start feeding.
Make Your Own Bamboo Cage For Birds
Since there are a lot of handmade cage options, you might even be tempted to make your own to get the best out of one. We’d definitely advise it if you have the tools for it and are willing to put in some time into making it.
Octagonal Cage
The things you’ll need for this one are bamboo strips, bars and boards, glue, a cutter, and sandpaper. You can cehck out the whole making process in the linked video below.
Bamboo Skewers Method
For this much easier method, you’ll need bamboo skewers, a ruler, tape, glue, cork, plastic bags, some wire, screwdriver, and you’re done. The list of things needed might look intimidating at first, but you can see for yourself that it’s so easy to make.
To Sum Up
If you can opt for one, there are far better options out there than bamboo cages but in this case, the safest option you can go with is the Miumaeov Bamboo Bird Cage since it’s the only big enough option to comfortably house birds. It comes with a pullout cleaning tray and 2 perches, 4 cups, and even an artificial nest.
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