How To Choose the Best Location For Your Bird’s Cage
- May 18, 2010
- 645 Views
Contributor
Ann_Hodgman
Your bird needs more than just a great cage. Like any family member, she needs a place to hang out with the family as well as a little privacy. After all, she’s part of the flock!
You Will Need
- A birdcage
- A table or stand, if the cage doesn’t have legs
- A choice of locations for the cage
- A lamp with a full-spectrum bulb (optional) (optional) (optional)
- A timer for the lamp (optional) (optional) (optional)
Step 1: Entertain
First and foremost, your bird needs company. The cage should be placed where you and your family or friends are likely to hang out most of the time—the family room, the living room, or near the kitchen.
Birds are tremendously vulnerable to fumes. An overheated non-stick surface—a non-stick pan, a toaster oven, even an iron or ironing board—can kill a bird. So never put a birdcage directly in the kitchen or near where you’ll be ironing.
Step 2: Avoid hectic areas
Although the cage should be in a well-trafficked part of the home, it shouldn’t be anywhere that’s extremely busy. For example, keep the cage out of a front hall where people rush in and out and the door keeps slamming.
Some birds get freaked out if their cage is placed under a noisy kids’ bedroom, or under a room where music is often played loudly.
Step 3: Place cage near natural light
Your feathered friend’s cage should be exposed to plenty of natural light. However, most bird experts agree that it’s stressful for a bird to have her cage directly in front of a window.
If the cage can’t be set up near a source of good natural light, set up a timed full-spectrum lamp near the cage. The timer should be set to keep the light on for 12 to 14 hours a day.
Step 4: Put back of cage against wall
Ideally, the back of the cage should be against a wall. Your bird will feel more secure and less exposed that way.
Step 5: Elevate cage
And speaking of security, a birdcage should not sit directly on the floor. Birds need to feel they can see what’s going on in a room. Unless the cage has legs, set it on a cage stand or a table.
Step 6: Avoid temperature extremes
Keep the cage away from the blast of a heating vent or an air conditioner. Birds can handle the occasional draft, but not a constant hot or cold breeze in their faces.
Step 7: Keep cage free of chewable objects
If your bird’s a nibbler, keep the cage away from shelves where the bird can reach through the bars and grab your stuff. You want her playing with her own toys, not your antique linens or the phone cord.
Step 8: Get acquainted
Found a home for your bird’s home? Great! Now you and she can settle down to get acquainted. If she’s a talker, she may be asking you what’s for dinner before long.
Many birds love having a “snuggly,” such as a soft cotton ring or a little fleece blanket, to cuddle up with.
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