#daikonconsole

Georgie ~

I completely understand where you’re coming from and it is true to an extent!  Cages are not ideal for parrots to be in all the time, they’re very intelligent creatures who require a lot of stimulation, a lot of exercise, and a lot of space to not develop feather destructive behaviours and phsycological distress. BUT using appropriate cages is necessary for safety reasons!

Leaving birds outside of their cages unattended can end up causing them a lot of harm, many can chew right through walls and get to electrical wiring (yes even the little guys), clambering on to hot light bulbs causing burns, flying in to windows that can cause neurological damage, getting caught behind furniture that could make them dehydrated or starved, ingesting carpet materials that can cause compactions, among many other things. 

Cages should be an enriching environment for a bird to be and they should only be in there if no one can supervise them otherwise.  The larger the cage is the better it’s going to be, ideally you’ll want something that provides enough room to get a good amount of exercise, enough space to flap around, stretch their wings, and spacious enough to fit the amount of toys needed to keep each specific bird stimulated.  One of the bigger reasons why cages are viewed as such a bad thing is because in the past we have known much less about their needs than we do today (and we are still learning).  Cages in the past were horrifically unhealthy for birds and the effects it had on them psychologically had created a huge stigma around what cages are really for.

If you had the funds you can definitely purchase an indoor aviary or even make one yourself if you feel you could create a safe enough one for the bird (there’s actually loads of tutorials online, just watch out for toxic metals and woods).  This way the bird is getting a massive amount of space and they’re being kept away from all of the potential dangers being out of the cage alone can have.

My cage doors are open whenever I’m at home, the birds have their own dedicated room that’s been bird-proofed as much as I can that’s filled up with toys, ropes on the ceiling and most of the time they will still choose to fly on in to the cages and play around with the toys I’ve got hiding in there! That behaviour is a strong indication to me that I’ve set up my cages correctly, they don’t feel stressed or afraid to be in them, they’re finding independent enjoyment in the cages even though other options are available.  Them choosing to go in there on their own terms to play is them showing me that this cage is currently a happy, suitable place for them to be when I’m not able to have them out.

That kid is messing with the DEAD again!

@daikonconsole‘s birthday is this Sunday!