So you’ve decided to enhance your life by bringing a bird into your home or maybe you’re planning on having an aviary full of birds and going in for breeding. Perhaps it’s somewhere in between. Whatever the case, you need to sort out first and foremost just what sort of enclosure you are going to need to meet the requirements, not only of your new feathered friends but also of yourself and your family.
When I was just a lad, I was given a pair of Budgerigars and my father knocked me up a cage out of a small packing case with half- inch wire nailed across the front, a door cut into the side and a nesting box up in the corner. He very cleverly provided an external lid over the nesting box, which proved to be a great asset when they started breeding, as I was able to keep an eye on things and clean out the box when necessary.
The Budgies started breeding like rabbits until there was almost “standing room only” in the cage and so the next move was to a much larger packing case with several nesting boxes and a door big enough for me to climb through. Frenetic breeding continued and I then progressed to an aviary with an enclosed area for roosting and breeding and an open flight area.
All of these cages were home- made because, apart from anything else, the only bird cages you could buy back then were for single Budgies, Canaries and Parrots. No-one was manufacturing the beautiful and functional enclosures that are readily available today.
There is a cage available to suit every variety of bird and every domestic situation. It would have been unheard of when I was a kid to have an indoor aviary but now you can buy a specially designed enclosure to blend in with and actually enhance your indoor decor. Added to that is the sheer delight of a house full of bird chatter. Cages are available in whatever size you want, so you can have one that virtually dominates the landscape or one that fits neatly into a spare corner. Buying a pre-fabricated one is the way to go. That way you don’t have to worry about fitting the thing through doorways or navigating it into an awkward spot. You’ll get a lovely set of directions and even the biggest dummy will be able to assemble it.
Of course, the most important thing of all is to get an enclosure that suits its prospective inhabitants. That just means doing a little research beforehand. It’s all there just waiting for you.
Noel Williams is interested in everything to do with gardening, outdoor living and wildlife and is passionate about birds.
For a great range of bird cages and accessories go to:
http://www.birdcages-n-things.com
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