Choosing a Great Budgie Cage for your Parakeet
One of the most important decisions you can make for your parakeet is the cage he or she lives in. This cage is their safe retreat, their home, their comfort spot. A parakeet is a flock creature that was meant to fly the wide open grasslands of Australia, living high in eucalyptus trees. If you try to squash this bird into a tiny cage, the bird will be miserable and unhappy, and probably not last very long.Get the biggest cage you can afford. Really. Your parakeet needs to be able to hop-fly from perch to perch to get some exercise when they can't be out enjoying the room. The cage bars should be close enough together that the bird's head can't fit through them. A typical restriction is that they should be 1/2" or less apart.
There shouldn't be any tiny angles or curly metal pieces that might catch a parakeet's toes or other body parts. A drawbridge-opening entrance is great because it allows the parakeet to land on it when returning home. If you don't have a drawbridge-door, consider using a rope perch outside your cage to create that landing area. You can see that on the photo of the cage below.
Put a variety of wood and rope perches into the cage. You want the parakeet's feet to have different textures and different sized perches to grab onto, so the feet get some exercise. Parakeets love to gnaw and these will also give your parakeet something to chew on. Do NOT use gravel-covered perches. Those rip open the tender feet of the parakeet!
Put in a few parakeet toys. Birds love bells, ropes, and hoops. If you use bells, don't use the Christmas-bell types with tiny openings. Bird feet can get caught in these. Use the Liberty-bell type ones with a bit opening at the bottom and a clapper. Rotate your toys every few months. Parakeets are VERY smart and will get bored with a toy after a while.
Line the bottom of the cage with paper and change it every week. Don't use gravel paper - again, when your parakeets walk down there, you don't want their feet to be ripped open. You'll need a cage cover of some sort for Parakeet Sleep Time. Also, be sure to read up on Feeding your Parakeet!
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