DYI cage for a cockatiel

[apbgv]

Ok two weeks ago I became the proud accidental owner of a cockatiel, my mom calls-did you lose a cockatiel, she knows I don't have one. Well there was one in their tree So I of course took him in. His name is Sheldon, sings, says a few garbbly phrases. Likes to sit on my shoulder. I would like to have my dad build me a cat proof cage so he can be in the living room but not on me all the time. Anyone done this??? Pics would be awesome

 

[Nambroth]

I asked this in a different thread-- but if you have not, please consider seeing if there is someone missing your cockatiel. I know if one of mine ever got loose accidentally I'd be devastated. They can fly a long ways and even if you haven't seen any 'lost' posters or notices there could still be someone looking for it.

To answer your question: In my opinion making a DIY cage for a hookbill is very hard to do. The biggest hurdle is to find materials that are safe. Nearly all wire that can be found is galvanized, which can cause serious health problems and even death for hookbills. Hookbills use the wire to climb on and often chew on it as well, which means they ingest parts of the galvanized coating. Parrots are very susceptible to metal toxicity which is why most parrot cages (that are safe for indoor use) are either powder-coated or stainless steel for the high end cages. Try this site: http://www.twpinc.com/twpinc/products/TWPCAT_14/p_2X1_2W0630W48T but as you can see, it would probably actually be cheaper to order a pre-built cage...!

Whatever you use, remember that the bar spacing (space between openings) must be less than the cockatiel's head, otherwise your bird could badly injure him/herself. They can also climb more easily on horizontal bars (vs. vertical).

 

[Nambroth]

Sorry, double post. x_x

 

[apbgv]

If he would be able to get his head through the bars he would be headless. I know about zinc toxicity, zinc is toxic to all animals if they ingest enough, we have actually removed coins from dogs who have eaten zinc coins and they were very ill:/ Of course we tried to find owners, but I do remember seeing an ad at a store for a cockatiel for sale a couple weeks previously and I am not wondering if he was a toss out, that happens very frequently with animals

 

[theoldchick]

You can order cockatiel cages online. Build or buy the biggest cage you can afford. They don't need one of those tall narrow cages as cockatiels like to hang from the side of cage and flap their wings. Make sure the bars are non-toxic- big enough to withstand their beaks, and close enough together to keep their heads inside the cage. Hardware cloth will not work as the metal is toxic (cockatiels like to chew!), and will cause heavy metal poisoning.

 

[apbgv]

Never mind I think I have a plan-in my previous post I stated I know hardwardware cloth contains zinc.

 

[FireTigeris]

I have a cage that was for ferrets and converted for rats and I use it now for a tiel.

Its 3*2*3.

 

[SouthDakotan]

Ok two weeks ago I became the proud accidental owner of a cockatiel, my mom calls-did you lose a cockatiel, she knows I don't have one. Well there was one in their tree So I of course took him in. His name is Sheldon, sings, says a few garbbly phrases. Likes to sit on my shoulder. I would like to have my dad build me a cat proof cage so he can be in the living room but not on me all the time. Anyone done this??? Pics would be awesome

My hubby made me a cage for my cockatiels. They like vertical cages, that have walls they can climb. What we did was create a hardware cloth metal framed cage on top of a cabinet (which functions as their supply cabinet). The height is two fold. We live in cold South Dakota and winters the temps in the house may not be ideal. So having a tall enough cage the birds can choose to go up to the higher perches if cold, or down lower if temps feel nicer lower down. I am able to hang things from the ceiling also, since it too is hardware cloth. I have numerous articial plants in the cage and I hang "bouquets" of grass in the fall that are full of seed heads.



The door side is plexiglass and so is the back. That leaves two sides in hardware cloth. If I made another, I'd place hardware cloth on the back, front and non-door side, but then place a layer of plexi 3/4 of the way up on those sides. It allows air flow, but keeps their seed & feathers inside the cage.

The bottom area, my hubby build a drawer, you can't see it though. So it catches all the stuff in the bottom. Just like what you see in commercial bird cages. But I tend to layer it with lots of papers, so I can just roll up the paper and pull it out via the door.

 

[SouthDakotan]

To answer your question: In my opinion making a DIY cage for a hookbill is very hard to do. The biggest hurdle is to find materials that are safe. Nearly all wire that can be found is galvanized, which can cause serious health problems and even death for hookbills. Hookbills use the wire to climb on and often chew on it as well, which means they ingest parts of the galvanized coating. Parrots are very susceptible to metal toxicity which is why most parrot cages (that are safe for indoor use) are either powder-coated or stainless steel for the high end cages. Try this site: http://www.twpinc.com/twpinc/products/TWPCAT_14/p_2X1_2W0630W48T but as you can see, it would probably actually be cheaper to order a pre-built cage...!

Whatever you use, remember that the bar spacing (space between openings) must be less than the cockatiel's head, otherwise your bird could badly injure him/herself. They can also climb more easily on horizontal bars (vs. vertical).

THe solution is to burn off the galvanizing. Most don't have the means to do that, but I'm lucky in that my partner is a metalsmith and was able to do that for the wire we used.

 

[hoppy]

to neutralize the galvanized coating, spray with white vinegar or lemon juice. when it no longer looks shiny, its safe,(make sure to rinse this off.)