Have I just discovered the ultimate enclosure for house-pet quail?

[Susan Skylark]

I’ve got some netting from a trampoline I wonder if I could use for something like this! Also they have catios for cats that might work as well. The mosquito netting is pretty fine, I could not cut it with a scalpel so it is more durable than I expected. I wouldn’t use it for budgies or birds that climb or cling to the walls. Quail are ground birds and that’s where their feet stay. No issues with wings or claws, but they want to peck at the netting at eye level occasionally, did notice a small whole 3 weeks in probably from just that, might hand sew it or try duck tape or even nail polish? But you need external predator protection so this also means any inadvertent escapees probably can’t escape the garage or whatever contains the netting if they did make a significant hole. My biggest problem is keeping birds I otherwise wouldn’t, my son’s favorite year old male that has decided he’s retired, a little mutant black thing we call Humphrey…the birds are so much happier and can get away from sticky situations instead of getting beat up, I want 20, I’ve got 27! But yes, I’m assuming longevity on the netting isn’t measured in years, but for the price it is a workable option.

 

[PennyWars]

Good evening my beloved BYC.

Today, I believe I am the humble bearer of great possible news from the front lines of pet quail care innovation.

To preface this post, I have been grappling with pet quail cages for about half a decade now.

Or, rather, the absolute lack of them. You’ll find that most any enclosure used for pet quail is intended for an entirely separate animal. And, after personally suffering the loss of too many a good little friend in nightmarish flushing incidents involving the commonly used hard-topped cages, such as ones geared towards rabbits, i.e. hutches, commercial pet shop bought cages, and C&C cages, what began as a simple frustration with the lack of pet quail specific housing, has morphed itself into a personal crusade of mine in their name.

I’ve spent the staggering majority of my free time, hundreds of hours, scouring the web and stores alike. And, I believe I have stumbled upon the unlikely catch-all to indoor quail-housing.

Mosquito nets intended for beds.

No, no. Don’t click away, now. I am not kidding with you here.

A number of months ago, I curiously purchased one online from Amazon for less than $50 USD. A “pop-up,” twin sized model, featuring a solid and rising fabric floor, meant for you to place a mattress inside; that, for myself, worked to successfully contain the bedding. I set a few birds within, and, so far, it’s starkly proven to be sufficiently flimsy enough as to not result in any sort of injury, no matter how violently they flush.

Is this the beginning of a new era for pet quail keeping? The starting point for designing more accurately specific quail housing? I’m starting to think so. But I’d still adore all of your’s thoughts.

 

[PennyWars]

You're not nearly as crazy as you may have thought you were, because I've been there too. My upgraded chick brooder was one of those pop-up rectangular mesh laundry hampers for about $8 from Target. The kind with a non-mesh bottom, and I used an old towel binder-clipped around the top edge as a lid. Imagine my elation when I discovered those same pop-up mesh-sided, fully enclosed dog travel crates! That was what I set up outside, and would bring the babies out to each morning and in from each night until they grew enough feathers to start staying outside.

If you haven't already considered them, I'll expand your idea inventory a little further: plant cages. Y'know, the hoop row cover kits complete with shade cloth and attachments? Even better, A-frame covers, cold frame kits, and these incredibly useful + sturdy things called cloches. Technically used to keep deer and bunnies from munching on the landscaping and vegetable plants, but some are rather large (4'x4'x6' or other variations). Hell, I debated getting one of those walk-in greenhouses and making it a quail aviary, lol. Currently mine are housed in a rather adorable steel mesh rabbit hutch with a wooden lofted house and a ramp up to it, but then again I move them around the yard to fresh grass every other day or so. If you don't plan on moving yours around much, those are more permanent fixtures that I came across while doing my own 'what on Earth should I put them in?!' searching.