chinchilla cage for crippled ferals??

[psychopomp]

Hi, I am looking at affordable indoor housing options for two crippled ferals that cannot fly....most birdcages are too small.....designed for small flyers...

I came across a large chinchilla house, two ramps with two levels (small platforms)....mesh bottom with pull out tray....any reason it wont work??

also going to make a little outdoor hutch area to get fresh air and exercise.

Jen

[spirit wings]

i think you are on the right track....also you may want to google finch flight cage or aviary, they seem to be a larger size but not as expensive as the large parrot cages. also these pic are good ideas for nice weather fun!

[cyro51]

We use chinchilla cages for indoor housing (mostly ill birds) and an aviary with shelter outdoors for permanent residents.

Cynthia

[psychopomp]

I am also looking at taller ferret cages....outdoors has to be seasonal ...I live in northern Canada, the temperatures in winter are as low as -30 centigrade....I am going to build a small take down aviary (i hope) as I have a small yard

[maryjane]

Both chin and ferret cages work well for non-flying pigeons. I've used both. The plastic bottoms are nice, as they are smooth and easy to wipe clean. I use newspapers in them. Some have wire bottoms but of course you would want to be careful it doesn't hurt their feet. If they are able to get around some, they should enjoy the easy-to-use plastic ramps to the higher levels, too. You might try getting one of those soft houses that are essentially a cloth square with a hole in the front. My indoor pijies love those to use as houses, and they're washable.

[psychopomp]

I'll let you know what I end up with! the cloth one sounds nice, but i have a cat! luckily she is is not a bird chaser....she got along fine with "spot" when I took care of her....she has no killer instinct , but I dont trust her not to open a cloth cage.

is 18 unches wide enough for pigeons to tunn around comfortably?

[spirit wings]

I think the soft house goes inside the cage for them to sit/snuggle in...18 inches seems a little small for a perm home...i got the feisty ferret home for my chin and really like it. it is 23 deep by 42 tall I think. that may be a good option

[maryjane]

Originally Posted by psychopomp

I'll let you know what I end up with! the cloth one sounds nice, but i have a cat! luckily she is is not a bird chaser....she got along fine with "spot" when I took care of her....she has no killer instinct , but I dont trust her not to open a cloth cage.

is 18 unches wide enough for pigeons to tunn around comfortably?

Lol! I see where that didn't come across right. I meant to add inside the cage one of those little cloth houses that are the size of a basketball. Kind of like this one (though this one is made from basket material):



My indoor pigeons loved the soft cubby hole it made. I also had a bigger one, just a round carpeted one, with a hole in the front, originally a cat house. They took that one over pretty quick too.

[psychopomp]

the ferret home i was thinking of is 51 inches tall, 18.5 wide and 26.5 long...I cant afford anything larger. I can add the little hammocks etc myself, didnt realize pidges would use them!
Most bird cages are actually smaller in dimension...at least the ones available here.

I *might be able to build something larger, later...but I also dont have a huge area for the cage.

[Jay3]

Metal dog crates make good cages for pet pigeons. They come in many different sizes.

[psychopomp]

hmmm but doesnt the dog crate mean I have to crawl on my hands and knees to clean it, or get the pigeons out? I have a bad back...how would you set it up?
thanks for the idea!

[spirit wings]

Originally Posted by psychopomp

hmmm but doesnt the dog crate mean I have to crawl on my hands and knees to clean it, or get the pigeons out? I have a bad back...how would you set it up?
thanks for the idea!

i think i read somewhere that the metal dog crates could be a hazard as the head of the pidg can get stuck between the bars. if the cage you are considering is all you can afford by all means get that one, you may just have to give him extra time out of it, and maybe have another small cage to set in the yard or deck to get some sun and fresh air. Then if all goes well and you know he will be with you forever you can save for a bigger one later if you think it would be better...oh and the hammock, it comes with the cage for ferrets they use them, i don't know if a pidj would but i guess you could try it, make sure he does'nt get hung up in it though.

[Jay3]

Originally Posted by spirit wings

i think i read somewhere that the metal dog crates could be a hazard as the head of the pidg can get stuck between the bars. if the cage you are considering is all you can afford by all means get that one, you may just have to give him extra time out of it, and maybe have another small cage to set in the yard or deck to get some sun and fresh air. Then if all goes well and you know he will be with you forever you can save for a bigger one later if you think it would be better...oh and the hammock, it comes with the cage for ferrets they use them, i don't know if a pidj would but i guess you could try it, make sure he does'nt get hung up in it though.

Well, I raised mine in the dog crates, and had no problem. The bars were spaced well enough apart, so that they couldn't get their heads stuck. It probably depends on the size of the crate how close the bars are placed.
And, if that were a worry, you could always attach 1/2 inch hardware cloth to the outside of the crate. Very easy with plastic ties. At least, the cage would be a good size for the birds. And you wouldn't have to buy a larger cage later.
And no, you don't have to climb in, you can put a fairly good sized cage up on a table. They usually have a door on one end, and another on one side. Easy access. It worked out very well.

[psychopomp]

I will take a look at my local pet shop see what they have (bird cages were awful)....I do like the idea of a pull out tray....but if they have a lot more wing space, maybe thats better....I noticed you can buy separate platforms, ramps to add levels. then I also have to add the hassle/cost of finding a high table....which I know the pidges prefer to look down on us humans anyways....

and I am going to take them out whenever I can, fresh air and sun.

[Jay3]

By the way, the dog crates also have the pull out tray that comes with them. And many of them come with a divider, so that you can make one cage into two sections if you want to. Just wanted to let you know that.