4,133 answers about birds
Parrots, budgies, cockatiels and finches each come with their own care questions — diet, cage setup, taming, noise and health. This page gathers the bird library of KinsLe Answers in one place, organized by topic so keepers can find a straight answer fast. Every answer is original, written by KinsLe, and tied to a real KinsLe feature.
496 answers in Home & Lifestyle — page 8 of 21
A Senegal parrot needs hard natural-wood perches in mixed diameters, mostly around three-quarters of an inch to an inch and a quarter, so its strong feet and busier beak get changing grip and honest chewing work. One large, tough branch should anchor the cage for sleeping, with slimmer branches near toys, because a…
Pigeons are happiest on wide, flat perches rather than round branches: wooden ledges or shelf perches several inches wide let their ground-walking feet rest fully open, with one or two V-shaped or flat-topped roosts for sleeping. A slim dowel-only cage is the wrong fit for a bird that spends its day walking,…
Doves do best with a mix of slim rounded perches, about half to three-quarters of an inch across, and genuinely flat perches or shelves where their long toes can rest open instead of gripping all day. Unlike strong-gripping parrots, doves have gentle, ground-walking feet, so a cage fitted only with thick branches…
The best perches for a caique mix natural, uneven branches in several widths, roughly three-quarters of an inch to an inch and a half across, so this bouncy, foot-busy bird constantly changes how its toes wrap and bear weight. One smooth, uniform dowel is the thing to avoid, because a caique hops, rolls, and wrestles…
A Senegal parrot needs narrower, stronger bars than many owners expect: about five-eighths to three-quarters of an inch apart, so its head cannot enter a gap while its powerful beak works the bars. Strength matters as much as spacing, because a Senegal will bite, hang from, and rattle bars daily, and thin bars can…
For a pet pigeon, choose bar spacing of about three-quarters of an inch to one inch, so the bird cannot push its head between the bars or wedge itself while trying to reach food outside. Check corners, door gaps, and bent sections too, because a pigeon will press and shuffle against any wider opening, and flight cages…
For a pet dove such as a ringneck, bar spacing of half an inch is the safe choice, with five-eighths of an inch as the absolute widest to consider. A dove does not climb its bars, so spacing is purely about containment and safety: gaps wider than that let a startled dove force its head or even its slim body partway…
For a caique, choose bar spacing of three-quarters of an inch, and treat that as the ceiling rather than a guide: a caique's head is small enough that wider gaps risk it pushing its head through and becoming trapped, which is a genuine emergency with this strong, determined climber. Spacing much narrower than about…
A turquoise parrot needs a long, low home like its grass-parakeet relatives: a flight cage at least 3 feet long, 18 inches deep and 18 inches high, with bar spacing of half an inch or less. This small, slender bird of about 8 inches is most active at dawn and dusk and spends much of its time foraging on the ground, so…
A timneh parrot needs a cage at least 3 feet wide, 2 feet deep and 3 feet high, with bar spacing of about three-quarters to 1 inch, sized for a stocky bird of roughly 13 inches with a broad wingspan. Width matters so it can flap fully and move between several perches, and the cage should open into daily out-of-cage…
A superb parrot needs an aviary-style home: this long, streamlined Australian parrot is about 16 inches in length and flies fast and far, so allow a flight at least 6 feet long, 3 feet wide and 3 feet high, and more length whenever possible. A standard upright parrot cage is a poor fit even if it looks large, because…
A star finch needs a generous flight cage for such a small bird: at least 3 feet long, 18 inches deep and 18 inches high for a pair, with bar spacing at half an inch or less. This Australian finch is active but more delicate and easily stressed than a society finch, so length buys both exercise and escape distance…
A spice finch, also sold as a scaly-breasted munia, needs a flight cage at least 30 inches long, 18 inches deep and 18 inches high for a small group, with half-inch or narrower bar spacing. These roughly 4-inch finches are active, social seed-eaters that fly in quick bursts between perches and feed together on flat…
A society finch needs length to fly and company to fill it: give a pair or small group a flight cage at least 30 inches long, 18 inches deep and 18 inches high, and step up to 3 feet or more of length as the group grows. Bar spacing should be half an inch or less for these small, roughly 4-inch birds. Because society…
A severe macaw, the largest of the mini macaws at roughly 18 to 20 inches including its long tail, needs a genuinely macaw-sized cage: at least 3 feet wide, 2 feet deep and 4 feet high, with bar spacing around three-quarters to 1 inch and heavy-gauge bars its beak cannot flex. Add a play stand outside the cage and…
A scarlet-chested parrot needs a long, low flight cage rather than a tall one: at least 30 inches long, 18 inches deep and 18 inches high, with more length strongly preferred for this quiet grass parakeet. It spends much of its day foraging at ground level, so leave floor space open for a foraging tray and low…
A ringneck dove needs width and floor room more than height: a cage at least 3 feet long, 18 inches deep and 18 inches high suits one bird or a bonded pair, with flat shelves and wide perches it can walk between. Doves do not climb bars, so every inch of height above their heads is largely wasted, while ground-level…
A regent parrot needs far more length than height: this slim Australian parrot is about 16 inches long, much of it tail, and it flies in fast, level runs rather than climbing. Plan on a flight cage at least 6 feet long, 2 feet deep and 3 feet high, or a small aviary, plus daily out-of-cage flight in a bird-safe room.…
A red-bellied parrot is a compact Poicephalus of about 22 centimetres that needs a cage roughly 80 centimetres wide, 60 centimetres deep, and 90 centimetres tall, with bar spacing near 2 centimetres and plenty of climbing routes inside. This species is often shyer than its Meyer's cousin, so space should include a…
A red lory needs a big, rugged cage, roughly 90 centimetres to a metre long, 60 to 70 centimetres deep, and tall enough for energetic climbing and swinging, because this nectar-feeding species is stronger, bolder, and more boisterous than its rainbow cousin. Budget the surrounding space too: liquid droppings and flung…
A rainbow lorikeet needs a large cage and a forgiving room: plan on roughly a metre long, 70 centimetres deep, and a metre tall, because this nectar-eating acrobat bounces, swings, and flies in constant motion. Just as important is the washable zone around the cage, since lorikeets spray liquid droppings well beyond…
A princess parrot is a long-tailed Australian parakeet built for sustained flight, so it needs the largest footprint of the parakeets here: a flight cage or indoor aviary at least 1.2 metres long, ideally closer to 1.5, with height for its tail to clear every perch. A standard upright parrot cage is a poor fit for…
A plum-headed parakeet is a slender, gentle Psittacula that thrives with room to fly, so give it a flight cage at least a metre long, around 50 to 60 centimetres deep, and tall enough for its long tail to hang clear. This species is less cage-territorial and more flight-oriented than many parakeets, and pairs or…
A moustached parakeet needs a long cage, because much of its roughly 35 centimetres is an elegant tail that must never bend against the bars: plan on at least a metre in length, 60 centimetres deep, and enough height for the tail to hang clear from the top perch. This Psittacula species is an active, capable flier, so…
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