Last updated: July 9, 2022
We’ve realized that we have a lot of articles and care guides on the site that talk about the best bird cages for specific breeds and that it would be easier and better for you the reader to have all of this information on a single page.
It will also make it easier and faster for us to update recommendations as warranted by new models or when a certain cage is retired or simply no longer available.
That is why we’re creating this Bird Cages Buyer’s Guide and will replace the current individual mentions of specific cages within our other articles and care guides with links to this page so that you can make the most informed purchase.
Let’s face it, bringing a bird into your home is a life-changing event in many ways, and it’s also a financial commitment for your budget as well.
The highest initial costs besides the bird itself will be veterinary visits and the cage your bird(s) will live in.
Hopefully what follows will help you to avoid making an ill-informed and regrettable cage purchase early on.
Table of Contents
Our Top-rated Bird Cages
Based purely on product-specific considerations.
Our Recommended Bird Cages
Why have a top recommended section when we just gave you our top-rated bird cages above?
Easy, the top-rated cages only consider product-specific factors, while these are important they don’t address any budgetary concerns that can frequently influence our purchases.
For this reason, we feel it’s necessary to include a recommended section here that balances product with pricing.
Bird Cage Specifications
A sturdy bird cage can cost anywhere from about a hundred dollars up to well over a thousand dollars based on size, materials, and features.
With so many things to think about and such a wide variety in pricing, here is what’s most important to consider when purchasing a bird cage:
- Will it provide plenty of room for your bird(s) to play and rest?
- Is the bar-spacing small enough to protect and contain your bird(s), yet not too small?
- Will it really be tall enough for your bird(s)? This is where many make the mistake of going wide over tall. Width is important for larger birds of course, but all birds need room to move and hop around, to spread their wings a little, and a cage that isn’t tall enough can be the cause of a lot of anxiety and moodiness for your pet.
- What is the cage made of? Is it free of toxins and will it be durable enough for the breed of bird(s) you will house in it?
- Will it be convenient for managing and also a focal piece for your home space?
The best rule of thumb in choosing your bird cage is “bigger is always better”. All birds will need room to play, explore, hop and fly about. With your home space, the points mentioned above, and your budget in mind, it’s recommended to always go with the largest cage you can that meets your needs.
Best African Grey Cages
Here is where the decision to keep an African Grey or not is really made for most people because these birds require a nice large cage to be happy and healthy and many homes simply don’t have the space.
Best Budgie Cages
Budgies don’t need a very large cage, but keep in mind it’s suggested to keep them in pairs or groups, so a cage that is large enough to let your Budgies spread out and hop around freely in is necessary.
Best Canary Cages
Despite their small size, Canaries need plenty of room to hop and fly around, spreading their wings so-to-speak. Unfortunately, because they’re small a lot of first-time bird owners think that they can be housed in a small travel-type cage.
These small cages are fine for traveling, as they’re intended, but are restrictive and make a terrible permanent cage for your Canary.
Economical Pick
Best co*ckatiel Cages
A co*ckatiel needs a spacious cage with plenty of toys and places to perch. These are also birds that do better in pairs or groups, so the more cage space the better.
Best co*ckatoo Cages
co*ckatoos are very social birds and do better when kept in pairs. They should be kept with at least one other co*ckatoo for company, and preferably also with smaller birds as companions–like a Budgie.
In addition, plastic cages should definitely be avoided as your co*ckatoo is very likely to chew through it, potentially ingesting the materials as well as escaping.
Our Pick
Best Conure Cages
A solid cage of about 2 feet wide and deep and 3 feet tall is just about the minimum for these birds. You’ll also want multiple strong perches for them inside, conure are playful birds that love to hop around and do tricks like hanging upside down from a perch.
Our Pick
Economical Pick
Best Dove Cages
Doves will need plenty of space to play, hop around, and spread their wings, you will also want to add a few perches within their cage (not above food or water bowls please), and the size of the cage required grows depending on how many Doves you keep.
Best Finch Cages
Despite their small size Finches need a lot of room in their cage to move and fly about. In the case of these birds, horizontal width can be more important than vertical height.
The cage should also have ample perches for them (not above their food or water bowls please), and a few toys will help to keep them amused and happy.
Best Lovebird Cages
You will want a sturdy construction and plenty of room for one or two beautiful Lovebirds to live in.
Best MaCaw Cages
You will want a cage that gives your bird(s) plenty of space to move around, especially if kept in pairs (which we highly recommend).
Our Pick
Best Parakeet Cages
Parakeets need a lot of room to move around, spread their wings, and play in, so to keep your bird(s) happy and healthy ensure to provide an adequate-sized cage. This is especially important to consider when you keep two or more Parakeets.
Best Parrot Cages
Ample space and solid construction are the keys to a good Parrot cage.
Our Pick
Economical Pick
Best Parrotlet cages
Parrotlets are highly active and intelligent so need a lot of room to move around, explore, spread their wings, and play, so to keep your bird(s) happy and healthy be sure to provide an adequate-sized cage.
Small Bird Cages
Given that all birds, even the smallest breeds, need plenty of room to play, explore, hop and fly around inside their cage, we small cages to be those of a height between 16″ and 25″.
This excludes some of the popular nightstand and table-top bird cages that tend to be under 16″ tall, sometimes even well under that height.
For the health and happiness of your bird, we never recommend such smaller cages as “homes” for any bird, regardless of size. They do however make very good short-term travel carriers for smaller breeds of birds.
These are our picks on cages, based on construction, features, and pricing, within the 16″ to 25″ tall size. Best suited for birds under 8″ tall.
Large Bird Cages
These are our picks for cages that are between 25″ to 42″ tall. These cages are best suited for birds up to 14″ tall at full maturity.
* Remember, the rule of thumb is to always purchase the largest possible cage for your bird(s) you can given your spacing and budgetary constraints. The more room they have to live in the better, so while these cages are good for birds up to 14″ tall, they’re great for smaller birds as well.
Extra-Large Bird Cages
Our top picks for the big cages over 42″ tall will house the larger breeds of pet birds.
* Remember, the rule of thumb is to always purchase the largest possible cage for your bird(s) you can given your spacing and budgetary constraints. The more room they have to live in the better, so while these cages are good for the largest breeds, they’re great for smaller birds as well.
Bird Cage Maintenance
The bottom of your bird cage should be lined with some form of disposable paper, like paper towels or newspaper, which can be replaced on a daily basis.
Once weekly the entire cage should be scrubbed down with a non-toxic disinfectant soap. In most cases, the soap and water solution should be sponged over the entire cage surface and then allowed to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before giving the surfaces a strong brushing followed by thorough rinsing.
Be sure to pick a non-toxic disinfectant soap that is intended for cleaning bird cages, and to rinse away the soap completely before returning your bird to the cage. Even disinfectants considered “safe” for bird cage cleaning can have harmful fumes and chemicals so a complete rinsing is required.
Food and water bowls also need a similar cleaning on a daily basis with a non-toxic disinfectant soap and thorough rinsing before being refilled and returned to the cage.
