• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Discount Parrot Supplies

Discount Parrot Supplies

Finding great deals on new and used bird cages and other parrot supplies to

MenuMenu
  • Bird Cages
        • By Price
        • Bird Cages Under $75
        • Cages Priced $75 to $100
        • Cages Priced $101 to $150
        • Cages Priced $151 to $250
        • Cages Priced $251 to $350
        • Cages Over $351
        • By Size
        • Flight Cages for Small Parrots
        • Medium Cages for Cockatiels, Conures, Quakers
        • Large Cages for African Greys, Amazons, Small Cockatoos
        • Extra-Large Cages: Macaw & Cockatoo Cages
        • By Type
        • Corner Cages
        • Dometop Bird Cage
        • Double Cages for Multiple Birds
        • Playtop Cages
        • Stainless Steel Cages
        • Travel Cages & Carriers
  • Playstands & Gyms
    • Perches
    • Manzanita Playstands & Gyms
  • Behavior & Training
    • Books
    • Barbara Heidenreich: Parrot Training Books & DVDs
    • Clicker Training: Bird Clickers
    • Parrot Training: Clicker Training for Birds
  • Foraging Toys
  • Blog
  • About

Minimum Parrot Cage Sizes by Types/Species

Silverado Dometop Cage for Large Macaw
Silverado Dometop Cage for Large Macaw

One of the most important things a parrot needs is an adequate bird cage. Unfortunately, most people underestimate how much cage space their bird should have.

How Big of a Bird Cage Do You Need?
The truth is that the cages that are typically available at regular pet stores like PetCo and PetSmart are WAY TOO SMALL for your parrot (and that includes budgies and cockatiels).

These cages — often sold as “cockatiel kits” or something similar — are fine for transporting your bird home, as an alternative to a travel cage, or as a sleep cage, but not as a daytime cage where the bird will be spending the majority of his time.

Even if you anticipate being able to give your bird “out of cage” time for the majority of the day, you may still want to consider buying a large enough cage for your parrot to be able to spend longer stretches of time in it, in case something comes up.

Your bird’s cage should be large enough to fit a variety of different perches, several types of toys, food dishes and enough room for the bird to be able to climb around and fully stretch its wings. There should be enough room that you can arrange the toys, perches and food bowls so that the bird’s droppings don’t end up on any of them.

You should buy the largest cage you can afford (with the approriate bar spacing for your bird’s size and beak strength), but we recognize that every situation is unique.

Below are guidelines for minimum cage sizes to keep in mind as you consider different bird cages for sale. (Minimum means “the smallest that would work”, not “recommended”. We recommend going bigger in every case.)

Bird SizeMinimum Cage Size
(depth x width x height)
Size Bar Spacing
Finches, Canaries*20″x20″x20″1/4″ to 1/2″
Budgies, Parrotlets, Lovebirds*20″x24″x24″1/4″ to 1/2″
Cockatiels, Small Conures22″x28″x24″1/2″ to 5/8″
Quakers, Poicephalus, Caiques,
Pionus, Meyers
26″x32″x34″5/8″ to 3/4″
Mini Macaws, Ringneck Parakeets,
Large Conures
30″x32″x40″5/8″ to 3/4″
Amazon Parrots,African Greys,
Small Cockatoos
30″x36″x48″3/4″ to 1″
Moluccan and Umbrella Cockatoos36″x48″x48″1″ to 1.5″
Larger Macaws36″x48″x60″1″ to 1.5″

* Small birds tend to be very active, so they actually need more room to climb, play and fly relative to their size. We recommend flight cages as a great value for your small parrots.

Cages are a big investment, and once you buy one, it can be difficult to “upgrade” to a better size. Getting the right cage from the outset can be the wisest investment.

Also check out photos of cage setups to give you an idea of what these bird cages look like once “fully furnished”:

  • Conure cage setup photos
  • African Grey cage setup photos
  • Pionus cage setup photos
  • Cockatoo cage setup photos 

Don’t know where to start? See what things to consider when choosing what kind of bird cage to buy.

Filed Under: Parrot Supplies Tagged With: cage size

More from the Blog

Bird Room Setup: Hahn's Macaw and Sun Conure Playing
What a fantastic bird room set up… oh, and that Sun Conure and Hahn’s Macaw sharing a Jolly Ball are pretty darn cute too: In the background: two large playtop cages. Not sure what size cage a Hahn’s macaw or sun conure needs? Check out our minimum cage size guide for parrots and these great […]
How to Select a Good Parrot Bird Cage
Choosing a good bird cage for a parrot starts with understanding what cage size is best for your bird, but it doesn’t end there. Below are some frequently asked questions about picking the best parrot cage. What’s the right size for a bird cage? The appropriate size for your bird’s cage depends on the size […]

Footer

DiscountParrotSupplies.com organizes great deals on new and used bird cages and other parrot supplies to help you stretch your pet budget further.

A portion of the profit we make referring sales of quality parrot products will be donated to Phoenix Landing — a non-profit parrot adoption, rescue and education organization.

Find Bird Cages

Bird Cages by Price

  • Under $75
  • $75 to $100
  • $101 to $150
  • $151 to $250
  • $251 to $350
  • Over $351

Bird Cages by Size

  • Flight Cages for Small Parrots
  • Medium Cages for Cockatiels, Conures, Quakers
  • Large Cages for African Greys, Amazons, Small Cockatoos
  • Extra-Large Cages: Macaw & Cockatoo Cages

Bird Cages by Type

  • Aviaries & Aviary-Style
  • Corner
  • Dometop
  • Double
  • Travel
  • Playtop
  • Stainless Steel

Learn about Cage Setup

  • Bird Cages: Blue & Gold Macaw Cage Setup

  • Budgie Bird Cage Set-Ups

  • Bird Cages: Finch Cage Setup

  • Bird Cages: Cape Parrot Cage Set-Up

  • Bird Cages: Large Cockatoo Cage Setups

Please note: Links to products that appear on this site comes from Amazon and other sources. These links are provided ‘as is’ and is subject to change or removal at any time.

a green and yellow parrot