Cage Size for Cockatiels

Cockatiels are one of the most popular large birds to keep throughout the world. Originating from Australia, cockatiels are kept as pets throughout the world, due to their beauty and fun personality. One of the more pressing issues for cockatiel owners is determining the size of their cockatiel's cage; which can affect the pet cockatiel's very physical and mental development.

  1. Flooring

    • Cockatiels excrete their waste in their cage and need to have a substantial cage floor -- also known as the "poop deck" -- to cover their droppings. A good rule of thumb to determine the floor size per bird, is to take the bird's height and times it by two. Using this number, the floor of the cage should have at least one side that is twice the cockatiel's height to be able to have sufficient surface area.

    Walls

    • Cockatiels are like any large bird; They are inquisitive and will regularly climb their cage walls in order to satisfy their natural need to move along vertical surfaces (trees). To develop this, the size of the cockatiel's cage walls should be three times the size of the height of the cockatiel. By doing this, the cockatiel will have sufficient room to move up and down, without feeling too restrained.

    Width

    • Like the cockatiels' need to climb vertically, cockatiels often have the urge to spread and flex their wings. Allowing this is crucial to develop a straight spine and straight wing bones. Cage width should be twice the cockatiel's wingspan, to ensure sufficient room.

    Free Space

    • When considering a cage size for a cockatiel, be sure to consider what a cage is - a temporary safe haven for your cockatiel, while you cannot supervise it. No matter how large the cage, your cockatiel should be exposed to the free space of your house to explore and fly, if the flight ability is still in tact. To not do so would to be keeping a pet dog in a kennel and never taking it for a walk.