How Many Perches Does Your Bird Need in The Cage

Find out the ideal number of perches to keep your bird happy and healthy in their cage

Birds need perches in their cages to mimic the environment they would have in the wild. Their typical instinct is to sit, play, climb, court, rest, and sleep on the perch as they would on trees in the world.

Think of the elongated plaything as branches on trees.

However, due to the limited size of house bird cages, you can only place too many perches in your bird’s pen.

The ideal number of perches for most cage birds is 3, although you can use at least 2 with smaller birds in tiny cages. If you have a large parrot in a big cage, you can use up to 5 perches, but ensure they are not a danger or obstacle.

The range is 2 to 5, but the magic number of perches in any bird cage is 3.

Having said that, ensure you match the count and size of your bird’s perches to your plummed baby’s cage. You cannot use the same size in your budgies and African grey pen.

Please see more insight in the rest of this post.

How Many Perches Should Be in Your Bird Cage

As we’ve seen in the intro above, two to three are the ideal number of perches for most birds kept as pets, including parrots. However, depending on your bird’s activity level and the size of her cage, more (or less) may be better.

Mostly, I get questions on the number of perches for budgie, cockatiels, and conure cages, which I’ve discussed below.

How Many Perches Should A Cockatiels Cage Have

In a typical 24“ long by 18“ wide and 24“ high cockatiel cage, two or three appropriately sized perches should be enough for your tiel: Eddie Waithaka.

Cockatiels are tiny but pretty active and playful, hence should have at least two perches in their cage. You can even have three different perches if the pen allows without creating obstacles or hazards for your plummed baby.

Since most cockatiels and similarly sized birdies (like budgies) prefer wide, rectangular cages, Place the two or three perches parallel to each other at different heights to encourage your tiel to fly, jump, or climb on each perch for exercise.

How Many Perches Should A Budgie (Parakeet) Cage Have

A typical 20“ long by 18“ wide by 18“ high budgie cage can hold two perches comfortably. You can even have three roosts, but ensure they do not obstruct your bird’s flight path or sit above its food and water station.Eddie Waithaka.

A budgie is not any much smaller in size than a cockatiel and occupies an almost equally sized cage. Therefore, two or three perches (depending on the pen size) should be sufficient for your budgie.

The tiny, little balls of plumes also prefer a cage that is a wide rectangular cage, so it is possible to place the perches parallel to each other at different heights.

How Many Perches Should A Conure Cage Have

Conures are mid-sized, playful, and affectionate parrots. However, they prefer spending most of their time socializing with their owners or playing footie with their toys.

Granted, conures do not need more than two perches in their cage, although most mid-sized parrot cages can hold more roosts. Assuming you have a conure that climbs and jumps a lot, you can have an extra perch to keep her busy.

How Do You Arrange Perches in A Bird Cage

Arranging perches in your bird’s cage should not be too complicated. You only need to observe a few rules of thumb and use your creativity to add a little pizzaz.

Start by ensuring the perches you use are appropriate for your bird’s size, including the foot span, and will fit in the cage. For the best arrangments, you can also get inspiration from Instagram (#birdperches) or Pinterest.

The do’s and don’t I mentioned before include:

• Do not place perches above your bird’s water and food stations. Birds poop a lot while sitting and playing, and dirt falling from the roosts make the bitings served unfit for your plummed pet, plus increases your daily workload.
• Only use the appropriate number of perches making sure you do not create obstacles for your bird. You should place each piece in a way that allows your plummed pet to move and fly without having to squeeze through tiny spaces.
• Your perch placement should also be a safe distance from the sides and top of your bird cage such that your plummed baby does not hit her tail or head when she wants to move from one spot to the other.
• Place the perches in multiple levels akin to branch arrangement on a tree to allow your bird enough play and exercise. You can place them parallel to each other but at different heights that a bird can jump or climb from one spot to the other.
• All your perches should be placed in the top third of the cage to mimic the tree tops where birds spend most of their time resting and sleeping. In the wild, birds only come down to forage for food, then fly back for safety, which is what you should look to replicate with your perch and food station arrangement. Feeding points should be kept at the bottom.
• Do not overcrowd your bird cage with perches. Only add 2 or 3 pieces of varying texture, size, and type to give your birdie the best feet exercise.
• Make sure you have one perch close to the top-most corner of the cage to enhance the feeling of safety, especially if you have a timid parrot, such as a budgie or cockatiel.
• On the corner perch, you can also place a wall of toys between the bird and the rest of the cage to create a privacy wall for when your plummed baby wants to take a nap or some quiet time.
• Space the perches in a way that provides easy access to food and water and climbing to the upper part of the cage.
• If your bird has a birdie bed, hang it on the side of the cage with one of the perches end close enough for the bird easily enter and leave her sleeping den.
• Interssperse your bird’s perches, swings, and toys near the side of the cage but not close together or in mid-cage that your birdie will hit head or tail when moving around.

How Long Should A Bird, Parrot Pearch Be

How long your bird perch is, does not seem to matter a lot as long it fits in the cage and the diameter is just enough for your bird’s feet span. You only need to match the bird to the space inside the pen with enough room for your birdie to fly, climb, and feed.

As you would expect, a budgie will need a perch that is less than eight of its overall cage size, considering you will need more than one and still have enough space for other toys, swings, food station, and play area.

Having said that, your bird’s perch diameter should be sizeable for between 2/3 to 3/4 of your bird’s feet to wrap around. This will provide the ideal grip for your feathered pet while climbing, sitting, and sleeping, and the best foot exercise and health.

The table below is a breakdown of the perfect diameter for a few birds kept as pets, given their feet span.

Well, that all for this post. See you in the next one.

All the best with your feathered baby🐦🦜.