Cage below eye level for parrot?
Saturday, February 6th, 2010 at
2:34 am
What is the best cage for a parrot(amazon – macaw size) that does not allow the bird to get over eye level? I understand that this causes problems with domination & unruly parrots.
Does anyone have any experience? Trying to get my ducks in a row for next year! thanks.
Tagged with: amazon • amp • domination • ducks in a row • eye level • macaw • parrot • parrots
Filed under: Pet Supplies & Pet Care
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My parrots all have cages & gyms above eye level. None of them display dominance nor have they ever. I’ve had all kinds of breeds & have NEVER come across this nor do I believe in "dominance" in parrots. It’s never been proven to be true so……ultimately it’s unto you & your parrot.
LEARN you birds body language & you can avoid aggression. Many people mix territory with dominance. There is a big difference. It IS natural for a bird to fend off it’s ‘nesting’ grounds & also this behaviour can be very easily avoided in the first place too.
You should visit these which are NOT rubbish websites
http://www.parrotchronicles.com/departments/height_behavior.htm
http://www.thegabrielfoundation.org/PDFFiles/dominance.pdf
Having a cage above eye level is a myth. Granted some birds will get a bit territorial if they’re above you, but all my birds’ cages are above me and I don’t have any problems with it. But they also know that I’m the flock leader and what I say goes. IF you set the boundaries when you get the bird and let them know whos boss, cage size won’t matter a bit.
Also do your research about more agressive/dominant species. I have a Sun Conure, a Senegal, and 2 African Greys, and my Greys have the tallest cages, and they’re the most complient, my Sun Conure is the brattiest by far. Like I said though, it isn’t about the cage, its about setting the boundaries.
Another thing is, make sure your bird has ample room in it’s cage, a good size cage is one where you bird could spread its wings out and not hit any toys or the side of the cage. I’ve noticed that since my birds have fairly large cages, they’re more apt to go back in their cages because it isn’t a tiny dungeon. I’ve seen people have problems with cage aggression because it is such cramped quarters. The cage should have plenty of room for your arm to move around in if its a larger species.
Hope this helps!
You are right when it comes to cages. Depending on what species of bird you are talking about, this does ring true. Certain manufacturer don’t make play pens with their cages for this simple reason. Macaws are notorious for this behavior. If they are above eye level, they exhibit dominance over you. Unless you know how to handle a macaw, don’t allow them above your eye level, which means, allowing them to sit on your shoulder could be a no no with a beak of 750 lbs of beak pressure to take a nice chunk out of your head especially if they are hormonal.
Cages also depend on your own height too!! Some people are not 6 foot high. I can just see a 5′ 2" woman trying to get a scarlet macaw down off a huge cage that is taller then she is and the bird is nipping at her hand, yea like that will go over smoothly, LOL!! But as soon as she gets taller then the bird, all goes well, why is that? Some people just don’t use the common sense they were born with!!
Use a separate play gym for your bird. Allow it as much freedom as possible when you are home, and the cage is not a problem nor an issue. Macaws are the ones with a dominance issue much more so then an amazon.
You can email me if you need too.
My Quaker Parrot’s cage is currently about 1 foot taller than I am, particulary when he’s out, playing. He knows tho, if I tell him to step up, he will. If he thinks I am putting him in and he doesn’t want that I just put him in and he has no choice though I do try to reassure him that he can play later.
I think the height is more when your bird is out of his cage and you are working with him or if you have a tall perch and he does not want to come down from it. You can always reestablish your dominance by putting a towel over him and removing him from the height he’s on.