28 | PET GAZETTE | AVIAN
YOUR GUIDE TO EASY CAGE SELLING
Northern Pet Trade ’ s Carl Pemberton shares his top ten tips
cage is arguably the second
A biggest investment ( after the bird ) for any parrot owner .
Helping your customers make the right choice isn ’ t difficult . It can have an initial impact on your profits as well as long term , as they keep coming back for more advice , food , toys and accessories .
Here ’ s a useful guide to the cage features you and your customers need to consider :
1
Bar Thickness . Some parrots have very powerful beaks , and they can break welds , bend or break the bars – Cockatoos and Macaws for example . It is important that the cage bars are strong enough to withstand their strength . n Small : Canaries , Budgies : 2mm . n Medium : Lovebirds , Conures : 2.5mm . n Large : Quakers , African Greys , Amazons , smaller Cockatoos : 3.5mm . n Extra Large : Larger Cockatoos , Macaws : 5mm or more .
2
Bar Spacing . This is the gap between the bars . If the spacing is too wide birds can get stuck or even escape . If too narrow the bars are unlikely to be strong enough , plus it impedes the view for the parrot looking out and your customer looking in . n Small : Budgies , Cockatiels : 1cm ( 0.5 ”). n Medium : African Greys , Amazons , Conures : 2cm ( 0.75 ”). n Large : Larger Cockatoos and Macaws : 2.5cm ( 1 ”)
3
Internal Space . The space inside a cage quickly gets taken up by toys and accessories . Some parrots like Caiques , are highly active and need plenty of room to fly and exercise . Ideally parrots need a horizontal space that is two to three times their wingspan in width and depth .
If the parrot has a crest ( Cockatiels and Cockatoos ) or a long tail ( some Parakeets , Conures and Macaws ) they will need a cage that is tall and wide enough to prevent their feathers from touching the roof , floor and the cage sides . Here ’ s some examples of the minimum internal dimensions we recommend ( width x depth x height ). n Budgies , Canaries , Cockatiels : 45cm ( 18 ”) x 35cm ( 14 ”) x 51cm ( 20 ”) n Caiques , Senegals . Conures : 48cm ( 19 ”) x 48cm ( 19 ”) x 58cm ( 23 ”) n Amazons , African Greys , smaller Cockatoos : 66cm ( 26 ”) x 56cm ( 22 ”) x 102cm ( 40 ”) n Larger Cockatoos , Macaws : 89cm ( 35 ”) x 66cm ( 26 ”) x 119cm ( 47 ”)
It is always best for your customers to provide the largest cage possible ( based on their budget and available space in the home ). If space is at a premium and a separate stand or play gym cannot be accommodated , then a play top or open top cage should be considered . Both options ( especially the play top ) provide a dedicated space for your customer ’ s parrot to play and exercise outside of their cage .
www . petgazette . biz July 2017