Bird Cage Size Guide by Species: The Veterinary Minimums, Side by Side

The two tables

Merck's table is labelled length by width by height in inches. VCA's figures are given in feet (and centimetres) in the same order on its small-bird and large-bird housing pages. Where they differ, the larger figure is the one to aim for; both sources say bigger is better and give these as floors.

Bird	Merck Veterinary Manual (L x W x H, in)	Merck bar spacing	VCA Animal Hospitals (L x W x H)
Finch, canary	Not listed	Not listed	1 x 1 x 2 ft (12 x 12 x 24 in)
Budgie (parakeet)	20 x 20 x 30	0.5 in	1 x 1 x 2 ft
Cockatiel, lovebird, parrotlet	20 x 20 x 30	0.5 in	2 x 2 x 3 ft (24 x 24 x 36 in)
Conure, Poicephalus (Senegal), caique, mini macaw	36 x 24 x 48	0.75 in	3 x 3 x 3 ft (36 x 36 x 36 in)
African grey, Amazon	40 x 30 x 60	0.75 in (the table prints "0.751"; we read the trailing 1 as a footnote mark, an inference)	3 x 3 x 4 ft (36 x 36 x 48 in)
Small cockatoo	40 x 30 x 60	0.75 in	2 x 3 x 4 ft (24 x 36 x 48 in)
Small macaw (Severe, Hahn's, Yellow-collared)	36 x 24 x 48 (mini macaw row)	0.75 in	3 x 3 x 4 ft
Large macaw, large cockatoo	48 x 36 x 66	1.5 in	4 x 5 x 5 ft (48 x 60 x 60 in) for large macaws; 4 x 4 x 4 ft for large cockatoos

The wingspan rules

The tables come from rules of thumb that the sources also state. Merck's owner page: the cage should be at least one and a half times the bird's wingspan in all directions. The MSPCA, citing the Association of Avian Veterinarians' chart: 1.5 to 2 times the wingspan in all directions, with both wings spread touching no bar, the bird able to turn on a perch without its tail touching, and able to fly from bottom to top without touching. RSPCA Australia, for pairs: a length of at least three times the pair's combined wingspan, at least two wing beats between perches, and a height of at least three times the largest bird's head-to-tail length. PetMD's Dr. Patricia Latas: floor space no less than 18 by 18 inches per bird, 24 by 30 for medium birds, and a cage longer than it is tall because birds fly side to side.

Length beats height

VCA: the cage should be about as long as it is tall, and tall narrow cages are discouraged because birds move side to side. RSPCA: most birds do better in a cage that is longer rather than high. That is why a 62-inch "large" cage that is 17 inches wide fails every table above, and why flight cages (wide, not tall) are the small-bird answer in all of our species guides.

How to measure a cage

1. Use the maker's interior figure, not the overall height with the stand or play top. Prevue publishes both; most Amazon listings give only the overall size and sometimes the cage size in a bullet.
2. Subtract the play top, the stand and the seed skirt from the overall height and width. A 68-inch play-top cage is often a 35-inch cage on a 20-inch stand.
3. Compare length, width and height against the row above, and the bar spacing against Merck's figure.
4. Check the shape: longer than tall, rectangular (VCA and Merck both prefer rectangular to round; VCA says round cages leave lower perches soiled).

The size checker does the comparison; the bar spacing guide covers the second number.

Where the tables fall short

Neither table covers finches and canaries beyond VCA's 1 by 1 by 2 feet for one bird, and neither covers pairs or flocks except by the rules of thumb; the RSPCA's three-wingspans rule is the one for pairs. Neither gives a figure for Quakers, ringnecks or cockatoos smaller than "small cockatoo". (Before buying a Quaker, check our Quaker parrot laws by state; twelve states ban them as pets.) Where a bird is not listed, use the row for the next larger bird and the wingspan rules.

What the minimum does not buy

Merck's overview links small cages and little exercise to physical and psychological problems, and RSPCA says most cages are too small for flight and birds should have flight time outside them. A cage that meets the row above is a bedroom, not a life; the play stand guide and placement guide cover the rest of the room.