Standards of care
Purdue University, College of Veterinary Medicine:
"When purchasing a bird, consider its wingspan; the cage you house the bird in should be at least twice the bird’s wingspan in width, length, and depth."
Pet Solutions.com:
"When it comes to choosing the size of a bird cage, the rule of thumb is to buy a cage that is four times the height of a pet bird, as well as four times as wide. It's not a ba
Book: The Ultimate Guide to Parrots:
"Take the wingspan and multiply by three. This gives you an idea of the smallest depth the cage should be. Now multiply by 2.5 the wingspan for the minimum width of the cage.”
Wyld Wingdom:
"A general rule of thumb is that for large birds, the interior living space of the cage should be at least 1.5 times the bird’s adult wingspan – in depth, width and height.
Ebay Bird Cage Buying Guide:
"No matter what species the bird belongs to, though, the cage must be big enough to allow space for walking, climbing, and flying. A good cage, even for a small bird, is much bigger than what most people picture when they think of a bird cage. Exactly how big is big enough varies depending on which expert makes the recommendation, but a width three times as wide as th
Impulse Parrots Pet Store:
" As a rule, we at Impulse Parrots like to recommend that your bird’s cage needs to be at least 2-3 times the width of your birds wing span. This way the bird cage will be plenty large enough for your bird to flap its wings and get plenty of exercise as well as having room for all your bird’s toys.
Animal World:
"The ideal size of any bird cage should be equal to at le
Avianwelfare org:
"Cages for singly-housed larger birds should be at least one and a half times
the birds’ natural wing span in all directions. Ideally all birds should have cages/aviaries large enough to accommodate flight."
Drs. Foster and Smith:
"For larger birds, we recommend at least 1-1/2 times your bird's adult wingspan in width, depth, and height. For smaller birds, a flight cage.
The Gabriel Foundation:
"Minimum cage sizes: Parrot species need a minimum of 2-3 x the wingspan in width and depth"
Natural Inspirations Parrot Cages:
"Birds that spend any significant amount of time in their enclosures, we absolutely recommend twice your parrots adult wingspan. Those that use their cages for sleeping only or are out the vast majority of every day, a minimum cage size of 1.5 tim
Petco:
"A cage at least twice the bird's wingspan and twice the bird's height from top of head to tip of tail with metal bars spaced close enough to prevent injury makes a good home for your small hookbill; as with all animals, it is best to provide the largest habitat possible; a flight cage is strongly recommended."
Book: A Parrot Breeders Answer
" As a rule of thumb, a cage for a single pet p
Pet education.com:
"Cage Size for medium to large size birds, the cage living area (does not include space between floor grate and tray floor) should be a minimum of 1-1/2 times your bird’s adult wingspan in width, depth, and height. This allows comfortable movement and may reduce the risk of feather damage. For smaller birds, a cage should provide the room needed for flying."
Bird Cage Portal and Kings Cages have the exact same recommendation on their websites:
"At the very minimum the width of the cage should be 1-1/2 times as wide as your bird's wingspan. When selecting your bird cages keep in mind that essential perches, toys and other fun bird-safe accessories quickly fill a cage. So you'll do your feathered friend a favor by providing him a comfortably large liv
Centurion Cages:
“Parrot cages should be housed in, at a minimum, an enclosure two times a birds wingspan in length and be able to flap their wings."
Petsmart:
"Cage Size & Shape
Birds use the width of their cage more than they use the height, and the cage should be twice the width of the bird’s wingspan.”
These recommendations were directly quoted from public websites, printed books, downloads avai