Considerate Linnie Housing
© Laura Fratoni – Eddie’s Aviary -reproduce only with permission please
Domestically bred birds are raised and comfortable with being caged. All birds benefit from the largest enclosure possible, with width taking precedent over height. Out of cage time is a benefit to all of our feathered companions and should be offered daily, especially if using “minimum” cage sizes.
Cage Requirements: The Lineolated Parakeet is a small parrot, and therefore doesn’t have large cage size requirements. Though all species of bird benefit from the very largest cage possible, this article serves to lay out some good choices for your Linnies, realizing that not everyone has room in their home for large flight cages.
Remember: birds need exercise to prevent obesity, heart problems, and egg binding in hens. Linnies like to fly back and forth in their cages to exercise, but also have an unusual trait of “scurrying” on the perches more like a hamster than a bird at times, so thoughtful perch placement and type is recommended for this species. It is because of this need to exercise that we seek cages wider than they are tall. Avoid cages that do not have a straight roofline. Many of the cages found in the petshops have fancy rooflines to make them look cute, but those “peaks” can trap your bird, or make them feel insecure as they like to go to the high point of the cage.
Linnies that get out of their cages at least a few times a week have a minimum cage size requirement of 24”w x 18” x 18”. Below is a photograph of a pair of young linnies in a King’s Cages 604 breeder cage, which is this dimension so you can see how they fit in them.
Bar Spacing: 3/8'' wire spacing is a great choice, with 5/8” being a maximum width to prevent heads from getting caught in them. Try to consider cages that have horizontal instead of vertical bars so the birds may use them as a “ladder” to use feet and beaks to navigate the enclosure. This is especially important if your Linnie is sporting a wing clip.
Entry Doors: Choose cages that have wide door openings that swing up for easy access to cleaning, as well as getting your feathered friends out of their home for playtime. If you purchase a cage that has “guillotine” style sliding doors, be sure to pin them shut so they don’t escape, and bend in any wire hooks that face inside the cage to avoid snagging a leg band.
Perches: Since birds like to fly back and forth in their cages, thought must be given to how to mount the perches. In order to encourage exercise, always mount perches only on the front or back cage panels so that they can fly between them, instead of shuffling back and forth on perches mounted on the sides.
Boings mounted side to side are good for them to “scurry” on, this is a Linnie favorite activity.
If your cage came with the traditional wooden “dowel” perches, toss them. They have no variation in diameter and can cause foot pressure sores, as well as insecurity in your bird as they are too smooth to offer good grip.
Be sure to offer perches of different material and size to help exercise their feet. Cement, or “sandy” perches should not make up more than 10% of the perch points in your Linnie home. The toenails in this species grow extremely quickly, and no amount of abrasive perch will negate the need to do regular nail trims, so don’t consider that as part of your decision making.
Large diameter perches are hard to grip, consider using vet wrap to make them more grippy. It can be easily removed and reinstalled when it becomes soiled.
Sleep Huts? Skip them, unless made from grassmats. They trigger breeding behaviors and can be very dangerous if covered in fabric or fleece. Birds that never chew them may decide to do so while you are not home and get snagged so badly, they die from stress or entanglement. Although it satisfies human emotions to see our birds cuddled up in a little “bed”, in the wild they sleep on perches and are just fine. There is too much risk involved in the use of sleep hammocks, sacs or tents, so please avoid them. Grassmat swings are a nice place to chill out on and are safe. They will chew them up and get them dirty, so plan to replace often.
Should I Cover the Bottom Wire Grate? There are a few things to consider. Is your bird young? If a young bird, wire bottoms can be difficult to navigate as they work on coordination, and gain strength in their legs. They can get legs trapped and hurt themselves, so covering with newspaper protects them. If your cage is tall (more than 24” in height), they can fall off a perch (especially if wing clipped) and hurt their legs, so covering grates in those cases is a good idea. Linnies poop big, and if you don’t like scrubbing grates, then newspaper is a great option. One thing to consider if using newspaper over the grate is that it is a breeding trigger. They will bury in the newspaper and chew it… this can trigger your hens to lay. Watch your birds and if you have a female, and she is burrowing in the paper, you will want to remove it until she is out of the hormonal cycle.
Water Sources: Linnies like to poop (big). Usually into their water bowls! Consider tube waterers, or Lixit style waterers to keep the drinking water clean. Because it is possible the ball in the tube can get stuck and leak, it is a best practice to offer multiple bottles if you are going to be away for more than a day or are forgetful and may not remember to check the bottles daily. Poop in a water bowl is a breeding ground for bacteria which can cause crop infections, good hygiene is of paramount importance. If you walk by the cage and say “oh, I need to change the water dish”, stop what you are doing, and go change it then. Vet bills are not fun, save yourself (and your bird) the trouble by preventing illness, keep it clean. Do not add vitamins to their water (outside of calcium/D3 supplements) as they promote bacteria growth.
Can I Buy a Used Cage? Short answer: YES. With a big BUT – disease is a real concern when buying any used bird items. Diseases such as Psittacine Feather and Beak Disease (PBFD) which is birdie HIV is a real concern and cannot be removed from a cage with bleach, sunlight or traditional cleaners. The ONLY thing that will kill circoviruses like this is F10, or VIRKON-S veterinary cleaners. If the cage you are considering is wood, it cannot be cleaned, so avoid those. Be sure to not use any used perches that are wood, or toys as they have many nooks and crannies and near impossible to properly disinfect.
Other Caging Options: Though I personally find cleaning cages mind-clearing and therapeutic, those of us that keep more than a couple of birds would be doing little else all day then rolling up newspaper. A great option for aviculturists that wish to keep a flock of birds in roomy enclosures without all the daily cage cleaning, walk-in flights may be a great option. Click here to see the construction of ours if you are looking for ideas. We cover the floor with shavings, scooping the poop from under the perches once a week, then turning over the shavings. Once monthly, all the shavings are removed and added to the compost pile outside. Remember, Linnies are very docile, and cannot be mixed with more aggressive species. Bourkes, Scarlet Chested, Turquoisines, or Elegant Parakeets can usually be kept with them in a large enclosure without incident. Be thoughtful of the sexes of the Linnies you add to a flight. Battling over a mate is not uncommon, so we like to first cage a pair independently, so they bond before adding to a flight. Extra hens almost always cause a problem (in the presence of males), and sometimes adding red-eyed “ino” birds can cause them to be bullied in the flock as some birds suffer from “ino fear”.
What is Our Favorite Cage? Over the years, we have tried almost every cage. Both for our pets, breeding pairs, and growing out fledgling babies before putting in a flight. We LOVE width in our cages and have found most cages with over 30” in width, are also very tall (which is wasted space, as the birds just hang in the top 1/3. So, the unorthodox Prevue 528 small animal cage has become our new favorite. They are relatively inexpensive, well-constructed yet lightweight, have a fantastic 32.5” width, big doors on the top and front for easy access, and the deep plastic tub keeps messes inside the cage and off your floors. Check them out HERE with this link.
We use newspaper on the bottom, and cover with a layer of shavings. It is easy to roll up and wipe down. The wire portion of the cage folds flat, and the bottoms stack, so they are easy to store when not in use.
Conclusion: Investing in the proper cage for your birds, prior to their purchase is a step you will never regret. Get the widest cage you can afford and have room for in your home. Prioritize your birds’ comfort over what you think looks the “cutest” in your home, and you will not regret the decision. It feels good to offer a great cage with plenty of toys and enrichment for your Linnie and will only increase the enjoyment of bird keeping for you, as well as your bird.
If you enjoy this Forum, or the Content found here helpful.... consider buying the author a coffee. Helps with website costs, and keeps motivation levels up for more late night work. Thank you
CLICK HERE to Buy Me A Coffee
© Laura Fratoni – Eddie’s Aviary -reproduce only with permission please
Domestically bred birds are raised and comfortable with being caged. All birds benefit from the largest enclosure possible, with width taking precedent over height. Out of cage time is a benefit to all of our feathered companions and should be offered daily, especially if using “minimum” cage sizes.
Cage Requirements: The Lineolated Parakeet is a small parrot, and therefore doesn’t have large cage size requirements. Though all species of bird benefit from the very largest cage possible, this article serves to lay out some good choices for your Linnies, realizing that not everyone has room in their home for large flight cages.
Remember: birds need exercise to prevent obesity, heart problems, and egg binding in hens. Linnies like to fly back and forth in their cages to exercise, but also have an unusual trait of “scurrying” on the perches more like a hamster than a bird at times, so thoughtful perch placement and type is recommended for this species. It is because of this need to exercise that we seek cages wider than they are tall. Avoid cages that do not have a straight roofline. Many of the cages found in the petshops have fancy rooflines to make them look cute, but those “peaks” can trap your bird, or make them feel insecure as they like to go to the high point of the cage.
Linnies that get out of their cages at least a few times a week have a minimum cage size requirement of 24”w x 18” x 18”. Below is a photograph of a pair of young linnies in a King’s Cages 604 breeder cage, which is this dimension so you can see how they fit in them.
Bar Spacing: 3/8'' wire spacing is a great choice, with 5/8” being a maximum width to prevent heads from getting caught in them. Try to consider cages that have horizontal instead of vertical bars so the birds may use them as a “ladder” to use feet and beaks to navigate the enclosure. This is especially important if your Linnie is sporting a wing clip.
Entry Doors: Choose cages that have wide door openings that swing up for easy access to cleaning, as well as getting your feathered friends out of their home for playtime. If you purchase a cage that has “guillotine” style sliding doors, be sure to pin them shut so they don’t escape, and bend in any wire hooks that face inside the cage to avoid snagging a leg band.
Perches: Since birds like to fly back and forth in their cages, thought must be given to how to mount the perches. In order to encourage exercise, always mount perches only on the front or back cage panels so that they can fly between them, instead of shuffling back and forth on perches mounted on the sides.
Boings mounted side to side are good for them to “scurry” on, this is a Linnie favorite activity.
If your cage came with the traditional wooden “dowel” perches, toss them. They have no variation in diameter and can cause foot pressure sores, as well as insecurity in your bird as they are too smooth to offer good grip.
Be sure to offer perches of different material and size to help exercise their feet. Cement, or “sandy” perches should not make up more than 10% of the perch points in your Linnie home. The toenails in this species grow extremely quickly, and no amount of abrasive perch will negate the need to do regular nail trims, so don’t consider that as part of your decision making.
Large diameter perches are hard to grip, consider using vet wrap to make them more grippy. It can be easily removed and reinstalled when it becomes soiled.
Sleep Huts? Skip them, unless made from grassmats. They trigger breeding behaviors and can be very dangerous if covered in fabric or fleece. Birds that never chew them may decide to do so while you are not home and get snagged so badly, they die from stress or entanglement. Although it satisfies human emotions to see our birds cuddled up in a little “bed”, in the wild they sleep on perches and are just fine. There is too much risk involved in the use of sleep hammocks, sacs or tents, so please avoid them. Grassmat swings are a nice place to chill out on and are safe. They will chew them up and get them dirty, so plan to replace often.
Should I Cover the Bottom Wire Grate? There are a few things to consider. Is your bird young? If a young bird, wire bottoms can be difficult to navigate as they work on coordination, and gain strength in their legs. They can get legs trapped and hurt themselves, so covering with newspaper protects them. If your cage is tall (more than 24” in height), they can fall off a perch (especially if wing clipped) and hurt their legs, so covering grates in those cases is a good idea. Linnies poop big, and if you don’t like scrubbing grates, then newspaper is a great option. One thing to consider if using newspaper over the grate is that it is a breeding trigger. They will bury in the newspaper and chew it… this can trigger your hens to lay. Watch your birds and if you have a female, and she is burrowing in the paper, you will want to remove it until she is out of the hormonal cycle.
Water Sources: Linnies like to poop (big). Usually into their water bowls! Consider tube waterers, or Lixit style waterers to keep the drinking water clean. Because it is possible the ball in the tube can get stuck and leak, it is a best practice to offer multiple bottles if you are going to be away for more than a day or are forgetful and may not remember to check the bottles daily. Poop in a water bowl is a breeding ground for bacteria which can cause crop infections, good hygiene is of paramount importance. If you walk by the cage and say “oh, I need to change the water dish”, stop what you are doing, and go change it then. Vet bills are not fun, save yourself (and your bird) the trouble by preventing illness, keep it clean. Do not add vitamins to their water (outside of calcium/D3 supplements) as they promote bacteria growth.
Can I Buy a Used Cage? Short answer: YES. With a big BUT – disease is a real concern when buying any used bird items. Diseases such as Psittacine Feather and Beak Disease (PBFD) which is birdie HIV is a real concern and cannot be removed from a cage with bleach, sunlight or traditional cleaners. The ONLY thing that will kill circoviruses like this is F10, or VIRKON-S veterinary cleaners. If the cage you are considering is wood, it cannot be cleaned, so avoid those. Be sure to not use any used perches that are wood, or toys as they have many nooks and crannies and near impossible to properly disinfect.
Other Caging Options: Though I personally find cleaning cages mind-clearing and therapeutic, those of us that keep more than a couple of birds would be doing little else all day then rolling up newspaper. A great option for aviculturists that wish to keep a flock of birds in roomy enclosures without all the daily cage cleaning, walk-in flights may be a great option. Click here to see the construction of ours if you are looking for ideas. We cover the floor with shavings, scooping the poop from under the perches once a week, then turning over the shavings. Once monthly, all the shavings are removed and added to the compost pile outside. Remember, Linnies are very docile, and cannot be mixed with more aggressive species. Bourkes, Scarlet Chested, Turquoisines, or Elegant Parakeets can usually be kept with them in a large enclosure without incident. Be thoughtful of the sexes of the Linnies you add to a flight. Battling over a mate is not uncommon, so we like to first cage a pair independently, so they bond before adding to a flight. Extra hens almost always cause a problem (in the presence of males), and sometimes adding red-eyed “ino” birds can cause them to be bullied in the flock as some birds suffer from “ino fear”.
What is Our Favorite Cage? Over the years, we have tried almost every cage. Both for our pets, breeding pairs, and growing out fledgling babies before putting in a flight. We LOVE width in our cages and have found most cages with over 30” in width, are also very tall (which is wasted space, as the birds just hang in the top 1/3. So, the unorthodox Prevue 528 small animal cage has become our new favorite. They are relatively inexpensive, well-constructed yet lightweight, have a fantastic 32.5” width, big doors on the top and front for easy access, and the deep plastic tub keeps messes inside the cage and off your floors. Check them out HERE with this link.
We use newspaper on the bottom, and cover with a layer of shavings. It is easy to roll up and wipe down. The wire portion of the cage folds flat, and the bottoms stack, so they are easy to store when not in use.
Conclusion: Investing in the proper cage for your birds, prior to their purchase is a step you will never regret. Get the widest cage you can afford and have room for in your home. Prioritize your birds’ comfort over what you think looks the “cutest” in your home, and you will not regret the decision. It feels good to offer a great cage with plenty of toys and enrichment for your Linnie and will only increase the enjoyment of bird keeping for you, as well as your bird.
If you enjoy this Forum, or the Content found here helpful.... consider buying the author a coffee. Helps with website costs, and keeps motivation levels up for more late night work. Thank you
CLICK HERE to Buy Me A Coffee 
.... I have a video on wing clipping and how to take a blood sample for dna/disease testing I am going to upload next week. 