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What to Put in a Cage on Day One
People setting up for a first bird tend to buy either far too little or a cage so crowded the bird cannot move. The useful list is short, and half of what is usually bought on day one is better introduced a fortnight later.
The day-one list
Three perches, not one
Different diameters and at least one natural, textured surface. This is the single most important purchase after the cage itself, because it determines foot health and it is what the bird stands on for most of its life. Our natural wood perches list the bird sizes each suits.
Food and water bowls
Stainless steel is easiest to keep clean. Position them so no perch sits directly above.
A cuttlebone
Calcium and beak conditioning, clipped somewhere the bird actually sits rather than a far corner.
Two or three toys
No more. Cover different jobs rather than duplicating: one soft shreddable, one harder chew item, one that holds food. A mixed set covers that in a single order and leaves you spares for rotation.
Plain paper for the tray
Not because it is cheap, but because it lets you see droppings clearly. Droppings are the most useful daily health indicator you have, and printed or coloured liners hide them.
Week two
Once the bird is settled and eating normally, add:
- A swing or a moving perch.
- A dedicated foraging toy, starting easy.
- A bathing dish, offered a few times a week.
- A fourth perch, or a repositioning of the existing ones.
Adding gradually lets you see what this particular bird responds to, and it lets the cage become predictable before it starts changing.
What to skip
- Mirrors. Widely sold, and they encourage a bird to bond with its reflection. In hormonal birds this drives regurgitation and territorial behaviour.
- Fabric huts and tents. Enclosed dark spaces read as nest sites, which drives hormonal behaviour, and loose threads catch toes.
- Anything with split rings. Beaks and toes jam in them. Screw-gate quick-links are the safer standard.
- Toys far too large for the bird. Intimidating rather than interesting.
- Grit, for most parrots. Parrots shell their seed and do not need it; ingested grit can cause impaction. Some finches and doves are different — check the species.
Arrangement matters as much as contents
Keep the middle of the cage clear. Put the best perch highest, because that is where the bird will sleep. Hang toys around the edges and at varied heights so reaching them involves moving.
Leave enough room for both wings to open fully without touching anything. Flapping in place is meaningful exercise for a bird that does not fly free, and a crowded cage removes it.
The first fortnight
Expect quiet and watchfulness. Let the bird settle before handling — sit nearby, talk normally, keep to a routine. Feed, clean and cover at the same times each day.
Cover the cage for around twelve hours at night. Sleep is the most frequently overlooked variable in bird behaviour, and getting it right from the start avoids problems that are much harder to fix later.
Bowls, and where illness starts
Bowl placement and bowl hygiene between them account for a surprising share of avoidable problems. Water bowls develop biofilm within a day, and a rinse under the tap does not remove it — a brush and hot water does. Two sets of bowls, alternated so one set is always clean and dry, makes the daily job a swap rather than a chore.
Position matters as much as cleanliness. Bowls directly beneath a perch are contaminated continuously no matter how often they are washed. If the cage design leaves you no option, move the perch rather than accepting it.
Introducing a second bird later
Plenty of people start with one bird and add another within the year. It is worth knowing on day one that this needs a separate cage, not a bigger one — new birds should be quarantined for several weeks in a different room, and even after that, two birds housed together need enough perching and feeding stations that neither can monopolise a resource.
Buying a cage with that possibility in mind mostly means not buying the smallest cage that will do today.
A note on cost
The cage is the expensive item and the one worth spending on, because it lasts for decades and its bar spacing and dimensions cannot be changed later. Toys are a recurring cost — shreddables are consumables by design — and perches sit somewhere in between.
Budget for a monthly toy line rather than treating it as a one-off, and buy sets rather than single items to keep rotation possible.
If you are unsure
Send us the species and the cage dimensions and we will put a starting list together — get in touch. We are in York, South Carolina and open seven days. The FAQ answers the questions we hear most, and everything is on the shop page.
From our shelves
Products in this store that relate to what is covered above:
Prices are in US dollars. Delivery timings are on our shipping policy page and the return and refund policy sets out the window if something is not right.
Key points
- Day one needs three varied perches, bowls, a cuttlebone, two or three toys and a plain paper liner — nothing more.
- Plain paper is not about cost: it keeps droppings readable, and droppings are the best daily health indicator you have.
- Hold swings, foraging puzzles and extra perches until week two so the cage becomes predictable before it starts changing.
- Skip mirrors and fabric huts entirely; both drive hormonal behaviour, and huts add loose threads that catch toes.
- Avoid split-ring fixings, oversized toys and — for most parrots — grit, which can cause impaction.
- Keep the middle of the cage clear and the best perch highest, and cover for twelve hours a night from the first day.
