Bottom cage of multi-stacked cages

I'm wondering how birds react to living on the bottom cage of something like this ^

I think it's unnatural that a parrot would feel comfortable so low on the ground with the *ceiling* of its cage being blocked as well.
For a fact, my birds would feel very stressed to live in a cage that's pretty much right off the ground.

What are your thoughts on stackable cages?

I've considered getting the double stack cages, but I haven't because I don't know how the birds would like being on the bottom of the cage. Maybe if the birds were babies when they were put in something so low, they'd get used to it?

I have a regular flight cage:


I've managed to move the grate up so I was able to divide this cage into two cages- top and bottom.

I put Spice on the bottom, and she went crazy, she was extremely uncomfortable with being so low with another world above her. It seemed that she hated that there was another living area on top of her, and that she was confined beneath it.

So I turned the cage back into one, and all is fine.

I'd imagine it would be like with a lot of different living situations in that either being raised in it or just going through a transition period, any bird would be fine. The only reason I think a bird wouldn't be able to acclimate is if it were in a drafty area, if there were dogs or cats that frequented the cage area or if it were high-traffic with lots of feet walking by all the time.

As far as having something above them, I don't see it being any different than having a play-top cage, which darkens the inside. I have a dome-top because of that... and because I didn't feel like having a second area to clean up after

I have stacking cages for babies. I rotate them through all the cages at all levels about every 3 days. I do this so they're used to change and used to seeing the world from different perspectives. My thinking is then they can adjust more easily to whatever set up when they get to their new homes. The babies don't seem to mind when they're at the bottom.

All adult cages are kept at least chest high. I've never housed breeding adults below chest level. I do believe it makes them feel insecure.

I stack my tiel nesting cages, there's a solid divider between them so they don't know there's birds above them .That and i don't think tiels mind so much, they're ground feeders anyway,much like keets,IRNs, etc. Amazons are a different story though, they'd hate being on the bottom.

GlassOnion, so maybe you should try one more time, but opposite: Spice on top and Apple on lower level

Parrots live in a lot of different environments in nature. Some nest in cliffs very near one another, like a condo. Some typically take an entire tree to themselves/mated pair and others may have many "families" roosting at various levels in the same tree. (Or so I've read). I think the issue isn't so much having "living areas overhead" or even proximity to the ground, bua as others have said, what the specific bird is used to.

I'm not even sure exactly how a captive bird perceives "ground". Do they have any sense when they are on the second floor that they are further off the 'ground" or not? When in the cage, it seems at least some birds treat the cage grate as if it were ground. Scooter, being an arboreal bird, rarely uses the bottom 1/4 of his cage. Ground-foraging parrots I'm told spend more time on the grate and, in fact, Scotty spends more time near the bottom of his cage than Scooter does. Is the floor outside then sort of like the ground at the bottom of a bluff? Both of our birds occasionally visit the floor despite the presence of cats in the house -- it's more that they are not worried enough than that the ground is a scary place for them. And what about big birds? Macaw-sized cages routinely extend down to near floor level because of their sheer size. Proportionally, we'd have to put them in a room with cathedral ceilings with the cage 6' off the floor. So it can't be that black and white.

Anita, I sense that you were uncomfortable with the stacked arrangement and I wonder if you perceived your bird's reaction differently than you would have if you had been very comfortable with it from the start? Or if your bird picked up on your discomfort and reacted to it? One reason anecdote is a difficult source of knowledge is that any given person's perception of an event is strongly colored by their own preconceptions, wishes and biases.

No, my birds were very uncomfortable with it and it was pretty obvious. For Cockatiels being ground foragers, Apple really hates lower grounds. He prefers elevated surfaces and becomes quite anxious if I place him on my lap or a counter. I've never placed him on a surface lower than my shoulder level without having him take off right away.

well, I'd want the top bunk...

I think a bird could get used to being on the bottom of one of those stacker cages but I personally don't think it's an ideal setup longterm. I think a macaw cage or any other cage that extends to the bottom where they can go up is a lot different then being stuck at leg level looking out all of their cage time.

moa wrote:

well, I'd want the top bunk...

I think a bird could get used to being on the bottom of one of those stacker cages but I personally don't think it's an ideal setup longterm. I think a macaw cage or any other cage that extends to the bottom where they can go up is a lot different then being stuck at leg level looking out all of their cage time.

But the question is -- why do you think that? What does "leg level" mean, fundamentally, to a bird that spans less than ankle height?

ANY change is likely to incur discomfort if change is not part of daily life. The trick is to understand if it is change per se, or that the change is fundamentally negative.

My first emotional reaction is that I wouldn't like being "low", but I've read about Japanese capsule hotels and were I eligible (i.e. male) I think I'd adapt to those conditions given suitable cost incentive. It's not "natural" but adaptability plays a role.

I just did a little experiment with some birds that are tame and have never been in a "bottom cage". I put them in the bottom cage, closed the door as fast as I could and began videoing. So no more than a few seconds lapsed from the time they were placed in the bottom cage, until I started filming:

Ducky - 10 month old sun conure


Xavier - 5 YO Indian ringneck


Bubbles - 3 YO parrotlet


Sam - 6 YO cockatiel
Even though he's climbing around, he did not appear unduly disturbed or stressed. At 33 seconds he's apparently relaxed enough to raid the food dish.

HELP! What the flippin' BLEEP am I doing wrong?!

ScooterNScotty wrote:

moa wrote:

well, I'd want the top bunk...

I think a bird could get used to being on the bottom of one of those stacker cages but I personally don't think it's an ideal setup longterm. I think a macaw cage or any other cage that extends to the bottom where they can go up is a lot different then being stuck at leg level looking out all of their cage time.

But the question is -- why do you think that? What does "leg level" mean, fundamentally, to a bird that spans less than ankle height?

ANY change is likely to incur discomfort if change is not part of daily life. The trick is to understand if it is change per se, or that the change is fundamentally negative.

My first emotional reaction is that I wouldn't like being "low", but I've read about Japanese capsule hotels and were I eligible (i.e. male) I think I'd adapt to those conditions given suitable cost incentive. It's not "natural" but adaptability plays a role.

hmm yeah, my thinking is that with so much stuff going on above them and not being able to see it might make for a more nervous/uncomfortable bird.

Roz what are you pasting between the [youtube] [/youtube] thingies?

Ok. I finally figured it out.
They weren't as nervous as I anticipated them to be.

Your birds are so calm! Apple acts like how Sam did, but he squeaks and makes all sorts of anxious sounds at the same time.

Maybe it has to do with how they're raised since babies, with a little bit of species-specific characteristics from the wild.

I don't consider how Sam reacted to be unduly distressed for a cockatiel. Maybe you're interpreting Apple's response wrong. Is this your first cockatiel?

He is my first Cockatiel, but I know he makes a certain set of sounds when he's about to take off or feels uncomfortable and wants out.

Dunno. Sam's our least socialized pet bird. Maybe it's how I treat them in general so they understand there's nothing to be afraid of if I put them in the situation.

I have never tried multi-stacked cages, but I did a lot of moving cages,and changing things lately. For a while they are kind of uncomfortable, but it takes a couple minutes to top half an hour to see, that they adjust to those changes.

Even Mango, not-tame budgie each time is happy, as soon as he can find his food, water and toys.
Glass, perhaps you should try some trick: after making a change, put millet in a both levels, so they forget all the drama and enjoy it. Just my suggestion. You have to trick them, as they trick us

I wouldn't want to be a bottom stack, so I won't have my guys be a bottom stack.

Probably just psychological thinking, but I'm the boss, and what I says goes

Roz, what bird is that I am hearing in all of the vids?
I covet Ducky, btw.

Ha Ha! That's funny. I just listened to the videos and for a moment had no idea!
It's baby sun and jenday conures. That's their baby begging noise. They outgrow that shortly after weaning.

It's so easy to follow behind you and snipe at your post.Love ya

henpecked wrote:

It's so easy to follow behind you and snipe at your post.Love ya

Snipe hunting on your new property? You supplying the burlap sacks or bring your own?

WHAT DID I DO WRONG NOW?!