Wooden bird cages are popular for birds as house pets. They’re pleasing to look at, they’re often cheap and they look more natural than a metal, stainless steel or plastic cage.
Why would I want wooden bird cages?
First of all, we should address why you would want or need any bird cage at all. Bird cages were invented to keep pet birds safe. Cages keep birds from flying into the many household hazards that are found in even the safest households. For example, we all use hot water and we all have lights, both of which can be dangerous to a bird that is on the loose. Many houses have fans and cats, which are not very bird friendly. Like metal and plastic bird cages, wooden bird cages keep birds safe.
The nice thing about wooden bird cages is that they tend to be a little more natural looking. We see birds hopping and flying from tree to tree, not metal beam to metal beam. So, it would make sense that wooden bird cages would be the more natural environment for your pet bird.
Keeping your bird safe
Though wooden bird cages are very aesthetically appealing, they can be toxic to your bird. Now, most wooden bird cage producers known not to use certain woods, such as cherry wood or apple wood, because when chewed on an ingested, these woods are toxic to the birds that gnaw on them. However, before you buy wooden bird cages you should always check and double check to see what kind of wood they’re made out of.
As a general rule, wood from an elm tree is a safe wood and is therefore good for making wooden bird cages. Every bird is allergic to a different type of wood so do a little research before you buy a cage. Do not just cross your fingers and hope your bird doesn’t chew on its cage. Expect that your bird will chew on its cage and plan accordingly.
Before you get wooden bird cages, you also need to make sure that the wood was treated properly. This is especially important if you’re going to build wooden bird cages rather than buying them from the store. You never know if the wood that you’re gathering from your backyard is residue free. Many trees, especially trees that are within city limits, have been sprayed with some kind of chemical. You do not want to be placing your bird in wooden bird cages that have chemical residue on them because you’re bird should not be ingesting chemicals, no matter how whittled down they are.
