Category: Bird Aviaries

Here we are going to post some videos of our bird aviaries. The aviaries have all been made by Clive.

The video below is of a large bird cage custom built for a customer. Large bird aviaries do take more time to make and install. They provide a stunning feature for the larger back yard or acreage block.

How to keep your aviaries clean. Cleaning aviaries is not the most fun job in the world! This video gives some tips on making it easier.

This article on psittacosis was written by a friend and customer of ours to show the potentially devastating consequences of buying second hand aviaries or cages. Psittacosis is an avian disease that can be passed on to humans from carrier birds, especially parrots.

We thank the writer of this article for the permission to publish it on this site.

I’m writing this in anger, disappointment and frustration, AND HOPEFULLY, to help a few, fellow bird breeders, that honestly care about what they are selling. Hoping that you’ll publish this in a future magazine.

Psittacosis is a “very real ” disease, that can happen to any one of us, and did, to my partner, from 2nd hand aviaries we purchased, and re- erected, at our premises.

We cleaned them, by gurney, for 2 hrs, and they sat vacant for about a week, then we proceeded to put our breeding pairs in,ready to go down for the season (JUNE), then my partner became sick. Many blood tests later, the Dr. discovered he had Psittacosis.

We found an article in a recent ‘ BURKES BACKYARD ” magazine on the topic, we’d never heard of before. Apparently 160 people, a year become infected by this disease and that’s just the ones who seek medical help, and are diagnosed . There must be quite a few of you out there, that have had flu – like symptoms, and never worrried too much. ( My partner was very sick for 3 weeks , before he sought medical help) I seriously suggest, for those of you who don’t understand the implications of it, on yourself, or your birds, to Google it, not to scare yourself, but to get a better understanding of it.

Some of you will recognise who we are by now , and that’s because we have been “open and honest”.

Not long after my partner became sick, we noticed one of our newly purchased birds was off- colour,…. long story short, he to had psittacosis, and has cost us approx $700, much heart-ache, cleaning, treatment ( for ALL our birds ), and a VERY HUGE learning curve. I quess a lot of you would say, “why bother “, just “write it off “. We have a passion for our birds and are only in our 2nd year of aviary breeding, (we’ve had house birds for many years ) It’s not about the $,s, it’s about enjoying the species, and keeping the Australian Natives alive and well. Continue reading “Psittacosis – The Facts”

If you’re like most people you’re currently lining the bottom of your aviary with newspaper. Although this is not a bad idea and can work perfectly fine, you may want to browse through these other ideas to see if you like any of them better. Some of these suggestions may save you some time and trouble when it comes time to clean out the bottom of the cage.

1. Wood shavings – Wood shavings are very absorbent and can be used to line the bottom of your aviary. Some people find it to be less messy than newspaper due to its absorbency. Feathers and seeds are less likely to scatter when the birds get excited and start flapping their wings.

2. Wood pellets – These are also very absorbent and pretty much serve the same purpose as wood shavings. The decision to use pellets over shavings would boil down to which one is the cheapest or on sale.

3. Aluminum foil – It’s easy to clean up your bird’s mess when you line the bottom of your aviary with aluminum foil. Simply fold up the edges of the foil and then start making larger folds. You’ll be able to scoop up all the mess without leaving any behind.

4. Brown paper – If you have a large aviary you can purchase giant rolls of brown paper to use at the bottom of the cage. This type of paper is easy to roll up when it’s time for a cleaning.

5. Fleece blankets – These can also act as an insulator for the aviary. They are easy to fold or roll up. You’ll end up doing extra laundry if you choose to use blankets at the bottom of your bird cages so be sure to keep that in mind.

6. Waxed paper – This is a handy idea if you want to avoid scrubbing the bottom pans all the time. Since the waxed paper doesn’t absorb liquid, nothing can leak through and reach the pans located at the bottom of the cage. You’ll have to try this one for yourself to see if a non-absorbent paper is something you can work with in your bird cages. Continue reading “7 Ideas For Lining The Bottom of Your Aviary”