King's Cages ES 1814 H: Home Sweet Home for Small Birds
With its pitched style "roof" the King's Cages ES 1814 H creates a perfect sanctuary for your Parakeet, Finch, or Cockatiel. Check out this great small cage!
We're here today to discuss another of King's excellent bird cages. The ES 1814 H is a small cage with a plastic base and pull-out tray. Above the base is a metal wire grill for easy cleaning. It has a 4.33" slide-up front door and comes with two (2) plastic cups, two (2) perches, and a swing.
The ES 1814 H has a powder coated white wire body. The base comes in color options of Black, Blue/White, Green/White, and White. The body has 3/8" (.375 inches) bar spacing. This small cage measures 18 1/2 inches Wide x 14 1/4 inches Deep x 21 3/4 inches High. The door measures 4.33 inches and slides up to open. It is located at the front of the cage. With its metal grate floor, and plastic pull out tray, cleaning will be quick and easy. A swing and two (2) 1" Diameter wooden dowels are included for use as perches. The two plastic cups attach to the horizontal wires near the bottom of the cage. This helps them to stay in place, in case your budgie decides to rearrange the furniture.
The ES 1814 H is a great starter cage for a young bird that may outgrow it, or for a small bird who can live in it indefinitely. It could also be used as a travel cage for short trips to a friend or family member's house, though there are cages made specifically for travel. One important thing to note is that this is not a hanging cage. It must sit on a sturdy, flat surface that's large enough to accommodate it. The edges of the cage should not hang over the sides of the surface it sits on unless you can be sure that the cage won't fall.
You can expect the King's Cages ES 1814 H to last ten (10) years or longer with normal use. You may choose to use this as a starter cage, then move up to a larger cage. Perhaps you started out with one (1) small bird, but now you have two (2) or more. The ES1814 H can make a great temporary cage to be used while cleaning the main cage. It can also be a good quarantine cage when you decide to bring a new bird into the flock. New birds should be quarantined for 30 days to be sure they are healthy and that they aren't carrying any illnesses that could be passed onto your original birds.
Paper in the bottom of the cage should be changed daily, and the cages should be disinfected once a week using a solution of 10% bleach (1 part bleach to 9 parts water). If you have a bird in quarantine, be sure to clean the cage they occupy last. This will help to avoid any cross-contamination between your original birds, and the new bird. By the same token, when handling your birds, be sure to handle your original birds first, and then the new bird. Always wash hands very thoroughly in between.
The styling of this cage is adorable, with an asymmetrical top. The taller half looks like the pitched roof of a home, while the shorter half is flat across. Almost as though your parakeet or cockatiel has his or her own garage. Although this cage doesn't get the King's Cages Signature Five (5) Tank Powder-Coating Process, the wire does have a powder-coated finish, as opposed to a painted finish. This is much safer for your bird and helps to make this cage durable, yet affordable. Every aspect of this cage is 100% bird safe.
Once you get your bird settled into their new home, you'll want to add some toys for play and enrichment. Companion birds need lots of stimulation so that they can feel that they are contributing members of their flock. When they chew on wood, and other shreddable materials, it's because they are hardwired to contribute, either by finding nesting material, foraging for food, or watching out for danger. Most of the behavior you'll see in your companion bird can be traced directly back to the way they would normally behave in the wild.
Small bird toys such as the 55099 Small Super Shredder Ball, or the 1243 Foamy Delight will pair perfectly with this cage. The pitched roof will add an extra level of play as your bird will be able to slide hanging toys on the sloped wires of the roof in addition to exploring the toys themselves with their beaks and their feet. Shredding behavior in birds goes back to their need to find nesting materials in the wild, as well as foraging behavior. For example, in the 1243 Foamy Delight toy, you could hide treats inside the finger traps and then allow your bird to find them. This allows them to feel a sense of accomplishment, and is important for a happy and healthy feathered friend.
Check out our other Bonka Bird Toys for Small Birds. Each toy will have its dimensions posted with the product description so that you can pick out the perfect sized toys for your avian amore'. Go with a few different toys at first just to gauge your bird's interest. Once you know exactly what your winged friend likes to play with, and in what way, you can come back and stock up on some more of the things they like. Don't forget to try hiding some treats inside the toys. Birds really enjoy the thrill of the hunt!