Wider cage for Indian Ringneck pacing

Pacing in Indian Ringnecks is a classic stress signal from confinement — your vet is absolutely right to flag it. Cage size is the single most important factor for parrots, and most commercially sold cages are too small for a bird to extend its wings fully, which is a genuine welfare problem. Bar spacing matters too — IRNs need spacing around 19–22mm, wide enough for grip but not so wide they can trap their head. Before I point you to something specific: is this one bird or two, and roughly how much floor or wall space do you have available for the cage?

Good — 100cm gives you real options. An adult IRN needs minimum 90cm width to extend his wings without touching the bars, so you're right at the threshold your vet described. What's the current cage height? IRNs like to climb and perch high, so height matters almost as much as width. Also, is he currently destructive with toys or bars — any feather plucking alongside the pacing?

Bar biting alongside pacing strongly suggests frustration from restricted space rather than anything behavioural — a bigger cage should help considerably. Given your 100cm width limit and the ability to go tall, I'd recommend the Liberta Explorer parrot cage. It's 94cm wide, 66cm deep and 161cm tall including the stand, with 22mm bar spacing — exactly right for an IRN. The width gives him full wing extension, the height gives climbing space, and the stand means the cage sits at the right height without needing furniture underneath. It has large front-opening doors which makes daily interaction much easier too. It's widely available on Amazon UK and is one of the few cages in this price bracket genuinely sized for medium parrots rather than just marketed at them.

Yes, 22mm is the correct spacing for an IRN. The danger zone is anything above 25mm — at that point a bird can push its head through but not pull it back, which causes panic injuries. At 22mm your male IRN can grip the bars comfortably but cannot get his head through. The Liberta Explorer sits firmly in the safe range. Just check when it arrives that the welds at bar intersections are clean with no sharp points — run a cloth across them before he goes in. That's true of any new cage.

Move some of his existing perches and familiar toys into the new cage before he goes in — his own scent on them makes the space feel less foreign. Put the new cage in the same room as the old one for a day if you can, so he can see it before moving in. Most IRNs adapt quickly once they realise they have room to move properly. The pacing usually reduces within a week in a correctly sized space. If it persists beyond two weeks despite the extra room, it's worth a follow-up with your vet in case there's a separate anxiety component.