This is a specific conversation about Bird cages — size matters more than anything — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
A mite infestation in a wooden aviary is one of the most frustrating things to deal with — red mites in particular hide in every crack and joint, and no amount of cleaning fully solves it. Switching to metal is absolutely the right call. Before I point you toward the best option, cage size is the single most important factor — most commercially sold cages are too small for a bird to fully extend its wings, which is a genuine welfare issue — and bar spacing matters too, since gaps that are too wide can trap a bird's head. So: what species do you have, how many birds, and what size space are you working with?
I have two cockatiels. The wooden aviary was quite large — about 150cm tall — and it's in my living room. I've got roughly the same footprint available, maybe 80cm wide by 60cm deep.
inparticular.ai
Perfect — cockatiels need good horizontal flight space and bar spacing of around 1.5–1.9cm, so they can't squeeze through or get their heads caught. For two cockatiels in that footprint, you want a proper flight cage rather than a parrot cage, which tends to go tall but narrow. What's your budget range, roughly? And have you already treated the room for mites, or is that still ongoing?
Budget is flexible, probably up to £200. And yes, I've treated the room — it's been clear for three weeks now. I just don't want to risk wood again.
inparticular.ai
Completely understandable — all-metal is the only sensible choice now. My recommendation is the Liberta Explorer Large Bird Cage. It's fully powder-coated steel, no wood anywhere in the structure, measures around 91cm wide by 56cm deep by 160cm tall, and bar spacing is 1.9cm — right in the safe zone for cockatiels. It has a large front opening, removable base tray for easy cleaning, and multiple access doors. At around £160–180, it sits well within your budget. The wide horizontal footprint is what makes it stand out — your two cockatiels will actually be able to fly short distances, which most cages at this price point don't allow.
That sounds ideal. Does the base tray make cleaning easier than what I had before? Mite treatment in the wooden base was a nightmare.
inparticular.ai
Yes, dramatically easier. The Liberta Explorer has a deep slide-out metal tray at the bottom — you pull it out, wipe it down, spray it if needed, and slide it back in. No grooves, no porous surfaces, nowhere for mites to hide. The whole cage can be sprayed with a mite treatment like Johnsons Avi-Shield or a diluted permethrin-based spray and will dry completely clean. That's the fundamental advantage of all-metal — there's nowhere for mites to overwinter or lay eggs. Keep perches wooden if you like, but inspect and replace them at the first sign of any return, since that's the one vulnerability remaining.
That's really helpful. I'll go with the Liberta Explorer. Thanks.
inparticular.ai
Good choice. One last thing worth doing when it arrives: wipe the whole cage down with a damp cloth before the birds go in, just to remove any manufacturing residue. Then position it away from direct windows to avoid temperature swings — cockatiels are sensitive to drafts. You're in a much better situation with metal long-term. Good luck with the move.
