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
Good news that you're researching this before getting the bird — cage size is the single most important decision you'll make, and most cages sold in pet shops are genuinely too small for an African Grey to extend its wings fully, which is a real welfare issue, not just a comfort one. Bar spacing matters just as much: too wide and a Grey can get its head stuck, which is dangerous. Before I point you in a specific direction, a couple of quick questions: will this be one bird or two, and roughly how much floor or wall space do you have available for the cage?
Just one bird. I have a decent-sized living room but I'd say I can give it a corner space of about 1.2 metres wide and 1.2 metres deep. I want to do this properly.
inparticular.ai
That's a solid footprint to work with. For a single African Grey, the absolute minimum cage size I'd recommend is 90cm wide by 60cm deep by 120cm tall — but bigger is always better, and with 1.2m x 1.2m available you have room for something genuinely spacious. Bar spacing for an African Grey should be between 2cm and 2.5cm — tight enough that they can't push their head through, strong enough that they can't bend the bars. Greys are powerful birds with strong beaks. What's your rough budget for the cage itself?
I'd say up to about £400, maybe a little more if something is clearly worth it.
inparticular.ai
At that budget you can get something genuinely good. I'd point you toward the Liberta Explorer Large Parrot Cage. It's 91cm wide by 61cm deep by 158cm tall including the stand, so it fits comfortably in your corner and gives a full-height perching environment. Bar spacing is 2.5cm, which is right at the top of the safe range for a Grey but solid steel construction means there's no bending. It has multiple access doors, a pull-out tray for easy cleaning, and it comes flat-packed but assembles without tools in about 45 minutes. It typically sits around £280–£320 on Amazon UK, leaving you budget for quality perches and initial enrichment, which matters a lot for Greys. Would it help if I talked through what to put inside it?
Yes please, especially perches — I've seen a lot of confusing advice about those.
inparticular.ai
The confusion usually comes from people over-relying on the dowel perches that come included — those are actually the worst option because they're uniform diameter, which means your bird's foot is always gripping in exactly the same position, and that leads to foot problems over time. For an African Grey you want three or four perches of varying diameter — roughly 2.5cm to 4cm — so the foot flexes differently on each one. Natural wood branches like manzanita or java wood are ideal: they're irregular, interesting to chew, and durable. Place the highest perch away from the cage top so the bird doesn't feel cornered, and position at least one away from the food bowls so droppings don't contaminate the food. That's most of what you need to get right from day one.
This is really helpful. One last thing — should I be thinking about cage placement as well, or is that less important?
inparticular.ai
It's genuinely important. African Greys are highly social but they also need to feel secure, so the best placement is against a wall or in a corner — never in the middle of a room where the bird can be approached from all sides, as that's stressful. Keep it away from the kitchen entirely: cooking fumes, especially from non-stick pans, can be fatal to birds. A spot where the bird can see family activity but also has a covered back corner to retreat to is ideal. Avoid direct sunlight on the cage for more than an hour or two, and keep it away from draughts. You're asking all the right questions before the bird arrives — that sets you up well.
