Hi everyone. I made a hospital cage last week all by myself. So pleased that I have to show it off. I was going to the sale to buy one but found out that we couldn't go because of other engagements, so I decided to make one. WHAT DO YOU THINK. It works a dream.

 

Edited May 28, 200718 yr by splat

It looks wonderful what I would do though is you can leave the perches there or put them down a little lower almost to the ground along with the food. When Pretty was sick he was not able to perch and therefore if he wanted food or water he would have not been able to reach it in this cage.

 

What type of lighting are you using?

 

also is there on the side vents for circulation? You want it warm but air to go through and a tempature indicator would be good to so you can keep the room a constant warmth. You can buy the stick on ones and add to the inside of the cage.

Great effort Splat.......I think Elly makes a good point...can you explain how you made it...

Dimensions....what watt globe you used whats the floor made of etc........

It looks wonderful what I would do though is you can leave the perches there or put them down a little lower almost to the ground along with the food. When Pretty was sick he was not able to perch and therefore if he wanted food or water he would have not been able to reach it in this cage.

 

What type of lighting are you using?

 

also is there on the side vents for circulation? You want it warm but air to go through and a tempature indicator would be good to so you can keep the room a constant warmth. You can buy the stick on ones and add to the inside of the cage.

 

Hi Elly! Yes I thought of that, perches being too high, but I can lower them, and feed bowls too, because I used it the other day and yes the bird sat on floor, so I took them out and sat little containers on the floor.

Yes there is 6 x 1/4 holes on each side with plugs that I can take out or plug up if needed.

I first used a 40 watt globe, but with all the holes unplugged it was a bit too warm, so I changed it to a 25 watt and plugged most of the hole it sits on the right temp perfectly and I now have a temp gage that is stuck on in the middle of the cage. The bottom of the cage is lined in Aluminium foil. the light globe is in the middle of the cage, I might put a dimmer switch on it later. I am sooo rapped in it that I am in the middle of making another one.

 

Great effort Splat.......I think Elly makes a good point...can you explain how you made it...

Dimensions....what watt globe you used whats the floor made of etc........

 

Will post all that tomorrow as my brain is quite dead at the moment.

Edited May 28, 200718 yr by splat

it looks great!!

A very good start for sure here are some things I have learned about hospital cages and what to consider. Just passing on for information to ensure the one have will be safe and perfect .

 

(hope you don't mind )

 

good temperature for a hospital cage is between 27C- 30C

 

when keeping the cage warm you can use a spot light or heating pad but keep one side of the cage slightly warmer then the other side so the bird if he gets to warm can move to cool down. They have a choice.

 

If you use s spot light remember to position over 1 side of the cage and you can if you want use a red light therefore it is not so bright. If you don't have a red light then you can position behind a sheet to reduce brightness but becareful it doesn't touch the sheet. If you use a heating pad you can stick it to one side of the cage or again under the cage floor but only on one side.

 

Always use a thermometer to make sure that your bird is not overheated.

 

You said you were using foil on the bottom of the cage? Just asking why? On the cage bottom, use newspaper, and underneath the newspaper you could use a soft sponge or some soft material in order to cushion the bird if it should fall.

 

I hope this helps

 

Oh you have the cage built and the basic's here is a site I found that can help you ensure everything is in the right spots etc... Building a Hospital Cage It looks like you may have referenced here already as your cage looks similar

 

Hats off to you splat many of us are not prepared but you will be , thank you for sharing your ideas.

Edited May 28, 200718 yr by Elly

Well Done, good luck with building the second.

 

Elly, do you have a link for everything?

I try and educate myself which leads me to googling all the time so the answer to that is no not everything certainly not the Black Eyed Selfs

My Dad gave me a hospital cage he used when he was hand raising tiels. I have it in constant use...anytime a bird is sick or off colour they go in there. It can take multiple birds and has taken up to 10 birds ( when we had the poisoned branches incident ). I will try for photos and a design drawing. Mine operates with an overhead internal light and main perch.

I had one where it was similar to Splat's...underfloor heating...but heat built up too much that way and the poor birdies nearly cooked regardless of wattage of globe. Heat rising and such. Anyway I will post photos and drawings tomorrow.

Kaz that would be AWESOME

I recently won a hospital cage at a bird auction.

 

 

It is an under floor bulb design. It came with a perspex sheet behind the wire and a 40 watt bulb, but I found that it was getting way too warm and it would cook a bird in there. With a 25 watt bulb, which is fitted at one end, and the perspex sheet removed leaving just the wire front it was much better. I haven't had to use it yet, thank goodness, but in use I would use as small pad of newspaper covered with a soft cotton fabric. Food and water dishes on the floor.

 

 

Feathers.

My floor has wood sitting on wire but the bottom of the wood is lined with foil to protect the wood from the heat, but I am going to change it to the wood going full lengh with a few holes to let the heat and light in.

When I used it last week i lined the floor with a piece of old sheet folded it up and when my bird improved I slid the glass panel up a fraction to left some heat out. But Greg thinks a timer would be good, set for a certain time, aand it shuts off for a while, what do you think.

 

The temp for a hospital cage should not go over 27 & 30 degrees Celsius or 90 degrees fahrenheit.

A very good start for sure here are some things I have learned about hospital cages and what to consider. Just passing on for information to ensure the one have will be safe and perfect .

 

(hope you don't mind )

 

good temperature for a hospital cage is between 27C- 30C

 

when keeping the cage warm you can use a spot light or heating pad but keep one side of the cage slightly warmer then the other side so the bird if he gets to warm can move to cool down. They have a choice.

 

If you use s spot light remember to position over 1 side of the cage and you can if you want use a red light therefore it is not so bright. If you don't have a red light then you can position behind a sheet to reduce brightness but becareful it doesn't touch the sheet. If you use a heating pad you can stick it to one side of the cage or again under the cage floor but only on one side.

 

Always use a thermometer to make sure that your bird is not overheated.

 

You said you were using foil on the bottom of the cage? Just asking why? On the cage bottom, use newspaper, and underneath the newspaper you could use a soft sponge or some soft material in order to cushion the bird if it should fall.

 

I hope this helps

 

Oh you have the cage built and the basic's here is a site I found that can help you ensure everything is in the right spots etc... Building a Hospital Cage It looks like you may have referenced here already as your cage looks similar

 

Hats off to you splat many of us are not prepared but you will be , thank you for sharing your ideas.

 

Hi Elly, yes That web site is where I got my plans from thanks I was trying to find it to down load the link for you guys to have a look at but I couldn't find it second time around.

I lined it with foil to project the heat and to make sure the wood doesn't burn, even though I know it won't just been safe. But yes agree with you that one side should be cooler than the other.

My next one will be a bit different, I will make it a bit deeper and put the light on one side. I might allow room so I can have a wire front. I will have dimmer I think and a timer. My partner told me not to put the perches in and if I had to only put one, but I had to have two, but until last week I have not had a bird that sick that they wouldn't sit on the perches. That is pretty good considering how long we have had birds. thanks Elly for your impact very helpful.

 

your welcome, I would worry about the foil heating up too much an burning the budgies so I personally would take it out .

I was given a hospital box along the lines of the one Splat has made and found it overheated. Primarily I think, due to the perspex door keeping heat in. Nearly roasted the babes the first time I used it.

The one my Dad made me has an overhead lamp off to the lefthand side ( above the birds ) with a horizontal perch across the cage, so the bird can either get under the lamp or move away from it as they need to. The perch is just 2-3 inches above floor level. Many sick birds cannot perch, so low to ground or a floor level they can rest on is best. The front of the cage is a normal cage front like you would have on a breeder cage. That means food and water dishes can attach to the cagefront as per normal. The light fitting is a batten fitting which runs a 25 watt globe ( which is ample ) and Dad has fitted an old style simple metal lampshade to it to direct the warmth downwards. There is a switch on the batten ( or bayonet as its sometimes called ) . The box is made of wood and has a simple wooden floor that I cover with newspaper and change twince daily. I will take photos later today after my work is done.

Edited May 29, 200718 yr by Kaz

:redalbino: Very interesting post.

COOL .... I love the red cross.... i think that is what makes it :redalbino:

Edited May 29, 200718 yr by **KAZ**

Me too Neat couldn't help myself, had to paint it on. :redalbino:

Edited May 29, 200718 yr by **KAZ**

(Laughing out loud) .... You just need the nurses outfit hehehe

your welcome, I would worry about the foil heating up too much an burning the budgies so I personally would take it out .

 

 

The foil is underneath the floor, what it is really doing is stopping any chance of the light globe setting fire to the wood, even though I don't think that would happen, the web sit you down loaded is where I got it from and his suggest to line under the floor with foil for the reason I said.

Today i bought a piece of foam type material 1/4 inch thick and washable and it will sit on top of the floor, with news paper or something similar. I think this should help. What do you think. :excl:

your welcome, I would worry about the foil heating up too much an burning the budgies so I personally would take it out .

 

 

The foil is underneath the floor, what it is really doing is stopping any chance of the light globe setting fire to the wood, even though I don't think that would happen, the web sit you down loaded is where I got it from and his suggest to line under the floor with foil for the reason I said.

Today i bought a piece of foam type material 1/4 inch thick and washable and it will sit on top of the floor, with news paper or something similar. I think this should help. What do you think. :excl:

 

I would test run the whole thing with monitoring the temperature and see how it works out. Leave it on for the whole day and check temps every half hour to see how the temperature either builds up, or not.

Goos job, Julie. I hope it works fantastically. If you find it is getting too warm when you test it try it with a wire front instead of the perspex. That is how I have mine now and the chick can sit over the lamp where it is warm or move to a cooler section if need be. You'll be taking orders soon.

 

 

Feathers.

? Hospital cage? It's the first time I hear of such a thing. I mean, I have two smaller cages offhand in case I have to carry my birds around or isolate them, but I had no idea I needed something fancier...

Edited May 29, 200718 yr by Michelle

? Hospital cage? It's the first time I hear of such a thing. I mean, I have two smaller cages offhand in case I have to carry my birds around or isolate them, but I had no idea I needed something fancier...

Michelle a hospital cage is necessary for warmth for a sick budgie. Any sick budgie benefits greatly from being put in a warm cage prior to a possible vet visit. I go through my aviaires every day and ANY bird that looks unwell, or "fluffy" goes in the hospital cage for a day or two. You can make one up as an emergency thing by just using a warm lamp outside a small cage and covering 2-3 sides of the cage, in an emergency. any of us with a quantity of budgies or intending to breed budgies make sure we have a hospital cage at the ready for sick birds or for baby budgies needing warmth.

Edited May 30, 200718 yr by **KAZ**

Kaz is right. I have a friend that had 3 very sick budgies. 1 passed away but with good care and the warmth of the hospital cage amazingly the other 2 pulled through. When Pretty was sick they said to keep the room at above 75 F that is impossible in my house only with a hospital cage could that care be given.

 

I think you need it even more if you are breeding because you never know when your babies could need extra warmth because the hen decides not to care for them. Warmth is extremely important.

 

As a breeder I would make that first on my list to have one and as a pet owner too.