Just wondering if anyone from Canada has an outdoor aviary. I would like to build something to keep the birds in for the summer. But I'm worried about predators that might get them. We have lots of raccoons around here. I'm pretty sure they would be able to rip or chew through almost anything and get in there. And there are probably other predators I haven't thought of.

Hey Shawna!

 

Im sorry i did not reply to this yet, we Canadians need to stick together!

 

My idea is to build a outdoor one on stilts. Im planning on making one with a plywood back, and sides....with a wire front, and bottom. It will be a play cage, and i will bring them in at night, to put in the nice big indoor cage. They all LOVE the sun, and the wind, so im sure theyll love it to peices! Im going to make it about 4 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 3 feet tall i think...and maybe make a slide out tray, but if not, ill keep the floor wire, so the small amount(s) of poop just falls in grass.... Im going to clip there wings before they go in it, and make sure the doors are locked at ALL times, since im moving to an unfinished neoughbourhood in the end of July, and we wont even have grass yet, and theres a forest accross the street, behind other new houses! Im going to make a huge door, about 2 feet long, centered in the middle of the front pannel, but im going to divide it seperatly, so i can make that i can open both doors, and it can be 2 feet long, or if i only need to, i can only unhook one, and have a door 1 foot long... get it? (Laughing out loud)

 

Kirby

Sounds good Kirby. Suburbia might be a little safer. I'm in the woods basically. We have even had a bear around. Lots of skunks, racoons, deer too. I guess if I were going to have the hassle of bringing them in every night, I might just wheel the big cage outside for a bit of sunshine. I'd like to put a cover on it though so no wild birds could poop on them. Post pics when yours is done!!!

Are you really?

 

Wow.....

Can you post pics of your house, the front, and the backyard? I bet its beuatiful! That would be VERY unsafe for your birds though And too much of a hassle to wheel the huge one out every day and night!

 

Kirby

Sorry about posting a bit late but, im Canadian too and i was thinking about building an aviary but...Doesn't it get too cold here in the winter? Can budgies be in an aviary when its snowing? I know budgies can adapt to temperatures as long as its not a sudden change but i mean -20 degrees celcius or less? Yeah those racoons go in my garbage (Laughing out loud).

Mavi...WAYYY TOO COLD! ! ! ! !

 

It gets like that here, and budgies shouldnt get colder than -5...so i wouldnt push it. It ends up that im not going to make an aviary for them during the day. At least not for a while, or until move. My mom just agreed to help me wheel my cage out in hot days...so im just going to do that :budgiedance: And get locks for the doors :ausb: So nothing gets them.. Im moving right beside another, bigger forest ( on other side of road from my new house) full of animals. Not to mention all the kids, and cat we see cruising the nieghbourhood

 

Kirby

i dont know what the temps are like over on that coast but like kirby said -5 might be the lowest and you need a heater no matter what for them. I wanted to get an outdoor aviary my parents even said yes and were helping me decide on ideas but we have some ****ing idiots of neighbours who have thrown lacrosse balls at the house and water balloons at our older dog so :budgiedance: im just not going to risk putting any birds outside, never mind the racoons.

:budgiedance: Somebody on my street about a mile away (keep in mind I am sort of out in the country) has an outdoor aviary. She had a garage sale a couple of years ago and there were a bunch of budgies crammed into a little cage. (I am not a garage sale person but when I saw that budgies were part of the deal, I decided to drop by) I complained to her but she said it was just for a few hours for the garage sale but a couple of them looked like they had colds (for heavens sake, she could have put them in a couple of cages!). I have driven by many times but it looks like she has a sheltered enclosure for them (you can see it from the road) and a fairly large aviary. Also have seen a couple of cockatiel aviaries that seem to be on the outside mostly but I would guess the birds have access to a warmer place. Let us hope that when it gets excessively cold or hot, the birds are taken care of adequately. All we can do is cross our fingers (and on occasion it can get minus 15 or lower)

:ausb:

im in so cal, and i get racoons, skunks and opossoms, and have NEVER had a problem. they would rather go thru the trash bins. I also have fish in the pond next to the aviary,and they have never taken a fish either.

I have a heater on the top side of my aviary, but with temps like yours, maybe you could make a 2 room aviary? one heated and one with the wire/mesh sides.