HOW I REPURPOSED AN OLD HUTCH INTO A BIRD AVIARY

I wanted to give you a peek at our parakeet's bird aviary. 

This aviary was a glass door cabinet that I repurposed to house our two parakeets, Nips and Flips.

Originally, we had a large wire bird cage, but the birds would continuously toss out seeds and bedding, making a bit of a mess.

So, I decided I needed to find a way to keep them more enclosed, and I had a glass door cabinet that seemed like the perfect solution.

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HOW I REPURPOSED AN OLD HURCH INTO A BIRD AVIARY

Now, I'd love to show you the step-by-step and before of the cabinet, but we’ve housed our parakeets in this DIY bird aviary since around 2012.

So, the best I can do is show you the setup and share the changes that were made to the cabinet to make it work for so many years.

First, this cabinet was originally black, so it did receive a new paint color.

You must be careful when painting a birdcage because the paint and fumes can be toxic.

I used latex paint, and the cabinet was dry and cured before placing the birds inside.

For ventilation, I drilled multiple holes into the back wall.

These holes are great because I can also use them to insert and rearrange the dowels that I use for perches.

Sometimes I also use real tree branches.

I also cut a hole on the left side of the cabinet to add an extra window.

This window gives extra light, and because of where the cabinet is placed near our home window, the birds can see outside while eating.

The cabinet doors shut securely with magnetic locks, and I screwed hooks to the top of the ceiling area to hang toys.

For easy cleaning, there is a large rubber boot tray inside the cabinet floor area to hold the bedding, and it’s easily removable.

The drawer below is also a great place to store extra bedding, cleaning supplies, toys, treats and food.

Sadly, we recently lost our parakeet, Flips.

He was around 12 years old.

From my understanding, captive parakeets live between 7 to 15 years old.

That’s why I’ve been hesitant to bring in a new friend for Nips, as he is already around the age of 13/14.

The aviary has been moved into our dining room area so Nips can be more where the action is and around us.

This DIY parakeet aviary has been great for many, many years.

It has kept the birds from tossing seeds and stirring up the bedding and keeps the area much cleaner, making them a lot easier to care for.

It also keeps them safer from the kitty cats versus having them in the wire cage.

XOXO

Emily