It is very easy to build a modest parakeet cage with a few common tools and a few dollars worth of materials that are available at any home improvement or hardware store. Because a parakeet is a very small bird, a parakeet cage need not involve any heavy structural elements. You will need the following items to build you parakeet cage.
- two pieces of 1/4 to 1/4 inch plywood 16 inches on a side.
- 1 length of threaded steel or aluminum rod 16 inches long.
- 4 bolts that will screw onto the rod
- 4 large fender washers that will fit on the rod
- A piece of wire mesh with a screen size of 1/2 to 5/8 inches 64 inches long and 18 inches wide.
- A piece of wooden dowel rod about 8 inches long
- Several feet of stiff wire
You will need a drill and bits, wire cutters, a crescent wrench, staple gun, a small light saw and long nose pliers.
To begin building your parakeet cage, put the two pieces of plywood on top of each other and drill a hole large enough for the threaded rod through both of them. Put a bolt about one inch up one end of the rod then slide on a washer. Put the end of the rod with the bolt through the plywood, add a second washer and another bolt on the side sticking through. Tighten the bolt so that the wood is held tightly between them and little or nothing of the rod is sticking out of the plywood. Now do the same on the other end of the rod.
On one piece of plywood drill two small holes about 6 inches apart. Cut a piece of the wooden dowel rod one inch longer than the distance between the holes. Cut two 10 inch pieces of wire. Wrap one piece of wire around each end of the dowel and poke the other ends through the 2 holes you made. Now you have a perch for your parakeet cage.
Wrap the wire mesh around the two wooden plates and staple it to them keeping it as tight as possible. Trim off any extra. Using the wire cutters, cut and opening on one side of the parakeet cage and make a door into the parakeet cage by cutting a piece out of the scrap screening. Bend the loose ends to act as a hinge and use a piece of the wire to hold the door of your parakeet cage shut.
If you wish to hang your parakeet cage, you can add some hooks or eyelets to the top of the cage. This is basic parakeet cage should be more than adequate for your parakeet.