In this article, you’ll learn how to choose the best Canary cage perches and optimal placement for perches. Discover which perch sizes and types to use, where to position them, and what to avoid. The health of a Canary’s feet is vitally important to their overall well-being.
Perch Diameter
Canaries should be given a variety of perch diameters to help exercise their feet. Ideally, none of the perches will be less than a 1/2″ diameter and the foot should wrap no further than about three-quarters of the way around. Perches that are too small will not allow the toes to rest properly on the perch, and sometimes the toenails will touch one another or become intertwined underneath the perch, potentially causing injury.
Here is an image to demonstrate how the toes wrap so far around a small diameter perch that the toenails may become entangled. This bird is in need of a toenail trimming as well:
Perch Placement for Canaries
Many bird cage manufacturers include perches that run the longest length of the cage, side to side, as shown in the diagram at the top of the post. This is incorrect for many bird species.
The long, lengthwise perches may be seen used by breeders when they are temporarily showcasing several birds in one cage at a bird fair or expo, but the birds “live” in cages with properly-placed perches. See the left side of the diagram at the top of the page for proper placement.
Perch Heights, Quantity and Locations
Two of the perches should be placed at about the same height, up near the top, but not so high that your bird will touch the top of the cage with his head.
An additional perch or two can be placed at lower heights, allowing the bird to fly diagonally as well as horizontally.
The minimum number of perches should be two, however, anywhere from 3-5 perches can be placed per cage depending on the size of the cage.
Hens and cocks need ample horizontal flight length and space to exercise and maintain strength in their bodies, especially the chest muscles. Strong muscles and body-conditioning are imperative for successful breeding.
When placing perches, be aware of food and water dishes, other perches, or other objects below them that can become contaminated with droppings as the birds perch and eliminate waste.
Specialized Perches
Like other types of birds, Canaries benefit from having at least one flat surface or small platform they can rest upon. This allows added exercise for their feet as well.
When multiple birds are housed in a large cage or aviary, you may wish to add stress (known also as privacy) perches. Stress perches allow individuals to perch comfortably without being chased, bothered, or picked at by their cage mates. Here is a photo of what stress perches look like.
Safe Materials for Perches and What to Avoid
By far, the healthiest bird perches are made of untreated wood. I make my own perches out of kiln-dried dowel rod using nothing more than a jigsaw.
Safe wood types include Pine, Birch, Ash, Elm, Apple, Maple, and many others. Be sure the wood is free of pesticides and other chemicals. If you’re harvesting your own branches from the wild, it is critical to thoroughly clean and disinfect the branches to remove invisible pathogens or parasite eggs.
After washing my selected branches and smoothing any sharp bumps, I bake them in the oven at 215 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes to kill unseen parasite eggs under the bark. As an added precaution, I then wash them in F10 SC and let them dry thoroughly in the sun before use.
Rope perches and toys are never advisable. I’ve seen far too many instances of Canaries getting toenails caught and losing either a nail or a toe.
Twist-in plastic perches are very convenient but should not be the main perches. One or two per cage is fine as long as the majority of options for perches are made of wood.
NEVER wrap perches with sandpaper or other abrasive material. These will cause sore feet, potential wounds, infections, or Bumblefoot. Sandpaper does nothing to help keep toenails filed down, since the pads of the bird’s toes are what actually grip and touch the perches.
If your bird has an injury on the sole of his foot, you can wrap his perches in Vet-Wrap to relieve discomfort until he has healed.
Finally, think twice about “coated” perches; something like the one shown below. One of the first perches I ever bought was similar to this, but I cannot recall the exact brand. It had a slightly rough surface that I thought would be a great idea for keeping nails and beak manicured (until I learned that was a bad idea).
When these things get dirty, they’re impossible to clean. The surface is too rough and if the perch gets wet, the brown coating becomes dangerously slimy, slippery, flakes off in chunks, and smells like soaked dog food.
