When setting up a cage for a bird or small animal, you have to spend some time thinking about how your pet will navigate their cage. Each type of animal requires a slightly different set up to optimize their route. In some cases, you’ll want it to be extremely challenging and convoluted to keep their interest, while for others, clear access paths are paramount.
For example, if you’re setting a cage for a ferret, you’ll need ramps, tubes, and large shelves, all of which can be made of plastic because there isn’t much danger of them being destroyed and eaten. If you’re setting up a cage for a chinchilla, you can forego the ramps, but you’ll need a number of wooden shelves placed at various heights around the cage. Chinchillas don’t walk as much as they hop and jump, so leaping from perch to perch is no problem for them. Conversely, though, they’ll chew and eat plastic, so wood is the only option.
When it comes to choosing perches for birds, they borrow a little from each of these examples. Birds need something to occupy their minds, so complicated and interesting setups are good, especially if you have a larger bird cage and have room to add some stuff inside of it. They’re more like chinchillas in that clearing heights is no problem, but they do enjoy ladders and bridges, too. The material isn’t so important, but it should be tough enough to withstand strong bird bites over a long period of time. Like chinchillas (and very much unlike ferrets), proper clearance is key.
Both need to be able to comfortably jump or glide through openings between cage obstacles. Birds have the additional requirement that when sitting on any given perch, their tail feathers need to be able to clear anything behind them, including the cage side and other perches. You also don’t want a perch directly above a food or water dish for obvious reasons. Keep all these things in mind when designing your bird cage.
As you shop for perches for your bid cage, look for a mixture of things. The standard wooden perch will do most of the heavy lifting, but you’ll want a textured perch to keep nails and beaks trim, a ladder or two to give them something to walk across, and any number of other obstacles. A standard wooden platform is a good addition, especially for smaller birds.
On top of all that, you’ll probably want at least one perch to use outside the cage for training, playtime, and general daily hangouts. This is roughly akin to cat trees in that they provide a stimulating environment all their own to be destroyed, played on, and slept in as needed. A cat tree and a free standing bird perch both help to keep your pet off the human furniture, too.
Give your parrot, parakeet, conure, or other avian friend an interesting place to hang out with the top ten best stands and perches for birds.
Best Cage Perches
The first thing you’ll need are perches to go inside the cage. Your bird will spend most of its time in the cage, so ensure you give them proper access to the entire space — including toys, food, and water — with a variety of perches. They can be both standard and utilitarian, as well as fun games in and of themselves.
1. Alfie Pet by Petoga Couture Don Natural Wood Perch 5-Piece Set for Birds
Alfie Pet
To get you started, you need to get the basics in place before you get to any of the fancier stuff. This five-pack of wooden perches would be as useful for your medium-sized birds as it would be for chinchillas. Once you have these five basic, effective perches in place around the cage, you’ll have what you need to set up food and water dishes, give them a place to hang out by the door when you want them to step up on your hand, and a couple of places to play with toys.
Depending on the size of your cage, this could technically be all you need, but it won’t be super interesting for your bird. Consider this the starter pack and branch out (no pun intended) from here. A nice step up from these are Manzanita branches, which are more interesting for everyone, but more expensive.
Price: $11.99 to $13.99
Buy the Alfie Pet by Petoga Couture Don Natural Wood Perch 5-Piece Set for Birds here.
Quick Details:
- Size: Medium – 6 inches by .75 inches; Large – 8 inches by .75 inches
- Target birds: Medium to large birds, conures and small parrots to cockatiels
- Material: Wood
- Attachment style: Bolt and wingnut
Find more Alfie Pet by Petoga Couture Don Natural Wood Perch 5-Piece Set for Birds information and reviews here.
2. Polly’s Beach Sands Bird Perch
Polly\’s
Once you have the standard perches established, you can move on to specialized perches. These Polly’s options are designed to look like Cholla wood, but are made of plastic and covered in sand. The sand keeps nails and beaks trim while providing an interesting, dimpled surface on which to perch. They come in two primary series, including this Beach Sands version, and a Desert Sands variant in small, medium, and large sizes. Really the only difference between them are the color selections.
We’ve featured the large version of the Beach Sands here, but other sizes are available below. Polly’s has a wide variety of other perch options, as well, including things like this cuttlebone and calcium option.
If you want to get really fancy, consider this K&H Thermo-Perch Heated Bird Perch, which radiates a small amount of heat to keep your bird warm in drafty areas. It’s available in three sizes and in sanded or smooth finish.
Price: $11.89 to $15.86
Buy the Polly’s Beach Sands Bird Perch here.
Quick Details:
- Size: Small – 6 inches by 1 inch diameter, Medium – 9 inches by 1.5 inch diameter, Large – 12 inches by 2 inch diameter
- Target birds: All species and sizes
- Material: Plastic and sand
- Attachment style: Bolt and wingnut
Find more Polly’s Beach Sands Bird Perch information and reviews here.
3. Prevue Pet Products Wood Corner Shelf Laddered Platform for Bird Cages
Prevue Pet
As I discussed in the intro, one or two standard platforms in a bird cage is a good idea, too. It likely won’t be their favorite place to hang out, but it gives them a flat surface on which to figure out toys and crack open seeds. For that purpose, something like the Niteangel fan corner platform works perfectly.
Some birds don’t go for the flat surface, though, so we’ve featured this “laddered” platform from Prevue Pet. It’s still a wider surface on the whole than a single perch, but allows your bird to wrap their feet around the rungs in a more natural posture. It’s meant to fit into a corner to help you utilize every part of the cage. Alternatively, Prevue also makes a standard rectangular platform, if you prefer.
Price: $5.99 (45 percent off MSRP)
Buy the Prevue Pet Products Wood Corner Shelf Laddered Platform for Bird Cages here.
Quick Details:
- Size: 7 by 7 inches
- Target birds: Parrotlets, parakeets, conures, cockatiels, small parrots, and lovebirds
- Material: Wood
- Attachment style: Bolt and wingnut
Find more Prevue Pet Products Wood Corner Shelf Laddered Platform for Bird Cages information and reviews here.
4. Prevue Hendryx Naturals Rope Ladder Bird Toy
Prevue Hendryx
While some might picture the rigid wooden versions (which are perfectly good!), I tend to think that these rope-style ladders provide a little more interest — and certainly more flexibility. You can orient these ladders any way you need them in your bird’s cage, providing an interesting challenge or simply a safe place to land in the middle. This version is meant for smaller birds, but they have a 26 inch variant here, too. My parrot loved his and seemed to enjoy the motion he could enact by standing on one side and flapping his wings.
Price: $4.99 (27 percent off MSRP)
Buy the Prevue Hendryx Naturals Rope Ladder Bird Toy here.
Quick Details:
- Size: 17 inches
- Target birds: Parrotlets, parakeets, conures, cockatiels, small parrots, and lovebirds (larger size available here)
- Material: Wood, rope, and metal
- Attachment style: Carabiner-style quick links
Find more Prevue Hendryx Naturals Rope Ladder Bird Toy information and reviews here.
5. Rope Bungee Bird Toy
Petsvv
We included this item on our best bird toys post because it serves both purposes. This is a combination perch and swing, which can also be made into a bridge or a ladder, if you like. The braided surface makes for easy and comfortable perching, with multiple varied angles on which to sit.
My bird also had one of these, which hung over the ladder on the list above and created an inside-the-cage jungle gym that he spent hours trying to master. The two sizes — 43 or 63 inches — provide ample perching room and can be attached at both ends. It’s really a must-have piece.
Price: $8.99 to $10.99
Buy the Rope Bungee Bird Toy here.
Quick Details:
- Size: 43 or 63 inches
- Target birds: Small size aimed at parrotlets, parakeets, cockatiels and lovebirds; large size aimed at small parrots and conures
- Material: Cotton, metal, and plastic
- Attachment style: Carabiner-style quick links
Find more Rope Bungee Bird Toy information and reviews here.
Best Bird Play Stands
When your bird isn’t in the cage and isn’t perched on you, they’ll need a play stand on which to stand. In my experience, you’ll actually want at least two: one for tabletops and one free standing. The tabletop perches are excellent for training or for keeping them nearby when sitting at your computer, for example. The standalone perches are good for playing outside the cage and keeping them occupied. They come in a few different forms, as you might expect, so choose the one that works best for your style of bird parenting.
6. The Percher Portable Training Bird Perch
The Percher
Here’s a tabletop style stand that focuses on training. The five-point base allows it to be used traditionally, but can also be removed so you can use the handle underneath the tray for handheld exercises. Each of the pieces screw together in a modular way, which allows for multiple configurations. In order for it to be useful in the handheld configuration, the catch tray is a bit smaller, which means that for the larger target birds, it might not catch all the waste. Still, it’s certainly better than no catch tray at all and the novel approach makes it worth considering.
Price: $15.68
Buy the The Percher Portable Training Bird Perch here.
Quick Details:
- Size: 9 by 6 by 8 inches
- Target birds: Parakeets, cockatiels, African grey, conures, Senegals, Amazons, Caiques, and quakers
- Material: Plastic
- Style: Tabletop
Find more The Percher Portable Training Bird Perch information and reviews here.
7. Penn Plax Bird Life Natural Tree Perch
Penn Plax
Here’s a more traditional tabletop stand, complete with a rectangular base for stability and some mess-catching ability. The wood is made to look and feel like a real tree branch, while three different perches give your bird a few options for where to be. There are two cups which are ostensibly for water and food, but take my advice: you probably don’t want to put water in one of these unless your tabletop surface is otherwise clear.
We used to put seeds in one side and toys in the other for our parrot. There are two sizes to cover a relatively wide range of birds, but we doubt seriously that the large size will be big enough for the largest macaws and cockatoos, but you could give it a try and see.
Price: $20.59 to $49.99 (38 percent off MSRP)
Buy the Penn Plax Bird Life Natural Tree Perch here.
Quick Details:
- Size: Small – 11.75 inches high, 10.5 inches wide, 9 inches deep; Large – 19 inches high by 20 inches wide by 11.5 inches deep
- Target birds: Small size aimed at parrotlets, parakeets, cockatiels, conures, African grays, and lovebirds; large size aimed at larger parrots (description says macaws, but this seems unlikely)
- Material: Wood and metal
- Style: Tabletop
Find more Penn Plax Bird Life Natural Tree Perch information and reviews here.
8. Penn Plax Wood Bird Playpen
Penn Plax
For smaller species, you can give them not only a perch, but an entire play area. No matter which size or variation you choose, the essential perch will form one part of a larger structure with games and toys for your small birds to play with. This is an entire entertainment complex for birds, which gives them new and different challenges from the ones inside their cage, but still with the top-most perch available just for sitting and surveying the room.
There are other options available, as well, like this You&Me version, which allows for three different configurations.
Price: $21.57 to $49.99
Buy the Penn Plax Wood Bird Playpen here.
Quick Details:
- Size: Small – 9 by 9 by 8.25 inches; Medium – 9 by 11 by 10 inches; Large – 10 inches by 14 by 10 inches; Extra Large – 12 by 15 by 18.5 inches
- Target birds: Sizes available for finches, parrotlets, parakeets, cockatiels and lovebirds
- Material: Wood, cotton, plastic, and metal
- Style: Tabletop
Find more Penn Plax Wood Bird Playpen information and reviews here.
9. Parrot Wizard Large NU Perch Parrot Climbing Tree
Parrot Wizard
If you’ve got one of the larger species, you’ll have to spring for a much larger perch. Big birds like macaws require height because of their long tail feathers and overall size. This perch delivers at 58 inches tall with a 30 inch top perch. There are 16 slots for adding the 12 inch accessory perches, of which eight are included in this price. While this is definitely geared toward large birds, medium sized species will be able to make use of this massive creation, as well.
If it’s just too big for your particular bird, don’t worry — these come in medium and tabletop versions, as well. These are definitely pricey, but they’re carefully considered and wonderfully made in the U.S. The “NU perches” are custom designed to have a comfortable, usable texture that is perfect for birds. Additionally, the base is on wheels to make it easy to reposition it at any time.
Price: $499.99
Buy the Parrot Wizard Large NU Perch Parrot Climbing Tree here.
Quick Details:
- Size: 34 by 22 inch base, 58 inches high, 30 inch top perch
- Target birds: Macaws, cockatoos, Congo African greys, and other large species
- Material: Wood and metal
- Style: Free standing
Find more Parrot Wizard Large NU Perch Parrot Climbing Tree information and reviews here.
10. Topeakmart Large Bird Play Stand
Topeakmart
If those very nice but very high-end options are bit too pricey for you, you could consider this budget-friendly model. There aren’t quite as many facets or places for your bird to go, but if you want something that combines the training-type stands and the free standing trees, this might just do the job. We had one of these for our parrot and it did provide him a place to be outside the cage.
The catch tray is generous and kept most of the mess off the floor. However, there aren’t as many options for hanging toys they can access or moving around, so you might have to rig up something in addition to the two metal bowls. We screwed a hook into ours and added one of the bungee bird toys above. The price is right, but it isn’t the most rugged unit on the planet.
Similarly, you might consider something like the Giantex Parrot Play Stand, which is a little bit more interesting.
Price: $45.99
Buy the Topeakmart Large Bird Play Stand here.
Quick Details:
- Size: 26.4 by 26.4 by 61.8 inches
- Target birds: Macaws, cockatoos, Congo African greys, and other large species (but will work for medium birds, too)
- Material: Wood and metal
- Style: Free standing
Find more Topeakmart Large Bird Play Stand information and reviews here.
11. FeatherSmart Bird Table Top Stand
FeatherSmart
If these other options are too involved and you want something simple and easy to clean, consider this option. This is meant for use on a table or other flat surface and is made entirely out of PVC. The catch tray that forms the bottom is quite large and you can choose from three different sizes to suit your bird. Simple and easy to clean and made in the U.S.
Price: $22.99 to $53.99
Buy the FeatherSmart Bird Table Top Stand here.
Quick Details:
- Size: 14 by 8 by 6 inches
- Target birds: Three sizes to address almost all birds
- Material: PVC plastic
- Style: Free standing
Find more FeatherSmart Bird Table Top Stand information and reviews here.
See Also:
- Best Bird Cages
- Best Bird Toys
- Chinchillas 101: Best Cages, Food & Accessories
- Cool Bearded Dragon Tank Decor Ideas