Abstract
Keeping birds for breeding in an apartment cap '1e fun, educational and exciting. It can also become a burden if done incorrectly. I have learned a great deal in the ten years that I have kept birds in my apartment. The following are a few pointers you might find helpful.
Before anything else, get written permission from your landlord to keep birds. Inform yourself regarding state and local laws that may affect you. Know what changes in the birdroom will be needed such as a different floor or removing curtains. Do not expect your landlord to pay for major changes.
Choose the species you wish to breed carefully, macaws and cockatoos make wonderful pets but a breeding pair will make enemies of your neighbors. Some of the species that will do well include finches, canaries, budgies, lovebirds, and cockatiels. Some small conures are also suitable. I do not recommend Nandays, Goldcaps, Bluecrowns, or Sun Conures. My personal collection includes Cockatiels, Pyrrhura Conures, a few small Aratingas, and Poicephalus.
Before placing a single cage in your room, consider what will be needed to keep it clean. Keeping the floor respectable will be your biggest problem. The typical apartment carpet simply will not do. You will never be able to clean up all the mess and frequent shampooing is out of the question. I have tried plastic sheeting under the cages. It was fair but tore easily and could not be mopped without leaving a scummy residue visible. Plywood sheets placed over wall-towall plastic were not suitable either. Here again it was impossible to clean and it also produced splinters.
The best plan is to remove the carpet and padding and install linoleum. Instead of gluing the linoleum in place, secure it with peel-and-stick vinyl trim. This floor is a major project but well worth the effort. Before installing the new floor, consider painting and repairing the walls. Replace draw curtains with a miniblind. These will be less accessible to chewers and are also far easier to clean.
Once the paint dries, hang washable fabric panels from nails behind all the cages. Each panel should extend from the floor trim to the top of the highest cage. Use heavier fabric which will take a lot of washings. Grommets along the edges make hanging over the nails easier.
Providing adequate light is another area of concern. If cages are stacked, ceiling fixtures alone are not adequate. Wall mounted fixtures for the lower cages seem too permanent. Special stands using PVC pipe and standard fluorescent shoplights were built to match spacing of the cages.