# Help With Setting Up Quarantine Cage?



## BudgieMin (May 21, 2018)

Hello all,this is my first post here,though I've been a big fan of your site for years. I have a male budgie who's 1 year and 5 months and I'm going to get him a new young female companion soon (however I have read extensively on how great male companions are as well, and of course how to prevent breeding).

I bought a huge (by standards where I'm from,though pretty normal worldwide-30*18*18) flight cage recently,because I would like both of them to live together eventually.

I'll be using this flight cage as the quarantine cage. It just came with your regular plastic perches and food bowls. But I bought new Booda comfy perches,and real wood perches and bridges to replace these.

My dilemma is my male budgie,when I bought him,ended up having a mite problem and I have treated him since,taken to the vet and everything,and he hasn't shown signs recently.

I'm worried my new budgie may have the same issue,because I may be getting her from the same shop as my male. (I have exhausted the search for the specific mutation I want with reliable shops and breeders)

And I know with mites you have to thoroughly clean everything during treatment and potentially throw away the wood or bake them which would be difficult for me to do (financial wise as they were shipped)

My issue is do I just leave the plastic perches in for now temporarily for the quarantine period (at the cost of scaring the new budgie later with new perches), or keep all the perches in,including the wooden perches? Would vinegar cleaning eradicate the potential mites if soaked in it?

Bottom Line: My new budgie may potentially have mites, do I just leave the plastic perches in my new cage just for the quarantine period,or set up the new cage with all the new comfy and wooden perches one time (and if mites do show up,can vinegar eradicate them in the new perches?)


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi! :welcome: to Talk Budgies

Thank you for checking on the best way to handle the quarantine cage for your new addition.

I would suggest you take the plastic perches out of the cage and use ONLY the natural wood perches. Keep the Bouda comfy perches for after the full cleaning and disinfecting process. Using white vinegar to clean the perches will be fine.

Hopefully, the wooden perches you bought are natural wood perches of varying diameters rather than wooden dowels?

Pressure Sores

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## BudgieMin (May 21, 2018)

Yes I've read a ton about pressure sores and the stickies on the site,and it makes me so sad that so many budgies have to endure them,considering they have to stand all day. 

The wood perches I bought are textured tree branch ones,not.wooden dowels,so yes varying shapes for their little feet. Thank you so much for your help,it is greatly appreciated!


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*You are most welcome.

I'd love to see pictures of your little male and, of course, your little female once you get her and she is all settled in to her new home and environment.*


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## BudgieMin (May 21, 2018)

Definitely will post some,sometime soon. I'm so glad to have found a site full of people who love budgies as much as I do.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Budgies RULE!! :laughing2:*


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## BudgieMin (May 21, 2018)

Oh,I just have one more question. Why is it necessary to use only the wood perches and not the rope ones as of yet in the quarantine cage? Is it easier for mites to hide in the rope perches as opposed to wood?


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## Blingy (Feb 26, 2018)

It’s not a good idea to use rope perches for a number of reasons. Firstly, budgies can chew on them, ingesting the fibres and this can lead to crop impaction which is a medical emergency. Secondly, budgies can get their little toes caught in the rope, which again can become a medical emergency. Natural branches are always best as they’re not only great for your budgies feet, but also provide great stimulation when your birds chew on them. Of course always use branches that are budgie safe, have been thoroughly cleaned and most importantly, are pesticide free.


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hi there and :welcome: to the forums!

You've been given excellent advice above on how to set up the cage for your budgie. It's great to have you with us - be sure to read through the links provided above by FaeryBee to ensure you're up to date on the best of budgie care practices. If you have any questions after doing so, please be sure to ask as we'd love to help. 

We hope to meet your new budgie soon! 

Cheers :wave:


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

Great that you’re conscientious about quarantine :thumbsup:.

Another tip here.. it’s good to keep your quarantine cage with only the necessities. A couple perches, a couple toys, food and water cups placed strategically so they can’t be pooped in. 

We encourage a nice variety of toys and swings later on, but you want this temporary cage to facilitate ease of cleaning.


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## BudgieMin (May 21, 2018)

Thank you all greatly for your help and welcome! It is much appreciated. And thank you very much for the tips on quarantine set up,I understand the minimalist approach to the set up now. I got the new baby girl last week and I'll be posting pics of her soon along with my boy. Thanks again everyone. (Sorry for the late reply,I was nerve wracked from the new arrival and have a lot to talk about).


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