# How To Hang Nestbox On Cage



## Eileen

I have a question about nest boxes. For my birds, I just put a basket in their cage for them to use, but I would rather use a nestbox. How do you hang them on your cage? Do they come with a kit to attach them? Also, if I install it on the outside of their cage door, then I would think I couldn't get into the cage, because it is blocked by the nestbox. What do people normally do?


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## roxy culver

What kind of cage do you have? The cages I used last season have the front openings and then openings on each side. I put the nest box on the side of the cage so I could still change food and such and tied the side door open that led to the box. They don't come with an attachment kit you have to do that part yourself. When they were in the big cage, I attached it to the side with a bunch of bungie cords, that held it in place really good, even with five big fat babies in it.


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## Eileen

I have one big door on the front and the top also opens. I think I would need more of a breeder type cage, that has a couple of doors. Right now I have a big plastic basket hung at the top of the cage near the doors, so I can cover it and give the birds privacy, or open the top doors to clean out the box.


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## roxy culver

Well the box won't need to be cleaned much, the parents don't do their business in there only the babies and then its not that bad. Its actually good for their immune system. Good luck!


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## Hu511

You can make an opening yourself.. just use pliers thats what I did.


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## Mentha

It really depends upon what kind of nest box you get. some are back mounted, which go inside your cage, some are front mounted which go on the outside of your cage. My favorite are side mounted which can be hung either inside or outside. I found the at Petsmart. Too bad they are 50 miles away. I was going to pay my son to make me some side mounted ones, but that never panned out. (Link to budgie box) Anyway, if the cage is cheap, you can always cut a couple bars to make an opening and when you take the box down put up some 1/2 X 1 in rabbit wire to cover the hole.


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## nwoodrow

i use cages that have front entrances, side entrances and even food dish entrances because these cages are oly used for breeding if they dont have the second entrance i make one, just make sure that there are no exposed wires, all my nest boxes are 5 gallon rubbermaids that i attachted mirror hooks to and then extra support(mainly for protection from outside bumping) i use bungie cords. No wooden boxes here the stack together nicely and get squeaky clean at the end of the season, each pair has their own box.


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## srtiels

Below is an Illus. with several ideas for attaching the nestbox to the cage (click for a larger view)

As to the nestbox it is best to hang it as high as you can in or on the cage. 

If the cage does not have a small door on the top side of the cage to position the nestbox hole, then you might have to use wire cutters and cut out several of the cage bars. This hole caqn be later covered with a piece of 1/2" x 1/2" (hardware cloth) wire mesh, and small cable ties to fashen it.


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