CHOOSING A LOCATION
The process of building an indoor aviary starts with locating the
appropriate space. This space will likely be in the basement of your
residence, but is certainly not limited to that. Some of the things
to take in consideration when selecting a site are size, ceiling
height, natural lighting and ease of viewing. The size may be limited
by the available space, but it is good to have at least one dimension
of 2.15 meters (7') to allow for proper flight space. A minimum of one
meter (40") in the other direction is also recommended to allow
for proper turning manouvers. Height is really not critical in an
indoor aviary, at least not for the finches. It may be important
however for the aviculturalists to provide ease of maintenance and
certainly for the viewer to be able to confortably observe the birds.
2.0 meter (6'-6") is an adequate height.
It is always desirable to have windows to provide natural lighting to
the area. This is not indispensible as artificial lighting can be
installed that will closely simulate natural lighing but if available
sunshine can be very beneficial to your birds. If you are able to
provide window space, you need to consider the fact that appropriate
screens must be installed to make your finches aware that there is
an obstacle to avoid it they plan to fly towards the window. Birds
normally fly towards a light source when they panic.
Consider using a corner of a room for your aviary. Besides providing
for two solid walls to start the construction, it also minimizes
drafts and establishes an area for the birds where they feel secure
from approaching traffic.
CONSTRUCTION
The existing wall(s) need to be properly sheathed. Drywall board is
a suitable material since a washable painted surface will need to
be provided for cleaning purposes. Other sheathing materials may
be used, such as plywood, waferboard, masonite, etc. These materials
will also need to be painted with a scrubable non toxic paint.
The ceiling if not existing can be installed at this point or later
in the process. Make sure that you have the appropriate backing to
support the aviary front wall framing. All necessary wiring for the
aviary lights and other electrical equipment should be installed
before the ceiling finish is applied.
To construct to actual screen front to the aviary, I would start
with fastening 2x4 cedar plates to the ceiling an the floor. These
should, of course, be plumb with each other. Vertical 2x4 members
are then added at modular distances derived by dividing the available
space in equal distances of about 75 to 90 cm (30" to 36"). A 2x4
base is installed in each space. Since the hardware cloth will be
installed horizontally, the width of the roll (minus 4 cm for overlap
to fasten the wire) will be the distance from the top of the base
to the bottom edge of the 2x4 median. The same distance is transposed to
from the top edge of the 2x4 median to the top rail (see diagram).
The hardware cloth is streched horizontally and stapled to the framework
in two rows. The top panel is sheathed in solid material.
I highly recommend splitting the entry door in two panels. The top portion can then be kept closed for all but the most serious cleaning projects. Most finches tent to fly high when spooked.
PLANTING THE AVIARY
If you want that natural look in your indoor aviary I suggest that you
rotate the plants in it. Keep them in for a few weeks and remove them
when they are starting to look worn. Replace them with other plants
while they recover. And so on...
THE HARDWARE CLOTH IS ON THE
AVIARY SIDE
Get more mature plants and prune them so that you create some bare
perch space for the birds. Also try bundles of tall dry grasses to
fasten to the walls. They are the ideal place to locate wicker
baskets in. For my display indoor aviary I have saved two large
branches (8') from a japanese maple when it suffered some serious
winter damage last year. A sturdy concrete base and they are the
ideal main perching sites.
VIEW FROM INSIDE
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