Birds, especially parrots, are naturally loud, which means that there may be times where they get on your- or your neighbors nerves.
Luckily, there are a couple ways to address this, which is what I will do in this article.
So, let’s get started!
Table of Contents
Steps to Soundproofing a Bird Cage
The Basic steps you should follow are;
- Change the location of the Cage: Move the cage to a corner in the room.
- Install sound absorbing materials behind the Cage: This will ensure that the noise coming from the cage won’t bounce back to you.
- Get a Bird cage cover: Cover the cage with the cover during the night.
- Get an Acrylic cage: Acrylic cages keep most of the noise inside of the cage itself.
- Soundproof the Doors and Windows.
By far the most effective method will be getting the acrylic birdcage, but I decided to put the steps in an easy-to-follow order to make things simpler for you and also to start with the most affordable methods, before moving on to the acrylic cage.
Note: Here’s an important point that I need to cover since most people tend to confuse these two concepts:
Difference Between Soundproofing and Sound Absorption
Soundproofing is the process of isolating or blocking the sound, not allowing it to enter or to leave a room.
To do this you will need to use materials that are designed to not let sound through, like mass loaded vinyl, drywall, etc.
Sound Absorption relies on materials that are good at absorbing sound, such as acoustic panels, acoustic blankets, etc. to reduce the echo inside of a room.
Sound absorption, while not being great at soundproofing, will still help with it, which is why you might want to use it in conjunction with sound-blocking materials to achieve the best results.
Now, let’s get into the guide.
1. Place the Cage in a Corner of the Room
This isn’t the most effective step on its own but it’s definitely one of the easiest to get done quickly.
You should place the cage in one of the corners of the room, preferably near a window so that the bird can receive a bit more natural light and also so that sound can get out through the window if it’s open.
If you put the cage in the middle of the room it will make it harder to deaden the bird’s noises, while placing it in a corner allows you to use sound absorbing materials on the walls behind the cage.
2. Place the Cage next to a Window
I just mentioned this, but not only is this better for the bird itself, but you can make it so that all the noise coming from the cage is redirected to- and out the window (when it’s open, of course).
In order to accomplish this, you will have to add some insulation to the parts of the cage that aren’t facing the window, like the sides and back, as well as the top.
This could easily be done by just throwing a soundproofing blanket on the cage, or if you want to take this a step further you could use Mass Loaded Vinyl.
3. Install Sound Absorption around the Cage
While Sound Absorption may not be as effective at reducing noise, it will still help, and installing materials that can dampen the soundwaves around the cage may just give you that extra reduction you need.
Here are a couple pointers;
Use Acoustic Blankets
Acoustic blankets are one of the best tools to help lower unwanted noises.
The reason for this is that they are thick and heavy, which means that they can absorb a lot of sound, and they are also very affordable and versatile.
If you want to keep costs to a minimum, then I’d recommend getting regular moving blankets like these ones.
Here are my recommendations:
- Hang them on the sides of the cage.
- Place one on top of the cage.
- Hang them on the walls closest to the cage.
Also, you could hang acoustic blankets on the doors, windows and even walls, to further insulate the entire room.
However, I would only do this if the sound is annoying your neighbors, family members, or if you can hear it too much when you’re in another room.
Otherwise, it might not be as necessary.
Hang Acoustic Curtains
Acoustic curtains are very similar to the blankets in the sense that they are affordable and easy to install, with the advantage of looking better and also letting you open and close them whenever you want.
The obvious way would be to hang them on the windows, or even doors for that matter, but you could also attach them to the ceiling over the cage and wrap them all around it.
This way you can open them during the day and close them during the night, surrounding the entire cage.
Hang Acoustic Panels on the walls around the cage
Regular acoustic panels can help a bit as well, just make sure that they are wider and taller than the cage in order to absorb the most sound possible; twice as high would be ideal.
4. Use a Cage Cover
The advantages of using a cage cover are twofold; They help dampen the bird’s noises by providing an additional barrier, but more importantly, you can put the cover on at night which will help the bird sleep by blocking any external light.
Just remember to take off the cover the next day and only use it during the nights.
5. Get an Acrylic Bird Cage
If possible, upgrade from a conventional cage to an acrylic cage.
The reason for this is that regular cages don’t block any of the sound since there are huge gaps between the pieces of metal.
Acrylic cages on the other hand are thick and only have small ventilation holes, and this provides much more insulation.
You can find high-quality cages at customcages.com.
6. Soundproof the Doors and Windows
By far, the easiest way of keeping sound from leaving a room is by soundproofing the doors and the windows, since this is where most of the issues tend to be.
I wrote a complete guide on how to do both, so here they are:
But just to make things easier, I will give you a quick recap of what to do, and most steps apply in both cases since the process is quite similar;
- Use a Weatherstrip: Adhere weatherstripping tape to the frame in order to create an air-tight seal once the door/window is closed.
- Install a Door Sweep: A door sweep will cover the lower gap between the door and the floor.
- Use Acoustic Caulk: Acoustic caulk can be used to seal little cracks that may have formed between the frame and the wall over the years.
Remember that you can also install acoustic curtains or blankets on both the door and windows, but if you just follow these basic steps, the reduction in noise will be extremely noticeable.
Additional Considerations
The are a couple other steps you could take, but these are more “niche” and may not be as effective.
Using a White Noise Machine
If you’ve ever used a white noise machine to help you sleep, then you know that they can be quite effective.
If you haven’t, it’s quite similar to sleeping with a regular fan, and the way it works is by creating a consistent sound that masks all other external noises, and this can help your bird fall asleep faster and also keep it from waking up.
Train your Bird
If nothing else seems to work, then you might want to try to train your bird to change it’s behavior and scream a little less.
However, birds naturally scream a lot and this is completely normal, so keep that in mind.
The one tip I can give you is to not yell at your bird when it screams, since this will only make it worse.
What you should do if it’s screaming at you is leave, and once the bird has calmed down you can come back.
You could also give the bird something to “chew on” when it starts screaming, and this will slowly teach it not to.
If your bird screams for attention, don’t open then cage and pet him since this will reinforce it as well, in fact you should either leave or just stand there until it calms down and THEN open the cage to pet it.
Here’s a quick video teaching the basics.
Most important steps to follow
While all steps in this guide are effective, here are the ones that I think are the best;
- Get an Acrylic Cage.
- Use Acoustic Blankets to cover parts of the Cage.
- Soundproof the Doors and Windows.
Of course, changing the location of the cage can also work, but these three steps are far more effective.
Conclusion
Birds are naturally loud, and this is something that you should consider before getting one since you will have to deal with some level of noise no matter what you do.
Make sure to soundproof the doors and the windows if you don’t want to upset your neighbors.
I hope this information was useful!
Have a great day!
Last Updated on March 3, 2021 by Facundo
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