Short answer
Yes. Keeping birds in a cage or fish in a tank is permitted in the Hanafi school, as long as you feed them, give them clean water and space, and keep them healthy. A child in the Prophet's ﷺ time kept a small bird, and he spoke kindly to the boy about it. Neglect is what makes it a sin.
Keeping birds in cages is permitted provided they are fed and cared for, and so is keeping fish in an aquarium. Starving or neglecting a caged animal is haram.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
Anas had a young brother, Abu Umayr, who kept a small bird called a nughayr. When it died, the Prophet ﷺ, who was visiting, gently teased the boy: 'O Abu Umayr, what happened to the little bird?' The scholars took from this that children may keep birds as pets and play with them. The Hanafi books also state that keeping birds in a cage is allowed if they are fed.
The condition is care. The Prophet ﷺ told of a woman who entered the Fire because she locked up a cat, neither feeding it nor letting it find food. A locked cage puts the animal completely in your hands, so you are fully responsible for it.
Good care means:
- a cage large enough to move, stretch and fly short distances, or a tank of the right size with filtered water;
- fresh food and water every day, and someone to look after them when you travel;
- clean bedding or water, the right temperature and light;
- a vet when they are ill;
- not keeping wild birds that suffer in captivity, and following local laws on protected species.
If you can no longer care for a bird, do not simply release it: a pet bird let out of the house often dies. Rehoming it with someone who can care for it is kinder.
See also cats and other pets and rights of animals.
The evidence
Sahih al-Bukhari 6129
Sahih... يا أبا عمير ما فعل النغير ...
"O Abu Umayr, what happened to the little bird?"
A child kept a pet bird with the Prophet's ﷺ knowledge.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3482
Sahih... عذبت امرأة في هرة سجنتها حتى ماتت ...
"A woman was punished because of a cat she locked up until it died."
Confining an animal without care is a grave sin.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Durr al-Mukhtar, Kitab al-Hazr wa al-Ibaha, section on sales and animals. Keeping birds in a cage is permitted if they are fed.
- Fath al-Bari (Ibn Hajar), Kitab al-Adab, commentary on the hadith of Abu Umayr. Lists the rulings drawn from the hadith, including keeping birds.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.