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picking a cage dilemna

lotus15

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I've never seen an expandable habitat cage.

Did they have a store or people that carry them?

They don't have a store, and I'm not sure if any stores carry them, but you might email Tricia to ask. I love our EH cage.
 

SunUp

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Thank you @SunUp. That Kings Cage has a lot of features I like. I hadn't thought of paper towels on the grates. I wouldn't care if she shred them as long as she wasn't shredding soiled ones! I really need to find some short cuts in cage cleaning. Louise has decided she loves blackberries and raspberries. Her cage looks like a murder scene. The cage is old and hard to scrub clean---and on a bottom rail, it is peeling and rusting. A 36 inch would fit well, and if I go 28 inches deep, well the pendent lights have to be changed up--prob half of them would need to be shortened, easily done I believe. I want to go as big as possible and I don't want to have to move her out of the center of activity. It would be larger than what she has...would fit through the front door. I am having my friend stop by to see if I am overlooking a good place for her in the recommended cage size, she may see something I can rearrange that I can't see...In any event I will also need to find a new table with shelves for her Java playtop, any new cage I get won't have a bottom shelf for newspapers, and I do need that...I guess I need to remember I am blessed to have these types of problems...
@Sweet Louise a new powder coated cage will be much easier to wipe clean than the old one. From what I understand the aluminum cages are really hard to clean - stuff really sticks. But I don't have an aluminum cage so maybe someone here who does can speak to that. I don't care for the way SS cages look, so I'm happy with powder coated. Also, I often feed my grey her really messy food on a separate stand. It's much easier to clean up after her, and that way she doesn't mush stuff onto the bars, perches, etc. Just another idea for you. :)
 

Domothebudgie

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I use newspaper and avoid the shinny/smooth ads. The regular newsprint in a couple of layers works well. I change the papers daily. I would think the pads would work great as long as the birds cannot chew on them. It would seem to be expensive to change everyday.
I like the pads because its easier for me to clean. Gonzo likes to throw his water bowl, and spills a lot so it makes it easier to clean. It also doesn't rip, if gonzo happens to destroy a toy, i can easily wrap the wood up and throw it out.
 

rockybird

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I have 4 EH ss cages and they are GREAT! They run around 3k each though. (Expandablehabitats.com) These are custom cages and they will tweak the designs for you. However, I think powder coated cages are much easier to clean. The droppings dont seem to bond with the powder coating on the HQ and AA cages as well as they do with the ss cages. I keep the grates in because I dont want my birds playing in the dirty paper. Every week, I hand scrub the grates clean. It is a lot of work on the ss cages, but very quick to do on the powder coated cages. The EH cage bars are spaced so the cages seem very spacious. However, there are so many new large powder coated cages coming out that I think there are quite a few options available now that are just as good size wise.
 

Sweet Louise

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I have 4 EH ss cages and they are GREAT! They run around 3k each though. (Expandablehabitats.com) These are custom cages and they will tweak the designs for you. However, I think powder coated cages are much easier to clean. The droppings dont seem to bond with the powder coating on the HQ and AA cages as well as they do with the ss cages. I keep the grates in because I dont want my birds playing in the dirty paper. Every week, I hand scrub the grates clean. It is a lot of work on the ss cages, but very quick to do on the powder coated cages. The EH cage bars are spaced so the cages seem very spacious. However, there are so many new large powder coated cages coming out that I think there are quite a few options available now that are just as good size wise.
Wow, I had always heard that SS was easier to clean, the dealers say "they just wipe clean with a sponge and water". Thank you for the info. Apparently, they really want to sell the more expensive cage?
Just went to that site, pull through paper?? wow. cool. very cool. I am seriously bummed that I did not find this site earlier...I just ordered a cage on Friday...I confused the EH cages with featherland... I selected too soon, was pushed to do so when I cleaned it and more of the powdercoat came off as did the black under the powdercoat--I thought it was rust but it was worse, it was moldy something. Dag nabbit...except for a playtop the EH met all the things on the wishlist--and they have them just don't recommend them...serious buyers remorse...
 
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rockybird

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If you really want the EH cage, maybe you can cancel your order?
 

Sweet Louise

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it shipped today...
I guess being a parront is a marathon. Even though the cage I ordered is supposed to last a lifetime, I can sell and re-buy in a couple of years. Just too soon to re-buy I think.
 

rockybird

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It's not a big deal...what matters is she has a big clean cage. And Featherlands ss cages are a great cage, from what I read. You can always get an EH cage later, if you feel that you want one. Also, the wait for an EH cage is usually 3-4 mos. So, you wouldnt have gotten one so fast. Be sure to post pics of the new cage!
 

jmfleish

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I've never seen an expandable habitat cage.

Did they have a store or people that carry them?
You can buy them directly through Expandable Habitats or through people who have wholesale accounts through them. I do have a wholesale account through them as do a few other people. You can see their cages on their web site at Expandable Habitats - Main Page I absolutely love them and I'm seriously thinking that I need to get one for every bird in my house!
 

jmfleish

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It's not a big deal...what matters is she has a big clean cage. And Featherlands ss cages are a great cage, from what I read. You can always get an EH cage later, if you feel that you want one. Also, the wait for an EH cage is usually 3-4 mos. So, you wouldnt have gotten one so fast. Be sure to post pics of the new cage!
Yep, I put our order in not quite a month ago and it won't be ready until April or they won't start on it until April? I'm not even sure! LOL! We aren't in any hurry. I'm just thrilled to even get it! It's going to the pink vampires and will come with a divider to make it easier to get in and clean it and change toys up so I don't have to worry about blood letting!

I don't think they are that hard to clean if you clean them right away but the grate is a scrubbing issue. I LOVE the paper pass through...my favorite part! And it truly is a cage that will last forever! Our first one was bought from someone else who was selling it who had originally bought it in 1994 or 1996. We've had it since 2013 and it looks brand new!
 

Clueless

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@jmfleish

I didn't see any feeder doors. Do they have those so people can feed birds safely when the birds are in a snit? My birdsitters may bail without them.
 

jmfleish

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@jmfleish

I didn't see any feeder doors. Do they have those so people can feed birds safely when the birds are in a snit? My birdsitters may bail without them.
You can ask them to build them any way you want. They normally come with one feeder door on each side. I like two on each side, so I ordered my cage with two on each side. I'm not fond with the bowls they use...they are really nice bowls but I'm this big freak who likes to use the same size bowls with all my bird cages and likes to have a huge supply in waiting, so I ordered some King's 20 oz bowls and use those instead. I kept the big bowls that came with them as bathing bowls on occasion when I can convince certain piggy birds that you should not poop where you bathe!:) They give you small key locks for every feeder door and the main door that all have the same key. Interestingly enough, the two cages we have for them all have the same key for all the locks, so all six keys will open any of the padlocks! My greys, Smokey and Clancy, are in the EH cages because they strip the powder coating on regular cages. They aren't escape artists, so I just put open quick links on their doors. I've got the padlocks on Leo and Letti RB2's cage!

I honestly cannot say enough great things about these cages, I absolutely love them! I figure I can use my tax return each year to buy a new one! LOL! They can't be taken apart by a mechanical bird. The doors are so big that cleaning them is a breeze...changing them with the paper that pulls through is absolutely amazing! Nope, this is the cage of my dreams for sure!
 

lotus15

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@jmfleish

I didn't see any feeder doors. Do they have those so people can feed birds safely when the birds are in a snit? My birdsitters may bail without them.


At least on my cage, they aren't traditional feeder doors like most cages, but there are side doors that are a little bigger than normal cages. You can customize placement.
 

Clueless

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At least on my cage, they aren't traditional feeder doors like most cages, but there are side doors that are a little bigger than normal cages. You can customize placement.
Pictures of feeder doors???

@jmfleish
 

lotus15

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Pictures of feeder doors???

@jmfleish


They're not great photos but you can see them in the photos to this blog post: Big Changes and a New Cage Setup | Coco's Flock
Look at the left and right sides of the cage and you'll see the outlines plus the food bowls. (I don't use EH's food bowls either, and I actually don't keep all the food bowls on the doors.) I can take better photos for you later if you'd like.
 

Clueless

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Do the doors open so birdsitters don't get eaten alive?
 

lotus15

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Do the doors open so birdsitters don't get eaten alive?
I'm not sure what you mean. They open outwards. But since they're larger doors, it's probably a little easier for the birds to escape should they be so inclined.
 
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