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201 (202) Stainless steel parrot cage *UPDATE*

TheBirb

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@Phoe Phoe there are several links (three in fact) embedded in the text that show the entire cage. Here is one [Hot Item] 36" Stainless Steel Bird Cage Parrot Cage Dome Top. It's not that Joshua doesn't want to, he probably can't figure out why you want pictures when there are three perfectly fine pictures of the entire cage already posted.
That and it's still not assembled yet unfortunately.. Recent covid lockdown limited my purchase of a new clean file to a drive & collect order that was pushed back until late this afternoon. Should have it cleaned up, scrubbed down & put together for pictures tomorrow @Phoe Phoe

Btw @Hankmacaw you freaked me out for a split second.. thought you were a master hacker calling me Joshua! I forgot I entered my real unabbreviated name when I signed up lol
 

TheBirb

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We don’t get the same brand cages here that you guys have access to there in the US. Ours all seem to be a much lower quality, they’re all imported cheap knock offs of the ones you have available.
I can maybe get a brand name a little later today if you want.
Yeah it's a sad state for cages in Aus.. Jeds first cage went in about a year & a half due to paint bubbling/flaking that lead to rust spots, even on the bars! (large hexagon with 3 trays! PITA!! can't find a link).
I then bought 2 of this style but with 1.5cm bar spacing (Brand New Large Bird Cage Parrot Aviary Open Roof 161cm * ED11 | eBay) which has a large unadvertised gap under the door (you can see it in the photo), luckily I still had the first cage in the shed so I pulled a couple of good bars, drilled some holes & put them in the gap. They've lasted 5 years now but started minor flaking around the legs & the bottom framing bar where they can't access around a year ago. I then split up my conure pair into those 2 & bought Jed a new cage a year ago (Parrot Escape Jumbo Corner Bird Cage) 1 bar snapped at a weld after about 6 months in due to an average perch weight... I just put the perch over the vertical bar/weld spot to hold it & it has only recently started to show some flaking externally on the framing & on his water bowl door internally! Which will no doubt lead to rust soon with his regular bathing habits... so I'll have to touch it up with parrot safe paint or replace in the near future... All of these cages also came with relatively sharp paint burrs randomly on the bars that I had to rub down to find & remove gently with a spoon.

Quality here is such a hit or miss... I've been toying with the idea of buying a bulk roll of 304 stainless steel aviary wire & building frames from hardwood, then covering the timber internally with ss screws/bolts & strips of non toxic acrylic sheet to prevent water/chewing damage, perhaps even acrylic sheets for the entire back panels to potentially cut costs down & just drill out holes for rear perches. It'd take a little effort but should last a life time at an affordable price, might even be worth flat packing & selling them given our current cage state in Aus. I simply can't afford to gamble $1000 on 202 cages for all of them & certainly not $3000 each, unless I find a briefcase full of money!
 

heebdweeb

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@TheBirb Hope you're doing well! It's been nearly a year - how is the Supreme stainless stain cage going? Any signs of rust or other complaints?. I have a Featherland SS cage but I find the quality very hit and miss. My first Featherland was pretty good but the second one I ordered was awful and had to be returned (some bars were not parallel). I've been looking at these Supreme 201 cages since but its been very hard to find any reviews/feedback.
 

REDh04x

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I'm also very interested to know how the 201 has faired over time. I'm about to buy one out of necessity, as I've just spent $1800 on vet care for my poor little pineapple who had evidence of heavy metal toxicity. The pc cage is the only thing I can think of to blame as everything else is stainless or non-rusted plain steel.
 

REDh04x

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Well, the 201 cage (also actually 202 like OP) arrived today. I was crushingly disappointed. It's full of rust, has sharp edges and burrs, is unfinished in places and one of the bars is damaged. I could theoretically grind and wire brush off some of the rust, but it'll be hard to get to the filler material that holds the bars to the support bar.

I've contacted Budtrol so I guess I'll just have to wait now. Doesn't help me in the interim needing a new cage for my pineapple
 

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Clueless

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I'm taking a Stainless steel cage off of my ultimate dream list. So sorry you have to deal with that.
 

Shezbug

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Well, the 201 cage (also actually 202 like OP) arrived today. I was crushingly disappointed. It's full of rust, has sharp edges and burrs, is unfinished in places and one of the bars is damaged. I could theoretically grind and wire brush off some of the rust, but it'll be hard to get to the filler material that holds the bars to the support bar.

I've contacted Budtrol so I guess I'll just have to wait now. Doesn't help me in the interim needing a new cage for my pineapple
Oh wow, I have never dealt with or seen their cages in person - I hope you get a new replacement cage... I would be so angry if I got sent a cage for my bird with such poor messy welds and rust! Please update with what their solution to this problem is. I am so sorry you are dealing with this.

I'm taking a Stainless steel cage off of my ultimate dream list. So sorry you have to deal with that.
I believe your SS cages there are of much better quality. Budtrol is a company here in Aus that I found out about a while ago through AA but I think they make more than just cages so not a specialty cage maker or anything like that- I seem to recall another cage here being special ordered for a macaw that I guessed the company made to the customers specs rather than well known needs for macs as it was not anything I would want Burt in.
 

REDh04x

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I'm taking a Stainless steel cage off of my ultimate dream list. So sorry you have to deal with that.
I'm tempted to do the same, but I'm far too stubborn and outraged. I've already decided I'm going to complete a stainless specialist course and then get welding lessons at a welding school near me, then make one myself. It might take me a little while, but I'm determined.


Oh wow, I have never dealt with or seen their cages in person - I hope you get a new replacement cage... I would be so angry if I got sent a cage for my bird with such poor messy welds and rust! Please update with what their solution to this problem is. I am so sorry you are dealing with this.


I believe your SS cages there are of much better quality. Budtrol is a company here in Aus that I found out about a while ago through AA but I think they make more than just cages so not a specialty cage maker or anything like that- I seem to recall another cage here being special ordered for a macaw that I guessed the company made to the customers specs rather than well known needs for macs as it was not anything I would want Burt in.
Well. What a saga this has turned into. They checked their stock and all of their replacement cages are similarly rusty. They offered a full refund with return of the cage, or a partial refund of $300 (total cost was $710) if I kept the cage. Given I desperately need a safe cage for Monty I was prepared to take the partial and hire electrochemical weld cleaning equipment for ~$320 given under Australian Consumer Law I would be entitled to seek reimbursement from the seller for additional financial losses associated with their product. I told them this, and they flat out refused my choice and then told me I could take them to court if I wanted. I literally sent them screencaps and links to the relevant pages of Australian Consumer Law, which they ignored. It's a major failure, therefore it's my choice whether I seek a replacement or refund. They can't replace, so I am entitled to accept a partial refund for the loss in value and seek additional compensation at a later stage for any extra expenses associated with repairing the cage.

Anyway, they told me that Fair Trading would just tell me to return the cage (which is bs because ACL), then told me I'd never get a replacement and that I was trying to rip them off [sic: "You would never get a replacement. Rip off"]. I asked why I'd never get a replacement seeing as they stock the things, and they said "the stock would not meet your requirements. Second time to say that". Funny because I don't recall it being advertised with a coating of rust, so it's not really "my" requirements the cage fails to meet.

After feeling blackmailed, I said I'd post it back if they pay postage (again, as per ACL). It's not what I want. I'm fairly certain that some light grinding with an aluminium oxide dremel bit and an electrochemical bath would fix the thing, as the EC cleaner also immediately repassifies the SS surface. I've sent a complaint to Fair Trading NSW requesting a repair as the solution, and will call them tomorrow to discuss.

Worst customer service. They went from "we have to check the stock to make sure you will be happy" to "we would take the item back and won't accept your choice. You can go to the court if you want" within 24hrs and after a few lines of consumer law quotes. Disgusting behaviour. I've never been threatened like that when seeking a remedy to a purchase problem.
 

Clueless

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Sad. Totally sad.
 

Icey

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I hope they do the right thing for you.
 

TheBirb

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@heebdweeb

All good so far! There was a tiny little bit of rust that appeared on one of the roof bars in the first year which was odd but simply filed it off with a clean file that's set aside to only ever touch stainless & it hasn't come back since, my sisters bird Olive the Alexandrine that lives in it dips her toes in the water & gets it on the cage without rusting.

@REDh04x

That's an unfortunate experience... I purchased mine from them too, also with sharp edges & burrs though that's been the case on every powdercoated cage I've purchased too which rectifying leaves tiny spots of exposed steel that inevitably rusts... Stainless steel can be simply filed with a clean file that never touches other metals & it the properties of stainless rectify itself to not rust again.

Though it is an absolute PITA, that's unfortunately the standards of purchasing cages in Australia & I still think the 201 is the best case value scenario without replacing cages every few years... without wanting to take too much risk in 201 stainless I ended up ordering a roll of 304 welded wire with black PVC pipes & connections in order to make my own custom cages bigger & more stainless than the 201 options for the green cheek conures but it turned out the wire took a LOT of grinding to turn into panels only to start filing & realise there is a ridiculous amount of sharp burrs, practically every single weld... so I ordered a couple of affordable powder coated cages in the mean time & that $1100 deep project has been on hold in my shed for the past 2-3 years... Lol, i'll get on it one day, hopefully before I need to inevitably replace these cages Flight Bird Cage Canary Parakeet Cockatiel Lovebird Finch Sugar Glider Ferret | eBay which have held up surprisingly well, albeit still required some light filing of sharp burrs nowhere near as many as previous powder coated cages.
 
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