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picking a cage dilemna

Sweet Louise

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Louise needs a new cage. Not a 911 but I had originally bought a used cage and there is now some rust and peeling. I don't think having it re-powder coated is an option as the tray edges are bent and the playtop ladders would need major repair.
I love the set up of the Medina by avian adventures. good size, feeder cups are versatile/I can use her current ceramic bowls, has a shelf on the bottom, door is big, playtop, good reviews here. I saw one in person and the door locks, well, on the ones on display, were disappointing and looked like they would not last. Had some ball slider thing and I could not get all of them to work properly on any of the 3 cages on display and all were hard to secure. I have looked at A&E, preveu, ...kinda waiting to see the new aluminum from Kings...At this point, I would even consider the higher priced stainless. I am looking for size (32x23 seems to fit and works well in her current placement in the house), playtop, versatile feeder stations so I can put in the ceramic bowls, The ability to not use the bottom grate (just use the tray with papers) and really want a shelf on the bottom--keeps things neat and organized. I really don't want to put a table next to the cage as she will just chew it--and it would just look goofy as the cage is in my dining room in front of a slider glass door. I could put her java tree playtop on a table with a shelf but can't seem to find the right size AND material. Cleaning is a major concern. Louise does not toss her food but she does a good job of mashing sweet potato, melon, black berries, raspberries... onto the bars, it often takes a scraper and a green Brillo pad (and muscle) to get the stuff off. How a little bird can so thoroughly mash food onto the bars is beyond me. Any suggestions of what else to look at? I feel like what I want must be out there and I just can't find it. Also cleaning comments on powder coated vs aluminum vs stainless would be helpful. It will be her home for decades and my responsibility to keep safe and clean, so I feel like I must choose well.
Thank you
P and Louise.
 

webchirp

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DQTimnehs

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23 x 32 is pretty tiny for a CAG. That's what I have my Meyer's in and she uses all of it. I have the Kings corner cages for my TAGs and they are great!
Amazon.com : KINGS CAGES GC 14022 CORNER PARROT CAGE bird toys African Grey Macaw Cockatoo (Sandstone) : Pet Supplies

Recommended cage size by species and wingspan: https://naturalinspirationsparrotcages.com/p/wingspan-info

CagesVsWingspanAfrican.PNG


The recommended cage sizes listed in the right hand column are examples of cages at least “one wingspan” deep by “one and a half or two wingspans” long.
 
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lotus15

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I agree with @DQTimnehs that she could stand to use a size upgrade, especially if you are considering a considerable investment like stainless :) The largest King's aluminum cage that they made was 35" x 22", which I think is too small for a CAG. I use that cage as my temporary cage for my Cape Parrot when she's being bird sat in someone else's home, but not as her normal cage.

If you're looking for more brands to look at, here's a list of brands, although I'd warn you that the information on them has not been updated in several years so I'd do independent research: Updated Info - Post #1 Cage Brand Information | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum
 

DQTimnehs

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The recommended cage sizes listed in the right hand column are examples of cages at least “one wingspan” deep by “one and a half or two wingspans” long.
 

Sweet Louise

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oh my. I thought I had her is a good size cage because she can fully extend her wings. I found a great deal on a 36x28 ss A&E cage but I guess that is not big enough. I am overwhelmed...and starting over...
thank you for the info...SS in those larger sizes will be, wow..
 

DQTimnehs

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Yes, but if you were willing to get SS in a smaller cage, a good quality powder coat in a larger size will still be a lot cheaper. Does she need SS? Did she peel powder coat or only where it was rusted and peeling?
 

Sweet Louise

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I thought ss would be the easiest to clean and most durable. you are correct that she does not SS. She hasn't been peeling the cage, but it peels in a spot or 2 when I clean it. She is in the cage while I work or when she sleeps. When I am home, she is out as much as she wants, typically hangs out on her Java tree or my shoulder.
 

lotus15

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If she isn't a paint stripper, I would opt to get a larger powder coated cage rather than a smaller SS cage. She will appreciate the extra space :)
 

SunUp

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@Sweet Louise this is a cage I'm considering for my grey. HQ Big Bird Cage 50x40
The cage is 50 wide by 40 deep. I contacted the vendor to make sure that was the actual cage size and not the cage with the seed guard, and they confirmed it is the actual size of the cage. So, really big! I also like the food dishes being a little lower in the cage. I think it encourages birds to use more of the cage, and not just the top third or so. Shipping is extra, and varies according to where you live.
 

Sweet Louise

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@SunUp thank you for the description and link. Do you know if with HQ cages you can take out the bottom grate--I just feel like those are hard on a birdy's feet and an extra pain to clean (--and I know there are different opinions on this).
I am trying to figure out placement of a significantly larger cage... currently she is in my dining room by glass sliders. The advantage of this spot is window views and that my desk is against the wall near her, she can hop over and is in the middle of all activity in the home. There isn't a spot large enough within view of my desk. Keeping her is the same spot will mean she will have access to the dining room lights--and she already sits on her door and S T R E T C H C E S to reach one of the pendants and swings it into the others when I let the cage roll slightly forward (like after cleaning). I could take the pendant down, but the size of the cage will make the dining room totally unusable...putting the cage next to my desk will leave a narrow passage to the living room instead of an open view... getting a smaller desk and putting her on the other side would leave her in a dark corner with no easy access to her Java tree which would not fit next to the cage. I am apparently a little like a CAG, placement of new things is upsetting :(.
 

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@Sweet Louise I've had my grey for 17 years, and I still try to find "the perfect spot"! :laugh: It's always a work in progress. In my opinion and experience, it's much more important to keep her in the flow of the family activity. It sounds like she gets a lot of time out of her cage anyway, so I think a smaller cage is perfectly fine. Would a 36" wide cage work? King's has a 36x28 playtop that looks really spacious. King's Cages - Avian and Pet Bird Cages, Supplies, Food, Toys, Perches, Aviaries, Pluck No More
And yep, you may have to change the lighting fixture to something that hugs the ceiling. Regarding the grate vs paper towels, I have always just put paper towels on top of the grate, and it works really well. Occasionally Makana decides to shred them up, but mostly she just leaves them alone. Makes clean up a snap.
 

Sweet Louise

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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...
 

lotus15

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I also don't like the bottom grates and remove them. If they're not removable, you can also try putting a piece of plexiglass/acrylic over it!
 

Fergus Mom

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I also don't like the bottom grates and remove them. If they're not removable, you can also try putting a piece of plexiglass/acrylic over it!

I kept looking to see if other folks removed their grates, when I was first putting Fi's cage together in November. I never saw a post on it until now! Now, it's a non-issue here, since she has moved on to the larger cage with Fergus. When I put the cage together without the grate, and just the plastic trays in the bottom, it was great, and there was only one problem that I found - any toy that fell to the tray, had to be removed before removing the poop tray. Even millet proved a problem, as it would strip the seeds if it was caught by the cage lip.

Pat, I understand the issues in wanting to set up the perfect spot for the new cage! I have done a lot of rearranging of late! Hope you find the perfect cage and spot.
 

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We go back and forth on the grate issue. Hubby likes to put newspaper on top of it. But then he doesn’t change it so I argue. I put it on the tray with the grate in, and he doesn’t like having to carry grates outside to wash them. So he changes it back.

Also a lot of people here use those diaper pads (look like doggy pee pads) in the tray to catch debris- they say it makes cleanup easier? What do ya’ll think?
 

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I just put a down deposit on my first EH cage bought directly from Expandable Habitats and I'm incredibly excited. It will be for the pink vampires, Fozzwald and Kishka. I ordered the 48305 which is 4'x2'6"x4'2" and will come with an acrylic divider that I can put in so I can safely change out toys and clean it without getting bitten. It is stainless steel and is the same size as the used one that we bought that Smokey CAG is currently in except we had to go with a flat top instead of a raised one due to the divider. We have Clancy CAG in an even bigger one that we got second hand from someone who ordered it and got it home and decided she couldn't use it because the base would not fit through her doors. I cannot say enough wonderful things about these cages. Three out of my five CAGs also strip the powder coating off their cages as well and have to be in SS cages.
 

Sweet Louise

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We go back and forth on the grate issue. Hubby likes to put newspaper on top of it. But then he doesn’t change it so I argue. I put it on the tray with the grate in, and he doesn’t like having to carry grates outside to wash them. So he changes it back.

Also a lot of people here use those diaper pads (look like doggy pee pads) in the tray to catch debris- they say it makes cleanup easier? What do ya’ll think?
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.
 

Sweet Louise

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23 x 32 is pretty tiny for a CAG. That's what I have my Meyer's in and she uses all of it. I have the Kings corner cages for my TAGs and they are great!
Amazon.com : KINGS CAGES GC 14022 CORNER PARROT CAGE bird toys African Grey Macaw Cockatoo (Sandstone) : Pet Supplies

Recommended cage size by species and wingspan: https://naturalinspirationsparrotcages.com/p/wingspan-info

View attachment 268209


The recommended cage sizes listed in the right hand column are examples of cages at least “one wingspan” deep by “one and a half or two wingspans” long.
that looks to be an article written by Dr. McDonald, Louise's vet!
@webchirp I went to that site and first saw the walk in aviary and thought I could just put one in my dining room and move the dining room table right in there with her! I am no closer to figuring out the cage situation. She needs bigger, but how much bigger and at what cost to having her right in the middle of all the activity...I can get about 6 more inches in width by turning her java tree sideways and that would get the space to 40 inches...still need my friend to stop by because I just don't see a spot where I can get to 43/the cage sizes that come close to that...I appreciate everyone's help with this, it makes it easier to decide. And again, I am blessed that this is my biggest problem right now.
 

Clueless

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I've never seen an expandable habitat cage.

Did they have a store or people that carry them?
 
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