Tips for a 2nd cage for my Grey - A&E any good?

[Ryarianne]

I'm going to temporarily be living in a teensy-weensy apartment and I'll have my Timneh African Grey with me. He currently has a giant cage (24dx34wx37t interior) that I can't make room for in the new place. I also have a Poquito cage that I currently use as his secondary travel/sleeping cage (18dx14wx15t). I'm figuring that one would probably be too small for him to live in for 1-2 months though--do you all agree?

So I'm looking for a decent cage that is either powder-coated or stainless steel that is minimum 17dx20wx20t and maximum 23x23xany height. I can't use those vinyl-painted cages because he'll chew right through the paint and I definitely don't want him getting sick. I saw this cage by a&e 702 - Play Top Bird Cage with Plastic Base A&E Cage Co. and I'm wondering if it will do the trick--but I am not familiar with this brand and I'm having a hard time finding reviews of it.

So my questions are:
1) What are your experiences with a&e - most importantly, is it safe? This cage says it's powder coated but it's also made in china and that scares me with all the recent china-made-stuff toxicity scares in toys and pet food

2) Can you recommend a different safe cage that might work as a smaller space for my Timneh to live in for a couple months that won't cramp his style too much?

Thanks in advance for your wonderful help!

 

[Danita]

It kind of looks a little bit flimsy to me. However, if its only for 2 months it looks okay, providing he doesn't chew on the bars.

 

[Bokkapooh]

Welcome to Avian Avenue!!

I'm going to temporarily be living in a teensy-weensy apartment and I'll have my Timneh African Grey with me. He currently has a giant cage (24dx34wx37t interior) that I can't make room for in the new place. I also have a Poquito cage that I currently use as his secondary travel/sleeping cage (18dx14wx15t). I'm figuring that one would probably be too small for him to live in for 1-2 months though--do you all agree?

So I'm looking for a decent cage that is either powder-coated or stainless steel that is minimum 17dx20wx20t and maximum 23x23xany height. I can't use those vinyl-painted cages because he'll chew right through the paint and I definitely don't want him getting sick. I saw this cage by a&e 702 - Play Top Bird Cage with Plastic Base A&E Cage Co. and I'm wondering if it will do the trick--but I am not familiar with this brand and I'm having a hard time finding reviews of it.

So my questions are:
1) What are your experiences with a&e - most importantly, is it safe? This cage says it's powder coated but it's also made in china and that scares me with all the recent china-made-stuff toxicity scares in toys and pet food

2) Can you recommend a different safe cage that might work as a smaller space for my Timneh to live in for a couple months that won't cramp his style too much?

Thanks in advance for your wonderful help!

Sorry to hear that your moving into a small apartment. But 32Lx23W is a bit small for a Grey in general, a 40Lx30W is recommend. Larger is recommend because it gives adequate room to put lots of toys inside the cage, and plenty of perches, and yet gives them enough room to move around. I wouldnt recommend housing him in anything smaller than what your housing him in, for any long periods of time. A 23x23 should be used as a night time sleep cage, if anything. But for 2 months it should be ok.

I prefer HQ cages. Easier to clean than the A&E cages. The paint is put on smoother. AE cages has a rougher coat of paint, making it harder to clean.

 

[Ryarianne]

I know the 40x30 is generally recommended, but he's a pretty small timneh - almost half the size of some congos I've seen - so my avian vet told me that 40x30 general rule of thumb didn't really apply to him. Though what I'd really love to find is something more like 40x24x30t - he never uses the bottom half of his cage, vertically, so it seems like wasted space most of the time. So if anyone knows of any good wide cages that aren't super tall like standard cages are that'd also be great to know.

Thanks for the answers so far - i'd love to hear what more people have to say too!

 

[Ryarianne]

p.s. I should mention that all the measurements I gave are the interior cage measurements, not exterior ones that include bases and such.

 

[lotus15]

I agree that a 24x24 cage is pretty teeny tiny for a grey, especially for an extended period of time (e.g. the 1-2 months). Once you add in perches, toys, food bowls, etc., it seems like there would hardly be any space at all.

As for your question about A&E, I'd say I hear about half good and half bad feedback about them. I know a few people who have had their paint tested and it came back off the shorts for lead and zinc-- one actually ended up filing a lawsuit and the company has been horrendous to deal with. Personally, I could never feel safe housing one of my birds in their cages. Mercedez recommended HQ which is a very comparable brand in price and models, with a better reputation. I would also recommend Avian Adventures.

 

[Birdlover]

I had two A&E cages and was less than happy with them. I only had them a short while and they rusted even though I took care to thoroughly dry them after cleaning. I also did end up having the powder coating tested and it was extremely high in lead (didnt test for zinc).They did end up refunding me the cost of the cages but it was a lot of pestering to get it resolved.

 

[Birdiemarie]

I was given this exact cage for a tiel (only to use temporarily). We had to tie the top closed and the sides of the front door closed because the gaps in those areas were unsafe. I would worry that an inquisitive grey could get hurt in that cage and might be able to even bend the bars a little. The grate that the tray is under does not slide out which made cleaning very difficult. There was a lot of twisting and bending of wire to get food out from the edges. The top and also the front door can easily unhitch. The cage does not sit securely in the base and is tip-able if you have to roll the cage around.

 

[DarkSoldier246]

too small and too flimsy for any amount of time IMO.

maybe you can figure out a way to consolidate space so he can have a bigger cage in the place? i live in a pretty small apartment and my caique has a great big cage..though because of that my bed is in the main room, haha

 

[jmfleish]

The one you are thinking of transferring him too is probably not going to work but I did want to point out that the one you currently have him in is absolutely fine. The dimensions on it are the exact dimensions that I have my 7 year old Timneh in right now. It was supposed to be his baby cage and I upgraded him to a Kings European 406 when he was about 4 years old. He hated it. I had him in it for about 2 months and then just gave up because he was so miserable in it. He went back to his baby cage and is as happy as a clam. I would generally say bigger is better, but it isn't always the case.