Just found this old thread and I would really appreciate some guidance. I have a 16 yo congo grey who has been living happily (in an ornery kind of way) in a slightly too small cage - one made by California Cages, which is out of business. My previous cages had been from Animal Environments, and they were really beautifully made. I am interested in getting a new cage of the right size, but it has to have the following requirements:
1. External food dish with blockade for throwing: My bird throws a ton of food out of the cage by picking it up with his feet and winging it. Certainly, to get our attention. He also poops in his dish. The external feeders will fix this.
2. Good quality stainless. I like the powder, but it chips and rusts.
3. Horizontal and vertical bars - although Carmen, at AE says that the horizontal bars are a risk for catching and breaking a wing.
4. Playtop top - this one I am not absolutely sure about. The bird spends a lot of time in the cage. I can see the advantage of the dome, but he loves to go onto the playtop from time to time when he is let out. I can't have a separate play area because of a dog.
I have spent a few weeks researching this. This is where I am:
Animal Environments - lots of bad PR on this site. I spoke with Carmen and have been getting a lot of emails from her. I know there quality was excellent in the past, but perhaps no longer? Also, their external food dish has the least "protection" from throwing.
Freedom Cage: I just love the way the feeding dishes look, and the cages look great. However, the reviews here seem bad, and I independently found the BBB site with an "F" listed. Really concerning.
Featherland - they have a good external feeding mechanism, but seem to be all dome tops. Also, the way they are put together looks a bit sketchy. Don't like the hollow SS bars stuff, etc.
Any other suggestions? Anything new? This shouldn't be so hard...