Xmas lovebird cage upgrade

[ktluvszoe]

Hi! Looking for good suggestions for a lovebird cage for Christmas. She is an only bird, my first, and will have been with us for 11 months this Christmas, her first holiday. will be getting her a much larger cage.

I really like the A&E elegant flight cage but the price point is a little prohibitative and the bar spacing is 5/8, so that might be too big. https://www.chewy.com/e-cage-company-elegant-style-flight/dp/224183

Ideally cage would be mid $100s-low $200s range. I’m looking for something high enough off the ground that our yorkie can’t get to her if she’s hanging around the bottom. It also needs to have locking doors & be able to accommodate metal bowls. Would love a rolling stand to hold her gear but this isn’t a deal breaker.

Anyone have/know of a cage that seems like a good fit?

TLDR:
In need of lovebird cage that is:

• ≈$150-250
• High enough off the ground
• Locking doors
• Accommodates metal bowls

Not required: rolling stand with storage shelf​

 

[Icey]

Hi, so members can help you, where are you located?

 

[Deleted member 57370]

Congratulations! fun to shop!
Most if mine gotten used but in pristine condition from Craigslist, Facebook market place and the like. Its a hard time of year to find them just now. But by January/February many people will have decided they aren't cut out for the parrots they got over Christmas and you will be able to find near brand new ones offered.

 

[ktluvszoe]

Hi, so members can help you, where are you located?

I’m in Miami, Florida. There’s lots of smaller specialty bird stores around here and I’m also willing to order online from Amazon, chewy, petco, pet smart etc!

 

[ktluvszoe]

Congratulations! fun to shop!
Most if mine gotten used but in pristine condition from Craigslist, Facebook market place and the like. Its a hard time of year to find them just now. But by January/February many people will have decided they aren't cut out for the parrots they got over Christmas and you will be able to find near brand new ones offered.

Yes I’ve thought about getting used! I always see a bunchhh on my local neighborhood sites. But I worry about passing on diseases. How do you like to sanitize when buying a used cage?

I’ve seen recommendations for this veterinary disinfectant: F10 Veterinary Ready To Use Disinfectant With Sprayer after cleaning the cage with soap and white vinegar and then following it all with hot steam.

 

[Zara]

Yes, F10 is good stuff for disinfecting a cage.

A shame you don´t live near me, I´m about to sell my birds flight cages.

I have seen some on Amazon and the likes, very large for like 100-150 USD, I´m sure you´ll find something

edit, just to add, I have a cage like the one in the link you posted, and later I got a square top one and I much prefered it to put perches and toys up in the top bit, the weird shape cage made it difficult to get perches in the same. I do regret getting those odd shaped top cages, and so, I would recommend a square top. I hope that makes sense.

 

[Deleted member 57370]

Yes to square tops! Flatt tops so useful!

F10 is awesome. I need to get some.

I never accept any old perches or toys or food dishes. If they come with the cage they go in the garbage outside. I never take them inside. Or the cage for that matter until I have cleaned it.

What I do...is take the cage outside hose down. Then I use dawn dish soap and scrub both inside and outside rather stand the wheels every inch in sudsy. Then hose down. Im still going to use bleach later.

Then I really inspect for anything, any speck. Corners , the underside of the top. I get out my flashlight for really really check. The wheels can also be a source of bad woo woo so I turn snd scrub sbd set wheels to soak in bowls of suds.

When I'm sure not even the smallest specks are left.

I get a bucket and follow bleach water ratio recommended. Put on gloves get a rag . And take my time with each and every bar. 360 soak in bleach water each and every bar individually for my sanity and piece of mind. Every inch of cage, the racks the wheels. I leave to dry in the sun.

I like to take 2 days. So the next morning I inspect everything again. To be 100% sure.

Then I repeat scrub with dawn dish soap. Then bleach water whole 360 each bar and whole cage again.

Leave to dry in sun. Then hose off again. Whipe dry everything. Use olive oil to rub down all joints moving parts to help prevent rust. Especially wheels, and door joints.

That's what I do, what I feel comfortable with.

 

[Kiwi's Dad]

Here's the cage I use: Cage
It's about 180 and definitely big enough for a lovebird.
Hope this helps

 

[Deleted member 57370]

I like these but the ones that are same size or slightly smaller but higher off the ground...because I too have dogs.
This lower to ground the dogs can get to easier.

@Kiwi's Dad csn You link the ones higher off ground? I'm completely challenged with doing that...ughh.. thank you if you can

 

[Kiwi's Dad]

Are you taking about these @Pixiebeak? I think these are smaller but a lot higher up.
Flight Cage

 

[Deleted member 57370]

Are you taking about these @Pixiebeak? I think these are smaller but a lot higher up.
Flight Cage

Yep! Thanks the length and depth should be same just a little less csfe height

 

[Sparkles99]

I have two of the A&E Elegants. It’s true you have less decorating leeway. You’d also need to fill the decorative gaps, so on a budget I don’t recommend it. They’ve also skyrocketed in price. I bought mine in store the summer of 2020. I paid $250 Canadian each.

 

[ktluvszoe]

Yes, F10 is good stuff for disinfecting a cage.

A shame you don´t live near me, I´m about to sell my birds flight cages.

I have seen some on Amazon and the likes, very large for like 100-150 USD, I´m sure you´ll find something

edit, just to add, I have a cage like the one in the link you posted, and later I got a square top one and I much prefered it to put perches and toys up in the top bit, the weird shape cage made it difficult to get perches in the same. I do regret getting those odd shaped top cages, and so, I would recommend a square top. I hope that makes sense.

Perfect sense! Thank you!

 

[ktluvszoe]

Yes to square tops! Flatt tops so useful!

F10 is awesome. I need to get some.

I never accept any old perches or toys or food dishes. If they come with the cage they go in the garbage outside. I never take them inside. Or the cage for that matter until I have cleaned it.

What I do...is take the cage outside hose down. Then I use dawn dish soap and scrub both inside and outside rather stand the wheels every inch in sudsy. Then hose down. Im still going to use bleach later.

Then I really inspect for anything, any speck. Corners , the underside of the top. I get out my flashlight for really really check. The wheels can also be a source of bad woo woo so I turn snd scrub sbd set wheels to soak in bowls of suds.

When I'm sure not even the smallest specks are left.

I get a bucket and follow bleach water ratio recommended. Put on gloves get a rag . And take my time with each and every bar. 360 soak in bleach water each and every bar individually for my sanity and piece of mind. Every inch of cage, the racks the wheels. I leave to dry in the sun.

I like to take 2 days. So the next morning I inspect everything again. To be 100% sure.

Then I repeat scrub with dawn dish soap. Then bleach water whole 360 each bar and whole cage again.

Leave to dry in sun. Then hose off again. Whipe dry everything. Use olive oil to rub down all joints moving parts to help prevent rust. Especially wheels, and door joints.

That's what I do, what I feel comfortable with.

Oh wow thank you this is great I already have all the necessary ingredients!! I would definitely prefer F10 for sanity’s sake (I’m the type of person who would be nervous about her spontaneously dropping dead for a month or more) but if I can’t get my hands on it this would work. Thank you!

 

[ktluvszoe]

Are you taking about these @Pixiebeak? I think these are smaller but a lot higher up.
Flight Cage

This one looks great!! Thank you!

 

[ktluvszoe]

I have two of the A&E Elegants. It’s true you have less decorating leeway. You’d also need to fill the decorative gaps, so on a budget I don’t recommend it. They’ve also skyrocketed in price. I bought mine in store the summer of 2020. I paid $250 Canadian each.

Yes the way the budget tightens if I blow it on the cage was my concern too. She already has quite a lot of toys and perches in her rotation for her current cage and for around the house, plus stuff in storage and stuff my mom got her for her stocking. But I would still really like to suit it up and bird toys aren’t exactly being sold at tj maxx this year I think a cheaper cage is likely the way to go.

 

[Xoetix]

I totally recommend Craigslist. I haven’t had much luck with Facebook - I always seem to find cages there in poor shape and the seller wants nearly full price as if it’s brand new.

 

[ktluvszoe]

I totally recommend Craigslist. I haven’t had much luck with Facebook - I always seem to find cages there in poor shape and the seller wants nearly full price as if it’s brand new.

OfferUp is really good in my area!!! I’ll check out Craigslist too thank you. FB Market is totally trash here.

Wondering if anyone who buys used ( @Pixiebeak @Zara )has ever bought something with rust and found a way to remove and treat it? Seeing some good outdoor ones for playtime but I know rust is super toxic for birds. I inherited an amazing cage stand from my grandmother that I’ve repurposed as a plant stand because it was rusty and I was nervous even after stripping and sanding it all away, but it really is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen and it’s a shame it lives outside getting worse. I was planning to paint it using bird safe paint (Nontoxic Gloss Pet Dwellings Paint | ECOS Paints) but was worried about it chipping through and being ingested. I hold very little hope for the stand but figured I’d ask since I see so many people selling rusty cages. Maybe someone knows.

 

[Deleted member 57370]

I never get anything with rust

 

[Kiwi's Dad]

OfferUp is really good in my area!!! I’ll check out Craigslist too thank you. FB Market is totally trash here.

Wondering if anyone who buys used ( @Pixiebeak @Zara )has ever bought something with rust and found a way to remove and treat it? Seeing some good outdoor ones for playtime but I know rust is super toxic for birds. I inherited an amazing cage stand from my grandmother that I’ve repurposed as a plant stand because it was rusty and I was nervous even after stripping and sanding it all away, but it really is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen and it’s a shame it lives outside getting worse. I was planning to paint it using bird safe paint (Nontoxic Gloss Pet Dwellings Paint | ECOS Paints) but was worried about it chipping through and being ingested. I hold very little hope for the stand but figured I’d ask since I see so many people selling rusty cages. Maybe someone knows.

I believe @AussieBird has dealt with rust.