Below is what I'm after.   I have had a CL and Farcebook MarketPlace watch for a couple of years and a few have popped up.  Either they are too far away and won't ship or the one local I tried to snag got sold out from under me before I could get there.  Let me know if you know anyone looking to sell!

Kings Cages small travel carrier

Kings Cages medium travel carrier

Thanks

D.

Let's talk about finding our birds the best housing possible.

Pictures welcomed, so post a picture of your cage or aviary.

Here's Rikki's cage:

I've noticed lately that my buddy's cage has a few rusty spots where the paint is chipped. Is there something I can do to repair this, or should we get him a new cage?

Gonna break my rusty caaaaaaage

and run

Can you spot him in his aviary? (he's definitely in there, honest!)

i wouldn't day she's bored either, she's always got something to chew on throw around eat, climb on lol! I think she just finds in fun to pull things apart. 

We have also been losing these for a while... andnlayely a whole lot more than usual... is this the start of her first malt? She's hatched aug 2018 so about 5/6 months old

Today i went to vet with my grey to cut his nails in his transport cage. They said that they can't do it because he is to agressive so they asked me if i could bring him into box so they can put him to sleep first then to the job. I am little not sure if they know what are doing and how can i close him into box without him getting upset and angry.

So, it's time for a new cage for my grey. He's had his current one for about 7 years and the paint is starting to chip and the metal is beginning to rust in the tray. That makes me nervous, so I've been searching for something but I just can't seem to find a decent one. I can't afford the $700+ cages, although I wish I could because I know they are better quality (his current one was from Amazon.com for under $200). The vet said not to get one with a play top because of his current behavioral concerns. I already have a perch for him so it's not necessary anyway. I keep finding one's that would be perfect if there wasn't play top, or at least a detachable one (for example: https://birdcages4less.com/page/B/PROD/PA5701 ). I've also looked at/ called every local pet store which came up dry. I don't really have a size restriction either. He has a 24"w x 22"d one now, but would prefer larger if possible. 

If anyone has any suggestions, that would be fantastic. 

Thank you so much!

Lexy

Link : https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/bird/cages-for-birds/you-and-me-standing-parrot-cage

Thanks

I made this thread to try and start a discussion about how to bird proof your home to try and ensure your beloved birds are kept safe. Please feel free to make any recommendations you have and hopefully this will be a useful thread for bird owners or potential bird owners.

I in no way intend this to be a judgmental post or aim to make anyone feel bad if they have lost a bird before. I'm just looking for suggestions on how to try and prevent the worst from happening. I am in no way perfect myself... I once didn't close the food hatch on Alfie's cage properly and he spent most of the day flying around the house on his own with the dog until a family member came home and found him. The phonecall I received was thankfully to ask me to come home to put him back in his cage rather than to say the dog had injured him or that he had flown out the back door when it was opened to let the dog out. I was extremely lucky that day. I also was cleaning Alfie's cage out and took both of the bottom sections of his cage out when a cat was in the room. I turned back to see the cat wandering round the bottom of Alfie's cage with Alfie climbing around the top looking worried! Again... I was very lucky!

---

I have two indoor cats plus Alfie at home, so I am always super paranoid about potential escape routes. When I moved house I invested in "flat cat" mesh (http://www.flat-cats.co.uk/) for several of the windows throughout the house and also the patio doors. This sticks to the window/door frame with velcro and allows me to open doors and windows then stick the mesh back into place- keeping the animals in and all the pesky bugs out. This allows me to let fresh air into the house and Alfie can also enjoy sitting in front of the doors getting a nice breeze (and some sunshine) without being able to escape. For those of you who are handy with a sewing machine you could probably make your own but I opted to have them made to fit my doors and windows as I didn't trust my own sewing skills!

I believe people also rely on their birds sitting on their shoulder or a perch happily and will take them outside in the garden in hot weather thinking they will just sit there and behave. It's only going to take one little thing to spook a bird off a shoulder and into a panicked flight. Even if a bird has had a wing clip, if they get enough of a breeze underneath their wings they will take off and can get stuck in a tree or fly quite a distance. I think it's safer to always take your bird out in a cage/travel cage or on a reliable harness (if they accept a harness).

Open doors and windows are a hazard at all times. Again, if your bird is spooked or just being curious it's only going to take them a matter of seconds to find themselves outside whilst your back is turned or whilst you are holding a door open.

I've seen other suggestions previously where people use chain/beaded curtains over their doors. This is enough of a barrier to prevent their bird from getting outside (and also helps keep the bugs out too)

Anyone else have any other helpful suggestions about how to keep birds safe and trying to prevent possible escapees?

This was the snow from yesterday. It's deeper today.
So now I have a stack of panels in the middle of the garden waiting to be built. The weather forecast looks pretty rotten for the rest of the week with more snow yet to come.
I will post photos once we are able to actually get out there a build it. Then the fun part comes... finding toys and perches to fill it with!
It's going to be dual use- for Alfie and the cats (not at the same time for obvious reasons...!) so I'll need to find some things for the cats to climb on and play with as well.

It will be located at the back of the garden, behind the garage on the right. It will then overlook the whole garden and the back of the house but will get some shade in the afternoons.

There will be a chute from the side of the aviary that'll be directly attached to my bedroom window. I won't have to carry them out to the aviary in carriers, but will be able to place them inside the chute, and then they can fly right into their bird haven. Size of the aviary is 20x10.

The other thing I need to bear in mind is that the cats will be using the aviary too. And they will also happily chew/play with plants and trees. So I have to be careful that the plants aren't toxic to cats.

Similarly, I want to put some tree logs/branches I there for the cats. But need to find something that's suitable for both the cats and Alfie.

I have done a few searches but it's difficult to narrow down what might be safe for both..and of course I find different information wherever I look.

Is anyone able to make some recommendations about what is bird AND cat safe please?

I've spent 2 years planning, saving, and finally building the aviary of my dreams. We don't live in a HOA, either. Her dogs bark incessantly while they're out, and the neighbors on the other side have very noisy dogs. My bird's call was infrequent, albeit loud, yet that put her over the edge.

Am wondering what my rights are. I tried looking up our local city noise ordinance, which was vaguely written with respect to animals.

Feeling very sad and quite stressed that I won't be able to utilize our aviary as I'd dreamed.

Started to remove the bits that hold in the white bars. Would have escaped before the damn plane took off in this one.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QJEU0Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Better but too flimsy and stuff on the inside exposed for him to chew on.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002VAZUM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

seat belt hook leaves a hole in the top that definitely would been a focus for chewing.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DJR9X2C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Metal door was coated with something that he could chew off wasn't real stainless.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FS2X3T4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here's is the thing. MIL and family are the only ones willing to watch her and are also scared of her, so she probably wont come out. Most cages they sell here are only about 20" wide, but most travel cages I have seen online in the US are about the same. They aren't really willing to stay at our house were she has 3' by 4' cage.

My only options are ordering a larger cage from the US, but I'm looking for something lighter and a little wider than 20", so shipping wont be crazy and so it would be easier to transport from my house to MIL's place.

We ordered our cage from the states. It was only $200, but after shipping, it came to $600. Still cheaper than anything here and a lot larger.

Yep. Done deal. Phenix has new digs. For some unknown reason, he's acting like this might even be a good thing, too! I think the hardest part of this little saga finally seems to be all but over. For the most part I'm cautiously optimistic & very pleasantly surprised!

That first day looked like every other time he's had to move. Only it didn't exactly. He was surely scared. But he seemed more PO'd than normal. In fact, I stuck my fingers thru the bars & let him chase them around w/murderous intent to get him acclimated to the cage initially. He got the full tour that way, in spite of himself. But he still ended up cowering on his food cup by bed time. Just like always.

By the end of the 1st full day though, I could have sworn I heard the bell on his new boing...? But I wasn't actually sure until I caught him on it the next morning. I had to be very careful not to let on that I was so excited because that was a very big deal!

The 3rd day was the first time I opened the door. He wasn't acting like it would be extremely cruel for him to find out he'd have to be going back eventually. It surprised me when he didn't come off the cage. He just sat on the door checking out the new digs from there for a long while. When it was time, I asked him to go in & he did. Just like that!

This is far, far & away, the very best move e..v..e..r!! He still hasn't gone near the top rear of the cage. Pretty sure he's afraid of the wood block ladder. But I do believe he'll overcome even that eventually! Otherwise, he's already like 80% settled in & that's mind blowing!

The cage itself was fairly surprising too. It's an A&E CC3232. After Steve got Isaac that giant 42"(?) corner cage, I was thinking this one might be too small. But Phenix is a TAG. So it was my compromise for up-sizing w/out going crazy. It's only about 25% bigger than his last cage.

But what a big difference in the available space! One of the quirks is that these cages photograph "small". There's actually plenty of room between every branch & toy even though the pics don't look it.

Speaking of quirks, there are 2 ginormous, would-have-been-deal-breakers for me. The floor grill & pan are 1 pc which can only be accessed from the rear. You know, the part up against the wall!! Who does that!?! If a cage isn't rectangular the bottom is a 2 pc design, **accessible from the bloody front of the cage**! It's like an unwritten rule!!

This is such a big problem in a confined space like that little corner. Nothing to do but try to live w/it for now. But it could potentially prove to be a fatal flaw in the long run.

The other fatal design flaw is that installation of the gym & tray seems to be necessary to its structural integrity. I think the grill is meant to sit under the tray & be held down by the 2 perches being bolted on. I say "I think" because the only use those directions have is fire starter material for the grill.

I didn't want to block the light & view w/a tray. Phenix isn't going to tolerate perches overhead like that anyway. Also we'll have an all out war going when everyone starts trying to land on anything that there & tempting them.

So I've currently got lots of things to weigh the grill down for the time being. Eventually, I'll find something washer-like (but thicker) to pin the grill in place so Phenix won't be able to push it even if it's not weighted. But here again, what were they thinking????

If it weren't for that, I'd give this cage 8.5/10. It has more room than a standard 23"x32" cage. Not quite as much as a standard 28"x36" cage. But feels tons more spacious inside. There's certainly more than enough room for a little TAG who seems to like a more cozy living arrangement. Also its footprint just works better in the available floor plan. Or would if not for the stupid litter tray.

The quality is decent & it survived the trip well. No bad welds or bent bars. The bars are nice & solid. The heavy perches didn't phase them. Nice sized door. Fun to set up. Although I am still working out the feng shui & newspaper placement. ")

http://www.mybirdcage.com/medium-arch-cage.html

The paint's started to oxidize in places & it's started to peel a little here & there way too soon. But to be fair, Charm has the smaller version & it still looks pretty good. So, idk.

Anyway, I've been looking for a while now. This weekend, I finally bought a brand new A&E 36" octagonal cage on Ebay.

http://www.aecageco.com/Products/Space-Saver-Bird-Cages_2/OCT3636-Octagon-Parrot-Cage.html

While I should really be excited, I'm actually dreading this because it has so traumatizes Phenix to be moved. I've built cages in front of him. I've left them empty for as long as a month waiting for him to explore & ForgetAboutIt. Everything I can think but he still sits on his food dish & trembles for days. Then he sits still as stone on his food dish for weeks, moving only to get to his water dish & back. It's kinda heartbreaking.

So what I'm thinking is trying something totally different this time. I'm thinking about building Phenix' cage in front of him, letting it sit for X amount of time nearby (whatever feels right I guess), then putting him in it but while he's in his carrier. When/if he looks relaxed, I want to leave him in his carrier, in the new cage for however many days until he looks dare I think calm, taking my cue from his reactions.

Travel cages are for adventures. As little as he enjoys new things, his responses are notably different whenever he's in that carrier. So I'm thinking it should, could, might help him acclimate better, faster, more easily, theoretically.

So what does everyone think of this bright idea?