Janelle

I will agree, it is easy to put together!

The replacement got here last night. It is better than the first cage. This one does have some dents in one of the panels and the trays are bent also, but not as badly and I was able to sort of straighten them out enough to work. It frustrates me that I pay for something and it comes dented/scratched. I too like the color. It will do until I can get a better built cage with a different gauge wire. I just think that if I can bend the wire, then so can Elliott or Roger. I know that I can compare Roger's Avian Adventure cage to this one and there is no comparison in quality. Your Pearl is beautiful!

Thank you for that link!

I have it packaged up and ready to be picked up. They will ship another (no refund). I offered to take it to a store if they would exchange it for the one they have in store but the price is different than the online price and they would not do. In any case, I believe you're right on the manufacturing of the cage; the welds were loose on some of the panels on this one, may have happened during shipping, but that means it was not very good to begin with. When I was trying to do a little research on the cage before, I could find reviews by people who said they had a grey in it and it was "great." I thought maybe by posting here if someone else was thinking about this cage for a larger parrot then they would perhaps find it easier to make a decision. It is not packaged well enough for shipping at all. Roger has an Avian Adventure brand cage and I was very happy with the shipping of that, it was packaged very well. I don't understand why a company would think it was cost efficient to skimp on packaging and have to re-ship a whole new cage. Once I decide on a better cage later down the road I will take this one apart and put it in the storm shelter and keep it as a temp home in case of emergencies. My DH says "filling it with a bird (s) that fits the cage appropriately" is not an emergency...lol

I'm so happy to hear that this worked out so well for you and Penny. You're so lucky that you found her and she found you so quickly, although it must have felt like a lifetime

Hey all, I thought I'd share my thoughts on this cage. It is the Petco Mink Brown cage. http://www.petco.com/product/114150/Petco-Designer-Mink-Brown-Standing-Parrot-Cage.aspx It's not really (*I think*) suited for long term use for a grey. The gauge of wire seems quite thin. It's not really made well either. It came mangled, missing pieces, screws, and dinged/scratched. My first impression was I was sold a used cage. (Petco says they will ship the missing pieces and damaged parts, we'll see how much a hassle this becomes). On the other hand, at least Elliott will have a place to go that I can clean because cleaning the cage he has is nearly impossible. I worry for health reasons about this. Cheap is as cheap does and this cage is cheaply made and I should have known better. I am just disappointed in this cage and myself. I would not recommend it to anyone looking for a cage, that's for sure. At least it will give me time to find a proper cage for Elliott. Oh, and the "bowls" are hardly big enough for a conure-sized bird, so I am glad I have some extra quick lock crocks laying around. I think this cage would be sorta okay for a cockatiel or two. The bowls will be great for the playtop though, just the right size for treats. And I think Elliott is not going to like the switch(s) at all. I was unpacking the cage and he kept saying 'noooo.' Silly bird...

I have a macaw with a missing wing due to it being broke. They did try the pin method to save the wing and it didn't work and probably put him through extra stress. The reason they tried was to save the wing, the reason it did not work is because birds naturally flap even when settling down and the pin just won't stay most of the time in the correct place to help the bone heal since it has to stay for a while before being removed again. This was a long time ago, and he is doing quite well without. He lost his confidence for a bit, but gained it back and most people who meet him for the first time don't realize he is missing one for a while. Congrats though on bringing her home!

I am going to try to set them side by side, I am not positive I will have room to do that, but I'll know in a few hours when UPS gets here

Exactly my feelings! If I tell people who I work with they just sorta stare..lol I just had to tell people who understand

I actually got to sort of pet him! On the head through the bars of the cage. He laid his head up against the bars and at first I was like oh h-e-double hockey sticks-I am not falling for that twice (he has already bit once with that particular con game). On the other hand, his body posture was calm so I took a chance. He probably thinks I am nutso now though because I was all cooing and telling him what a goooood bird he is. Still, it is more than I thought I would be able to do still at this point. He still is wary of stepping up for me or anything else but I have invented "games" to play with him, and he does enjoy trying to eat my toes and gets into some very precarious positions in order to reach them from his cage, he is quite athletic. He loves french fries too ... and he loves music. He dances from one foot to the other and bobs his little head and whistles completely out of tune, so I dance with him. We watch action movies together and he laughs when things explode. Today his new cage should arrive so I hope this goes well. I had to get one for now so I got the mink brown cage from petco. The one he is in can't wait any longer to be replaced. It is awful not being able to pull out the grates (which are not bird cage grates) to clean it properly and I have seen him working at the bungie cords that actually hold it together. I have had to work so much extra lately due to a person at work walking out, but now I am on vacation so I am looking forward to being able to post a bit more and keep up with the forums better.

Hi there! I am near Kingfisher sort of, northwest of the city. I see you're in Tulsa, so pretty out there. My DH can give a little head scratch to Elliott, not much. And once he put his head down for me to scratch it the first week he was here and that's how I received my first bite from him. My fault. I laugh about it, because I fell for the oldest bird trick in the world

Are you sure Gilbert and Elliott are not related from hatching? LOL. You put that so well, "yearning." That's it exactly! My excitement of wanting a grey for so long doesn't help. I still really enjoy Elliott so much if he never allows me more than we have now it's okay.

Can I say welcome too, even though I am really new here also? Bill is adorable in your pic!

Funny posts! When I tell Roger "no" he will stop whatever he is doing and (I think) find out if I'm serious or not. He could be just judging how far I am from him and how much time does have until I make it over to where he is. Usually his big thing is getting to the floor to chase the dog off the dog bed. If this works, he will roll over on his back and play on the bed, eventually regurgitating all over it. I will tell him, Roger, dang it, go home. He waits till I walk over to him and bend down to let him step up and then rolls over again so I can rub his belly and gives me giant wet kisses, thus getting out of any trouble at all 'cuz that is dang cute. I don't know about Elliott, I haven't had to tell him no for anything yet. I'm sure over time that will change!

So as most of you know, Elliott has only been here for 2 weeks. He is such a great bird, and I want to pet him so badly. I am not complaining; I can feed him, clean his cage, and he will even take food from my hand. He never lunges at me and seems to trust that I would never ever hurt him. He tries all foods, so that is really great. But for now, no petting and he will not talk to me. He talks to my DH all the time. He is quite enamored with my husband. I believe I am jealous! I have to leave the room to hear his rather extensive vocabulary. I keep telling him how it's me who feeds, cleans, and buys toys and is sure that he is out as much as possible of his cage, take him to the vet, reads all the books, and even joins forums to be sure I am on the right path for him. He just stares at me. I may never get to pet him and I am fully aware of it, but he is so beautiful and I can just imagine how soft he would be. I may have to wait a verrrry long time but it is so hard.... He is adjusting though quite well, no feather picking or stress bars on new feathers, he doesn't squawk abnormally or make any screams of distress, so really I should have said nothing, but I know that everyone here understands the impatience at times and the irony of having a parrot you can't touch. He will reach to eat my toes while hanging off his cage....I suppose that is some sort of progress--LOL Well, I better get to reading really quick all the stuff I've missed since last time I was on. We are having severe storms coming in and I do need to make sure I'm ready with all my storm precautions. Elliott will really not like me if he is scooped up to the storm shelter really fast, we haven't had a chance to practice like I do with Roger.

LOL, yes, I am assuming that is taking place while I'm at work.

I hope you can get the cone gone soon too! It's so nice to read that all is going so well

murchck, thanks for the tip on the bird dander. Didn't know about that. I have a room air cleaner thing, perhaps that will help, but first I have to find it in the closet and see if I can get a filter for it!

I am not sure both would fit, but it sure couldn't hurt to try it. I could move the couch. It would be nice to be able to eventually have both birds at least out of the cages at the same time, but I don't think that will happen for some time.

Thankfully, that storm was not near us. We have been in the path before and it's no fun.

Here's Roger and Elliott...I still can't touch Elliott but he sure would like to get my toes! Roger is just hard to get a picture of and right now he is a little upset that he is not "out" and Elliott is.

Thank you. I have let Elliott know that I have been giving him too much fruit (but not too badly). All he said was OH. Then he made the sound of a pop top, like perhaps in place of that I should give him a coke. Silly bird. He seems to love apples, bananas, mashed potatoes (shhh, just a touch of those, almonds, and broccoli. Not quite as fond of carrots, but he eats a little of them. I think he has been veggie poor in his diet for quite some time. It seems like he eats constantly. Could be that I am watching him all the time hoping to pet him. lol

I will get them up as soon as I can. I need to read the post on posting pics. I just love yours. I think the cage in your photos and in the cage section is the one that I have picked out for Elliot.

I sure hope I can be a good parent to Elliott. He's very different than what I am used to, but acting just right for a grey according to all the stickies and posts I've read. I've a lot to learn about this guy and I want to do right by him.