fluffy_cat

<br><br>Post edited by: fluffy_cat, at: 2007/07/09 15:09

I don't really want to post negativity on my first post, but I feel it's very important for anyone considering an Avian Accents cage. They are crap, cheaply made and dangerous for your birds, (we ordered a 80"w x 36"d x 65"h one and sent it back)... I would never put a bird in one. If you want a lifetime guarantee, CagesByDesign has one on their wood cage line, and they appear far more sturdy. This is from another forum I'm a member of: [/color] ---- Holding my hand up...) We have an Avian Accents cage. I STRONGLY urge you to be careful about ordering one if you haven't inspected one in person. I've not been able to capture things in photos to accurately depict what I've discovered about ours. HERE is a photo of ours with our GW in it. They're very pricey. The wood on the outside is beautiful and ornate. However, I was disappointed to find that there were things I would consider unsafe about them. The grates on the bottom simply sit on some razor sharp aluminum strips. (You can see the where the strips are screwed into the cage located on the bottom/back of the interior of the cage in our photo.) If our Greenwing were to be curious enough, I know he could lift one of the grates because nothing holds them down. There is plenty of open space between the two grates for him to get his beak in there to lift one. The problem then would be what would happen when the grate came back down... on a toe/leg or who knows what?! (The company states "Grates which are easy to remove and clean.") They are indeed easy to remove and clean, as all you have to do is lift them out. One of these same sharp aluminum strips jutted down from the top center of the inside of the cage, so if someone wanted they could put in a divider so two birds could be housed in it. We discovered how sharp it was while screwing the top of the cage on when my husband hit his head on it! We removed it. Furthermore, all of the screws on the interior of the cage rusted, so we had to go to the local marine store and buy SS ones to replace them. You would think a $3000+ cage would have SS screws on the inside of the cage so birds wouldn't be surrounded by rusted parts to chew on. All those screws are what holds the steel bars to the wood. Incidentally, when the paint easily chips off the bars, the steel (not stainless) rusts also! (The company states "Complete steel interiors with overlap on wood frame which protects the wood from the birds.") If you study our photo, you will probably be able to see it well enough. The doors are also lined with this overlapping very thin sharp piece of painted metal. If a bird were to fall while getting out, I could foresee them getting a bad gash from it. It may protect the wood from the birds, but what protects the birds from that sharp metal edge? There are actually 4 trays on the bottom. You would think there would be 2 trays, but those ornate drawer-looking things on the bottom are actually flaps that flap up. They're not wide enough to accomodate a full-sized tray. Therefore, if you expect poop to be on paper, you can't just set paper IN the trays. You have to line it so the paper covers the walls of the trays as well. Paper is removed by leaning in through the door of the cage. Trays are then removed (not very easily) through the flap doors. We have also removed the doors because our birds are flighted and having glass doors was a risk we couldn't take. The bars on the model we have are very weak/thin and the paint is weak/thin also. Much of it has chipped off - very easily. We decided the cage was best used in our living room, where we can keep an eye on him at all times when he's in/on that cage. He really loves it, but his safe cage (a Deluxe Macaw Cali Cage) is in the birdroom. Unfortunately, it seems the AA cages are built more for their looks than the safety of the birds who would live in them. They're supposed to look good and perhaps keep birds from being so messy. IMO the model we have just isn't up to par for any sizeable bird to live in safely. It's something ours sits in when he wants to hang out with us in the living room - supervised only! I know it seems like I'm bashing this company, but I'm not. I'm simply giving you input (based on our experience with our model) about their cages in case you're considering them. If you can see one in person first, it would be best. If not, find out if what their return policy is. If you get the cage/s home and inspect them and they seem unsafe, can you return it? If you plan on putting the fancy cages in an area where you will be able to keep your eyes on your birds, fine. If not, I don't recommend Avian Accents. I sincerely hope that they address these issues someday. Post edited by: fluffy_cat, at: 2007/06/07 17:21<br><br>Post edited by: fluffy_cat, at: 2007/06/07 17:22