Help! In need of a "vacation cage" (i.e. not a "travel cage") - Ideas?

[Jason M]

I'll be traveling with my CAG, Olive, over Thanksgiving (5 day trip, 4 hour car ride to destination) and again over the holidays (also about 5 days). I have a nice smaller aluminum travel cage that works perfectly for the car ride and short day trips, but I'm interested in finding something larger that I can set up to afford Olive a reasonable amount of space/comfort while I'm at my family's home. I'm thinking of something that is both A.) collapsible and easy to set up and B.) sized around 3' x 2 ' x 3' (although *bit* smaller would probably do, too).

 

I've searched the net pretty extensively, but I've had a hard time finding anything on the usual bird sites I buy from. I did find this:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=12389869

 

Oddly, it doesn't appear that I can get this cage shipped fast enough for my departure 1 week from today. (Disclaimer: I'm really not a huge Wal-Mart fan... but for the sake of Olive's comfort I would have relented!)

 

Can anyone suggest another option I might be able to consider?

 

THANK YOU!!

[Buffy]

I got my collapsible travel cage from Fosters and Smith. It's not as big as the one you have listed here from Wal-mart, but works well for mine. I'm not sure if they could ship it in time but you might want to look into it.

[Jason M]

Thanks so much, Buffy! Is this the one you refer to?

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5059+6322+22099&pcatid=22099

 

This looks like a great cage for shorter trips, but I guess I'm looking for something a little larger. (I should have also mentioned that Olive won't be getting as much out-of-her-cage time on vacation as she is used to, so it'll need to be a bit roomier.)

[Barbara2]

You would have to do it in person to make sure the bar spacing was small enough but you might want to check Petsmart or one of those stores and look at dog travel crates. You would also need to outfit it with perches and dishes but you might want to do that anyway even with one made for birds..

[Dave007]

Because the holiday is just around the corner, you won't be able to get any cages shipped to you in time. There's not many cages made for medium sized parrots that are collapsible. Right now, you would only be able to purchase a collapsible cage from a pet store but more than likely, the cage wouldn't even be for a bird maybe for a dog. Besides traveling cages, most people purchase a smaller version of a standard cage made for medium sized parrots. Then, they put them away. Then they unscrew them, put them away and when the time comes they put the cage in the car, put it together again at their destination and then unscrew when it's time to come home. The walmart cage is very over priced and not well made.

If you're willing to spend good money for another cage, you have 2 choices

1--immediately go to a pet store like Petsmart and purchase a smaller version of your present cage or

2--order one online from EBAY. They have a great variety of well made cages, prices which are great and pictures and descriptions of each one. Doing that will help in the future but not in time for this holiday. Look a EBAY anyway and see what they have for sale that you may use in the future. The walmart cage that you show has very thin wiring, the wrong bar spacing and no protective coating on the metal.

Edited November 18, 2010 by Dave007

[Buffy]

Jason,

The cage I got from them is much bigger. It also comes with a tote to carry it in when it is collapsed. I looked on their website and don't see it, but it is still in the catalog they send to my house. When I get home, I'll get the product number and send it to you. Even though you probably won't have time to get it for this trip, it is a great cage. I love the fact that it fits into a carry tote when collapsed. Before I got this cage, I did exactly what Dave said, and just bought a medium parrot cage that didn't collapse but did fit in my back seat.

[Jason M]

Wow -- thank you Barbara, Buffy, and Dave for your speedy replies. This is such a wonderful community.

 

Buffy, I'll take a look at the catalogue at home tonight (have a few of them myself), but I would certainly love that order number if you could share it

 

Dave, thanks for the feedback on the Wal-Mart cage (I was wondering about quality/bar spacing, too). I'll definitely check out ebay and have petco/petsmart nearby as a last resort.

 

If I can find the right cage, I don't mind shipping 2-day air to get it before my trip if it doesn't cost an absolute fortune.

 

Thanks again!!

[judygram]

I think your bird would be ok for this trip in the collapsible cage pictured for I use a similar one for my grey for road trips and she stays in it the whole trip with some time out of it, as long as you keep her close by you so she can be in the middle of what is going on she should be fine then you can get the larger cage you have to set up if you want for later trips, my opinion.

[Karcar]

Try Craig's list.

[FirstPenguin]

I too travel quite a bit with my bird but we visit my parents enough that we leave a cage there that fits in the car assembled and from there will borrow a car to visit others with the fid.

 

The cage linked below markets itself as having "tooless" 15 minute assembly. Might be a good, larger travel cage, if it assembles and tears down easily. It's also the dimensions you desired.

 

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5059+10346+22112&pcatid=22112&s=lh&r=883

 

Also saw this....

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5059+10346+5153&pcatid=5153&s=lh

 

Might be pricey but you could find featherland locally or used, those are also collapsible.

 

If you're driving through chicago you could pick this up.

http://www.windycityparrot.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=19301391011&Category_Code=medcage&Product_Count=17

 

I have a smaller version of this. Over engineered, really well made stuff. Not as light as I had hoped being aluminum.

 

http://www.windycityparrot.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=19301261063&Category_Code=medcage&Product_Count=51

[Buffy]

Evidently Fosters and Smith have quit selling the collabsible cage I had. I checked my Christmas catalog and it is nowhere to be found in there. I guess that explains why I couldn't find it on the website!

[Luvparrots]

I have a collapsible cage from http://www.thecountryroost.com/catalog/default.php?cPath=28_29.

[Jason M]

WOW! Thanks again to you all for so many excellent suggestions. I ended up going with Dave's advice and picked up an powder-coated A&E medium-sized cage from my favorite local bird store. A little pricier than I was considering, but it's small enough that it'll fit in the hatchback for trips while still giving Olive plenty of space. Same color and material she's used to in her grander cage from the same company.

 

We've done lots of shorter trips (she seems to do fine in the car), but I'm a bit anxious about the 5 hour drive from MI to IL! I think she'll appreciate spending Thanksgiving with family, though

[Jason M]

Thank you for checking in to it all the same, Buffy! Much appreciated

[Jason M]

Evidently Fosters and Smith have quit selling the collabsible cage I had. I checked my Christmas catalog and it is nowhere to be found in there. I guess that explains why I couldn't find it on the website!

 

Thanks for checking all the same, Buffy! Much appreciated