Rusty cage

[jgerardo]

A friend gave us a huge bird cage. The only problem is that it is rusty. So far we have been sanding it down with sand paper. But is there a faster safer way to get rid of the rust? I heard hairspray can work but I dont know if the aerosol is toxic to birds. I would really like to use it when my bird grows up.

[BaileysPapa]

Birds chew on the bars of their cage. And use their mouths to climb around. Rust is not good for them to ingest. Even sanding it down does not get rid of the rust. It will rust more in time. Unless you can have it sanded down in a place like an auto body shop, and then powder coated with the right paint, you should not use a rusty cage. If you are going to go ahead and paint it, get in touch with the paint manufacturer (or cage manufacturer) and find out what paint is not toxic to birds. Most of them are. For the amount of time, money, and work involved, you're better off buying a new cage. I'm a poor man, and a do it yourselfer, but I have thrown away many great, large cages, because I wouldn't take chances with my birds' lives.

[Lupine]

I'm a total cheapskate on most everything but equipment for my animals. After reading up on cage sizes and specific features for Greys, particularly brands and models, start a hunt on Craigslist. Make sure you get a chance to thoroughly check out the cages, to make sure the powder coating isn't worn off.

 

A quality, species-appropriate, easy-to-maintain cage is the best investment you can make for your parrot, and for you. Especially since you have your bird in the family/living room, where it should be...

 

Congrats on Luna!

[judygram]

Yep I agree with the others, chuck the rusty thing and get a new one.

[Talon]

Yes , I agree with the others. Better to find a new cage for the safety of your bird. Better safe than sorry.

[Luvparrots]

A rusty cage is a no-no. There are oodles of cages out there just keep looking.

[danmcq]

Ditto the others. The only way you could get the cage restored properly would be through a powder coating shop that would sand blast it and then powder coat it. I suspect you could purchase brand new cage cheaper than that though.

[Inara]

Also agree with the other posters. Be sure, if you do buy a used cage from Craigslist or other place that even if it looks clean, you (what we in our house call) "granny" clean it -- meaning clean crevices, etc. with an old clean toothbrush to get out every last bit of its former resident, and then sterilize/disinfect the cage with a non-toxic disinfectant (vinegar in boiling water, grapefruit seed extract in water, or commercial non-toxic product, etc) then rinse, rinse, and allow to dry completely. You probably already know all this, jgerardo, am just stating in case someone newer to bird life is reading