Cage Safety Check

[Greywings]

Not a safe cage- Not only do we need to certain the cage we are using or looking to purchase is lead free, secure and big enough we also need to avoid caging with areas that can trap your bird. This decorator style cage is pretty and may be a great decorator item or safe for your cat to use with a cushion inside or a plant, but these curlicues can trap your birds neck or feet causing injury or death. Just one more thing to consider when cage shopping.

[Greytness]

There's a huge thread posted on another forum where people have uploaded countless pictures of the most atrocious bird cages that are up for sale. Just makes you think about the deplorable conditions under which so many birds are forced to live. Makes me very sad.

[birdhouse]

Phenix' first big cage had that scroll work on the top & bottom. He lived in it w/o issue for many years. Whenever it finally needed to be replace, I changed styles purely by accident.

 

Many, many years later, as information started becoming so much more available, I started to read about the potential hazards of this design. And I will admit that I ignored it every time.

 

Even more years later, Kura "happened". She was a totally unplanned parronthood, to the extent that I didn't even have a cage when I brought her home. Luckily, a friend had an ancient, but quite serviceable cage in a forgotten corner in the basement. It was in fact, almost identical to Phenix' old cage & I borrowed it gratefully.

 

Barely a week later, I was standing right next to Kura 's cage when all hell broke loose behind me. She was impaled, screaming & thrashing. She'd managed to hook the tip of one of those scrolls up into the "hole" directly behind her beak. I was lucky enough to "pop" it out & free her w/o injury. But it was very obvious it could have killed her in pretty short order.

 

It was horrifying. If I live to be 100 yrs old, I will never stop getting sick to my stomach every time I think of it. And of course I realize now it could have happened to Phenix anywhere along the way, as well. I cringe every time I see that style of cage. There's no doubt at all that it should never have been sold in the first place, let alone still be on the market. Very, very scary & dangerous!!!

[judygram]

That is an interesting looking cage but I can see how it can be dangerous, good thing you were there Val when Kura had her incident, it only takes a second.

[Greywings]

Great timing!

[katana600]

When I saw that picture I was thinking, "Oooh pretty, I love those scrolls and curliques. I do so admire that stand too. I smiled at the idea of using it in the garden or on the patio. I would never have considered for a second that it would be dangerous. Thanks for sharing your experience and wisdom. I am on the hunt for two new cages and will stick to the tried and true.