kwellens Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Hi. I have had my Congo African Grey Bubba since he was a baby. He is now 15 years old and has no behavior problems and is well adjusted. I have him in a cage measuring 36 x 28 and he has been in it since I first got him. He loves it and will sometimes choose to stay in it rather than coming out but does come out also. Unfortunately it is time to get a new cage as this one is not in the best condition anymore. I purchased a Centurion walkin aviary that is 62 x 38 with 1 inch bar spacing. However I am now getting worried about changing him to this as it is so different from what he is used to. It also has to be built in place and has no wheels so kind of difficult to introduce him to it gradually. I am thinking of returning or selling it and getting him a cage larger than he has now but with the dishes in similar location, etc. and one I can place by his old one so he can transition and explore gradually. I am worried about his reaction to a drastic change as he is doing so well but I know I may just be an overly worried mom. ?. What would you do? Am I overreacting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRSeedBurners Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Is the new walk-in big enough you can get his smaller cage inside of it? You haven't mentioned he's actually having problems with it so I'd see if that actually occurs first. If he does have issues, you may try getting his old trusty inside of the new one until he transitions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhouse Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 (edited) Around here we call it well trained - not paranoid. ") Even w/as little as you've posted I think you managed to say everything I'd need to enthusiastically encourage you to go for the aviary. You've raised this well adjusted fid & have m/t enough familiarity to negotiate this change by the sound of it. If you don't act like it's major drama, then Bubba might just go right along. It might help if you build the thing in front of him. Maybe in stages, if that's possible? Then, I'd try putting him into his travel cage & sitting in the empty aviary w/him while you spend some quiet &/or quality time & just see how it goes. It would be a shame to miss this opportunity because Bubba might need coaxing to adjust. Also, though, 1" bar spacing is doable but a tad large for a Grey to live with. Small tweak might help if you arrange an extra bunch of natural perching & a boing or two (there's certainly room lol) to enable him to climb w/o using the bars as much as he might otherwise. Otherwise... can't wait to see the pics & expecting you'll be making a post in the "Welcome & Introduction" Forum soon...??? :cool: Edited September 21, 2015 by birdhouse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwellens Posted September 21, 2015 Author Share Posted September 21, 2015 Great suggestions. I will check to see if his old cage will fit inside the new aviary and also can spend some time in there with him to help him adjust. I wondered about the 1 inch bar spacing but that is what he has right now and seems to do fine with it. I could not find a large cage with anything other than 1 inch bar spacing. My other concern is I have a green cheek conure also and purchased a Kings cage for her recently. Quite honestly I feel like the powder coat on her cage seems of better quality than what is on the aviary especially for the money difference. Not that the aviary is horrible or anything, the Kings just seems a little better. If I changed I would go with a Kings cage not less than 40 wide and most likely 42 to 48 inches wide. Is there any such thing as too large of a cage for these guys? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRSeedBurners Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Is there any such thing as too large of a cage for these guys? No. GreycieMae's outdoor aviary where she spends 90% of her time is 20ft(L)x10ft(w)x10ft(H) and we're thinking about doubling that so she doesn't have to slow down for u-turns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greytness Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 My gray is in a macaw size cage with 1 inch bar spacing. I was concerned about the spacing, but it's actually not a problem. It took him a full day of giving this 'what happened?' look before becoming acclimated to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Sophie already had a good size cage... so I am going to be a " Debbie downer", bigger was not better... Her cage was big enough though, but you DO need to increase your cage size Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwellens Posted September 21, 2015 Author Share Posted September 21, 2015 Yes, I definitely want a bigger cage for him. What size cage does Sophie have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 I measured Sophie's cages. One is 32 by 40. The other is 44 by 45. Doesn't include the gym at top. Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwellens Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 We haven't started actual construction of the aviary but we have brought some panels in and showed them to Bubba and he is oohing and ahhhing and interested so good sign there. LOL! . That is what he does when I show him new toys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhouse Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 (edited) My gray is in a macaw size cage with 1 inch bar spacing. I was concerned about the spacing, but it's actually not a problem. It took him a full day of giving this 'what happened?' look before becoming acclimated to it. Youngsters do tend to be more adaptable. At Bubba's age, it's a nice head start knowing there's no worries about the bar spacing issue, though. I think King's cages tend to have the nicest paint jobs & are very easily cleaned compared to many of the other manufacturers. But Ive also read that they have a higher lead content in their paint. Also, while almost everybody's cages are manufactured in China now, King's has been having problems w/the factories they do business with over the past couple of years. There have just generally been too many recalls overall "recently". So under the circumstances, I don't know if I'd trust their newer cages so much. You'd never be able to trace long term health problems back, they won't do anything even if you could AND there's no possibly adequate compensation for losing any fid. jmho Kura's is an A&E cage that looks just like the economy King's line. We got it second hand & have had if for 5ish yrs. It's got plenty of room for a low-key eclectus-type, is nice looking, cleans well & is holding up beautifully, so far. But it's only 36" x 28" & I don't know if there's a bigger model. http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?143481-Show-Us-Your-Cage!/page13 Edited September 22, 2015 by birdhouse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwellens Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 I was happy to see that Centurion does test their powder coat. They are made in China also. My worry is the increase in size overall might throw him off. Seems weird to be worried about that I guess but you know how greys can be sometimes. . Here is the link to Centurion's most recent tests: http://www.centurionaviaries.com/warranty.html. I suppose for the price of this aviary I could also consider a stainless steel cage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhouse Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 It's a legit worry for a lot of fids. But you raised by your definition a pretty mellow fellow. You know how to keep him from sweating the small stuff & so long as you don't make this all scary in your own head, you're both likely to do fine. I love that linked page. They're aware of something many retailers don't even want to think about. So big points to Centurion. What about a double wide? Starts out small & opens up to a very nice sized cage. Yes you could get a stainless cage. But it is nice to get to re-do the features every decade or two. They are finally making cages much more intelligently. Like I really adore my landing doors because a) I have dogs who can't stick their fat heads in & help themselves to everything in the cage & b) the fid is right there, eye level to interact with. Nice for leaving treats & good bribery to get reluctant fids to go home. And that's just the one feature. In the end, it's all a trade off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 I love the centurion guys! That is where all my double macaw cages are from, 2 used 1 brand new and they all look new still! I have 5 of the kings stainless and 2 king normal cages 1white and 1 black the rest i have i am not a big fan of but they went out of business anyway. I say go for it, let that baby fly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katana600 Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 I'm out of town and a little late to the discussion. You may have already bought the aviary. My two cents is this, he is happy in a smaller cage all of his life, I would also want to go a little bigger. The question I would want to answer for myself is "where will we be in another 15 years?" For me, it will mean downsizing as my husband retires. I don't know where you are in your life. If you have room for the giant aviary and feel confident that you won't be changing your own habitat do what makes you and Bubba happy. Of course I have to qualify this because my rehomed grey did not like a bigger cage and it is sitting empty at home when I discovered after four years that a smaller cage changed her disposition for the better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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