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CAGE HELP!!


Glinda2

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Hi All,

 

I will hopefully be getting a Timneh African grey in the fall and need to decide on my cage, i found this one....

 

Wrought iron bird cage with playtop

 

* Interior cage dimensions: 18W x 18D x 32H inches

* 3/4-inch bar spacing

* 4 stainless steel feeder cups

* Pull out drawer and grille

* 2 perches

Ps. he will be out of his cage alot, so he would probaly only be in at night.

 

What do ya'll think? cage1.jpg<br><br>Post edited by: Glinda2, at: 2007/06/03 16:37

cage1.jpg

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Hi Glinda,

 

I'd say if you're buying from scratch, and if you have enough space, to get a bigger cage - the general advice is to get the biggest you can afford/ accomodate. That said, it's about the same size as my CAG's cage, which I 'inherrited' with him. He seems pretty happy with it, and like you're planning, he spends a lot of his time out of his cage,

 

Julia

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Guest Monique

That is a little on the small side. I would get something a little bigger than 18 x 18. The height sounds good.

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I would definitely go with a bigger one since your buying from scratch. It does seems a little small. You want them to have room to flap their wings and then some. Once you put toys in it, it will really appear small.

It will be well worth the investment now. You never know what your circumstances will be in the future. And it's not always easy to change cages down the road. I'm sure others will have more advice.

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Glinda2 wrote:

Hi All,

 

I will hopefully be getting a Timneh African grey in the fall and need to decide on my cage, i found this one....

((+ some more))

 

I adopted my grey recently and she came with that exact same cage (except color and the skirt). She seems pretty happy, but there is room to be desired for toys. The seed guard at the bottom can be removed and adds ~6" of vertical room (bottom of skirt is where the seed guard is. For a night only cage, it would be alright, but since you are buying from scratch, I'd try to find something a little bigger.

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I would go with the bigger cage for even if he will spend most of the time out of it you never know when you will have to be away for a few days and he has to spend more time in it. I think mine is like 40 wide 26 deep and 60 tall so it has plenty of room.

I have looked at those cages on that site you mentioned but only on the internet, I like the looks of them but they are too expensive for me.

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Guest Monique

As long as you aren't sacrificing quality, bigger is always better. I do not agree with the statement that they will not be secure in a larger cage. Breeding birds can be housed in large flights and obviously in the wild ... the whole world is available to them....

 

I think the Cages by Design cages look really nice, too. I've never known anyone personally who has had one, though.

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celery, if you're seriously considering cages by design and can price accordingly,, you might also consider avian accents :-) avianaccents.com. They are a good lifetime investment and most definitely sturdy. We love them! I would suggest contacting Pat there, she was lovely and was able to answer all my questions.

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Omy :ohmy: Those are such beautiful cages, Estream :ohmy: I've never seen anything like that. Do you own one like that?

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Hey Guys,

 

Thanks for the Great suggestions! I don't think I really want to spen over $1200 for a cage, I will probaly just end up getting the one I picked out above, he will only rarely be in it, and I can always upgrade :)

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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

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Check out Avian Adventure cages as well at: www.avianadventures.com The famous grey "Alex" of Dr. Irene Pepperberg is housed in one. We got the "Mediana" playtop model for Kip and are quite happy with it for around $500.00 US.

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Its a split level design and I got it from New Century Bird Supply. They came to our annual bird fair last year and I got it for $300. It was all put together and he took it apart to get it in my vehicle, a Jeep and I put it back together after I got it home. It has that playtop on one side and Josey comes out and plays on it and goes back inside if she wants a snack or a drink of water.

I think they are coming to this years fair which is this month and I need some extra bowls.

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Whoaaaaaa!Hold on, I have several of Avian Accents birdcages, got my first one in 2001. It is a double wide and holds my Blue & Gold macaw and my Greenwing. These are wonderful cages, I have never had a problem with sharp edges, wood chewing, rusting or anything. Not only that, my birds love the cage. They are very happy in the cage and have never had any injuries from this birdcage. The birdcage is very easy to clean, one of the easiest I have ever owned. They also keep all the mess inside, just like the company states. I really think you are bashing this company, and I don't know why you would want to do that. The cages are very well constructed, are NOT cheaply made, and most important, ARE NOT DANGEROUS!! I would know, I have 4 of their cages and they are absoulutely the best you can buy.

 

 

My African Grey lives in the new Ultimate birdcage made by this company, and you talk about beautiful and easy to clean, it is the best. It took about 12 weeks for it to come in, and it was well worth the wait.

 

If you are seriously thinking about a new cage, I highly reccomend this company.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Fluffy-cat,

 

This is Patti from Avian Accents. Why would you post a blog saying that you have sent one of our double wides back? No one, has ever sent a double wide back. Believe me, I have checked the records. That is a lie. As a matter of fact, we take back less than 1% of our cages per year. If one does come back, it is either because it was damaged or the wrong color. I think you have other motives here. Do you work for another cage company? I belive someone is putting you up to this. This is malicious and I would appreciate it if you stop.

 

Furthermore, I have seen the blog before that you have posted under yours. You seem to have left out one very important part, THEY BOUGHT THE CAGE USED. You don't know what the previous owners may have did to that birdcage. And, if it is so dangerous, and the woman is that disappointed, why would she keep it? She bought it used, she had a chance to inspect it, why would she have bought it in the first place?

 

We have been in business for more than 20 years, and have the best furniture cage on the market. We are also the most widely copied. There is a reason for that, we are the best. All of our cages are very safe, we use nothing but the best materials. When we first started building cages, we used rolled wire, We only used it for a short time, and decided it was not the best material to use in a birdcage. Shortly thereafter, we went to using cold rolled steel bars and stainless steel bars. They are much better for a birds feet to climb on than chicken wire. We have evolved over the years and now make many different syles of birdcages. A lot of them do have trays and grates that slide out. They are very easy to manage and are very safe. If anyone ever has any kind of problem with our cages, we would like to hear from you. We do our very best to make a safe and beautiful enviroment for the birds and owners alike.

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Toni wrote:

I don't have a grey yet but the cage Im getting is 32w X 24 d x 28 1/2 h. I was told by the pet store that it should be the minimum due to them stetching their wings. I'm paying 350.00

A cage that size can be had for much cheaper. ~$210 on e-bay, and it's taller inside (24w x 22d x 42h)This is the exact one I have. I have the black (actually grey).

http://cgi.ebay.com/Bird-Parrot-cage-Conure-Lovebird-Cockatiel-Amazon-A11_W0QQitemZ140130827210QQihZ004QQcategoryZ46289QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

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avianaccents wrote:

Fluffy-cat,

 

This is Patti from Avian Accents. Why would you post a blog saying that you have sent one of our double wides back? No one, has ever sent a double wide back. Believe me, I have checked the records. That is a lie. As a matter of fact, we take back less than 1% of our cages per year. If one does come back, it is either because it was damaged or the wrong color. I think you have other motives here. Do you work for another cage company? I belive someone is putting you up to this. This is malicious and I would appreciate it if you stop.

 

 

Hi Patti,

Sorry to see you join under these conditions. Thank you for posting "your side of the story" as we all know that there are three sides to every story.. Your side, their side, and the actual truth. :P

 

I would like to see further discussions on this "incident" because if it turns out to be false i want you company and product to be given the respect it deserves.

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I am probably to late but this is the cage that I bought but in black. Here is the photo of it:

 

cagevo7.jpg

 

 

 

Here is the link to it at MyBirdStore.com:

 

http://www.mybirdstore.com/PLAY_TOP_CAGES-PLAY_TOP_WITH_TOY_HOOK_32_x23_POWDER_COATED.html

 

Post edited by: TheGreyMiester, at: 2007/06/20 01:26<br><br>Post edited by: TheGreyMiester, at: 2007/06/20 01:28

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