What do you think of acrylic cages?

[electricboogaloo]

Good, bad, too pricey? Lay it on me! I love the idea of an unobstructed view of our gorgeous bird... and the idea of limiting the mess a bit is appealing too. Plus it just sounds easier to sanitize.

Anyone have personal experience with these as a full-time cage? (vs. feeding area or travel only)

Thank you so much!

[Valo's Moirana]

they're not appealing to me at all - unobstructed view of the bird to me translates to the bird not seeing either that there's a cage (we know they don't see windows). also, the complete enclosure would worry me regarding the air quality.

at the same time, i have to honestly admit that i have no experience with acrylic cages

[isoscelestri]

Originally Posted by tielz

I used acrylic cages for a few years for my tiels and canaries (my ex was complaining about the "mess" in the house).
Mine were acrylic on aluminum frame, sliding doors on the sides.
I tried them stock for a couple years, which had no bars and then had bars custom made from stainless mesh for the sides and top. The stock company then made me custom doors for the fronts since the sides were now solid stainless mesh.

Likes:
Keeps more mess inside.
Easy to clean/wipes down easily
Clear view of what is going on in the cage

Dislikes:
If your birds spook, they hit the acrylic and slide to the bottom
Keeps everything inside so you must clean *well* daily to keep food from piling up in corners. I'd rather have it on the floor to vacuum than piling in the cage.
Clean well daily or it can develop the bird poo smell moreso than an open air cage
Air does not exchange as easily in solid acrylic, I did not like this at all and this is why I had the custom mesh sides and top put on.
Parrots love to climb and slide (fireman style), you can add all sorts of perches and ladders, but it is still not the same as a barred cage.

For perches, while you *can* drill holes, you may compromise the integrity of the acrylic (if you do it wrong, you will split the acrylic), so the company advised against it. Most of the time, adding perches from the sides is enough. In my cages, I was able to have some custom perches that attached to the aluminum on the bottom go straight up the back of the cage then crook in an upside down L shape and that worked for perches that came out from that direction. For me, perches were never an issue, the environment was. ;)

I donated all of mine and bought all stainless cages for my tiels after about 5 years of using the acrylic ones. They are happier having more area to play, hang and slide. It is more work for me to clean the bars daily, but it is worth it to me. :)

Here's a link to the rest of the thread:
Acrylic cages. are they a pain - or awesome?

Hope you see something that helps make up your mind.

[Tinker]

Ew they sound horrible. I wouldn't want my budgie breathing in all that uncirculated air. I haven't seen them on sale here yet though. Lucki also likes to cling to the sides of his cage sometimes, so the bars are good.

[LyndaM]

For me, it's a definite NO on acrylic for so many reasons.

[huntress]

I have a huge one for my Cockatoo. Its acrylic front and back only. Sides and top are bars. She has plenty of perches and toys and she really seems to like it allot since we moved her into it. We love being able to look at her without the bars WHEN she is in it. Usually sleeping,lol. But i swear she seems more content in it, plays more and even goes back in on her own more now. I dont think a fully enclosed one would be good for her though. This one gets plenty of airflow and it does help contain the mess some. Took some creative thinking on the perch part though and i intend on another rope perch which helps to "change" things as we see fit for her. She still climbs about as much.

[huntress]

Oh and she knows where the walls are - Ive never seen her panic and hit the glass. Heck Ive never in my life seen her panic,LOL.

[isoscelestri]

The person I took the quote from said he used it with his Cockatiels, I think that they can be prone to night frights. So, acrylic might not be best for skittish birds or those that have night frights.

[Tinker]

It sounds good for your cockatoo, Huntress, but I don't think all birds would find it as great. It's a very nice looking cage setup you have.