Looking for some cage feedback

[lkalliance]

Hello, all. As I've posted elsewhere on this site, I'm a former parakeet owner, in my late 30's, looking to purchase a new bird. After lots of research on many species, I'm ready to purchase a Dusky Conure.

Now I'm researching cages. Normally, when I research a purchase of an appliance or of furniture, I like to go online and get consumer feedback on it. Often that's easy (like for electronics). Sometimes it's not (like for birdcages). Most birdcage sites have similar selections, but all under their own custom names instead of under one brand. Some brands, like Avian Adventures, supersede that.

Anyway, in reading some posts on these and other boards, I saw some negative feedback on a specific cage I'd settled on. Now I'm back to the drawing board. So I've got a small selection here, and I thought to myself, "Self, why don't I ask for feedback? Perhaps folks at BirdBoard have specific experience with some of these and can give me their impressions."

What I'm looking for in a cage is easy cleaning, of course, roomy enough to be potentially a lifetime cage for a Dusky Conure. I've got some space limitations, but they're mostly in my head: I know me, and I know that if this significant piece of furniture throws off the balance of my living space, it's something that's going to irk me all the time, and that's not fair to the bird.

My new companion will be housed with me in my home office, but will get significant time out of the cage. He will not (generally) have to spend many waking hours caged up, though there will be the occasional weekend trip, I expect, where we have him bird-sat and he will have to spend a day or two mostly caged. So please keep that in mind as you consider cage size. All the cages I've listed are between 1/2 and 3/4 inch spacing.

So with that in mind here are some cages I was looking at. If anyone has any experience with specific cages, or has some wisdom about cage size and my impending companion, I'm thankful for your time and feedback. You'll find each section title clickable to the cage in question:

OPTION A

This cage is one I see all over the place online, and I've had a chance to see one in person at a local breeder (for twice the price!) This is the cage I had settled on, but on which I have seen SOME negative feedback. It's a perfect size for me (in fact there's a similar one slightly smaller that would probably be good for a conure, as well), and it's the least expensive.

OPTION B

This cage is the largest, and probably the one with the greatest chance of making me regret it (and subconsciously holding it against the bird). But it is Avian Adventures, which *seems* to be highly recommended. I could also be falling into a "it's more expensive so it must be better" trap. I don't want to fret over an extra $200 investment on a companion that will hopefully be with me for 20-30 years...but on the other hand that's a lot of money to drop if it's not worth it.

OPTION C

This cage is also Avian Adventures, but is smaller and has a gentler price tag. This is the smallest of the group, the question: is it TOO small? This is a cage that begs the question: are the advantages of Avian Adventures worth getting a smaller cage?

OPTION D

This cage appears to be made by KG, which I understand also to be a well-regarded brand. It's a good, middling size, though since it's closer to square it offers less width than Option A. I would prefer a regular dometop (which I assume would be a little cheaper, too) but the dometop on this same site that LOOKS LIKE it's of the same manufacturer has an item SKU that lacks the "KG"...so I'm not sure. Anyway, it does have the additional door up top: does anyone here have experience with that?


Anyway, those are some options I was looking at. Now it's your turn: what do you know about these specific cages, what should I look for? Your feedback is welcome and appreciated!

[featherduster]

I do know from experience that the King Cages are great, easy to clean and also last more then 10 years, so far.
Your new bappy will out last any cage you buy now. As you know.
I chose the more expensive, safe, easy to maintain, roomy cage, 2nd.
Because, of bad experiences with other cages before.
The choice is yours, get what you can afford now.

Also, realize that it won't out last your bird.

[Beaks]

Kings Cages are the best.

The stainless kings will last longer than the pyramids unless you drive a truck over it.

John

[Monica]

Option A: Although the cage itself looks nice, I'd be wary about those legs. Unless you plan to put something in the "V" legs, such as a tennis ball with two cuts to form a cross, I wouldn't recommend it for this reason. Indeed they may be highly recommended, but a health hazard at the same time...

Option B: This looks like a nice cage, with not too 'steep' of a dometop. It appears pretty roomy, and has a nice shelf to store items on, which gives extra support to the legs. I like this one the best...

Option C: The cage looks nice although narrow. It has added room on the inside with the dome top, pluswhich you can store items underneath the cage on the shelf which is a nice added benefit as the shelf also gives added support to the legs.

Option D: Another highly recommended cage, although there is no shelf for under the cage to store things on, pluswhich, the doors on top could also be a health hazard if they came down on a bird... Normally a problem more associated with medium to larger birds however, but nevertheless, a possible hazard. It does appear to have a "deck" above the door though that can be lowered down for a small door at the top of the cage.




I can't say I have had ANY experience with these cages, as all my cages are either flight cages, a ferret cage (who woulda thunk???), and a some form of "parakeet" or "cockatiel" cages. However, from hearing about dangers associated with some of those cages, or ones similar to them, there are ones I simply wouldn't recommend for the fact that it could pose a danger in some way... Of course all cages can in one way or another, but it doesn't need to be amplified by the cage manufacturer by putting in even more hazards...

[lkalliance]

Thanks for the feedback, all.

This highlights some of the confusion with this research. I keep hearing about "Kings Cages". From looking at how people react to the pictures, I understand that what I've labelled Option D is a Kings Cage. But if I go to, say, http://www.kingscages.com, I find several cages INCLUDING Option A, which seems to be the LEAST recommended!

What I like is Option D, but I wanted it in a standard dometop. The same site had one that LOOKED like it might be what I was looking for (same size, appeared to have the same hardware, but it's not labelled as such:

http://www.americas-pet-store.com/de...rodid/761.html

Frustrating.

[Mlewis]

I like B and C best. My cage has legs like A, they (the legs) won't post a threat unless your bird is walking around on the floor under it's cage.

[Monica]

I'm sorry to say, but a bird DOESN'T have to be walking around on the floor for the legs to be a problem... The bird could try flying TO it's cage and being clipped might not be able to make it, or it's roaming around it's cage and it falls... anything could happen, and I WOULDN'T trust those legs!

[tielfan]

Here's an HQ cage that's 24x22, has most of the features you want, and a not-bad price tag: http://www.windycityparrot.com/page/...ge/19302242035

HQ is supposed to be an excellent brand. I've heard only good things about them and the ones I've seen in person looked very nice. Originally my first choice was to buy one of their cages, but the style I liked was a little to wide to fit through my doorways without taking the door off the hinges. So I bought a TriBirds cage that was a similar style but two inches narrower. I've come to like the TriBirds style better anyway!

[Freedomoflight]

I like Options B and C the best. Option A the legs are too flimsy for my liking- and option D the cage looks pretty narrow, and the top with the 'scalloped' dome feature is actually losing the bird space- not to mention it is going to be a bit harder to hang up toys. Also, the dome top opens- which can be very dangerous. Conures are little houdinis, espicially duskies and I wouldnt trust a dusky in that cage. If I was shopping for a cage for one of my birds out of the 4 models you offered, it would definatly be B or C.
Now- option B is actually a lot like my caiques cage- just a different manufacturer (California) and I love my caiques cage.... I know the price tag hurts, but you get what you pay for. I bought a cheap cage one year and it was already rusting out by the second. I have a 10 year old CA cage that is in pretty darn good shape- I have another CA cage that is secondhand, am guessing a couple years old. That one is in good shape too. What I am trying to say is- dont go for cheap cheap, because that will not get you anywhere and you will be shelling out for another cage sooner then later.

[lkalliance]

Monica has now posted twice on my threads about Option A about the legs...and I've also seen other folks complain about those cages (though I've talked with some that like them).

I'm not that concerned about the price on Avian Adventures, more about how the cage fits into my space. It's not just a cage, it's a permanent piece of furniture, and as such it's serving the needs of the bird but also me. The other cages I've listed, I have a good mental picture of how it will fit in an aesthetically pleasing way...Option B less so. So the question is, is Option B so much better than the others (or so much more appropriate) that it trumps these other considerations?

Aha! An HQ cage with the dometop! Thanks, tielfan!