cage questions

[chick101]

Hi!
We were so excited to get our new cage today--but now we have a few questions...

First, there are scratches on it and some rough spots that I think we could file down. I was wondering if anyone has used touch-up paint on their cages...

Second, the bottom grate has wider spaces than the sides and the top play area...we measured them and they are about 3/4" wide. Is this too wide for a young cockatiel? The sides are 5/8" and the play-top grate is 1/2". I know he probably won't spend a lot of time on the bottom of the cage, but I just don't want him to fall through, stick his head down there, or get stuck some other way. How wide are your bottom grates?

We really love the cage and would like to work it out without sending it back. We don't want to waste our money or harm our bird-to-be either though. I like the people we got it from and know that they would take it back and send us another one if we needed to go that route...it's just that we are in VA and the cage came from CA--taking a solid week to get here...I know that it would be 2-3 wks before we would be able to get it set up if we had to send it back and wait for a new one to come...

Why is it that nothing ever goes right??!!??

Any feedback you guys have would be greatly appreciated, as always!

:eusa_wall