Acrylic Cage -- Who has personal experience with online vendors?

[mangopina]

Sorry, newbie here, and originally posted this under the wrong thread. But see below:

Hi everyone,

We have two green cheek conures whom we love very much. We are considering getting an acrylic cage for them, but it is hard to figure out how reliable/trustworthy the online acrylic vendors are.

We are considering:

• King Solomon's Cages
• Acrylic Bird Cages (Eric)

We have found some negative online customer reviews of Eric at acrylic bird cages (along with what appear to be some obviously planted responses), but we want to give the business a chance in case anyone has had a good experience. King Solomon's Cages seems more professional and seems to produce higher quality cages by every indicator we've seen.

I know there is also cages by design, but they seem too expensive to even consider at this point.

Anyone had experience with these cages and/or vendors? We would greatly appreciate hearing your thoughts...

 

[henpecked]

No i haven't had any experiences with any of those vendors. Generally you get what you pay for has been my experience, must be a good reason for the difference in price. Maybe one is made from shatter proof lexan and the other are plexiglass. I do know my birds don't like the acrylic cages. Ventilation is usually poor and can easily over heat (espeacily if you take them outside). The birds can't climb the side and restrict movement to perches only. Never mind how difficult it is to keep them clean and looking nice. just my .02 worth and not what you asked for.

 

[thekarens]

I'm not a fan of acrylic cages, not enough air flow IMO.

 

[Kiwibird]

As mentioned, acrylic cages pose several issues with airflow and ease of cleaning. If you want better visibility of your birds, try a lighter color cage. I was surprised when we switched our amazon from a black cage to a white cage how much difference there was in visibility (for us and him)!

 

[mangopina]

Thanks for the replies, guys!

...Never mind how difficult it is to keep them clean and looking nice.

Interesting you say this. We were thinking of getting an acrylic cage precisely because of cleaning issues. We have tried bird skirts, acrylic food boxes, etc, and have never been able to deal with the mess our little guys make. Family members are insisting we get rid of them before having kids because of the mess, so we are looking for proactive ways to control the bird mess (besides vacuuming every day). Why are acrylic cages difficult to clean? Is it just hard to get in there and get the poop off the acrylic or what?

 

[henpecked]

Yes hard to clean and they scratch . Before long they are hazy. We use a rubber or vinyl type "mats" under the cages. Roll the cage off and roll the mat up , carry outside and hose off.

 

[Scott]

I once had an acrylic cage atop a wooden base, used to house a pair of Eclectus. Ditched it within a few months for all of the previously posted reasons! Never again!

They seem better in theory than in practice!

 

[mekat]

I'm kind of giggling a little over here. My kid can make a mess far larger then my bird any day of the week. Yes, I am very careful not to leave poop lying around and clean any up the minute it is spotted but a little seed/pellet, and shredded toy parts *pfft* please.

There is a difference between being clean and being obsessive. As long as your house isn't filthy as in feces lying around for hours on end, I would personally tell those busy bodies that your animals and reproductive choices are yours and yours alone.

By the way my child has an immune deficiency so I am cautious just not neurotic about it. That means no petting zoos, no church, no daycare, avoiding other large gatherings but having a bird that I know is healthy and a little food on the floor that gets picked up before it molds is not a big deal.

 

[mangopina]

Thanks everyone -- we decided not to get an acrylic cage for all of the reasons mentioned above and we're very happy with the decision. We figured out a way to avoid poop on the floor and by starting a routine with them where we fly them back to a specific perch on the cage that ensures their poop lands in the cage. Once they poop, they fly back to us. It's going great! They still have some mess-ups here or there, but overall it's going in the right direction. Thanks for steering us clear of acrylic.

 

[Kiwibird]

Thanks everyone -- we decided not to get an acrylic cage for all of the reasons mentioned above and we're very happy with the decision. We figured out a way to avoid poop on the floor and by starting a routine with them where we fly them back to a specific perch on the cage that ensures their poop lands in the cage. Once they poop, they fly back to us. It's going great! They still have some mess-ups here or there, but overall it's going in the right direction. Thanks for steering us clear of acrylic.

Potty training is always nice I certainly appreciate my boy not leaving big "gifts" around the house.

BTW, I grew up with 3 big, messy parrots. I did not drop dead from a little poop or food being on the floor nor from regurgitation (the big female DYH liked to try to feed me!).

 

[SoCalWendy]

I think you made the right decision, and your birds will be happier for it. My family makes way more of a mess than my birds ever have...

 

[birdsbrain]

I think there is some confusing info in this thread about acrylicbirdcages.com.

I just received my seed guards from [email protected] they look and work great!

I have two acrylic cages from acrylicbirdcages.com they gave me too many perches for the first one but that's ok. I used them in another cage I have. I got the climbing wall with the second cage and they still sent to many perches with my order. they don't use acrylic. it's called polycarbonate. it doesn't crack. I have had my first cage for three years and no scratches. the airflow is not a problem because of the wire top they put on the cages. And there are plenty of holes in the sides to mount perches and the bowls that are included. I'm not sure about the negative info that is seen on the internet. I would get another cage from them if I could afford it.

the shop is hard to get in touch with unless you email them. they're good at answering any questions. I checked the BBB and they have an A+ rating.

 

[Aquila]

I have a chair mat and acrylic sheeting below two of my cages, which I really like and it's super easy to clean. You can also drill acrylic sheeting into the wall to protect it as well or make your own seed guards. It's a little expensive, but it's at Lowes and Home Depot, easy to cut (score with a razor blade a few times and it'll snap apart, can sand it down smooth.) if anyone else is interested in DIY'ing something for themselves.