Acrylic Cages?

[SilverSage]

Has anyone here ever used an acrylic cage? Obviously they would not be ideal, and I am not personally considering one, but I have been thinking about the problem I have seen of people bringing home a parrot only to discover allergies in the family. I have seen quite a few online, they seem like they may not have enough ventilation for health reasons, but if they are safe for the bird, could they help contain dander?

Anyway like I said I am not considering one myself, but any experience?

 

[Phlox]

I've not used one, but the rescue I got my previous GCC had a part acrylic cage, but it was one of these:

Bird Cages : parrot cages, birdcages, aviary, bird aviaries, birdcage, aviaries, macaw cages, bird supplies, finch cage

I would think something like this with filtration might work, but from what I know of people with pets and allergies, its usually just a matter of acclimation and meds and keeping sleeping areas free. I have several cat allergic friends with cats.

However, those little cages? I really don't see that would help all that much, honestly.

 

[thekarens]

The problem with acrylic cages is there's not enough ventilation for the bird.

 

[Kiwibird]

I have never looked that much into them, but I've also heard they have ventilation problems (which can lead to moisture-caused problems like mold). I've also heard they are difficult to clean and can be bad for the bird mentally/physically, as they reduce available area to climb and offer limited spaces for perches and toys to be installed.

I would say the best thing for people allergic to birds is to either not own them or to see an allergist to work out a plan for controlling allergies before bringing a bird home.

 

[SilverSage]

That is all basically what I was thinking. I went through a period last year where I thought I might have developed an allergy and for me living without them is not an option. I just stumbled upon one for sale and wondered if anyone had used them with success.

 

[Colorguarder08]

The problem is most likely the amount of dust they produce. Bathing the birds or "misting" them along with good cage cleaning habits would greatly reduce the problem. I am one of the people that a favorite cockatiel website of mine would recommend I stay away from birds of any kind especially cockatiels because their dust can aggravate asthma and allergies. I have both and my allergies are cats and dust. So Riley gets daily baths and her cage gets a dry dusting everyday and I'm fine because I don't allow the build up. However a lot of times allergies are the excuse given when someone doesn't want a pet anymore because otherwise people tell them how horrible they are for getting rid of their pets.