Aluminum VS Stainless steel cages

[Mango121913]

Looks like they have a nice view! Betcha they rather stay outside and soak up the sun, and watch the wild birds tease them!

 

[Kiwibird]

They do in fact enjoy the sunshine and wild birds They all like going outside because they know they get a bath with the hose (on mist of course), which is far preferred to the spray bottle. Those are my parents birds, so I don't have many pics of them, but Lucy and Barney are absolutely adorable after their baths, as they preen and feed each other as they dry off in the sunshine (they have been a bonded pair for 40 years, true "lovebirds").

 

[hacatta]

i also was thinking exactly this a few months ago,i am saving up for custom made aluminium cages right now,i only can get a cage fit for a buggie at the cost of a 100 euros ,and i could get a custom made aluminium cage that is around the measurements off 1 m in width and 2 meters high.
i have to go for 2 so SS is not an option,i am saving up for this cages when i finally have my own home in about 1,5 years to give them a good start.(since i won't have much money left then)

 

[noblemacaw]

I totally get why you feel like the amazons are canaries in a cage. Diego looked the same way when he was in my King's 406 (Cage I put photos up). Diego was an Illiger's macaw about half the size of Valentino my RFM.

As for Valentino's current cage, Diego's old cage I feel that it barely is big enough. I know people who have RFM's in a smaller cage but they probably spend much time in them except to sleep. They put them in outdoor aviaries which I envy. I wish I could have a better set up for Valentino but would I feel he would be safe all day outside while I was at work? Probably not. Either way my boy has to self entertain while I am at work all day.

Like you I am in a serious cage research mode in which to find the most suitable cage for Valentino. The RFM size is mostly in their wing span and long macaw tail. His weight is around 470 grams.

 

[Kiwibird]

With amazons, the height of a macaw cage is lost on them. You're paying extra for room they don't use. They don't have the long tails and from my experience, they don't venture down to the bottom when the bottom of the cage is near ground level. I have never seen Lucy or Barney go to the bottom of that big cage, and Kiwi has even been in there a few times with them, he won't go down either. All the zons will go to the floors of their indoor cages though, which are higher off the ground. They all like to stay up high.

I wouldn't leave my bird outside while at work either! Definitely not a good call. One of my husbands old coworkers used to put his CAG on the patio every day during the warm months while he was at work (and had done so for years). One day in summer, the bird managed to tip it's water dish, quickly became dehydrated and died within a few hours (the owner was at work). That story just sticks with me, and I could never ever leave Kiwi unattended outside. My moms birds are on a covered patio, and she never leaves them out there when she's not home. She checks in every 15/20 minutes too.

 

[Kiwibird]

So I can find the Caitec cage I want for a lot cheaper from other sites than Caitecs website. That being so, the 42X28 is an OPTION, but I'm not sure if that would be too much room for a amazon (and no, getting him a friend is NOT an option). I have been looking at a 36X24 until I found the larger cage for the same price I was looking at for the smaller one.

Insight on if a cage can be TOO large, and if that could result in behavioral problems? He's a headstrong bird to begin with, don't want to get it in his head that he REALLY rules to roost:20:

 

[KimKim]

I don't have an amazon, but when my greys cage got upgraded to 48x30, he had no behavioral changes. I would go with the bigger one, especially if he is active while in his cage.

 

[Kiwibird]

I don't have an amazon, but when my greys cage got upgraded to 48x30, he had no behavioral changes. I would go with the bigger one, especially if he is active while in his cage.

Do you have a pic of your CAG in his cage? I know they are of a similar size to a zon and I'm having a bit of trouble visualizing just how big (in comparison to Kiwi) a cage like that would be...

 

[KimKim]

Here is a pic when I first set it up, it is configured differently now and has more toys, but you can see how big it is (inside dimensions 48x30x60). I thought it was HUGE when I first got it, but now I think his former cage was way to small and it was 36x24 if I remember right.

 

[Kiwibird]

Thanks! Wow, your bird does look small in there! Though it give a better idea of just how big that cage is. Kiwi is actually most active on his play tree. Though, I could probably fit his whole play tree in the larger sized cage:20: He actually doesn't spend too much time in his cage overall. We are saving and looking at getting him a new cage around Christmas, so there's time to decide. This is the larger one I'm considering:

My hesitation is that it's only a couple inches bigger in width and depth, but you have all the extra height. Since Kiwi doesn't have a big long macaw tail, I'm concerned the height would be wasted on him. He likes to stay up high and I'm not sure if he would venture down to lower points in a cage thats near ground level... I never really thought about how much stainless cages cost, and they're quite the investment! I want to be sure to consider all aspects of the long-term before deciding

 

[KimKim]

That cage looks like a good size choice for you. Babalu doesn't go to the bottom of his cage very often. When he does it's because he fell or I'm kneeling down by his cage. But it's still nice to know he has way more room then he did before. He is out of his cage more than half the day also but I do think he likes the extra room.

You never know what might happen in a larger cage though, maybe Kiwi will go to the bottom to shred a box or do play with whatever you put down ther .

 

[Kiwibird]

Thanks for the input. I do appreciate the others who have commented who own macaws, but it's good to hear from someone who has a bird closer to Kiwi's size. It's just hard to envision such a big step up from Kiwis current cage (which is a tad small) to a cage that is like a birdy mansion lol.

 

[Kiwibird]

So the more I think about it, the more I think kiwi's play tree not only would fit easily in a cage of that size, it may actually encourage him to venture down to have a "tree" in the center. It's also short enough at 36" from the base, it would leave the inside of the dome open for rope perches:33:

I just ordered him this today as a replacement for his t-perch (which is getting wobbly):

And if I used his play tree in a cage, I could get him a different play stand. I saw one today I just love, as it's all stainless AND has a hook in the center the portable stand (above) could hang from to kind of expand the usability of the stand and still offer something that swings a bit

This "venture" may require me actually looking into some of the jewelry my grandma left me that I never wear or think about. Kind of a "which is more important" thing? Something my bird uses every single day and will last as long as the jewelry, or jewelry that is not my thing and collects dust so to speak. More to consider....

Edit: Wondring if Birdman has an opinion on moving a "domineering-if-you-let-him" zon into a super-sized cage?

 

[noblemacaw]

I can certainly understand selling jewelry to get some fast cash. If you don't mind I would like to share my experience with this seemly easy thing as selling jewelery.

OMG. It was both a good and very bad experience.

It was a good experience when gold was around $1700 an once. I found a real reputable "gold guy" whom would buy gold, platinum and silver (silver price per ounce was up there at this time also). I learned very quickly to only bring the jewelery with no stones in it. He did not have equipment to extract them and to take the piece to the jeweler charged around $15 to $20 to extract each stone. To this day all the jewelery I have left all has some kind of stone in it.

I took to him necklaces that were broken, class ring I didn't care about the stone in it (they are fake anyway), and other various "scrap" gold. For silver I brought in a crapload of Mexican silver bracelets and some plain silver bracelets, necklaces and earrings. At first I would make enough to make a mortgage payment. One time I decided to part with this Italian gold set I had and because it was 18K I got $1500 just for that one set.

As the recession got better and gold prices fell I didn't get as much for my metal anymore plus I ran out of jewelry that was just metal.

Moving on to talk about selling precious stone jewelry. My Ex had a beautiful diamond ring that had a lot of gold with a high quality diamond. In desperation she tried to find a buyer for it. No one wanted to pay even close to what the ring was appraised at. Not even what the gold was worth (it was a $18K ring) It was nearly impossible to find a dealer that didn't make you feel like they were ripping you off.

Next was Ebay. Lupe had a friend who's husband sold a lot of stuff on Ebay so he was an established seller. She then took the ring and had them try to sell it on Ebay. They had the ring for almost 2 months and no one ever even bid on it.

It would probably be a little bit better selling antique jewerly IF you know people that deal in that kind of thing and will give you a fair price. No one will offer you an appraisal price or insurance value. It will always be lower...a lot lower.

Another thing to think about which I had to think about as well is selling family heirlooms. For me I never had any children so I don't have anyone to "pass" them on too however I do have 2 nieces and a nephew so I do consider them as potential heirs for this kind of things.

Example was when I was thinking about selling my mothers ruby ring. My sister got wind of it and asked me not to sell it. She did offer me money for it but that felt weird to me so I still have it and won't sell it. For me I am giving family members first dibs on my stuff (as I am going though a HUGE transition right now with losing my home an probably moving to a place way smaller than I have now) basically with the stuff I cannot take with me. For instance no one wanted my mother's hutch so I am selling it.

Let me know if you have any questions about my experience. It was quite the experience also. Very hard on me and I had to be very savvy and educated. If you don't know what your doing people will take total advantage of you. I was saved that fate because I was educated first.

Another thing some people are not comfortable with is the "negotiation" part of making the deal. For me I am a very good haggler. I have always liked the challenge of getting the best price for interested items (I do a lot of this at antique shows) but some people are not comfortable because it is a sort of confrontation.

If you have any more questions please let me know. This is a process not to take lightly and has to be done carefully.

 

[Kiwibird]

I do really well selling on ebay (and have for several years), but I mostly do vintage kitchen items and knick knack type things I buy to resell at a profit. I actually used to work at a place that bought gold during the worst part of the recession, so I'm MORE than familiar with how that goes But I'm not looking to sell the nice stuff (I've kept the family heirloom pieces and wouldn't ever sell those). I just have all these little gold charms and rings and things that aren't worth much individually (under $100 type items). I will make more selling them individually than scrapping them out, so if I sold off a couple, it would greatly contribute to upgrading Kiwi's stuff! I've sold off some of these little items before with good success, but theres a lot of it so I never want to put ALL of it up at once in case I need to sell off more in the future. I sell off a little here a little there as I want to get things that will last (as I try to think of it) as long as the jewelry would

As for my family, I am the ONLY girl for generations on that side of the family. My grandma left all her jewelry to me. I have no siblings and offered for my male cousins to look at it when they got married. Neither were interested in any of it for their wives (even some VERY attractive pieces) because it's all yellow gold:20: (never have seen the big deal with that white gold looks like silver to me).

 

[Kiwibird]

So, I came across this while (still) searching as I save for a cage Suncatcher Bird Cages : Four Foot Diameter Outdoor Designer Cage aviary cages, large parrot cages, bird enclosures

Wondering if anyone has ever used something like this indoors before with a big piece of linoleum underneath or something? Though, I think the stainless may be a tad out of my price range:54 I don't know if the coating on this may be more durable than "normal" since it is intended for outside use... Just trying to consider all my options as this is a pretty big investment. Still liking the Caitec 32X48X72 best, but there could be another cage thats absolutely perfect I would have never considered too.

I'm thinking about $1500 is my MAX to spend on a cage, and for that much $$$, I want one that could survive a nuclear blast! I think I will be looking to actually buy around late November/December. My *hope* is I can find one on sale and get a bigger/nicer cage at holiday pricing Has anyone bought a cage on sale at Christmas? Do cage even go on sale for holidays? Not really a "hot" gift item I would imagine, but maybe they go on sale...:20:

 

[KimKim]

I know and have seen many people use outdoor aviaries inside. This lady is a big believer in them Natural Inspirations Parrot Cages and here is another site I've heard good reviews on Centurion Cage & Aviaries | Cages these are bigger than what you posted, but these are the aviaries I've seen being used indoors.

If I had the space, I would definitely use them as inside also. Maybe at our next house.

 

[Kiwibird]

Those are VERY big! I would love one of those, but as renters, we need something that would fit in an apartment living room, not one that engulfed it lol. One of those would be amazing in a big house though! Perhaps even built "into" the home, like an indoor/outdoor access for the birds in the right climates. Especially a multi-bird home, so everyone could live communally and still have enough space and room as individuals.