Need help with the great escape artist.

[thekarens]

At first Zoe was only escaping out of the breeder door. Well now she's escaping from the food dish doors even when the food dishes are in.

Seriously, I've got to fix this problem. She got out twice today and I had to come home from work and go back to work and that's 60 miles round trip.

While she was out she had a grand time of letting the linnies out, dumping the water and food dishes and giving the finches a heart attack.

Here's a pic of the food door

 

[thekarens]

What it looks like on the inside minus the metal latch that she's dismantled.

 

[Pinkbirdy]

Oh dear [wow I can imagine the fun ]. At least shes concerned about her Linnie friends [he he ] Those doors are hard for an extra latch . I have to use them on all the white Toos and Lorries. Your going have to figure something extra to secure it [ but sorry Im stumped]. New cage ? Empty cage =new bird [that's how I think ].

 

[Kalidasa]

Have you tried multiple zip-ties? Very cheap from a hardware store, you can fill the spaces with them..they come in. Few different materials, hard plastic and metal. It can either work or get you thru until you find a better cage.

 

[Kiwibird]

If you want to keep the cage in-tact, how about a plexiglass sheet big enough to cover the door+some, drill a hole in the top and bottom then padlock shut on top+bottom?

It is more prone to rust, but Alfie's cage (the Houdini goffin) has a large hole drilled through the solid part of his food dish doors and big stainless padlocks. The only way to keep a "houdini" bird in is padlocks lol.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Karen, I had the same problem(s) with my 2 macs. Here is how I fixed it:
http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/35095-houdinis-no-more.html

 

[thekarens]

Karen, I had the same problem(s) with my 2 macs. Here is how I fixed it:
http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/35095-houdinis-no-more.html

Thanks Wendy, I tried searching for this thread because I knew you had posted on the topic before.

 

[thekarens]

Karen, I had the same problem(s) with my 2 macs. Here is how I fixed it:
http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/35095-houdinis-no-more.html

How do you keep them from removing the screw from the inside?

 

[JerseyWendy]

Karen, I had the same problem(s) with my 2 macs. Here is how I fixed it:
http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/35095-houdinis-no-more.html

How do you keep them from removing the screw from the inside?

There is no screw on the inside. Mark carefully pre-drilled the holes small enough that the screws go in pretty tightly, yet the latches still swing upward so I can remove the food dishes. So far they've worked like a charm. (knock on wood!!)

 

[Doublete]

My grey used to open his feed doors as well. I used the toy making plastic chains and large toy clips and used that to make it so the feed doors only opened an inch. Mostly because when he was in my room when I was a nanny and I also kept my three cats in there I came upstairs one day to find him walking nonchalantly around on the floor... With my cats cowering under the bed...

 

[EdwardH]

You could always try a straight jacket:11:

 

[Birdman666]

Have you tried multiple zip-ties? Very cheap from a hardware store, you can fill the spaces with them..they come in. Few different materials, hard plastic and metal. It can either work or get you thru until you find a better cage.

Zip ties won't last ten seconds with a determined macaw beak. Sweepea snaps them like twigs. Zoe is the same size as my pea pod.

Won't work.

What will work is a length of stainless steel chain wrapped around the treat cup door tightly and then fixed in place with a quicklink or a small lock behind the treat cup door where she can't reach it.

OR you can drill a hole in the top corner of the treat cup door, and put the chain through that. THAT will fix her little wagon right there.

 

[Birdman666]

You could always try a straight jacket:11:

Trust me, there are times when macaw ownership seems like it will lead to life in a straight jacket...

 

[Kalidasa]

Have you tried multiple zip-ties? Very cheap from a hardware store, you can fill the spaces with them..they come in. Few different materials, hard plastic and metal. It can either work or get you thru until you find a better cage.

Zip ties won't last ten seconds with a determined macaw beak. Sweepea snaps them like twigs. Zoe is the same size as my pea pod.

Won't work.

What will work is a length of stainless steel chain wrapped around the treat cup door tightly and then fixed in place with a quicklink or a small lock behind the treat cup door where she can't reach it.

OR you can drill a hole in the top corner of the treat cup door, and put the chain through that. THAT will fix her little wagon right there.

Lol I noticed afterwards it was in the macaw section...I thought it was a small bird! Macaw vs plastic zip tie. Lol!

 

[Birdman666]

I really like Wendy's solution...

Just drill through the upper cage, and bolt a second latch on with aircraft quality lock washers.

Escape proof cages... HAH!

 

[thekarens]

Since we already had plexiglass we cut it just a bit bigger than the food doors, drilled holes and used stainless steel zip ties. This is a temporary fix until I can work on Wendy's solution, though I'm afraid she'll dismantle it from the outside. She already likes to fly to the cage and take it apart when she's out.

This morning I told her to be good and stay in her cage. Let's hope it works!

 

[labell]

Karen, I had the same problem(s) with my 2 macs. Here is how I fixed it:
http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/35095-houdinis-no-more.html

How do you keep them from removing the screw from the inside?

There is no screw on the inside. Mark carefully pre-drilled the holes small enough that the screws go in pretty tightly, yet the latches still swing upward so I can remove the food dishes. So far they've worked like a charm. (knock on wood!!)

Okay Wendy, I needed a laugh...do you even have any wood to knock on that isn't chewed into toothpick size!?

 

[labell]

Karen, it is stories like this that make it very okay for me to not get a Zoe of my own and just love yours from here!

 

[Birdman666]

I STILL WANT ONE!!!



Can't be much worse than the two I've got, and the little BTM I fostered.

(He was still hand feeding - not even all there yet - and learned to work cage latches within five minutes of being placed in one the first time. He also negotiated a flight of stairs on his first try! So yeah, smart little buggers! Possibly even SMART-EST when it comes to mechanical abilities.)

Amazing fliers too!

 

[thekarens]

I had to laugh at a friend who has zero experience with birds. She asked why I didn't use a carabiner. I laughed and told her that would take less than a second for Zoe to get undone. This is the bird that has removed the door and latch assembly.