Planning for a Greenwing

[StormChandler]

hi there everyone ,

I am Storm in Phoenix AZ. I am planning for a female Greenwing Macaw , And I thought it would be a very good idea to talk with other Macaw owners to get all the best advice & guiding I could get before actually purchasing one . I already have a huge ' day' cage in mind and selected but I also wanted her to have an outdoor aviary so that she's happy and well exercised..So I was considering building my own ..I have the space and it needs to be movable ..but with the reading that I have done on the net ,its very confusing & very expensive.
Exactly what gauge wire & type do I need ? I have heard of dog kennel panels being used to make one ,but I worry.
I'm eyeing one that I have seen on the net ,but , she's asking $2k for it and I'm afraid to spend that kind of cash ,if the GW just ends up pulling an ' Alcatraz' on me or completely destroys it with natural chewing , etc. I dont mind the money so much , just want to be sure it will hold up and be safe & worthwhile. Thanks ,Storm

 

[henpecked]

To do it right , yes plenty of big bucks. For GW i wouldn't use wire smaller than 10ga. 12 ga might work but i'd spend the extra and know it will stand up to most macaws. Next is the spacing,, 1/2 X 3 inch is the best , smaller the spacing ,less cats,dogs,hawks,etc will be able to reach though and better protected your bird is. Of course the smaller the spacing the more costly the wire. What type wire to use ?? Stainless Steel (SS) is the best choice but very costly. Galvanized After Welding (GAW) is the most common choice and what i use. You'll hear lots of bad things about GAW but the better grades are fairly safe. I've never had an issue with it and some of my birds have been in it for 40 yrs. That said my birds don't chew on the wire. A single macaw left alone and bored might. Something i'd keep an eye on. BTW the issue with galvanized wire is birds ingesting the zinc coating , which could be toxic. The cheaper galvanized wire is especially bad about this so only use the better quality GAW. You will also need a roof/shade, overheating is very dangerous. Here in Fla i have to use fans during the hot spells.

 

[Birdman666]

hi there everyone ,

I am Storm in Phoenix AZ. I am planning for a female Greenwing Macaw , And I thought it would be a very good idea to talk with other Macaw owners to get all the best advice & guiding I could get before actually purchasing one . I already have a huge ' day' cage in mind and selected but I also wanted her to have an outdoor aviary so that she's happy and well exercised..So I was considering building my own ..I have the space and it needs to be movable ..but with the reading that I have done on the net ,its very confusing & very expensive.
Exactly what gauge wire & type do I need ? I have heard of dog kennel panels being used to make one ,but I worry.
I'm eyeing one that I have seen on the net ,but , she's asking $2k for it and I'm afraid to spend that kind of cash ,if the GW just ends up pulling an ' Alcatraz' on me or completely destroys it with natural chewing , etc. I dont mind the money so much , just want to be sure it will hold up and be safe & worthwhile. Thanks ,Storm

Dog kennels generally have galvanized wire that is unsafe. You are much better off going with commercial avian wire panels (the kind they use for making breeding pens, and constructing it from that. It will be stronger, cheaper, and safer, in the long run.

 

[Selestine]

Hi Storm! I'm in the Phoenix area too

There is currently an aviary up on craigslist that is 8x8x8 and made of stainless steel for $400. Might want to check it out!

 

[jpeff]

I was planning on these type for mine
2' x 6' Powdercoated Aviary Panels - Cheek's Custom Cages

 

[henpecked]

yeah, i'm not sure those panels are much of a deal. Still galvanized 3x1/2 wire w/door would cost 3,000$ Plus shipping,roof and floor (that's for 6x6x6) . Personally i think i could build a larger,nicer ,with poured cement floor for less than that. I think i priced 3x1/2 ,12ga GAW in 6'x100' rolls for about 700$ delivered. The frame is the biggest issue and around here there's many contractors who build aluminum framed pool enclosures. The cheap "car port" sheds are another possibility.

 

[Birdman666]

This actually has good information as to what to watch out for:

Building Your Own Outdoor Aviary?

Centurion has some really, really nice walk in aviaries for reasonable prices (albeit no roof) IF you only take them out on nice days, or if you can place it in a covered area, that’s actually CHEAPER than what you are suggesting building:

Centurion Cage & Aviaries | Cages


8 ft. diameter aviary for $2000:

Eight Foot Outdoor Aviary - Free Shipping!


These are a bit pricey, but I’ve lusted over that 10 x 12.5 ft. aviary for years…
(But if a do it yourself version was going to cost a couple of grand, then for a few hundred dollars more, you could get a simple to bolt together Cadillac:

Cages By Design - Suncatcher-Outdoor-Bird-Aviaries

 

[Minimaker]

This is a great, very informative thread-thanks everyone. I'm going to have my husband read over all this because he was talking about building one too and it's a good idea to know more about it so no mistakes are made.

 

[SilverSage]

One other thing I just feel I need to mention - wild parrots sometimes fly over 20 miles in one day, just for food. If exercise is a priority for you, consider an Aviator harness and flight line Not INSTEAD of the aviary, but in addition

 

[StormChandler]

Wow ! really great suggestions and most of them are do-able & reasonably priced - so wahoo , LOL ..I have been leaning towards the ,
( A&E Cage Company 62" X 62" Walk In Aviary )


for a beginning head start ..I want to get all of her housing/toy needs situated first before I actually bring one home . So , probably not until Spring/Fall of '15 ..I hate the wait but I'd prefer to spend the cash and do it right & safe , than opposed to emotionally rushing in and all involved suffer later..


Would the A & E model above hold a Macaw indoors ? ? Anyone used this model? Thanks ..
Storm

 

[Mattroma]

Reading the discription, it isn't recommended for out door use. So it you'll be fine for indoor use. Only thing that scares me about aviaries is the lack of floor. Not sure I would want all the mess landing directly on my flooring.