So bummed...

[Dinosrawr]

I'm with Stephen - you give Kiwi a WONDERFUL life. Sometimes I look at my birds and think how much I lack in comparison to you and so many others in this forum. But I still love my birds, just as you love Kiwi. And our love for our birds drives us to the brink sometimes because we always want to give more.

I also want to add about car repairs - if you can find out the parts that need to be replaced, you can often order them SUPER cheap online from China. My boyfriend's father does this. BMW quoted him $5000 to repair something on his car, he said heck no, bought the parts himself online and took it to a different mechanic. In total it cost $1500. He also has his own code reader for these things too that he bought online. It's not always an option, but there may be times where getting the parts yourself and getting quotes from different mechanics makes a difference.

 

[Kiwibird]

Ugh. Just got back from the mechanic. It could be better, could be worse- the radiator has a huge crack and almost all the fluid has leaked out (probably over the weekend as it sat parked). $325 to replace it, so not as bad as feared, but still....ugh

In other news, my hubby HAD to drive my pink car, in rush hour traffic to come pick me up from the mechanic His car was overheating and steaming on the way over, so I had to leave it there or else it was going to die on the highway trying to get home (and probably cause even more damage). First thing out of his mouth "I never realized just how pink your car is" with a certain overtone of disapproval in his voice

And I do try my best with Kiwi, I know. But I see everyone on here with their birds in huge mansions, and feel so bad I've waited to get Kiwi a good cage. He's such a good boy, he seems to be fine living wherever. I'm sure he will like more room (not that he's spending much time in his cage anymore). It's probably more me than him, but still.... At least it's not $1000 repair or something!

 

[Taw5106]

Bluntly, it's more you wanting to give him the best like an awesome parront!! I have been inspired by you and Kiwi, the pics of him outside with you both, going to the park, him chasing your husband to the shower (my first intro to Kiwi), Kiwi excited about riding in the car, those events and that level of trust are awesome and I would love to have that with Buddy. Many bird owners don't have that kind of relationship, that kind is coveted. You have an amazing relationship with Kiwi, more costly than a gigantic cage you have to suit up for to clean because it's so big (joking). Think about that.

And strong men wear pink, its October, Breast Cancer Awareness month. See, your husband is representing, lol. And glad to see the repair costs are dropping. Hang in there.

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

Please don't fret about a new cage. Like others are saying, it's not about the cage as far as Kiwi is concerned. He hasn't been browsing Amazon or other sites for cages for months. Like people, many would like a bigger home or car for themselves or their family, but as long as everyone is safe and happy and healthy, you already have it ALL. The bigger stuff is just bonus stuff, the a la mode, and can wait for a long time or forever.

P.S. glad the car repair wasn't gigantic.

 

[Kiwibird]

So now that we had this setback (was going to get the cage next month), I'm having second thoughts about the whole trying to rush into a less expensive (for stainless) cage. I have been getting quotes on a custom cage, made to the dimensions I feel would be ideal for Kiwi. It is a lot more to have a custom cage made, but now I'm thinking about whether or not it's worth it to wait and get a truly amazing cage, one of a kind, just for Kiwi than to settle on a size that really isn't 100% right... Perhaps this setback happened as kind of a "wake up" call to think, hard, before committing to a very expensive cage of any kind

 

[weco]

Hmmm, how does expense of one stainless cage, as opposed to the expense of another correlate to the quality of the materials used to make them? I usually purchase Florsheim shoes, but I had the opportunity to win a bid on a pair of Tanino Crisci's at a charity auction one time & while their retail price is some ten times that of my Florsheims (not what I paid), I didn't throw my Florsheims out with the trash.....

Just wondering.....

 

[Kiwibird]

Hmmm, how does expense of one stainless cage, as opposed to the expense of another correlate to the quality of the materials used to make them?

Just wondering.....

It floored me when he gave me the quote. I asked the man who fabricates the custom cages to explain the price difference to me. What I got from his reply was:

-He buys higher quality materials (heavy gauge wire/sheet) in smaller quantities, so no bulk discount and weigh more.

-Made in the USA=Fair wages have to be paid for skilled labor to construct the cages as opposed to workers being paid 10 cents an hour to work 18 hours a day stamping out cages....

-Better quality control in making the cage/more durable construction

-More care taken to small details

-Warranted for life against rust and weld breakage

-The ability to design the cage to your exact specifications (dimensions, bar spacing, bar direction, shape ext...)

That's what got me to thinking about the "what ifs" of a mass produced cage. Am I simply paying more for the material it's made out of, but it's still shoddy construction and essentially a shiny version of his current cage? And so few people own them it seems, there hardly any reviews to go off!

 

[weco]

OK, I'll go along with all of what you were told, but what you weren't told was that quoting a special sized cage price let's a contractor, builder, fabricator quote increased prices to cover things they may not provide for initially.....

I've got a friend who is production manager for a company that does custom laser cutting & fabrication and they used some overstock material they couldn't use for anything else, to build a monkey cage for me several years ago...I had a pair of squirrel monkeys.....he was able to get some materials off of his inventory & I got a real good deal, but yes, anything you want that is going to be custom, always plan on spending more.....

Thanks...you understand inquiring minds ! ! !

 

[MrsKay]

I'm sorry about your husbands vehicle, they are a necessary evils as far as I am concerned. I can understand your frustration concerning money issues. We all have times like these, and some people even more.
I hope you do not take this the wrong way.
Think of your priorities.
Of course you want something nice for your bird, but also consider how many good quality cages you can purchase over the years considering what you are preparing and willing to spend on one single cage. Kiwi doesn't care. He has owners that love him and provide the very best possible life. Always! That is all that really matters.
Isn't his cage used mostly for sleeping?
I would be putting that money into savings for a new car for my husband, who I know loves me, and is always willing to sacrifice so very much for me, and asking so little for himself.
Take good care

 

[Kiwibird]

I'm sorry about your husbands vehicle, they are a necessary evils as far as I am concerned. I can understand your frustration concerning money issues. We all have times like these, and some people even more.
I hope you do not take this the wrong way.
Think of your priorities.
Of course you want something nice for your bird, but also consider how many good quality cages you can purchase over the years considering what you are preparing and willing to spend on one single cage. Kiwi doesn't care. He has owners that love him and provide the very best possible life. Always! That is all that really matters.
Isn't his cage used mostly for sleeping?
I would be putting that money into savings for a new car for my husband, who I know loves me, and is always willing to sacrifice so very much for me, and asking so little for himself.
Take good care

Actually, hubby doesn't care too much about cars. As long as it drives and we don't have to make payments on it, he's fine with his Civic. He didn't even go car shopping. He just sent me out, said he "trusted me" and had me buy a car without ever seeing (more than a cell phone pic) or driving it lol. It may have gotten a bit lost in the length of this thread, but all his car needed was a radiator and a hose replaced, which we had done last week. Now it's in great shape again Mechanic said when we bought it (used) to expect little issues like this from time to time, but that it's in overall good shape and has some years left in it!

Joe's behind me on the cage though. At this point in life, we don't have kids, we don't have a mortgage, we don't have anything we pay on/no debt, we do have a little extra money floating around... As long as we save for it, we can buy a somewhat frivolous thing like a top of the line cage for Kiwi if we want without guilt. Once we have a house and kids, I'm sure money will be tighter and there will be higher priorities than cages for Kiwi. We aren't getting any younger, so all that isn't "far in the future" so much anymore and once that financial ship has sailed, it's over for luxury goods for us I'm sure! The way we figure, why not get him a nice one now before the next chapter in life rolls around... We spent the first 6 years of our "adult lives" saving so we could move. I'm sure within the next 5 years, we're going to be house shopping and having kids... This is such a brief window of opportunity we have right now not to be so outrageously frivolous and pinch every penny. Hubby got a car, is building some kind of expensive computer. I got some kitchen goodies. We'd like to get Kiwi something nice, as he's a family member too, and what better gift to a parrot than a beautiful home! I just need to be less stressed about getting it in the next 30 seconds kind of attitude I've taken:54: