Cage play tops - yes or no

Dopey · Feb 5, 2015

Two of my cages come with play tops and because I've heard that they can be bad for birds that are territorial I haven't put them on top...but I'm thinking that my fids would really like the extra play room. So, do you or don't you and why? (You know me - I'd build a playground for them if I could make it look good in the family room.

)

Kalidasa · Feb 5, 2015

I'm voting yes...I have a wood play-top that fits exactly on top of the conure cage, and it's the one thing he doesn't mind sharing with the budgies. It's a space to call their own outside the cage (other than the other parts of the house they've claimed as their own). See how it goes

the great thing is that when they hang out on their playtops there's less mess around for you to clean. Trick it out with toys and stuff so it looks awesome.
The playtops I've had with other birds have always been a hit..gives them their own space without being confined. And I've noticed that when no one is home they tend to hang out together on the playtops. (Drop-cam)

Birdman666 · Feb 5, 2015

4 out of 5 of mine have play tops. Maggie has a dome top to accommodate those long tail feathers.

Dopey · Feb 5, 2015

Thanks - the only thing I will lose is time.

I really would love to give them more playing space. They had so much fun playing just on top of the one cage last night.

Yep - lots of toys to play with. They really played with the toys in the cage that wasn't theirs.

Dinosrawr · Feb 5, 2015

I think play play tops are good, but personally having both a dome top and play top, I find my birds prefer the dome top. It also adds different levels of height to the cage, which is nice. And more head room. But I guess it depends on if you have different play areas for them or not... I have a cat tree stand and a tree stand I built that they go on too.

Mango121913 · Feb 5, 2015

I have one too. Mango generally uses his as a bathroom. Doesn't play much on it. He does use it for his daily flying routine aka "touch& goes"

!

Ann333 · Feb 5, 2015

Pumpkins cage has a huge playtop 30 inches by 30 inches. It came with one dowel perch. And food and water dishes. I have added a small cheap wooden cocktail play gym and chew toys and foot toys and a driftwood stand..... and he hates it. Lol he doesn't like being up there at all.
But I got him a stand alone play gym on wheels yesterday and he LOVES it. So idk.... maybe I just need to try different toys up there....

thekarens · Feb 5, 2015

Yes for sennies, no for my mac.

Taw5106 · Feb 5, 2015

I say yes for amazons and Ekkies. Buddy loves his playtop and Venus is rarely in her cage except for bedtime. I have a plan to suspend some perched above their cages to give them more perch room, I love them out of their cages but that can change after QT.

Kiwibird · Feb 5, 2015

I think they look like a pain in the you know what to clean on large bird cages. Having to stand on a chair to steam the crap and food off lots of nooks n crannies? I think not! I prefer the extra in-cage space of a dome top and have a easy to clean separate play stand.

Ann333 · Feb 5, 2015

Kiwibird said:
I think they look like a pain in the you know what to clean on large bird cages. Having to stand on a chair to steam the crap and food off lots of nooks n crannies? I think not! I prefer the extra in-cage space of a dome top and have a easy to clean separate play stand.

Mine has a removable tray that slides right off. Very easy.

Taw5106 · Feb 5, 2015

Mine has a removable tray as well. It has been very easy for cleaning.

Kiwibird · Feb 5, 2015

What about the perches, framework, ladders ext...?

thekarens · Feb 5, 2015

Kiwibird said:
What about the perches, framework, ladders ext...?

That part is attached to the cage so I just roll the whole cage outside to be sprayed down since the rest of the cage needs it anyway.

4dugnlee · Feb 5, 2015

I have one with playtop and two without. I do have toys and rope perches attached to the outside and top of Sassy's dometop cage though so she can play on it when she's out. Pea's cage has a playtop and it does have a slide out tray so clean up is easy. BUT, she doesn't really play on it anyway...she prefers her tree. I will eventually be looking for new cages for Sassy and Peanut...not sure if I will go with or without playtop...

Ann333 · Feb 5, 2015

Mine came with one 30 inch perch all the way across the play top that unscrews very easily With the Allen wrench thing that came with the cage. I can take it right off an scrub it down. All the stands and the gym I put up there obviously come right off too... very easy to clean

Hawk · Feb 5, 2015

Absolutely yes...My Grey especially likes to play on them....My Zons like to perch up high on them. So Yes for me.

RavensGryf · Feb 6, 2015

I've had both types of cages, and I can see pros and cons to both. I used to have dometops, but I think I like playtops better now.

I do like the added play area with a tray on top so that poop doesn't fall into toys and bowls inside a dometop. I don't find it's any harder to clean. Raven and Griffin's get dusty, but not 'dirty'. Just a wipe down is fine. It was hard to find a cage as large as Raven's without being ridiculously tall. I finally found one model which was the perfect size AND height at King's.

Drawback of platops is there is less "head room" with the flat roof. Makes it seem smaller and like a closed in feeling much more so than a dometop of the same width and depth. Also if you use the top tray, it makes it darker in there too. Much darker than a dometop. Overall though... I still like the playtop a little more, and I think I'll stick with that.

Hawk · Feb 6, 2015

RavensGryf said:
I've had both types of cages, and I can see pros and cons to both. I used to have dometops, but I think I like playtops better now.

I do like the added play area with a tray on top so that poop doesn't fall into toys and bowls inside a dometop. I don't find it's any harder to clean. Raven and Griffin's get dusty, but not 'dirty'. Just a wipe down is fine. It was hard to find a cage as large as Raven's without being ridiculously tall. I finally found one model which was the perfect size AND height at King's.

Drawback of platops is there is less "head room" with the flat roof. Makes it seem smaller and like a closed in feeling much more so than a dometop of the same width and depth. Also if you use the top tray, it makes it darker in there too. Much darker than a dometop. Overall though... I still like the playtop a little more, and I think I'll stick with that.

My greys cage is 7 1/2 feet tall with the play top, it's a big cage. Then I have 11 1/2 foot ceilings. So large rope ring hangs down from ceiling to his play top. When he wants to get out of my reach, that's where he goes. My Zons are the same way with their cage. They sleep at nite way up on their ring.

RavensGryf · Feb 6, 2015

Hawk said:
RavensGryf said:

I've had both types of cages, and I can see pros and cons to both. I used to have dometops, but I think I like playtops better now.

I do like the added play area with a tray on top so that poop doesn't fall into toys and bowls inside a dometop. I don't find it's any harder to clean. Raven and Griffin's get dusty, but not 'dirty'. Just a wipe down is fine. It was hard to find a cage as large as Raven's without being ridiculously tall. I finally found one model which was the perfect size AND height at King's.

Drawback of platops is there is less "head room" with the flat roof. Makes it seem smaller and like a closed in feeling much more so than a dometop of the same width and depth. Also if you use the top tray, it makes it darker in there too. Much darker than a dometop. Overall though... I still like the playtop a little more, and I think I'll stick with that.

Click to expand...

My greys cage is 7 1/2 feet tall with the play top, it's a big cage. Then I have 11 1/2 foot ceilings. So large rope ring hangs down from ceiling to his play top. When he wants to get out of my reach, that's where he goes. My Zons are the same way with their cage. They sleep at nite way up on their ring.

I'd hate the 7 1/2 foot tall cage! Because I'm 5'4". Raven's cage is also 5'4" tall to the top of the playtop perch. That's manageable. I don't want them climbing out of reach when it's time to go inside, but that's just me.

Cage play tops - yes or no

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