Converting a large cage for a smaller bird

ashleyace · Jun 26, 2012

I have a large macaw cage that i'd like to try and convert to fit my sun conure. i have a few weeks to work on it, Rico is still a baby and wont be ready for a cage for a bit. I think I could make a pretty neat playground for him, with some added platforms, smaller perches, and things like that. The cage is roughly 6h'x4'wx3'deep.

My question is, has anyone ever done this before, and have advice, resources, or maybe photos to share?

Ashley :orange:

cdog · Jun 26, 2012

The only thing I can think of is hardware cloth lining the inside of the cage. Make sure you scrub it with vinegar or chlorine, rinse it, scrub it with GSE then leave it in the sun for a week to get the zinc off. That's what I did for my aviary and it turned out great.
Oh and you have to use a smaller cage until your little guy is an expert climber and percher otherwise he could fall and hurt himself.

opticstang · Jun 26, 2012

cdog i have a quick question about the hardware cloth. im also thinking about building an aviary. how safe is a galvinized mesh after scrubbing it with vinegar? also i was at home depot the other day and i saw this mesh that was pvc and had a vinyl coating. would you recommend this over galvanized?

cdog · Jun 26, 2012

I have been using my aviary for months and have had no problems. I also left mine out in the rain for a week so there was no chance of left over vinegar.
I have never used the type you are taking about so I could help you with that.

azdesertrhino · Jun 26, 2012

I'd recommend a stainless steel mesh for inside the cage after a thorough cleaning of the cage.

I would stay away from anything galvanized.

cdog · Jun 26, 2012

That's what I would do too, but I heard from some people it is safe after cleansing. Obviously it would be safer to just get stainless mesh but that is harder to find.

opticstang · Jun 26, 2012

i agree with cdog. ive looked all over town including regular hardware stores, home depot, lowes and i cant find stainless steel mesh. i even went to a pet feed store and they had some aviary mesh but it was galvanized. i dont understand why it was labelled aviary mesh if it contained zinc. i am leaning a bit towards the pvc with vinyl coating but i wanted to get your input on wether it was safe or not. it did seem pretty durable.

henpecked · Jun 27, 2012

I don't know about the vinyl coated PVC. I've used the Galvanized for 40 yrs now, always use GAW wire,(Galvanized After welding).I build lots of cages ,the difference in price is SS cost about 10x more and is hard to find. You also have to buy it by the roll. Ammerman's near Orlando does sell home made SS wire cages and sells SS wire by the foot.The most popular mesh size is the 1/2 x 3 in a 12ga wire. Let me know if you want more info, i have links to several wire manufactures that sell SS cage wire. BTW if you buy "Cage" wire it's made to a lot tighter specs and cost more than just regular wire.(makes a neater cage,because meshes and edges line up)

To the OP. The problem with converting a macaw cage into a Quaker cage is the bar spacing. For a Quaker you would want at least 3/4 inch spacing and 5/8 would be better.I'd check the gaps around the doors also.

azdesertrhino · Jun 28, 2012

henpecked said:
I don't know about the vinyl coated PVC. I've used the Galvanized for 40 yrs now, always use GAW wire,(Galvanized After welding).

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you are using.

Galvanized metal is not good for birds. Galvanization is the process of coating steel or other metals with Zinc Oxide. Zinc is poisonous to birds.

Heavy Metals are Poisonous to Birds

Converting a large cage for a smaller bird

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