Pro's & Con's of "Play Top" cages ?

[427HISS]

What are the Pro's & Con's of "Play Top" cages ?
Worth the extra money ?
What type is best, toys... ?
Birds acvtuall use them ?

etc.......

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[c3honey84]

Most birds love being high up, and so love playtops. I do not have a playtop, but I do let Roxy have full range of the top of her cage so she likes to hang out up there. The thing is, if your bird is not well trained, it can be very difficult to get your bird down. Roxy can get very aggressive if I try to take her down from the top of her cage.

 

[Safira]

Personally I don't like them for large parrots.

My reason why:

Large birds like Macaws and most cockatoos need a large cage, the biggest you can afford. The playtop not only takes up valuable cage space for toys and perches, but it makes it nearly impossible to get a rebellious or playful bird off the top of them.


I much prefer playstands, it's easier to reach your bird and takes away the issue that might come up with trying to take your bird off it's playtop cage (which will possibly be out of your reach.) Some birds are fine with coming off their cages, but why create an issue when you don't have to?

I like huge dometops or the big, big corner/square cages. I attached a picture of my macaw's cage, she LOVES it.. it's got so much room.

 

[427HISS]

I can see a possible problem with not getting a bird to stop playing and come in the house. One cage I like is the big corner one from King. Is that yours ?

I heard from one owner that the corner cage is difficult to clean the bottom ?

Which cage would you guys like here-
Price's too ? ($1,300 for the 508) eek !

Bird Cage, Java Wood Perch, Avian Supplies, Pluck No More, Bird Food Macaw Cages Powder Coated

I like this but the door is too small-

 

[luvmytooo]

I agree with Safira , trying to get my Goffin down off his cage when he doesnt want to can be a chore.
I have to make my intentions as if I wanted to play and then I have to play for a while , then I can put him in I dont want him to think every time he comes to me , I put him in his cage :/
He does rule this roost , but in a good way , lolol.

There are such nice playstands out there now , I find them much more interesting then the playtops.

 

[Safira]

It is difficult to clean the bottom because you have to reach in it. Also it is VERY heavy and difficult to put together.

I don't know if it's a King cage, it looks like that or the A & E model. It's very sturdy. I got it off craigslist for 350.00 dollars, barely used.

I honestly think the King Cages are a bit over priced. One route you can take is to contact a few local breeders around you and see if they order wholesale. They can get you the cage at a cheaper value with less mark-up then a store.

Also definatly look around, I've seen huge cages for 600 dollars. Though I don't believe they're King cages but A & E (which is really just as good.)

 

[luvmytooo]

I love those cages !! I have the same color for my Goffin , just different type . Such a nice roomy cage and wow , look at all those toys ! What a lucky bird

Personally I don't like them for large parrots.

My reason why:

Large birds like Macaws and most cockatoos need a large cage, the biggest you can afford. The playtop not only takes up valuable cage space for toys and perches, but it makes it nearly impossible to get a rebellious or playful bird off the top of them.


I much prefer playstands, it's easier to reach your bird and takes away the issue that might come up with trying to take your bird off it's playtop cage (which will possibly be out of your reach.) Some birds are fine with coming off their cages, but why create an issue when you don't have to?

I like huge dometops or the big, big corner/square cages. I attached a picture of my macaw's cage, she LOVES it.. it's got so much room.

 

[luvmytooo]

Why not order right from Kings Cages ?

 

[427HISS]

We plan on making a play stand for the living room, so for the cage, it's not a big deal.

The corner cage is a good price and real roomy, but again, how about the cleaning, a pain in the @ss ?
How's it look if you don't end up putting it in a corner ?

This one from King is only $519 ! and HUGE,... Versus others.

 

[Safira]

It is a pain but it's really not that bad. It's heavy and not easy to move once you put it together (I bought it already put together, and i had to take it apart to get it through my sliding glass door.)

The hardest part is reaching in and scrubbing the grates but that really isn't that bad either. I have no idea how it would look if it wasn't in a corner.

 

[427HISS]

Why only two trays ?
How does that work ?

This is big but not as heavy duty as King's.

Silverado Macaw dometop.

 

[Safira]

Most cages have one large slide-out tray to put paper down and catch their droppings (not counting the grates above that.) Because of the way the corner cage is designed, it has 2. I'm not sure if that's what you were asking about.

Quick edit: I forgot to mention something about the corner cage trays. It can be hard to fit paper in it

 

[427HISS]

Yep, that's what I meant. I'll get the kid next door to climb in it and cut the paper.

Which one would you choose ?

I want a big,....door, as I'll be making a real tree with branchs, so I'll be replacing sections as she eats them etc. Along with toyz, so I need the larger door. I guess for major cleaning 2-3 times per year, I can break it down enough to just clear the doors in the house. The small door in my home office is only 28" wide.

 

[Remy]

I almost wish Puck's big cage had a playtop. He likes to hang out on top, so I put toys on top for him, but it's not really a playtop.

The only problem is that Puck's cage is taller than me. This makes it hard to retrieve him when he doesn't want to be gotten.

 

[roxynoodle]

I am short so getting a bird off the top of a tall cage is a problem for me. I can't even reach Pete on top of his cage and there is no playtop, lol! I have to sit down on the floor and then he will climb down to me to see what I'm doing.

Now Merlin's cage is very low to the ground, and she has no height dominance issues so if she is on top of her cage, it's not as big a deal. However she really doesn't like being up high due to her lack of vision. So I take the play top off and set it down on a table for her instead.

I think with a large bird you would be happier with a free standing play gym rather than trying to get the bird down out of the rafters, lol! Or if the playtop is free standing you can put it on a table like I do.

 

[triordan]

in reference to the corner cage, I'm not sure what "kind" i had but it was HUGE, and I was surprised how many corner my house DIDN'T have! it was 6' across, 4' deep and 6' tall... I sold it and am now looking for a playstand

 

[triordan]

oh and yes it was a pain to clean!

 

[427HISS]

I know,.....it would take up have of my office, maybe even my living room !

 

[427HISS]

We bought the cage and play gym !

Here is my thread info & pics in the cage forum.

http://www.parrotforums.com/cages/15995-bird-cage-companys-best-worst-list-4.html#post121838

Thanks for everyone's help !
Kevin & Patty

 

[Wulfgeist]

Jasper isn't home yet but I have a playtop cage. It didn't seem that tall in the store but once I got it put together..I'm not worried at this point about getting him down, I'm having faith that won't be an issue. My worry is cleaning it. It does have a removable tray but if he's up there and anything like Tico is on his, it's a good thing I have a small ladder.