Decided on a cage : )

[Birdman666]

I prefer playtops for non-macaws... In fact all my birds except Maggie have 30x40 playtops. Not that they're actually IN them much... but they have them!

 

[dazg]

now you gone and done it ha ha ha I am already confused lol

Stick with the playtop, and down the line, when you have some cash saved up (again, or after you've hung yourself....LMAO), get a playstand AWAY from the cage. That should nip that issue Uglow mentioned right in the bud.

I bought this cover aswell Rainforest Black Bird Cage Cover Size 4 ? Next Day Delivery Rainforest Black Bird Cage Cover Size 4
will it still fit?

 

[Uglow]

not to complicate it for you. My bird started out with a play top cage and he loved it. but he loved it so much he didn't want to get far away from it. I upgraded to a larger cage with a dome top and several play stands away from the cage. The dome top gives him a lot of room for toys and to stretch out when I'm out of the house. And the play stands allow him to be a bit more adventurous and give him several "go to" spots. But i'm not discounting play tops, just presenting my limited experience and my personal preference.

now you gone and done it ha ha ha I am already confused lol

:54:
Birdman666 and JerseyWendy, can't go wrong with advice from either of them. Go with the play top.

 

[JerseyWendy]

I bought this cover aswell Rainforest Black Bird Cage Cover Size 4 ? Next Day Delivery Rainforest Black Bird Cage Cover Size 4
will it still fit?

Nope, sorry, that will be too small. I personally wouldn't bother with a custom cage cover, unless you have to have one. I use big blankets for my cages, and they work really well.

 

[Birdman666]

I don't cover cages. But then, I don't close cage doors either...

So don't go by me.

 

[dazg]

I bought this cover aswell Rainforest Black Bird Cage Cover Size 4 ? Next Day Delivery Rainforest Black Bird Cage Cover Size 4
will it still fit?

Nope, sorry, that will be too small. I personally wouldn't bother with a custom cage cover, unless you have to have one. I use big blankets for my cages, and they work really well.

Suppose this should fit ok Rainforest Black Bird Cage Cover Size 5 ? Next Day Delivery Rainforest Black Bird Cage Cover Size 5 I am pants with measurements. I want one as i dont have anything dark enough. I know what I am like if I dont get enough sleep and I know they need a good 10 hr sleep.

 

[thekarens]

I'm with Mark. My grey has a 40x30 playtop and my mac has the dome top. I also don't cover any of my birds. I think that's a personal opinion thing and different birds do differently.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JerseyWendy]

I bought this cover aswell Rainforest Black Bird Cage Cover Size 4 ? Next Day Delivery Rainforest Black Bird Cage Cover Size 4
will it still fit?

Nope, sorry, that will be too small. I personally wouldn't bother with a custom cage cover, unless you have to have one. I use big blankets for my cages, and they work really well.

Suppose this should fit ok Rainforest Black Bird Cage Cover Size 5 ? Next Day Delivery Rainforest Black Bird Cage Cover Size 5 I am pants with measurements. I want one as i dont have anything dark enough. I know what I am like if I dont get enough sleep and I know they need a good 10 hr sleep.

No, still too small.

The cage you said you are ordering is 120cm WIDE X 82cm DEEP

 

[JerseyWendy]

Additionally, you're gonna have a hard time covering the cage with a custom cover from that site because they're all made for dometops. The biggest cover I just looked at won't fit, AND it's expensive!! Over 50 pounds. :11: You can get several dark blankets for that price.

 

[DexMom]

I'm a fan of the playtop. I like the ability to adjust the amount of light vs shade since our cage is in a sun room with floor to ceiling windows and skylights. I also have air conditioning vents in the wall high above the cage and in the summer I like to keep the tray in place to control the cool breeze coming from above when the air is on. I love the look of the dome top, but utility-wise the playtop works better for us.

 

[chris-md]

I have a dome top for Parker main cage and a play top at my moms when we visit her.

I love the idea of a playtop, but whenever I see him in the playtop, it's depressing. I don't like that the top is constantly covered by the tray. Makes things darker. Granted the cage is a little undersized at 54cm x 54cm, but it's temporary for a day or two and he's still out much of the day.

Like uglow my ekkie likes to be high, and the higher dome allows me to put things like a boing in there. Much more fun for him.

 

[dazg]

I hate to be a party pooper, but that particular cage is MUCH too small for an Eclectus.

Please don't put an Ekki in something that isn't at least 76cm wide, and even that is on the smallish side.

As for depth, no less than 60cm.

Decided to spend bit more so does these 2 look good? Enterprise Large Top Opening Parrot Cage - Antique

Liberta Canterbury Large Parrot Cage With Play Top 2nd Edition ? Next Day Delivery Liberta Canterbury Large Parrot Cage With Play Top 2nd Edition

 

[Brittany741]

On sites they tell you which cage suits each kind parrot Eclectus was on a fair few sites alongside this cage. There is plenty of African grey owners who have this cage and there alot bigger.

The biggest issue with many who keep birds is buying a cage that is TOO SMALL. The only thing this cage is suitable for is a secondary sleeping cage.

I am not trying to be mean, but if you cannot afford a proper cage, I would urge you to reconsider owning a parrot. They are VERY expensive to own, feed, and provide adequate medical care.

If your budget is truly £200, then you should look for a used cage that is large enough, or buy a much smaller bird. I wouldn't even put my Caique in that cage.

 

[Brittany741]

The last cage you posted is the minimum size you should consider. One tip when looking at cages, if it's offered with 1" bar spacing, it has a higher chance of being the proper size.

Buying a cage too small has a much higher chance of ending up with a bird who plucks or screams, or sits in one spot and gets very fat. This causes ALL sorts of medical problems. Ekkies are already prone to artery issues, so exercise is a MUST.

Again, I am not trying to be harsh, I just want what is best for your new baby. There are many nice cages that are large enough you can purchase used for a fraction of the cost. Now that I think of it, all but one of the 7 cages I have were purchased used. I simply pressure wash them very well. Most of the cages were $800-1200 when purchased new and I paid as little as $50-100 for at least two of them.

 

[dazg]

The last cage you posted is the minimum size you should consider. One tip when looking at cages, if it's offered with 1" bar spacing, it has a higher chance of being the proper size.

Buying a cage too small has a much higher chance of ending up with a bird who plucks or screams, or sits in one spot and gets very fat. This causes ALL sorts of medical problems. Ekkies are already prone to artery issues, so exercise is a MUST.

Again, I am not trying to be harsh, I just want what is best for your new baby. There are many nice cages that are large enough you can purchase used for a fraction of the cost. Now that I think of it, all but one of the 7 cages I have were purchased used. I simply pressure wash them very well. Most of the cages were $800-1200 when purchased new and I paid as little as $50-100 for at least two of them.

He will be out most the time aswell but I have changed the cage and I got advice from Kirsten Badham who wrote the book The Ultimate Guide To Eclectus parrots. Her book is really good by the way and you can get it on ibooks. She said the original cage was to small but the one I have changed it to is fine. As for buying 2nd hand cages I would never do that as you dont know what the previous parrot had infection wise. We all know you can scrub the life out of a cage with bleach or paint stripper and still doesnt kill it. I was pointing out megga strong germ killers dont ever use the above to clean a cage use parrot related cleaning products : ). I tryed to contact you Britney yesterday about all this but you have to post 20 posts before you can PM which is a dumb rule. Thanks for everyone's advice its much appreciated.

 

[Brittany741]

The last cage you posted is the minimum size you should consider. One tip when looking at cages, if it's offered with 1" bar spacing, it has a higher chance of being the proper size.

Buying a cage too small has a much higher chance of ending up with a bird who plucks or screams, or sits in one spot and gets very fat. This causes ALL sorts of medical problems. Ekkies are already prone to artery issues, so exercise is a MUST.

Again, I am not trying to be harsh, I just want what is best for your new baby. There are many nice cages that are large enough you can purchase used for a fraction of the cost. Now that I think of it, all but one of the 7 cages I have were purchased used. I simply pressure wash them very well. Most of the cages were $800-1200 when purchased new and I paid as little as $50-100 for at least two of them.

He will be out most the time aswell but I have changed the cage and I got advice from Kirsten Badham who wrote the book The Ultimate Guide To Eclectus parrots. Her book is really good by the way and you can get it on ibooks. She said the original cage was to small but the one I have changed it to is fine. As for buying 2nd hand cages I would never do that as you dont know what the previous parrot had infection wise. We all know you can scrub the life out of a cage with bleach or paint stripper and still doesnt kill it. I was pointing out megga strong germ killers dont ever use the above to clean a cage use parrot related cleaning products : ). I tryed to contact you Britney yesterday about all this but you have to post 20 posts before you can PM which is a dumb rule. Thanks for everyone's advice its much appreciated.

It is possible to properly clean a cage but to each his own. The last cage you posted is definitely a good option and I'm glad you're taking the excellent advice in this thread to heart. If you want to PM me, you can send it to an admin or mod and they can pass it along.

All the best,
Brittany

 

[dazg]

The last cage you posted is the minimum size you should consider. One tip when looking at cages, if it's offered with 1" bar spacing, it has a higher chance of being the proper size.

Buying a cage too small has a much higher chance of ending up with a bird who plucks or screams, or sits in one spot and gets very fat. This causes ALL sorts of medical problems. Ekkies are already prone to artery issues, so exercise is a MUST.

Again, I am not trying to be harsh, I just want what is best for your new baby. There are many nice cages that are large enough you can purchase used for a fraction of the cost. Now that I think of it, all but one of the 7 cages I have were purchased used. I simply pressure wash them very well. Most of the cages were $800-1200 when purchased new and I paid as little as $50-100 for at least two of them.

He will be out most the time aswell but I have changed the cage and I got advice from Kirsten Badham who wrote the book The Ultimate Guide To Eclectus parrots. Her book is really good by the way and you can get it on ibooks. She said the original cage was to small but the one I have changed it to is fine. As for buying 2nd hand cages I would never do that as you dont know what the previous parrot had infection wise. We all know you can scrub the life out of a cage with bleach or paint stripper and still doesnt kill it. I was pointing out megga strong germ killers dont ever use the above to clean a cage use parrot related cleaning products : ). I tryed to contact you Britney yesterday about all this but you have to post 20 posts before you can PM which is a dumb rule. Thanks for everyone's advice its much appreciated.

It is possible to properly clean a cage but to each his own. The last cage you posted is definitely a good option and I'm glad you're taking the excellent advice in this thread to heart. If you want to PM me, you can send it to an admin or mod and they can pass it along.

All the best,
Brittany

Ok thanks for that Britney I just got told by Avian vet you should never use same cage due to illness's. Saying that Jake my Quaker who died 3 weeks ago his cage would be way to small anyway but I did have a large parrot cage I originally bought 10 yr ago when I got Jake. I soon realised it was miles to big as his head fit through bars. I through that out due to him having contact with it recently in shower room. Oh well nice new cage and toys sure will look good. Cant wait now still looking into loads specially exact amounts to feed them and chops etc. I doubt I will give him few pellets a day as most have said not to and same with seed mix. Dont know what your thoughts are on it, I have seen alot people giving there Ekkie 1 cup measure of veg for breakfast then different cooked for tea. Its one of those isnt it you can have 30 yrs experience and still be learning. I am just researching as much as possible. In alot of cases though everyone is saying opposite to what I read previously. Apart from Chops it seem that it depends on the ekkie you have.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Decided to spend bit more so does these 2 look good? Enterprise Large Top Opening Parrot Cage - Antique

Liberta Canterbury Large Parrot Cage With Play Top 2nd Edition ? Next Day Delivery Liberta Canterbury Large Parrot Cage With Play Top 2nd Edition

They are both very fine cages, and GREAT sizes on both of them!!

 

[JerseyWendy]

I tryed to contact you Britney yesterday about all this but you have to post 20 posts before you can PM which is a dumb rule. Thanks for everyone's advice its much appreciated.

Really now? Since you are a fairly new member, you wouldn't have a clue how many members received soliciting messages from brand new members. Members who didn't sign up to participate, but signed up to either harass someone, sell something via PMs, or simply act inappropriately.

THAT's why this rule was implemented. Not that I was obligated to give you a detailed explanation or anything....

Any moderator (NOT Administrators) is happy to forward any and all messages until your post count is met, just as Brittany pointed out.

 

[dazg]

I tryed to contact you Britney yesterday about all this but you have to post 20 posts before you can PM which is a dumb rule. Thanks for everyone's advice its much appreciated.

Really now? Since you are a fairly new member, you wouldn't have a clue how many members received soliciting messages from brand new members. Members who didn't sign up to participate, but signed up to either harass someone, sell something via PMs, or simply act inappropriately.

THAT's why this rule was implemented. Not that I was obligated to give you a detailed explanation or anything....

Any moderator (NOT Administrators) is happy to forward any and all messages until your post count is met, just as Brittany pointed out.

ah I see thanks for that and I am pleased I have for filled your cage requirements ha ha. Please note girls a guy has listened to your information and acted on it ha ha ha.