Possible Cage Upgrade for Loki

[riddick07]

What does everyone think of 1 inch bar spacing for a sun? I've looked it up but everyone is giving conflicting advice and giving me a headache. Some say don't go beyond 1/2 inch but I know he would be fine in 3/4 which is what I cage my gccs in. He also doesn't try to get out he is more likely to demand to go back to his cage.... apparently I'm doing something right there

I think he would be fine in a one inch. I stuck him in Folgers cage (where he looked majorly dwarfed...) but he didn't stick his head through bars just clung to the side wondering where he was.... I may or may not have tried to stick his head through the bars and it didn't fit...and he may or may not have screamed at me to show his displeasure of this hypothetical act:54: I also measured his head and its a bit over an inch...he would really have to squeeze/hurt himself a bit to get the head between bars.

The cage I'm thinking of right now...
4030-2 Black

 

[RavensGryf]

I'll give some input here Vic... I think it would be "borderline" which is why you're getting all the conflicting advice. 5/8 would be a 'perfect' size.

That being said, Raven my Pionus (235 gram bird) is in a one inch spaced cage and there are even people who advise against it for a Pi. I know for a fact it is fine, but then a Pionus is bigger than your bird in question.

SO, after hearing that about Pionus, just out of curiosity, I put Robin (Red Bellied parrot) up to the one inch bars and VERY CAREFULLY holding his head steady I put his head up to the cage and tried gently in SEVERAL different positions and angles to see if his head would even be near going through, and it wouldn't. No way. Even if he squished with all his strength denting in his eyeballs :11: and trying every angle he could with maximum force (which he wouldn't) I can't say for sure that he'd get through even then. My male Red Bellied's head is a tiny bit wider than an average Sun's though.

Another story I read once was of a Caique who squeezed it's head through a bar which measured a bit OVER one inch. The cage was made where not every single space was the same. Iif you do end up using that cage, be sure to inspect every single opening to make sure it is all uniform in size like it should be, and doesn't have an odd oversized space here and there.

I know you will be told by most people to just be on the safe side and go smaller. Trouble is, if you want an XL cage, they almost always come with no other option than one inch. Otherwise a flight cage is an option, but personally I'd rather have a thicker mm bar than flight cages typically have. I'm debating that issue for a new cage for Robin. Many people have Robin's size birds in flight cages, but he's only been used to a standard parrot cage with 3mm bar thickness for many years and I'd feel bad for changing 'the feel' on him.

I think I've seen on Kings Cages, some of their larger cages DO have an option of 5/8". I really hate to recommend that company for other reasons, but they do have good cages, and large cages with 5/8 is hard to come by. Anyway, good luck on choosing a new cage for Loki

 

[riddick07]

BAH... I know its so close a decision.... He could use more room then what he has now because he is such an active little guy but I can't find stackers besides this one that I like with the same height and space... I was also thinking of putting Folger in the top tier because he doesn't use the height of his big cage...

Did yours scream at you too Loki looked so affronted that I tried to stick him in between the bars... I'll have to try sticking him in a couple more different directions to see if he can get it through the one inch spacing. I doubt he will put much effort into getting out... he really does like being in his cage the weirdo...

 

[RavensGryf]

LOL, no Robin is so easy going he will let me do practically anything to him and just sit there like I'm not doing anything out of the ordinary haha.

Raven is my cage potato. He actually prefers being inside, and has to be actively positively reinforced every time to get him to come out. Even then he takes his time debating whether it's worth it to him or not.

I wish I could have a stacker cage. Not practical here, but it's a great space saver if you have two similar size birds who get along well enough to share territory on top of the cage.

 

[riddick07]

Well Monkey and Monster will move from cage to cage bossing everyone around even poor Folger feels their wrath... My smallest birds are my biggest bullies!

Usually I move everyone to the living room for out time where they all have their own spots. Again Monkey and Monster (mostly Monkey) move from spot to spot making sure everyone understands where they stand in the flock.

When I let them out in my room the tiels move to the highest spot and congregate together, Folger looks at the open door like its a trap and stays inside, Loki usually sits in the open doorway or on top of the door of his cage, and Monkey and Monster will go cage to cage bulling and eating everyones food.

 

[RavensGryf]

It must be interesting to have many birds out at the same time, and observe the hierarchy! Everyone knows their place? Does anyone ever try and challenge it?

I've had Robin from the beginning of my bird addiction, and he hates all other birds, so I've never seen him interact except to try to lunge out to kill someone. Otherwise I've seen a few of my past birds get along fairly evenly.

The 2 male budgies I have now, there's definitely an easy going one, and a more hyper, type A dominant one.

 

[riddick07]

Yeah I wouldn't say there is a strict hierarchy so to speak or an individual leader. They know who is dominant and when to get out the way

The cockatiels have kind of a sub flock within the whole flock. The girls tend to get first dibs on food, then Dante, and then Renji. It always seems like whomever is grumpiest between Dante and Renji is the more dominant one of the day Renji used to be the big boy on top and then the girls grew up and became well a little more bossy so to speak:54: And then Dante grew a backbone and told Renji to suck it one day and they have been bouncing back and forth ever since... Lets just say Renji is that guy who you don't really want to talk to but is somehow always THERE and NEVER goes away... like he is stalking your internal day planner and just "happens" to be in the neighborhood every time:52:

In the overall flock my sun is low man on the totem pole right now. Mostly because he is a total wimp but he will get a little more aggressive if one of the other birds tries to get him off of me. I'm guessing its because he is a baby at the moment. I'm pretty sure Monkey and Monster will always be on top....they just think they are hyacinth sized instead of tiny little green cheeks. Folger is kind of low man or likes to think of himself as not being part of the flock....the lone wolf so to speak...he usually pretends the other birds don't exist unless they buzz him.

Really everyone gets along well as long as the groups or loners don't invade each others spaces. Green cheeks on boing any intruders are chased off. Loki can hang below the boing on the stand unless the gccs want to come down for food then he gets his butt kicked and ends up on the floor. The cockatiels stay behind the couch or on the backdoor curtain rod. Loki if he isn't on the stand is on me or possibly invading Ivorys cage who flies away in terror because the little orange thing is going to eat her alive for sure. Folger is either on the chair in the kitchen or sitting with me on the couch....either way he is terrorizing my mother


So top to bottom....
Monkey - I've actually seen her fly down to the floor to chase/torture the kitten.
Monster - I think when Monkey gets lazy or is trying to act all damsel in distress she lets Monster be the more dominant one...
Tiels - These guys exchange spots all the time even though usually girls are first specifically Ryner then Rin but sometimes one of the boys will be on top for a day or so.
Loki
And Lone Man Folger.... at least he is above my mother right

I do know anyone who is out of line gets their butt kicked by the flock especially with the tiels. Loki will be kicked of the stand if he is being too loud by Monster. Monster likes his quiet time apparently. Renji gets ganged up on all the time because he acts like I mentioned before and gets way out of line with the others. I've also seen Monkey come over and chase him when she doesn't like what he is doing. One day Renji kind of lunged and was trying to boss me around and Monkey came over and kicked him right to the floor. She is my shadow most of the time

So now that you know way too much about the dynamics of my flock

 

[RavensGryf]

Oh wow! You had me rolling on the ground with the second paragraph about the tiel dynamics !!

...and of course Folger IS above your mother...... :11: jk please don't ban me!

Thanks for the run down Victoria. Very interesting indeed!

 

[MonicaMc]

Here's one larger cage with 1/2" bar spacing... it's actually a pretty popular cage, although I don't personally like the color of it!

Inside Dimensions 30" x 30" x 43"
Petco Designer Mink Brown Standing Parrot Cage - Parrot Play Top Bird Cage from petco.com


Here's another larger cage being made with 5/8" bar spacing. It's also more expensive and can take a long while to actually get the cage. Cages would be ordered in July, ready around Christmas. (read link for more info)

Inside Dimensions 46" x 29" x 59"
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...20484.142826049081891&type=1&relevant_count=1


Or a new HQ cage with 1/2" bar spacing! (if the US distributor ever gets any and sells them)

Inside Dimensions 45" x 30" x 59"
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...427692967293984.104976.100001598545488&type=1



Victoria, I keep eyeing that cage as well! I'd love that cage if it came with 1/2" bar spacing! I don't have any double stacked cages, but have considered it to save space. I used to have a 40 x 30 cage with 1" bar spacing for Charlie. Charlie is larger than a sun conure, as well as a pionus! Could he get his head through the bars? Nope. He could get his beak through, up to the point where the bars touched the area between his eyes and beak. You can see in the second photo where the feathers had gotten rubbed off....

Due to space constrictions and him rubbing his feathers off, I downgraded him to the 32 x 23 cage which has 3/4" bar spacing, and the feathers grew back fine.



Here are some other cages I've been looking at. These are ordered from largest interior space to smallest.

1. Reliance Cages & Supply Inc, Hayward, CA USA - reliancediscountcages.com
2. New Large Double Wrought Iron Bird Cockatiel Ferret Sugar Glider 0367 Black Vein | eBay
3. Critter Nation Small Animal Cage Double Unit - Ferret.com
4. Double Stack Flight Cage - Presented by BirdsComfort.com
5. A&E Cage Co. Large Triple Bird Cage
6. [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Economy-Stackable-Flight-BREEDER-32x21x60/dp/B00BUIOFPC/"]Amazon.com: KING'S CAGES ELFDD 3221 Economy Line Stackable Flight Cage[/ame]
7. Large Double Bird Cockatiel Ferret Sugar Glider Wrought Iron Cage 0497 | eBay

Still not sure I want to switch to double stacks, though... but if I did, I'd go with choices 1-4. None of them are quite as large as that large A&E double stack cage is that you're looking at, but the first cage (#1) comes the closest.


Ultimately, it's up to you. I can't necessarily recommend doing it, but I *HAVE* seen sun conures in cages with 1" bar spacing.... these being the macaw cages, even the double wide macaw cages.

 

[riddick07]

Lol Monica I actually come across a post about this from you on another forum with those pictures! I really love the 40 by 30.... its so annoying the limited options they have for big cages like this and bar spacing! Someone really needs to fix this problem and start making new cages

 

[riddick07]

Ah forgot to mention we were thinking of getting the big one I like and trying it with Loki and if it doesn't work just moving him to the living room with Ivory (the plan would be to put her in the top tier of my current double stacker).

I plan on putting Folger in the top tier and Loki in the bottom of this new double stacker cage IF I get Max the macaw. If not its mute and everyone stays where they are right now

If it weren't to work out with Loki in the bottom of the new stacker then he would just move to the bottom of the old stacker. If he seemed interested in getting out of the new one of course that would mean it wasn't working. I was also thinking of putting the grass playmats you get along the back wall and baskets on the sides (like he has now). Loki seems to think that as long as there is a million things to do inside his cage that there isn't much reason to be out of the cage for very long. I seem to find the weird ones... Folger barks like a dog and laughs like a demon, Loki likes being in his cage, Monkey is a pitbull in bird form, Renji is a weirdo stalker....

 

[MonicaMc]

LOL! I agree! And I do visit a few different forums, but not very active on any of them. (as much as I try to be... lol had too much time on my hands at my old job, and with my new job, I feel as if I don't have enough time now! )


Hopefully you can figure out a working solution. And it's ok, I've got some weird ones, too!