Pre-Refund Cage Shopping!

[patch]

Hi gang! It’s been a while. I’m happy to report Pepper and I are doing great. I’m about to change up his life as I’m planning to order a new cage in the next month or so.

I really like this cage especially because the big door means it’ll be easier for me to clean. I also saw the Lihue cage here and thought that might be alright too. My only requirement is that all openings be fitted with spring locks because Pepper is an escape artist, and it looks like both cages have those locks.

I’ve heard some strange things about King’s as a company so I’m a little wary... Which cage would you pick?

 

[Owlet]

What "strange" things have you heard about kings cages? They're a pretty reputable company and I've gotten my own cage from there. The cage came with some slight defects but they were very responsive and worked with me to have the defected pieces replaced and all is well now.

 

[Jen5200]

My experience with King’s has been good - I have a couple of their transport cages and they’ve been very responsive when I requested spare parts. I know another member here has had good luck ordering from birdcages4less. Both cages look nice, I think either would be good!

 

[patch]

What "strange" things have you heard about kings cages? They're a pretty reputable company and I've gotten my own cage from there. The cage came with some slight defects but they were very responsive and worked with me to have the defected pieces replaced and all is well now.

I’ve heard their cages come with faulty parts and that the customer service is unresponsive or plain rude. I was worried about experiencing either situation, but since you and Jen have had good experiences, I feel better about possibly choosing their cage.

 

[SailBoat]

We have used birdcages4less.com for decades now! We have purchased three over the years and also support components. With the last cage we just order additional feed bowls... We buy the 'toy package' based on the size of your Parrot. If nothing else, they make great parts for making other toys...

IMHO, I'm not a believer in the curved top as it steals the additional perch area that a flat top, play area offers...

Also, birdcages4less.com uses a full height front door.

 

[patch]

We have used birdcages4less.com for decades now! We have purchased three over the years and also support components. With the last cage we just order additional feed bowls... We buy the 'toy package' based on the size of your Parrot. If nothing else, they make get parts for making other toys...

IMHO, I'm not a believer in the curved top as it steals the additional perch area that a flat top, play area offers...

Also, birdcages4less.com uses a full height front door.

That's a good point. Pepper doesn't spend much time on the top of his cage as he prefers to sit on my shoulder or chest while I do my thing, but he does occasionally return to the top of his cage to play with wooden blocks and chew things. With that in mind, what is your opinion on this cage?

 

[SailBoat]

Nice cage for a Parrot that is fully flighted...

Our Amazon is a free roamer and both flies and walk-about at his will (not recommended for all parrots). Anyway, if your Parrot walks-about, the cage you selected will present a challenge to climb the lower cage. As a young Parrot, not a concern. As your Parrot ages, you will find that you will be requested to provide assistance more often. Other than that small point, nice cage.

Our home is owned by an Amazon and we use this cage or its larger version:
Lani Kai Lodge Playtop Large Bird Cage
Size: 32"W x 22"D x 64"H
Price: $449.95$399.95

 

[patch]

He's turning 8 this July and is flighted. He doesn't walk about much and prefers to fly, but does enjoy climbing up and down his cage so that is something to consider. The height of the cage admittedly helps me keep it clean. I injured my back a few years ago and getting on the floor and bending over can be difficult sometimes, though I do it anyway for the little guy.

 

[Owlet]

the cage would work fine however I do strongly advise you to never have the top open without the perch securely in place. And make extra sure he can't open it on is own.

 

[bug_n_flock]

We just got a King's cage for our B&G mac and I have no complaints. Solid heavy duty big cage.

 

[patch]

This is one thing I was worried about! I don’t know that I would use the top of the cage like in the one picture. I think I’d keep it a flat surface for all the many toys Pepper already plays with.

 

[Jottlebot]

The cage with the flat top is lovely. Putting something up there like a wooden tray with sides to keep his toys in is a great idea. I hate open-top cages, but if you don't use it - or can't use it because there a tray with toys on top of it on it then it doesn't really exist so there's no risk. My vote goes for the last cage you linked to

 

[patch]

Hi gang! Thank you for all of your recommendations and help. I ordered the flat top cage from birdcages4less last week and it arrives today! I may not be able to set it up until the weekend, but I’m very excited to introduce Pepper to his new home. I just hope he adjusts to the new cage’s presence quickly!

 

[MarkJ77433]

Hi gang! Thank you for all of your recommendations and help. I ordered the flat top cage from birdcages4less last week and it arrives today! I may not be able to set it up until the weekend, but I’m very excited to introduce Pepper to his new home. I just hope he adjusts to the new cage’s presence quickly!

I assume you went with the Palama model? I would be curious how you like it once its set up.

I'm in cage search mode myself and have looked at a couple of the dome tops at BirdCages4Less, as well as the dome top 9003223 model from Kings Cages. I think my bird may be a little bigger than yours (mine is an Amazon. And I do respect the recommendations from Sailboat, but am struggling with the idea of switching from dome top to play top.

The two I am currently comparing is the Kings Cage 9003223 (900 depicts dome top and 3223 depicts 32"x23") with the cage Sailboat has, the Lani Kai Play top.

The differences are suttle, but are there. The most obvious is the door size of the Lani Kai. Its much more to my liking. The Kings Cage is smaller, but not nearly as restrictive as the A&E/HQ counterparts.
The Lani Kai is just an inch smaller in both interior width and depth, and the King is 5" taller, but slightly misleading because that is likely due to the additional height of the dome (so only to the center). The trade off, of course, is the play top.

The dome top is more an aesthetic thing for me. Yes, you might be able to add a perch in that area, but there is a slight amount of additional headroom in a dome top. The play top is nice, but this might not fit everyone's taste, as it does block light from above, and a play area can certainly be added to a curved top with some creativity.

Other advantages, in my opinion to the Lani Kai is both bar spacing (3/4" vs. 5/8") and bar guage (5mm vs 4mm)

But the biggest advantage may be price of the play top from BirdCages4Less. I live in Texas, and even though customer service said I would be charged sales tax, none was added up to the point of me pressing a commit to purchase. Whereas, I would be getting a Kings Cage from my local pet store with a hefty 8.25% sales tax. My local pet store has indicated that would take my older smaller cages in for trade value, which might offset that sales tax some. But you never know until the deal is done.

The Kings Cages will be at my pet store (dome top) within a week. In the meantime, I'm still considering these two different models. I think either company builds and supports a good line of cages.

 

[SailBoat]

Hi gang! Thank you for all of your recommendations and help. I ordered the flat top cage from birdcages4less last week and it arrives today! I may not be able to set it up until the weekend, but I’m very excited to introduce Pepper to his new home. I just hope he adjusts to the new cage’s presence quickly!

I like involving our Amazon in the unpackaging of the cage by moving the box(s) into the area near the Parrots cage. Then let your Parrot be part of the opening up of the cardboard boxes. I place the large panels in the general area to allow our Amazon to wander around them and climb them if wanted.

In my opinion, the putting together of the cage is very important in allowing your Parrot to be a major part of the process. FYI: I like to place it together upside down as it simplifies the installation of several parts, plus the rollers. I use a couple of large bath towels between the cage and the floor.

The more your Parrot is crawling around the cage as it is being assembled the faster the 'it's mine' status sets in place.

Next day, shift the stuff over. Again, Parrot involve is very important. Especially, the location of their toys!!!

I also, involve our Amazon in the disassembly of the old cage as it calls to end of the old cage and the move into the new cage.

Have fun!!!

 

[patch]

Hi again everybody! I decided to post here instead of making a new thread as it seems more appropriate given I started this post in the first place. It took a while but I finally introduced Pepper to the inside of his new cage. Yes, it really took this long... and he’s not very into it, but he’s cautious by nature. My concern is the spaces of the bars of his new cage. They were listed as being 1/2 inch like his original cage, but some of the spacing is 9/16+ an inch. I read a while ago that if a bird can fit his beak through the cage, he can escape.

He has a history of escaping his old cage but only through doors. All doors in this new cage are much more secure than the old doors which simply shut closed. Do you think the bar widths are a concern, or am I worrying about nothing? You can say it’s nothing to worry about; my feelings will be relieved, NOT hurt! For the record, although his beak fits, it doesn’t look like he can squeeze his head through at all. I think I’m going overboard and I really want someone to tell me I am too...

 

[Jen5200]

1/2 inch to 5/8 inch is absolutely fine for a conure. I wouldn’t worry about being able to put his beak through - its when the head looks like it might fit in there that I would worry. All of my conure cages are 1/2 to 5/8 Inch spacing and no one can get their heads in (I have GCCs and suns).