Question for Wrought Iron Cage Owners (Grey Dusty Residue)

budgebudgies

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Apr 16, 2021
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Currently have four dorky budgies <3 Sky (adorable boy and loves cuddles), Angel (hot-cold girl), Dollico (bites everything but a big softie for pinkie pats) and baby Spring (sweetest baby boy)
tl;dr I was wondering if any other wrought iron cage owners had this kind of grey residue on their cages when first bought, and if it could cause harm.

Hi :) Just to clarify, I'm a new bird (budgie) owner. I started earlier in February this year, 2021, and all my feathery children have been in the usual powder coated painted cages. They like to climb around everywhere in the cage though, so I've had to replace cages quite often as paint started chipping off. I got tired of having to replace cages so often, so I went for wrought iron this time. The cage I bought was Super Deal's 53 inch rolling cage off Amazon (link: https://www.amazon.com/SUPER-DEAL-Chinchilla-Cockatiel-Cockatoo/dp/B075T5Q4PF) since their reviews were pretty good. No complains of toxic parts, just had to be careful with inspecting the cage parts and checking for any bars that might have come off.

The quality is good, but my question is the residue on my hands. While handling and inspecting the cage parts, my hands had this grey residue (first picture) and I asked the seller about it. The seller responded that it was probably dust. I washed my hands then wiped down a few cage parts with a damp cloth, then dried it with a clean dry cloth. I touched the cage parts again, running my hands over it and there was still some grey residue (second picture). A lot less than the first time but still some on my hands. For reference, in the second picture my pinkie finger is completely clean.. compare how light it is compared to my index-middle-ring fingertips.
Images:
A relative suggested that it could be metal dust, something that naturally happens when metal is worked with. He also said to use a weak rubbing alcohol (like, 50% concentrate) and cotton balls to wipe the cage parts and then dry.. however I'm still waiting for the seller to reply if the rubbing alcohol might damage the (non toxic) coating on the cage.

My budgies are all already a little on the unhealthy end, they all consumed a little grit that's still inside their bodies and my avian vet isn't willing to do surgery unless it causes a serious issue (all are currently okay, just a slight tail bobbing and a few past minor infections as a result of the grit but otherwise currently good). Because of that, I'm super cautious about toxins or anything potential dangers. So, wrought iron cage owners: did you guys have this kind of grey powdery residue when you first bought the wrought iron cage?

Thanks in advance :)
 

LaManuka

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I'm not sure that this is an issue exclusively with wrought iron cages, it appears that pretty much any type of cage can have some residue on them from the manufacturing processes involved. I always wash any new cage down with a big sponge and lots of hot soapy water, dishwashing liquid works well, then rinse it off with a good blast from a pressure washer and allow to dry before introducing birds.
 
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budgebudgies

New member
Apr 16, 2021
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14
USA
Parrots
Currently have four dorky budgies <3 Sky (adorable boy and loves cuddles), Angel (hot-cold girl), Dollico (bites everything but a big softie for pinkie pats) and baby Spring (sweetest baby boy)
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I'm not sure that this is an issue exclusively with wrought iron cages, it appears that pretty much any type of cage can have some residue on them from the manufacturing processes involved. I always wash any new cage down with a big sponge and lots of hot soapy water, dishwashing liquid works well, then rinse it off with a good blast from a pressure washer and allow to dry before introducing birds.
Thank you! What cage do you use? :eek:
 

LaManuka

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Fang ({ab}normal grey cockatiel), Valentino (budgie), Jem (cinnamon cockatiel), Lovejoy(varied lorikeet), Peach (princess parrot)
Thank you! What cage do you use? :eek:
Well that's quite the tale. I had used powder coated cages for years and bought some replacement ones about 3 years ago, only to find that my teeny tiny purple crowned lorikeet somehow managed to CHEW A BIG CHUNK OF THE POWDER COATING OFF A BRAND NEW CAGE AND I COMPLETELY FREAKED OUT!!! I know it was her because I caught her red handed...erm...red beaked...in the act of doing it! So I hit the panic button and figured the only way to solve that particular problem was to go stainless steel. Still did the whole soapy water/pressure blasting cleaning process prior to introducing my birds to them, but at the very least I don't have the worry about my tiny Lilly Pilly chewing the powder coating off! o_O
 
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budgebudgies

New member
Apr 16, 2021
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14
USA
Parrots
Currently have four dorky budgies <3 Sky (adorable boy and loves cuddles), Angel (hot-cold girl), Dollico (bites everything but a big softie for pinkie pats) and baby Spring (sweetest baby boy)
  • Thread Starter
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Well that's quite the tale. I had used powder coated cages for years and bought some replacement ones about 3 years ago, only to find that my teeny tiny purple crowned lorikeet somehow managed to CHEW A BIG CHUNK OF THE POWDER COATING OFF A BRAND NEW CAGE AND I COMPLETELY FREAKED OUT!!! I know it was her because I caught her red handed...erm...red beaked...in the act of doing it! So I hit the panic button and figured the only way to solve that particular problem was to go stainless steel. Still did the whole soapy water/pressure blasting cleaning process prior to introducing my birds to them, but at the very least I don't have the worry about my tiny Lilly Pilly chewing the powder coating off! o_O
Wow.. hope they're all doing well <3
If you don't mind, what specific stainless steel cage do you use? I'm looking into those next, and I think I might as well go stainless steel next. Anything for the birds ^^
 

LaManuka

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Fang ({ab}normal grey cockatiel), Valentino (budgie), Jem (cinnamon cockatiel), Lovejoy(varied lorikeet), Peach (princess parrot)
This is what I ended up getting, I got two of the "medium" size and the manufacturer's name is Featherland.....

TTTtrxe.jpg


They're wonderful cages and my birds really like them. They came with seed catchers too which I have not bothered to use. Not totally without fault however despite the ridiculous price tag - probably made even more expensive by the lack of suppliers here in Australia. Unfortunately the cage and stand are all one piece which makes them far too large and unwieldly for me to get out of the house by myself when cleaning is required, so I'm lucky I have my hubby to help me with that. The casters can be a little bit of an issue too - they're ok indoors but sometimes they fall out when we are manoeuvring them outside. But overall they're pretty good and I am very happy with them :)
 
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budgebudgies

New member
Apr 16, 2021
9
14
USA
Parrots
Currently have four dorky budgies <3 Sky (adorable boy and loves cuddles), Angel (hot-cold girl), Dollico (bites everything but a big softie for pinkie pats) and baby Spring (sweetest baby boy)
  • Thread Starter
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This is what I ended up getting, I got two of the "medium" size and the manufacturer's name is Featherland.....

TTTtrxe.jpg


They're wonderful cages and my birds really like them. They came with seed catchers too which I have not bothered to use. Not totally without fault however despite the ridiculous price tag - probably made even more expensive by the lack of suppliers here in Australia. Unfortunately the cage and stand are all one piece which makes them far too large and unwieldly for me to get out of the house by myself when cleaning is required, so I'm lucky I have my hubby to help me with that. The casters can be a little bit of an issue too - they're ok indoors but sometimes they fall out when we are manoeuvring them outside. But overall they're pretty good and I am very happy with them :)
Thank you! Do you know if they have a website?
 

LaManuka

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Staff member
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Aug 29, 2018
25,549
Media
26
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33,182
Queensland, Australia
Parrots
Fang ({ab}normal grey cockatiel), Valentino (budgie), Jem (cinnamon cockatiel), Lovejoy(varied lorikeet), Peach (princess parrot)

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