Opinion wanted - homemade cage on kijiji

[arcadiareptiles]

Hey guys. i wanted to know what you guys thought of this cage. The breeder i got chiko from had her birds in homemade cages. do you think this would be ok or should i buy a proffessional grade cage. The reason why i like this is because chiko would have ALOT of room in there!!
http://fredericton.kijiji.ca/c-pets-accessories-LARGE-CAGE-W0QQAdIdZ32624671

[Shirley]

It would work for finches, even Bourke's, but 'tiels chew wood, and worse yet, they use their beaks to navigate the cage, and it looks to me like that cage wire has zinc in it. You sure don't want to end up with zinc poisoning!

Otherwise, what a cool cage! It would work great for my chameleon!

[scotty]

I think that any climbing birds would get there nails caught in it :doh:

[Shirley]

Oh, I don't think that would be a problem. We've kept parrotlets in that sort of cage, and they climb all over the place. I've also kept canaries in cages of that material, no problems. Of course, if there are areas where the edges are joined leaving tiny spaces, then yes, that could definitely be a concern, and a serious one. :wub:

[arcadiareptiles]

yeah i didnt think about the zinc. kinda disapointing though. i keep thinking how much space he would have in there. i really want to get a aviary type cage but their so expensive(300$+ minus shipping).

[Shirley]

You can get one for cheaper than that... our neighbor got hers on eBay and I think it was around $120.

[arcadiareptiles]

You can get one for cheaper than that... our neighbor got hers on eBay and I think it was around $120.

an aviary cage? where did she get it(the store on ebay)

*edit* ive found some on ebay for great prices but they dont ship to canada

[gary&chloe]

Speaking of zinc, I was reading a book on building your own aviary last night. I thought the guy really knew what he was talking about until he said to use galvanized wire.... galvanized is zinc coated....

Oh, it is just a thin coating.... Yeah right, as your bird drops over dead ...

I won't mention his name because I have seen his name tossed around as being a top of the line breeder...

PAAALLLEEEEEZZZZEEEE !!!!!

[arcadiareptiles]

Yeah the breeder i got chiko from had her breeders in cages with that kind of wire. i hope nothing happens to her birds!

[Shirley]

A lot of breeders do... including all the large parrots we saw at a breeding facility in Florida... galvanized wire, not a toy in any cage, one or two perches, food/water, nestbox, and everything falls through the bottom of the cages which were suspended at eye level. They were outside in a covered building with lights hung above. :(

[Molzy7687]

Galvanized after welding is safe for use with birds. It's the galvanized before welding (cheaper, easier) that isn't safe, as it causes little buildups which a bird can pick off.

Even with GAW, I would probably personally only use it for an outdoor aviary, not a cage, as it seems birds spend more time by the wire in a cage.

[j3r3my_m16]

looks great to me

[®JP®]

I made my own cages and had no problems with them at all. I used a wire wheel with white vinegar initially to clean off powder and filed down any and all bumps that might be attractive. I had my Ekkies in hers until I got a larger cage and my Senny in hers for two years. Now neither are cage chewers either. Navigating with beak is cool but some birds like to chew the bars, that might have been a problem.

[Shirley]

Navigating zinc with the beak can be a serious problem -- fyi to the community of viewers. Zinc toxicity is not pretty to deal with. Not sure if yours had zinc, but have to make this clear for the good of the viewers. The wire likely did/does have zinc.