Oops. It's too late for that.
It has since then been repaired and built. My mom called them though, and they said they'll send the new part if I email a picture of the piece, and the section that it had to be glued at.
Perhaps I did overreact. The break wasn't even that bad. I was just having a crap day overall yesterday, and it really didn't help my headache. Chances are it was a manufacturing error, because the box doesn't appear to have any kind of damage.
But since the birds have had time on it, I should probably give a proper review.
It was actually packed really well. Came in a big box, and inside was another box. Then a layer of bubble wrap, and then a layer of thin plastic wrap. Took a little bit to get into. It was also rather organized, so I was surprised that there was a broken piece.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/ ... geolgr.jpgWhile I was waiting for the piece to dry, I decided to let the birds check out the rest of the pieces. Alex was afraid, and wanted to hide in my hair. Lucy however, being the curious busy-butt that she is, decided to check them out.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/ ... k6rvho.jpgThe piece didn't take nearly as long to dry as I thought. When it looked to be fine, I started building. Despite the lack of instructions, it was simple enough to figure it out. So when I got to building, Lucy flew away and Alex became interested (They switch behaviors like that a lot).
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/ ... qxjzbt.jpgGetting the four main latters together was a little tricky. Not so much figuring out where they go, but when I would try to put one in, another would slip out. When I did get them together and started putting the toys on, Alex climbed up one side all by himself.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/ ... sseavu.jpgBut then Lucy flew back to the table to see what was going on, and Alex once again decided it was terrifying.
There's actually quite a few opportunities to adjust and rearrange. The parts are interchangeable, so it is possible to set it up differently. I just decided to base it off the picture on the though.
In the end, Lucy really liked it, and Alex decided it was more fun to play with the spare attachment parts.
He's like the kid that will ignore the cool toy you get for him, and plays with the box instead (literally). Aside from the broken piece, it does seem fairly durable.
Putting the rant from last night aside, I'm gonna talk about a few downsides.
It is a little wobbly, but not enough for the birds to use it. This is most likely made for small birds like budgies, but might not be suitable for anything larger than a cockatiel or grreen cheek conure. The pieces slide in and out easily, and while that is good for putting together, not so much if you want the smaller pieces to stay in. Might not be the best for foot-users either, or at least make sure the nails aren't too long. Lucy got her foot caught in a little string toy that has two acylic logs attached on both ends (She's due for a nail trimming though).
Lucy loves it though, and while she still wants to get into things she shouldn't get into, it does keep her busy, and that's exactly what I got it for. Alex decides that he likes to be on me rather than on the playstand, and having one nosey butt isn't so bad, if the other nosey butt doesn't decide that she would prefer to be doing whatever the first nosey butt is doing.
Putting them back on a playstand every few minutes is better than constantly shooing them away from the keyboard though. I was able to get out of their sight without them noticing though, which is pretty good (they usually come and look for me).
Pros:
Easy to put together
Fairly durable
A lot of good toys
Interchangeable pieces capable of setting up different ways.
Cons:
The pieces slide out very easily
Somewhat wobbly
Might not be suitable for anything bigger than a small conure.
So is it worth it? Only if you think the pros outweigh the cons. Hopefully whoever buys it doesn't end up with manufacturing errors. It keeps the busy-butts fairly busy, which is good.
I'd say it achieved the goal it was made for.
Overall, it's alright. The birds like it, and that's all that matters for me.
Oddly enough, I noticed it was cheaper on the bonka bird toy website than on the brand's website (Which is King's Cages). Then again, it's still on sale on Bonka Bird Toys.