Tree vs. Cage?

[GreenWing]

So I don't think I can use Tiki's cage for Chance as it's probably not large enough for her. (On that note, if I can't use it and you're in the Pacific Northwest, anyone want it?)

Anyway, I saw a tree with food dishes firmly placed in it, and I thought how cool it would be for Chance to eat and sleep on this tree, which is basically a thick Manzanita tree trunk with gnarled thick branches. I think Grey_Moon had a tree for her Grey? I would be at home a lot with Chance but there is the safety issue when I do leave the house. So would a cage be necessary? Are there good alternatives to a cage?

Thoughts?

[cml]

So I don't think I can use Tiki's cage for Chance as it's probably not large enough for her. (On that note, if I can't use it and you're in the Pacific Northwest, anyone want it?)

Anyway, I saw a tree with food dishes firmly placed in it, and I thought how cool it would be for Chance to eat and sleep on this tree, which is basically a thick Manzanita tree trunk with gnarled thick branches. I think Grey_Moon had a tree for her Grey? I would be at home a lot with Chance but there is the safety issue when I do leave the house. So would a cage be necessary? Are there good alternatives to a cage?

Thoughts?

I would definetely get a cage, but if you plan on having her out most of the time, you can also leave the cage open unless A) she is sleeping or B) you leave the house.

You would have to work on getting the cage to be a happy place though, so make it fun, for example have foraging toys there, and only there. Also, do feedings in the cage etc.

On the cage:

So I don't think I can use Tiki's cage for Chance as it's probably not large enough for her. (On that note, if I can't use it and you're in the Pacific Northwest, anyone want it?)

I always think you should get the biggest cage possible, but if you truly intend on having her out say 90% of the time, you can probably keep your cage.
If not, get a bigger one, greys are quite large !

[marie83]

in an ideal world my two would never be caged but the world is far from ideal so I will always use cages. some of my reasons are listed below.

1. safety reasons even though rooms are birdproofed.
2. would prefer small travel cages as sleep cages- easy to pick up and go in an emergency
3. you never know when your circumstances will change and I think its important to keep the birds used to cages so it doesn't cause stress (for an extreme example if you were to die the next caregiver might not want the bird out all the time).
4.if visitors or work people are present.
5. sometimes you just need 5 mins to yourself without a bird trying to chew your laptop/share your dinner etc.
6. in the event of poor health but not bad enough to warrant a hospital cage.

how big is your current cage? it might be adequate for minimal use, or at least for short term use until you get a bigger cage.

[cml]

Can you post a pic of the current cage?

When's Chance arriving (or rather when are you picking her up )?

[GreenWing]

Many thanks to you both, Marie and cml -- very helpful info and I agree -- a cage can guarantee safety. Sort of off topic but I watched Chance open her cage door when I didn't lock it! I mean it was closed and it was cake to her to get out of the cage knowing I had yet to lock it (this was at the bird place). So if I had a tree, it wouldn't be safe and devious Chance could get into who knows what. My intentions were good but I'm slapping my forehead now, lol

Cml, that's a good question... it was Tiki's cage and I can figure out the dimensions. I should take a pic and post it, too. It's been outside though under our backyard patio and that's what worries me, BUT the Avian Vet clinic does deep cage cleanings, would that take care of any (potential) mites? (My phobias again.)

The bar spacing was fine for a Senegal so it should be for a Grey... the thing is, Chance will really only be in the cage for sleeping and during "breaks" but she will be out of it most of the day. I'm also getting a thick roped orb that I will get for her to play on, with toys attached (like what's seen in my avatar pic... she LOVES the orbs and we'll hang it from the ceiling).

I should be taking Chance home in a couple of weeks! I already called the Avian Vet and gave her a head's up on Chance and that I'll be bringing her in for a check up. ^^

[marie83]

I don't know of any mites that would be able to survive long on metal even in the unlikely event that the previous occupant had them. Personally I wouldn't pay anybody to clean a cage, I don't think it is necessary as cages can be cleaned well enough with a bit of effort, the biggest risk is bacteria I would think.
When I give my cages a really thorough cleaning I carry it out in stages and work on the cage section by section so I don't miss anywhere.

1. I give them a good scrub with hot water (as hot as I can stand it-using gloves means I can have it even hotter) and washing up liquid, using a cloth to get off the worst followed by a scrubbing brush. If there are any nooks and crannies where dirt is stuck I either use cotton buds, toothpicks or a toothbrush to get it out.
2. I give the cage a really good rinse off.
3. I wipe the worst of the water off with a clean tea towel and allow to dry a bit to see if I've missed anything.
4. If I see a bit that isn't clean enough for my liking I repeat the first few steps.
5. Once I'm happy with how clean it looks I allow it to dry fully before spraying it with a quality disinfectant. I use a spray bottle with an adjustable nozzle so I can give the nooks and corners a good blast.
6. I leave the disinfectant on for at least 30 mins (recommended time is a minimum of 20 mins), sometimes I repeat spray if it is drying quickly. Not really sure if it's necessary to stop the disinfectant drying by doing repeat sprays but it did make me feel better when my birds were sick.
7. rinse off the disinfectant if required and allow cage to dry.

It takes ages to clean a large cage this way, I did it every single day at one point when my birds were going through a bad patch health wise. Not my idea of fun but had reached desperation levels to try and get them better. Even when I put them in smaller cages and kept cage furnishings to a minimum I still spent about 2+ hours a day with that routine, not my idea of fun. Usually my cleaning routine isn't anywhere near that standard lol.

[GreenWing]

Thank you, Marie -- that is AMAZING info and helps me A LOT.

[scooter4n]

Hey GreenWing, are you in Portland OR?

[GreenWing]

Hey GreenWing, are you in Portland OR?

Why yes I am. Do we know each other? ^^

[pukeko]

Portland meet? Solar scheduling is a bit humorous right now

Sleep cages/perches are great, but I love Polaris' minimum cage size chart, especially the prioritizing on horizontal length over vertical if you want your bird to have any sort of inclination to fly in-cage. I like having a larger cage for the days when Suk does have to spend large amounts of time there, be it due to my schedule or one-off circumstances. She also likes it as a place to hang out and play, and to fly to and from from her tree.

A cage large enough to tempt a grey to fly right be tricky, though... Suk is a tiny conure, so it doesn't take up too much space!