New Cage and Tree for Cape Parrot

[Michael]

Saturday I went to NJ and bought not only a new cage but all the perches, toys, and supplies for the new Cape Parrot (pretty much everything short of food). Originally I was planning on buying the largest powder coated cage with 3/4" bar spacing. However, someone recommended to me to try Kings Cages (which I had never heard of) so I looked into it and found a similar powder coat cage from them for cheaper. But as I spoke to them on the phone, they recommended that I should go with an aluminum cage instead. Originally, I was expecting to spend $600 for a cage and $400 for a tree. So instead I decided to go with the aluminum cage after all but get a smaller/cheaper tree. It will be much easier to upgrade to a bigger tree than a different cage in the future.

I went to their warehouse to see the cages/trees in person because I had not seen their products in stores before and I had questions about doors and other issues. Maria from Purringparrot warned me that her Cape chewed up the plastic food bowls that came with the cage so I wanted to make sure I could get stainless steel bowls instead. Also I was a bit concerned that the aluminum playtop cage was a bit smaller than the powder coated ones I was previously considering. Unfortunately the cage still comes with the pointless cheap plastic cups but the good news is that for about $50 more, you can get a replacement kit to mount rings in place of the plastic cups to hold stainless steel food bowls. For the kind of price of the cage I think the stainless cups should come standard but at least the upgrade is possible and well worth the money. I was also concerned with the locking mechanisms on the doors because I had problems keeping my Senegal Parrot from getting out of her cage. Luckily the Kings Cages come with a very ingenuitive lock for the front door which requires several motions that would be impossible for the parrot to be able to complete from inside. It needs to be pressed down, twisted, then down again, and twisted a second time completing a 180 degree turn. Also there is a magnet on the front door to keep it closed even if the pin is unlocked. The food doors are also well locked with a pin that is completely inaccessible from inside because of a plate that blocks the parrot from reaching the control.

I got to pick out my own tree from the hundreds available. I decided to go with a smaller table top tree not only for cost saving but also to keep the parrot at eye level when I am sitting down. Many of the tabletop trees were too short but the there weren't any short enough tall trees either. Also I didn't like some trees being too covered in branches to prevent climbing space and others being too bare. After much searching though, I found the perfect tree with a lower and higher area that can be climbed. This way I can hang toys from the top and they can be played with on the bottom. I was told that the downside to a short tree is that the parrot can jump off to the floor. At first I didn't understand what the big deal was but he explained that people buy a tall tree so the bird would stay on it. I replied that to me it wouldn't matter because I'm keeping the parrot flighted and it can fly off whenever it wants anyway. I asked to have the bolt for the food bowl removed because I never feed my birds when out like this and don't want a metal thing sticking out. Once again he suggested leaving it for water but I explained that a flighted parrot can just go back to its cage for water whenever it wants it.

I requested a Java dowel in place of the machined wooden dowels that come with the cage so we worked out a deal to get some custom cut for the cage. While I was at it, I picked out some toys and additional perches for the cage. Before I was ready to pay, I was asked if I really need the playtop for the cage because there was also a dometop available. I had not even considered the dome top (and I usually thought the dome was cutting off space that a square top could have been). He explained to me that it would actually provide more room. And since I don't leave my parrot to play on top of the cage anyway, I did not worry about missing the playtop anyway. This worked out perfectly because the dome added some space to compensate my fear of the cage turning out smaller than others I had considered.

The prices were good and I ended up buying everything I need for the new Cape within my originally planned budget. So now I can just sit back and wait for the bird knowing I will be ready for it whenever it is ready to come home to me.

The cage came in two boxes and I had many accessories so it filled practically the entire car.






That's my brother helping me unpack the cage parts.


Assembly was actually incredibly easy.


Then I got the tree together.


All it involves is securing one bolt so it's really easy.




So here's the new dometop aluminum cage for my upcoming Brown Necked "Cape" Parrot.


For 2 out of 3 perches I replaced machine doweled with natural Java but I left one dowel in and saved the 3rd Java for later.


Here is the stainless steel cup and holder to replace the junky plastic cup.


Here are the replaced food bowl rings with stainless steel cups.


All of the additional perches and toys.






I haven't decided on a place for the tree yet but for now I'm keeping it out of the way so Kili can get used to seeing it but not go on it.


For the next few months, I'm going to be keeping Kili's cage closer to me in the living area so that when the Cape arrives, I could have a reasonable quarantine and so Kili doesn't try to go on the Cape's cage. For now I'm hiding the cage in a corner near Kili's area but not on her spot. I don't want her flying back to where her cage used to be out of habit and land on the Cape cage instead. So I will keep the Cape slightly to the side of where Kili used to be. It's really important that Kili doesn't try to claim the new cage or tree so I want her to get used to not going on them. I left all the toys and things out of the new Cape cage to further reduce any temptation for Kili to check it all out. Overall I'm quite happy with the new set up and now just anxiously await the arrival of my new addition.

[pchela]

That's a really cool looking cage. I can't believe at the price they charge for it that it comes with plain wooden dowels and plastic cups though! I think that's ridiculous. Anyway, please let us know what you think of the aluminum cage. I've been curious about them for some time.

[Michael]

Yeah, they don't do a good job of making you feel like you bought something worth the money with the cheap included things. The cage should have been $50 more but come with all of the "deluxe" features standard so you wouldn't feel like getting a cheap quality expensive cage. The good news is you can discard (or use as spares) the wooden dowels and plastic food cups and it is really easy to replace these things with natural perches and stainless cups. Many cages you are locked in using whatever they come with and cannot swap, so basically just imagine the cage as $100 more expensive but including what you would expect with it.

I calculated that the cage is 26,000 cubic inches and the dome top adds another 10,000 cubic inches. That's pretty incredible considering Kili's entire cage is just 10,000 cubic inches. That brings the cage up to 37,000 cubic inches which sounds much more fair to me on a proportional comparison between the 2 species. Senegal Parrot: approx 115g, Cape: 400g. That makes the Cape about 3.5x bigger than Senegal and the cage comes out to 3.7x bigger so it's perfect. I was really skeptical about getting the original version (pre-dometop idea) because 26,000 would mean the cape would be more crammed in the new cage than Kili is in hers and I didn't want that. I don't want the large toys and perches to make the bird too crammed but now with the extra dome, it works out just right. I didn't want the playpen much anyway. And to my surprise the dometop cage is actually a bit cheaper than the playtop one even thought the dome looks like more material and labor to make.

It comes with four feeder doors/cups which I think is overkill but I guess nicer for symmetry. I think I would have still produced just 2 feeders but larger cups than 4 small ones as it is. I usually mix everything in a single bowl for the parrot rather than separating things by bowls. Also I use a water bottle so 2 bowls is definitely enough for me. I suppose for parrots that drink from a dish, 3 bowls is better so they went with 4. I don't have to leave all the bowls in so the extra doors and capability don't really hurt.

As I do not have the bird yet, I cannot give you the bird's review but I can tell you what I think of the cage compared to the powder coat cage I have for Kili. There are many things I like but some that I dislike by comparison. I think the steel cage feels sturdier but the aluminum one is lighter and somewhat more manageable (relative to sizes). The aluminum cage is very easy to assemble, it just snaps in place. I don't think the parrot can disassemble it though because gravity, friction, and shear strength hold everything together. I think there is a high premium for the aluminum material so unfortunately the cage suffers from some poorer quality/workmanship that may go into the powder coat ones. Like I mentioned the food cups and perches for a start. Also it just doesn't appear as neatly built. I'm sure once the bird gets to either kind of cage that's all over. But it just doesn't look the quality of the price you pay for it. I think in the long term it still comes out worth it and it will last longer but it just doesn't look finely produced. For the kind of money they charge, I think they should have upped it a little bit more but made a deluxe quality cage out of the concept rather than a very expensive economy kind of cage.

You can see the poor workmanship in how certain pieces don't come perfectly together without a gap or you can see in the picture that the food bowls are crooked and not level. The feeder doors are much lower on this cage than Kili's but the jury is still out whether I like that or not. Actually I think that will probably end up a good thing because Kili rarely uses the bottom of her cage. This way the parrot can use bottom for feeding and top the way it normally would anyway. The down size to low food bowls is that there is a better chance it will poop or drop things into them. Also the food bowls (plastic and metal replacement ones) are smaller than the ones on Kili's cage but the bird is bigger.

There was one thing broken on the cage when I got it but I didn't bother exchanging cause it was an easy fix for me. On the bottom shelf, one of the screws wasn't holding because the hole for the bolt was stripped too wide and the bolt wouldn't tighten. I have my own workshop so I easily found a screw just slightly thicker that I used to secure into the stripped hole but I can imagine this being a big problem for most other people. Basically the biggest failure of the manufacturer in this case I would say is that they are selling an expensive cage but at economy quality and configuration. I don't think people would notice $50/$100 more as a major increase but would appreciate an all inclusive well built cage for the money. It is hard to match the price of the quality to the perceived value because of the expensiveness of the aluminum. It is still a good cage and I recommended but still to this day I have not come across the "perfect parrot cage" that has every feature you'd want, well made, and still reasonably priced.

Here's a list of things I noticed about it already.

Dislike:
-A bit wobbly
-Poorer workmanship
-Plastic cups
-Machined dowels
-Food bowls smaller than on Kili's smaller cage

Like:
-Aluminum (material, no rust, light weight)
-Very big door
-Latching systems (both main door and food doors)
-Extra space afforded by dome option
-Color and options of colors
-Seed catcher loops into the inside of cage so everything should fall in
-Possible to "upgrade" to stainless food bowls
-Bottom shelf
-Easy assembly
-Size and look

[Natacha]

That's the bronze colour, right?
I got one of the aluminum travel cages. I wanted bronze but the supplier I bought it from only had blue. I like it too.
I bought the travel cage to act as a travel/temporary cage; the breeder I'll most likely get a female Red-bellied parrot is a few hours away and we'll probably spend a few days at my boyfriend's parents when I do get this bird since they are in the same-ish area as the breeder (45 minutes away versus 6 hours or so). Unfortunately, this last clutch she had was all males (3 of them!) which means I'll have to wait a bit longer...but I have a cage ready to pick up the bird and I already have it's cage, perches and toys....

You haven't heard of Kings Cage before?!
That's so weird to me, since it was one of the first cage manufacturer I've heard of...and because of the Java trees. I would be so thrilled to be able to do like you and go straight to the warehouse and pick whichever one I would want! Mind you, I do like the two table stands and one tree I got, it would have been nice to have more choice.

[Michael]

Yup, that's the bronze. I like this color most and it just has a natural look to it (unlike red, gold, etc).

I really like this tree I got. It may not be so obvious from the pictures but there's a spacious top area of branches and a bottom. I can hang toys from the top and they can be played with from the bottom. But what is so cool is there is this other branch that loops around from the bottom and goes up to the top diagonally like a ramp for access.

I got some great wholesale prices from them and anyone who has bought a lot of parrot stuff will be able to appreciate that I got everything pictured above for $1,000 (cage, tree, all perches, swing, glass bottle, 8 stainless steel food bowls, and toys). I was thrilled that I fell exactly within the original budget I planned and yet got more/better stuff. I didn't realize Kings Cages was just 45 mins away from where I live

How do you like that aluminum carrier? I considered getting one but felt it in person and it felt way too heavy and yet pretty small (for a Cape). I've liked my plastic carrier for Kili much better cause it is lightweight and I can take her around with me easily. Also it's more covered so she can hide better in it and feel protected while the cage like carriers seem too exposed.

[Natacha]

How do you like that aluminum carrier? I considered getting one but felt it in person and it felt way too heavy and yet pretty small (for a Cape). I've liked my plastic carrier for Kili much better cause it is lightweight and I can take her around with me easily. Also it's more covered so she can hide better in it and feel protected while the cage like carriers seem too exposed.

I got the medium size.
It's not too bad. I still use my plastic cat-type carriers for small distance and vet appointments. I did start bringing the Kings cage aluminum travel cage to parrot club meetings so I have a temporary cage to put the birds in if I find they need a time in, yet still be able to look around.

The real reason I bought it though was because I felt that I would need a temporary cage for a few day visit somewhere else. As I said before, when I do get the baby female Red-bellied, I will be staying with my boyfriends parents for a few days (take care of two things at once so to say). With this cage, I don't need to bring a plastic carrier AND a small cage, as I would not use the plastic carriers as a temporary cage for a few days. The Kings cage fit the build of what I was looking for, as I will only need one cage for travel and a cage inside.

Although I do have to say I HATE the plastic bowls. I didn't feel the need to contact Kings Cage for the possibility to change to the stainless steel bowls as I will not be using the cage for that purpose all that much. But did I ever have a hard time putting those wretched bowls in...

[Natacha]

On a side note, are you planning on eventually getting a bigger cage for Kili or will you keep her in her current cage?

[Michael]

First off, why wouldn't you keep the parrots in the plastic carriers for a few days? I've done that with Kili and she seemed to do just fine. I have a perch, bowl, and toy in there for her. Also two things I really like about it are that it has an openable window on top so Kili can see me when I'm driving (I put carrier on passenger side floor) and that when I open the top of the carrier, she can walk around on the ledge as a perch (and she generally stays there).

As for Kili's cage, I think I'm going to leave it as it is until it deteriorates and needs replacement. Then I might look into getting a slightly bigger aluminum dome cage like the one I got for Cape. I don't see too much reason for getting Kili a significantly bigger cage though because she doesn't use the space that much anyway. I try to make the most use of it by having perches in different areas and toys to encourage her to climb around more. You really think the cage is too small for her?

[Natacha]

First off, why wouldn't you keep the parrots in the plastic carriers for a few days? I've done that with Kili and she seemed to do just fine. I have a perch, bowl, and toy in there for her. Also two things I really like about it are that it has an openable window on top so Kili can see me when I'm driving (I put carrier on passenger side floor) and that when I open the top of the carrier, she can walk around on the ledge as a perch (and she generally stays there).

I don't like the idea of keeping a bird in a small close-up cage for a few days. I can handle it for a few hours, but for more than and overnight stay, I'd rather have more like the usual cage they'll have. Plus, it's fairly bigger than the plastic car carriers I have so I fell more comfortable leaving the bird in it for a few extra hours (time out in my in-laws house is going to be rather limited (it's not a pet friendly home (art work everywhere, precariously placed) and definitively not flying bird friendly (very high ceilings with spots to perch overhead and no way to get at it)). Time out of the cage will have to be controlled in one of the bedrooms.

You really think the cage is too small for her?

I personally would rather have something bigger, specially knowing they have to spend some time in when I'm at work. Mind you, Kili has definitively more time out of her cage than other birds that are in smaller cages. I just think that 18x18 is on the small side for Pois.

[notscaredtodance]

Michael Ive been meaning to ask you for a while, because you've talked about small table top trees that keep the birds at eye level- because Kili is flighted, does she ever fly up ontop of something she isn't supposed to be on? My senegal right now is still clipped from being at the petstore, but when I had my parakeets, they spent a great deal of their time up on the chandelier and on curtain rods.

I can't imagine a bird wouldn't take advantage of a higher perch if it was available, even if the tree did cost a pretty penny lol.