New Cage and Tree for Cape Parrot

[Michael]

Truth is she doesn't spend all that much time on her tree but I don't have a problem with her going into high places. First off, there aren't many comfortable opportunities for higher perching for her. Secondly, while she was clipped she became more used to being low like on her tree or other perches. I think she wants to be near me so being on the tree provides the closest convenient point. I was worried that flight would always keep her out of my reach but this has really never been a problem at all.

Also I keep both trees on the floor even though they are called tabletop. This way when they parrot is on the top of the tree, it's at about eye level.

[Titanius]

Amazing preparation for a new addition.The parrot will be very lucky. Also, are you getting your Cape Parrot from a breeder or from the same place you got Kili?

[Michael]

Jean Pattison at African Queen Aviaries. She's probably the best Cape Breeder in the country and there aren't even a dozen of them.

[Michael]

Sorry for the delay but here's the video as promised.

[Pola]

BTW. quite interesting ending

[Ark]

What a beautiful cage. I am so happy that I came upon this thread because I am thinking of buying that exact cage, but I was not sure how the bronze would look in "person" and was debating whether or not I should get that one or the all silver because I wasen't sure about buying a two tone cage without seeing it before. It was very helpful for me to see your pictures because the stock photos from the site are not always the greatest and I think I can finally say that I've made up my mind in choosing the color now (I'll go with the bronze). I can't wait to hear more about how you like the cage after you have had a bird in it for awhile.

[Michael]

Yeah, the bronze looks nice. Definitely hate the other colors like red/blue/gold. They don't seem as natural around a parrot but the "bronze" is really more of a forest brown if anything. A disappointment about the cage, I must warn, is that although it is expensive, the workmanship is like a bargain quality cage. It's like the lowest end quality cage but in aluminum. I guess the material is so expensive that you get bottom of the line quality work for high-end-cage price. When you look at it up close you can see edges that don't line up perfectly and things like that. So I just want to warn you that in case you don't get to see the cage in person before you order. Basically, expect to pay a lot to get a long lasting, low weight, convenient sized, feature packed but yet low end bargain quality cage. I swear they should have made it a few hundred dollars more but made it a fine quality luxury cage because when you're shelling out that kind of money (compared to the steel cages) you expect something really good.

Depending on the parrot you have, I'd recommend you order the stainless steel bowl replacement kit for the plastic food bowls right away. They really don't belong in a cage over $200!!! It's things like this that make this expensive cage feel like a bargain quality kind of thing. The plastic bowl is shorter but deeper while the stainless is shallower but wider. You can see in the pictures. It pisses me off that the stainless steel food bowls in 18x18 Senegal Cage are bigger than the ones in this enormous cage for a bigger parrot.

PS, do you guys want a picture for scale of reference with Kili's cage next to it or me standing next to it, or do you have a good idea of the size from the stuff already posted?

[Natacha]

About the colours - while bronze would have been my first choice for my travel cage, unfortunately the vendor only had blue models. So I got the blue...and to be honest, it looks much better in person than on the website.

My least favorite, based on the website photos, was the gold...

[Ark]

Thanks for all that information Michael. Though it does not bother me much that the workmanship is not on the "high end" side, it is very good to know that in advance because I may have been a little disapointed had I expected better. Here, a regular powder coated cage (Hagen) of similar size is about the same price as the price that I have been quoted for a King's Aluminum, so I find it to be a good buy even if there is a little flaw here and there (so long as it does not affect the safety).

I did plan on getting the stainless steel bowls, those plastic ones don't appeal much to me. Actually I would have one more question for you. With how the bowl attachements on the doors are made, would it be safe to take the bowls out and just use others (I know other bowls will not be compatible, I would attach the bowls somewhere else and just leave the doors empty)? Or would this cause a problem for the bird? I am having a hard time envisioning it, but I could think of a better way to spend the 80$+ it would cost me for two sets of bowls if I don't have to use them. Thanks again for all the info.

[Michael]

Food door bowls are just much easier to take in and out of the cage. The ones you hang (even if they come with a good mount) require you to reach in through the main door every time which can be difficult. I say the plastic bowls are no good but the stainless ones are tolerable. They do require that you buy not just the bowl but the special mount for them. I don't recommend using nothing in the bowl doors because it exposes the doors from inside. They are kind of flimsy and there are some exposed screws that become hidden by plastic bowl or the mount for the stainless cups. If you get the stainless cups kit, you can leave the bowls in or out but the rings can stay in that way and cover the area. Someone else told me that her Cape chewed the plastic cups and even broke the locking mechanism for the food doors (although I think it was from the outside of the cage rather than from inside). If you are dead set on using not in door bowls of your own, then I guess you can skip replacing them and just leave the plastic ones in permanently (but have to wash the poop out of them from time to time). Otherwise, while not the best bowls I've seen, the stainless replacement kit is adequate. You'll feel ripped off for the price of them and that you have to pay for the plastic ones you won't even use, but think of it as the price of the cage. That's what I did. I just figured the cage wasn't really the price quoted but the slightly higher price with food bowl kit and Java perches rather than machined dowels. As I said, the cage really should have been a few hundred dollars more but come with the proper food bowls. They sell a lower end powder coat cage and it does come with stainless bowls so it's stupid that they downplay this expensive cage this way.