Is this cage to big?

[cheebamaster]

I'm getting a CAG and a person I talked to on the phone said this cage is a little big for an African Grey...I was under the impression that I should get the biggest cage I can afford.

http://www.freedomcage.com/?ProductID=10

[cml]

I'm getting a CAG and a person I talked to on the phone said this cage is a little big for an African Grey...I was under the impression that I should get the biggest cage I can afford.

http://www.freedomcage.com/?ProductID=10

You are under the right impression. Get as big a cage you can fit in your house, and you can afford =)!
There are cheaper options for the same size as the one you linked though =)!

[Michael]

Yes, it generally is good to get a big cage as long as bar spacing is appropriate. For a larger CAG, 1" is fine. For a TAG I'd limit to 3/4" spacing. However, this is pretty ridiculous price for a powder coat cage. You can get Aluminum for less or even a stainless steel cage for not much more than that. Still, a cage is a cage so even the $1500 one may break and require replacement. Even if it never breaks, things get chipped/worn/dirty with time and you may just want to replace anyway. So I don't think it's worth overspending yourself on a cage just for the heck of it. I'd prefer stainless steel if shelling out that kinda dough.

This is a bit more expensive while a bit smaller yet a superior material:

http://www.kingscages.com/ProductDetail ... 6_SS_Matte

Just as an example. Also a large cage is no substitute for out of cage time. Even a small aviary isn't enough for the bird to fly around in inside so at some point cage size increase stops mattering without it being so big that they could fly.

[cheebamaster]

Thanks! yeah I know there are cheaper versions but the one I selected is made in the USA and very high quality and comes with a stainless steel feeding system that is OUTSIDE the cage and cause no mess...so more room for perches etc which is why I decided to go with freedomcages

And yes, of course no cage is the same as out of cage time...I plany to do harness training and spend a good 2-3 hrs with the bird personally per day and let it be at playtop for a few hours a day

[GlassOnion]

I would suggest having the bird outside of its cage when you're at home. there is no reason to cage a bird when it's not necessary. My guys are only caged when they sleep or when I open the windows for ventilation. I trust them when Im not home, so they spend almost all of their waking hours uncaged.

[Michael]

Do you know how big the parrot is gonna be? Cause Grey Parrots can range from as low as 250grams for a petite Timneh to 650grams for the largest kinds of Congos. For all but the largest CAGs I could highly recommend the same size cage as I have for Truman (33x25x67 internal). It's plenty of space for him and he doesn't use most of it anyway. But the reason it's nice to have so much is I can hang enormous swings and toys in there for him. Bigger than that for a parrot of that size is no longer a major concern.

If you have the ability to roll the cage inside/outside on a regular basis, that could be good. But if not, another cage for outside or an aviary is valuable (in my opinion more valuable than an oversized home cage). If you've never had a parrot before (or at least one of this size), you may be overthinking it. If you've never seen a cage this big in person and/or the parrot, you may not realize just how insanely enormous it is. Once again, not necessarily a bad thing but possibly more than you're imagining. The bird will look tiny in there.

[cheebamaster]

yeah it is the first time I've owned a bird/parrot so I want to make sure I get it right the first time around ...to clarify the cage that I linked is the dometop version..i'll be getting the same cage in a playtop version so the actual inside height is around 50" and will just be large lenght/width

[Michael]

to clarify the cage that I linked is the dometop version..i'll be getting the same cage in a playtop version so the actual inside height is around 50" and will just be large lenght/width

Now here's a place where I personally favor the dometop (or a smaller version but with it). I have a cage with one of each. The dometop is all internal usable cage space. The playtop blocks a lot of top down light into the cage. Parrots will go to their cage top regardless if there is a playtop on their or not. They just like being on top of their kingdom. Instead, I'd buy a nice foraging tree and keep that where you hang out. Put the cage in a more safe out of the way kind of place and then the tree where you want the parrot to play. I prefer to split the two areas up. One is quite for sleeping and solitary time and the other is for being around people. The reason playtops are so popular is because people don't know what they're doing and can't handle their parrots. They just open the cage door and let the (clipped) parrot climb to the top and have out of cage time and then back in. They don't really take them anywhere. But when you consider it will be a baby and hopefully well cared for, the playtop becomes irrelevant. I find no reason to give my parrots any more incentive than they already naturally have to go to the tops of their cages. I never put food or toys up there. Instead I put those on their trees, training perches, etc.

My point is, think about your overall parrot floor (more like air) plan and not just about cage.

[cheebamaster]

Thanks for all the info Michael. I went ahead and ordered a separate play gym that stands off the ground and has plenty of hook and what not to hang toys/swings. In addition I also ordered a java tree playstand that has hooks as well for the bird to be on.

The cage would be positioned near my computer where I spend lots of my work time. I figured getting a playtop would be beneficial since the bird will be right next to me and be able to explore a huge playtop w/lots of toys etc. It is also located close to a windo where sun pours in from all different angle but where there's also ample enough shade.

Here's a pic of the baby...7 weeks

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/839/img4146a.jpg/

[Munchy]

so cute, I love baby bird pictures.