Hey all. I have been wanting to ask you all a few questions. I work for an avian specific pet shop. In the last 2 years, all the high end bird cages have left the market. Both California Cages and Island Cages stopped production nearly 2 years ago. We as bird owners are now only able to get cheaply made cages from China. There are a few out there like Kings Cages that still have some available that are european made (many are made in china though). Now, with owning small birds like quakers and similar sizes, these bolt together cages or even the "nut and bolt free" cages are tolerable, but those out there with larger birds are now in a difficult spot. I have 2 greys, 2 macaws, a C2 and my quaker. I have been racking my brain trying to find a high end cage for my Scarlet Macaw. With such a large bird I worry about eatting paint and the heavy metal levels in china made cages. She is the only one of mine that does not have either a Cal cage or an Island cage.

What I want to know, is I am interested in getting feedback on high end bird cages. Where I work has been in talks with Island Cage owners, and they just dont think there is a market for such products. I feel they are crazy. When we sell a cage for a Greenwing Macaw, or a Umbrella Cockatoo, I KNOW it will only last 3-5 years, and that is with a 600 dollar bolt together cage available from many different companies today. I really hate selling crap cages just because there is no high end left out there.

So please respond and give your feelings about this. Admins out there, could you perhaps pin this to make sure more see it and respond?

personally its a niche market but still people who are really into birds will buy high end cages. I love stainless steel american made ones personally and they are out there.
example
http://store.fastcommerce.com/prod_getbird...e663a611e1.html

i think bird enthusiasts are like car enthusiasts - willing to spend more for a quality product. i think we are an untapped market, to be honest. admittedly i'm a cheapskate. but when it comes to the health and welfare of my birds, my money is their money, and they like to spend it

i'll be in the market for a new cage for goofy eventually, and i want my money to last.

kris

Wow, pricey stainless steel. Impy, I didn't pay that much for my first car!

However, I am also frustrated with imported cages that come chipped, dinged, damaged.
I put together one only to find - at the very end of course - that it was damaged and they wouldn't pick it up. Well, you know you can't save the boxes to repack it in... it was very frustrating. And everywhere I looked, it was imported, cheap, garbage cages.

But that's the way it is now days. I sell toilets and faucets ... good luck finding any made in the USA. Even Kohler has a manufacturing plant in Mexico.
grrrrrrr
This is a bone of contention with me .... can you tell?

Something else that has gone missing is the old small high end travel cages. I had one for my for my Orange Winged Amazon that was spacey enough for a Quaker, conure or even a Grey to live in as long as they could spend most of their time on top of the cage during waking hours, Yet was more suited for a large spacious cage for a small conure such as the Maroon Belly, Jenday, or Greenies. (GCC) I would guess it was a foot an a half x a foot and a half, by a foot and a half tall. Thick barred and was powder coated, escape proof, two dishes and a bath bowl, pull out tray/grate and one door in front. They were like 1/4 the size of one of the prevue cages for Quakers/cockateils.

When it comes to the stainless cages for the big birds...such as my greenwing pair..the high cost of the stainless steel cages is a price worth paying.The size of the beaks in these birds and the amount of damage they can do is huge compared to the cheap and thin bars of alot of the cages you see today.I wish I could afford a stainless cage for each of my macaws *sigh* maybe someday.
The cages each are in now will only last perhaps 1-1 1/2 years longer and at the price I paid for them that crazy to me.I would pay extra for a high end high quality cage that would last them longer then a short time.When you figure Shelby & Sebastion can live 80+ yrs a $1600-$2000 cage is a great investment.These cheap $200-$500 cages I am currently using just are not ment to house such large birds.Sure the advertisement may say "for large birds such as macaws and cockatoo's" its just not true in many cases. I can watch Sebastion chew on the cage bars and I can actually watch the bars bend beneath the power of his beak.Shelby has taken apart all 3 cages she has been in..I have had to lock-tight all the bolts onto the cage...which works but I cannot take the cage apart unless I ruin it.
My quaker's cage is perfect for him..will last him much..if not all his life.My macaws however will probably need a new cage every 3-7 yrs until the time comes when I either A: win the lottery B: steal a high quality stainless cage or C: sell hubby to buy one

So with all this rambling I would defenitly pay for a high end high quality cage for my big guys because these cheaply made cages are darn near a waste of my money...however like much of the middle class world today I just don't have the extra $ to pay for it with

This is the cage I would LOVE to have for each my greenwings..
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...mp;pcatid=11758

LOL I just discovered its the same cage Imp posted...but haha mine is cheaper