Large Bird Cage

[ferretinmyshoes]

This cage retails for $350+ new, I have a line on one that I can buy used for less than $100. It is powder coated, so I think it will withstand water well enough. Though, if that chips, which hopefully wouldn't happen, the cancer is sure to set in. A lot of bird enthusiasts are using misters, like the mist king, these days. I think the bird industry is working towards that marketability in larger/nicer cages like the one in the OP.

The dimensions seem ideal, its 24w X 22d X 65h. It's on casters for easy transport. It has drawers for easy clean-up...top and bottom.

On a side note...do house windows block UVb rays?

It sounds like your mind is already made up about this because you've dismissed everything everyone has offered as advice. Not that there's anything wrong with that if it's what you want to do.

For what it's worth, here's some more advice. Bird cages can work, my first cham came from someone else in a bird cage. I found it difficult to feed even crickets because even with a cup if the crickets got out (which they always managed to do) then they were everywhere in no time. Anything besides crickets and meal/super worms were out of the question because any worm with sticky feet could just crawl right out. (I don't touch roaches.) It's easier to keep up humidity in the screen cages. And even well made bird cages DO rust. Takes a while because they're coated, but with the amount of water used for chams it does happen.

It might take some adjustments and adapting on your part to make it work. Also if you take a look around some of the pictures posted on here some of the screen cage setups are just gorgeous - look like a true rainforest. I think they're prettier than any of the bird cage setups I've seen. Horizontal branches are not the only option. I wire the bendy branches to the screen and can make awesome setups without any unsightly restraints.

And no, glass and even plastic do not allow UVB to pass through. You have to have adequate UVB for your cham to be healthy.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Also that's the first I've heard of bird enthusiasts using misting systems...generally birds are more sensitive to possible bacteria and fungal buildup caused by moist conditions, and it would necessitate nearly constant cage cleanings with constant moisture in the cage. Also it's not beneficial to anything to have a constantly moist/wet bird. Maybe I'm wrong but that doesn't sound like a good idea to me on any level...

 

[CGFlyer]

I do appreciate all of the replies, opinions, and wisdom. My mind is not made up at all...and I haven't "dismissed everything everyone has offered as advice"...just trying to really grasp why it's not a good idea...it seems that most folks are so against it. I'm pretty sure I'm going screen anyways. Maybe a custom built by me. Are there any photo's or threads where people show off what they built?

 

[sagemoon2004]

As the owner of a parrot, regular misting is actually very beneficial to parrots and birds, it keeps the dander down. My bird will actually lift his wings in the air during a misting session to get his armpits wet! Many pet birds come from tropical environments, so they love water. Just a little FYI! There are a lot of things changing in bird care, just as in reptiles, a mist system would make life easier.

 

[CGFlyer]

As the owner of a parrot, regular misting is actually very beneficial to parrots and birds, it keeps the dander down. My bird will actually lift his wings in the air during a misting session to get his armpits wet! Many pet birds come from tropical environments, so they love water. Just a little FYI! There are a lot of things changing in bird care, just as in reptiles, a mist system would make life easier.

Yep...didn't want to get off on too much of a tangent. The HabbaMist even has a section in the manual about using it for bird cages.

generally birds are more sensitive to possible bacteria and fungal buildup caused by moist conditions, and it would necessitate nearly constant cage cleanings with constant moisture in the cage

Moreso than chameleons? Its my feeling that I'm a lot more cautious with the bacterial contamination threat for my Cham than any bird I have ever cared for...including Conures, Parrots, Cockatiels, Lovebirds...etc.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

As the owner of a parrot, regular misting is actually very beneficial to parrots and birds, it keeps the dander down. My bird will actually lift his wings in the air during a misting session to get his armpits wet! Many pet birds come from tropical environments, so they love water. Just a little FYI! There are a lot of things changing in bird care, just as in reptiles, a mist system would make life easier.

I know my cockatiels and the macaw I was fostering loved their baths every week and it's good for them to get regular baths. I guess I was just thinking of misting more like reptiles where it's on several times a day and what effect it would have on the paper in the bottom of the cage, pellets turning into mush and the seeds getting wet and fermenting. It's easier to keep bacterial growth down with my chams because they have potted plants that need water anyway to absorb excess and nothing else in their cage is really perishable like bird food. But I guess if you're not planning on using it the same as reptiles those things aren't as much as a concern. So many things in exotic pet care changing all the time.

 

[farrahsc]

I just kinda wanted to add what I did to secure branches in my cage. I used floral wire and wrapped the ends of the branches and then ran the two ends through the screen and twisted them together until they were secure.
I've also seen a bird cage similar to this and thought I wonder, lol, but I don't want to chase the feeders. Even cup feeding my little Cali girl some crickets still escape into the cage.