need help keeping Gold breasted waxbill hen in a cage

[Teagarden]

Derk I would like to see a photo of that when you have a chance. My husband made a cage for my birds & he used mesh similar to the type in Cindy's photo. Always interested in other ideas.
Mary

[Derk]

Teagarden

Sorry, but I do not have a camera that will allow me to do easy uploads. I am also one of the very few people without a cell phone....but, I found what I believe are adequate pictures so that you get an idea of this wire. It is made by Quest and is called plastic chicken wire. I am going to have to look up the UPC code for you because I still cannot find a picture of the exact product.

http://www.chameleonforums.com/diy-outd ... es-108835/

I found it. It is Quest Better Barriers plastic chicken wire. On the right hand side of the page you should see I link titled "features & installation."

http://www.questbrands.ca/redesign/prd_ ... kwire.html

The following link shows a very unfocused picture of what I believe is this product plus a similar product to what you and Cindy have already used but grey. I found it less obtrusive than the black but then I noticed the product I ultimately purchased.

http://www.tscstores.com/4-X-50-QUEST-B ... VWY__lViko

[Teagarden]

Derk Thank you for the info! I have never seen this product before. I am definitely going to look into it. I appreciate all the links. Reading time today & contemplating ways to use it.
Mary

[Teagarden]

Derk I forgot to mention I don't have a camera on my phone. It's an old slider that works well for what I need. My husband has the newest whatever it's called because he has to deal with them at work [computer programming etc]. No need in us having 2. Plus my dad worked at Kodak in NY for 30+ years. We learned how to use a camera when we were quite young. I have a digital one now but that's another story.
Mary

[Derk]

Teagarden
I used to be on call 24/7 during parts of the year so I was happy to hand -in my cell phone and not get a personal one once the time came. Do you have any pictures of your home made cages/flights etc already uploaded? I have a large oak trophy case I hope to eventually turn into an aviary for the living room, but I might just make some very large box type flights for the back rooms. Quick, efficient, easy to clean, but not necessarily pretty. Just need to decide what to make the 'box' out of. I would like the flights to be a minimum 5' long, 3' tall, and 2' deep - front to back. This Quest wire for the front. Hmmm...having some deja vu.

[Teagarden]

Derk Here is a photo of my large flight. It is 8 feet wide x 30 inches deep x 6 feet tall. There is a pull out shelf on each side & lots of storage underneath. My husband & I had someone build it for us. Birds have enjoyed it for 15 years. I used phantom mesh for the openings. Back then it was a lot cheaper than it is today.

The second photo is a "prototype" my husband built before building me an aviary. My husband wanted to build small first & I couldn't stand the thought of taking apart a good cage like he wanted because it is wood leftover from other projects. The back & 2 sides are formica [given to us by a friend & free is great], the front & top is the mesh from home depot. FYI - the formica is nailed down not glued due to noxious fumes of the glue. Currently there are baby gouldians in it. When I move them in with the other gouldians this summer I plan on painting the cage.

I took out items in it to get a photo of gouldians who love to hide thus the bare look.

Enjoy your project.
Mary

[Sally]

Teagarden Love, love, love both those flights! So nice to be handy and be able to build enclosures for our pets.

[Teagarden]

Sally - Thank you. For a long time I have said I won the husband lottery! He is very handy although as an engineer he likes to have a test model first. I have absolutely no problem with that!
Mary

[Derk]

Teagarden
I am not sure who is luckier, you are the finches! That top aviary in gorgeous! And is pretty much what I hope to eventually have for most of my finches - display case type furniture pieces. I can see the split doors on the end. I assume you use these for feeding etc. I assume the pull out shell is for removing the cage paper?? Does it work well, or does the paper get bunched up and seed/hulls end up everywhere.
What about thorough cleaning - when you wash down the insides? Do you remove the birds and how often do you do it?

That is my one concern for the trophy case I have. It is 6' tall with no storage. 30" front to back. I have looked at the phantom & zoo meshes as well. I have also considered leaving the glass in the front doors but removing the sides and inserting stainless steel mesh or perhaps the home depot mesh and painting it to compliment the oak wood. I am willing to splurge a bit because the case was a fantastic find. $60 on Kijiji. It belonged to a private school that really just wanted someone to remove it for them. "Girl with truck will travel for fantastic finch finds." lol It is like new with lights already built into the top. I just need to make sure whatever I do, I don't mesh it up.

[Teagarden]

Derk LOL - My husband & boys say the same thing about luck. Great deal on your cabinet. My husband & I have also traveled to get great finch finds. Sometimes you can't beat the price.

Yes the doors at the bottom of each side are for feeding etc. Most of the birds remain up high when I open them except a few societies always eager to jump into the feeding dish! The pull out shelf/drawer pulls almost all the way out so no problem vacuuming or with paper bunching etc. In fact it's very easy to roll paper & remove with little to no mess. I put a layer of paper on the bottom then 2 or 3 smaller layers in areas they poop most so I can remove the smaller papers as needed.

All parts of the enclosure are covered with formica so it's it easy to clean. I waited about 6 to 8 weeks after it was made to put birds in it to allow glue fumes to dissipate. I am not very tall & can reach into the cage with just the small bottom door open. I put a cleaning cloth over an old spatula & can reach about 3/4 of the way up the walls. Don't worry it's only used for cleaning bird areas - LOL. My birds have never had health problems [knock on wood] I think because all new birds are quarantined in another room, paper changed at least once/week & walls wiped down about every 3 to 4 weeks. I do take out all birds for a thorough cleaning & disinfecting as needed - about 2 x a year. The upper part of walls have phantom mesh with Ivy connected to it & is a favorite place for the birds to hang out. Very easy to hang nests on it too. They come down & go up easily for washing as needed.

I contemplated using glass or plexi for part or all the front but went with phantom mesh because I enjoy listening to the birds sing. My husband built a stand to hold the herb salad, mineral grit & eggshells. There is plexi on the top & back keeping everything clear of poop.

FYI - We had an electrician do the lights. He was has also kept birds & recommended the circular light on back wall for additional heat. It is called a barn light made for outside. I keep a low watt bulb in it to use when necessary. The birds do stand & sit on the outer silver part which feels warm to touch after it's been on but never hot. They seem to enjoy it after bathing!.

I have included a few photos of items that have worked for me. My husband does not consider himself very handy but I do. I Prefer to use water tubes to help keep water cleaner.

Hope it helps.
Mary

[Derk]

Teagarden
Excellent, thanks very much. Mesh is always a good idea because the cage requires some airflow/circulation or else the dropping may not dry out quickly which will lead to bacteria and yeast multiplying quicker.

I also use tubes.

I was at a birdmart today - the Quest fencing also comes in what I would call clear/transparent - but it is of course visible. It was 3/4" or 1". I might try and find this product. Definitely like it better than the grey but the mesh is working out very well.

[Teagarden]

Derk Wow - transparent. I'd like to see photos of your project. I know a lot of thought goes into every aspect of a flight or aviary.
Mary

[atarasi]

Derk, what about a new cage from www.qualitycage.com ?
The mesh they use is 1" x .5". If you purchase it in Oregon, no taxes! Not sure about when you cross the border though.

[Derk]

atarasi
Hi Jordon, Thanks for the suggestion but the gold-breasted waxbill can get out of 1" x 1/2". That is why I used the 1/2" x 1/2" mesh. She was happily housed until her mate died at the vet. It was while looking for her mate that she started to get out - I discovered she was flying up through the top of the cage. I assumed it would have been through the sides. She seems to be fine now but I will keep her in the reinforced cage until she gets used to her new mate. I was able to find a male GB last week. He is in quarantine along with a red-cheek cordon bleu I picked up at the same place.

In addition to 30" x 18" breeder cages, I have some of these. http://www.birdsupplies.com/deluxe-hq-l ... age-32x21/

I hope to get some of these - but the parrot gets one first. http://www.thatpetplace.com/double-flig ... in-x-60-in

Lots of sites sell the cages including Amazon and Wayfair which often have the best prices. They occasionally also go on sale. I get the best deal when there is free shipping anywhere in the States. There are 'post office' type places that provide Canadians with a US address to send items to. Generally, there is a small fee ($5-10). Of course, there is sometimes duty to be paid at the border and the exchange rate also needs to be taken into consideration.

[Derk]

Teagarden
My problem is I keep putting in more and more thought and not a lot of action. LOL Actually, you may notice I may not be on the forum as much in the coming weeks. I have a large property that requires a lot of outdoor hours to keep looking good. I just had the shocks and struts replaced on my truck so I can now get some composted bark mulch to cover the flower beds which will help with the weeding. I also need to dig a new vegetable garden and move around some large rocks into a sloped section of yard and turn it into a perennial and small shrub garden so I don't need to mow it anymore. I also have some invasive weeds that are threatening to take over the back of the property...ok, I need to beat back and destroy these weeds as each spring they DO take over. They are Himalayan Black Berries. I swear you can actually see them grow.