King's Cages
by Lisa Umstead
So you've just gotten your first bird. What do you put him in? I just happen to be lucky enough to live a few miles from King's Cages, located in Farmingdale, NY, where Rich & Andrew King sell a wide variety of wrought iron cages. There's a beautiful show room with no less than 30 cages set up in all colors, shapes and sizes, which could house anything from finches to macaws. Of course you want the proper bar spacing so Stephany, and Colleenann, the King's secretary will not sell you anything but the cage with the proper size bar spacing for your particular birds.
The ideal cage for my macaws is the Model 405 with the playpen on the top and the 1 1/2 inch bar spacing. Of course I had to replace the pine perch with a piece of nearly indestructible manzanita, which King's also sells. The doors open from the outside(which is great for those beaks that will attack in case you aren't lucky enough to have a few handfed, friendly babies.) The bowls lock into place with the twist of the wrist, and pop out just as easily. This particular cage weighs a sturdy 210 pounds, but easily disassembles if you wish to take it outside to clean. Otherwise, a quick spritz with some bleach and water and a wipe of a paper towel will do the trick.
A homeless white dove is lucky enough to reside in a Model 134. Dovey needs space to fly and is very content to have several perches set up in this roomy cage. Chuckie, a plucked conure also enjoys roaming on the top of Dovey's cage.
I also run Parrot Haven, a pet bird sanctuary, part of Parrot Fanciers Bird Club and King's was generous enough to donate the Model 2620 for the homeless birds in my care. Right now I have a timneh residing in this magnificent cage. It has ample room, and comes with three dishes, for water, dry foods, such as seed, pellets and peanuts and a third bowl for fruits and veggies. I use the dish on the opposite side for water and it actually stays clean, for more than 5 minutes. (It's amazing, but the water dish does remain spotless, since it is set away from the food dishes.)
For that out of the cage playtime, King's also donated two model B-72 playpen stands. The birds love that it rolls all over the house to whatever room I happen to be working in, and the bowls remove and clean just as easily as the tray.
The cages come in many colors. I actually favor the black and silver texture, but also comes in almond, green, white, in addition to the new copper and black textured color.
So if you're in the market for an everlasting, durable cage that will last your birds a lifetime, call King's Cages at 631-777-7300 or visit their website at Kings Cages - Bird Cages for Pet Birds and Parrots and ask for their latest catalog. Kings Cages have also been recognized by the ASPCA as the safest, most durable, and aesthetically pleasing cages in the US. Members of the FIBC will also recieve a discount when purchasing a cage. Just mention this article.
And by the way, don't think I'm prejudice just because most of the birds that you see modeling the cages are my guys.
Lisa Umstead
Corresponding Secretary
PARROT FANCIERS' CLUB
PARROT HAVEN (A PET BIRD SANCTUARY)
WWW.BIRDSNWAYS2.COM/CLUBS/PFC
HAVE YOU JOINED THE PARROT FANCIERS' CLUB YET?