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Hi.....I designed these not toooo long ago....and have been having a great response over them - I am fairly new to all this and would like to share this with other bird owners as I know the #1 complaint from bird owners is just tht they can be so darn messy, Specially since the base perimeter skirt that goes around the base of the cage does not stick out wide enough to cover the width of an open cage door causing the poop and debris to drop all over the floor (since most birds like to sit atop an open cage door). So I designed and easy to mount/remove and washable skirt for the door (doorskirts)......can you let me know what you think? If you would use one or not> Thank you.....

I just put a dollar store car mat under the cage in that location and wash it in the deep sink.

I guess it would depend on price?

We just use rugs and then shake them outside and throw them in the washer.

Thank you both PurpleHeart and Tweetebirds for your response! Certainly a washable mat underneath the cage door is useable and if that is what works for you then awesome! I tried various items for use (in addition to newspaper and mats) but the problem is/was is that I have a dog (that was a puppy) that would get onto that mat and either step in the mess or simnply grab the paper and run off with it causing the mess and debris to get thrown and spread about the whole house (ha!). So for me, while I had certainly been used to cleaning and changing mats and newspaper everyday, these new skirts have just made a world of a difference for me. They wipe clean very easily, contain the mess within the skirt and truly, the convenience alone has been of much value to me.

Trust me, I can certainily understand that this product is not for everybody, but based on the response from our first bird show in AZ, I can say with absolute certainty that there are many, many other bird owners who are grateful for the convenience of this product.

Once again, THANK YOU for your feedback as anything and everything is valued and considered here at DoorSkirts Plus! Oh, lastly, these skirts retail on our website, www.doorskirts.com for $39.99 - $44.99 (based on size).

Karen Cash
DoorSkirts Plus!

I keep all other pets out of the aviary, that includes any dogs-cats or others FOR HEALTH REASONS!

If a dog is around the birds when they are out it could mean a disaster in the making ALSO. What if the bird were to fly to the floor? What would the dog do?

I can see you are hawking your product here and in a sly way trying to get the message out without buying ad space in the correct forum.

I've been involved in aviculture since birth and my family has a history that spans back some 300 yrs in raising birds. Been exposed to everything under the sun and in my grandfathers words, "sometimes common sense gets lost in the evolution of the bird trade." But then again some products have been developed and have some very good uses. Just not for me. I stick to the tried and true methods and it works well for me.

Dutch

Mu mom and dad would love this - they have 2 chihuahua's that are always in and out around Moms feet. Great way to contain some of the mess from the two big birds. And yes Dutch - they have huge amounts of respect for the birds that are just as big as they are !!


Freddy

Thank you, PurpleHeart, for your feedback. I do want to first say that actually I had paid for space in the classifieds, not only at UpAtSix but in about half a dozen other online advertising sites and I have put a lot of money and time in to the designing and perfecting the product. I did hesitate to post in 2 additional places other than the paid classifieds but in addition to wanting to advertise, since I am fairly new, yes, I did want to get just plain feedback and not for sales. I respect your respect of the boundaries of the forum but I really got sick in the gut when I thought you and or others may have thought I was trying to cheat any one out of paying for an ad or that I was "sly".

I am conscience of mixed pets being in the same room - but the truth is, and the fact is, is out of the 30+ people that i know that own parrots, parrot stores, etc not a one of them have their aviaries completely separated from the other pets and/or small children. There are a lot of apartment owners that have pet parrots and even those with homes still choose for whatever reason to live comfortable and together all in the same home and room. Not for everyone, but is true. And while I knew and know this skirt isn't going to be something everyone chooses to use, so far a lot have and to date have been very, very pleased.

Kind Regards
Karen

I'm just wondering if you are telling owners to remove these before putting their birds back in their cages? Since they are made of plastic I would think there could be some risk of serious injury, ingestion or death if the bird broke a piece off or a foot/toe/leg getting stuck in between the catcher and the door. I'm sure they are strong, but we have a few Too's and Macaws that would have them broke in a matter of hours if not minutes.

Dear UpAtSix Members....

Quite a while ago I created a post titled "Your Feedback Is Appreciated! Please " and I wrote of a parrot cage accessory that I had designed and many of you stated you liked the idea, a lot of you weren't real sure what to think of it. I know pictures don't always do a product justice.

It's been a while since I have been back on to the chat groups but last night and today I did create a "new" post providing an update to the DoorSkirts which included an article written and published by Susan Chamberlain (whom requested a skirt set, I sent her one and she used and evaluated it) and posted her thoughts and findings in the October issue of Bird Talk magazine. The article is attached. Now, just moments ago, I learned how to find all of my previous posts (didn't know they are kept online/on-file for so long!) and so I thought I should include my recent update and progress with the skirts to an already existing thread.

At the end of each month I make it a policy to follow up and contact each and every customer (store/reseller or individual customer) to inquire if the skirt sets met their expectations and ask if they are happy/pleased. I didn't get a chance to talk to EVERY one but of the 236+ people that I did speak with, I was met with 100% satisfaction. Each and every user of the skirts stated how nice it has been to not have to lay newspaper or mats down underneath the door area of the cage. I truly appreciate and value every customer. I say this to you all here because I know there were several of you who really questioned the product, the value, the durability of the skirts and please know Im not (not AT ALL) boasting or anything of that nature - this post is stated in a very gracious and humbleing manner/tone. I more just want to share the excitement we are experiencing with the progress and since there have been a lot of UpAtSix members touch base with me from time to time out of curiosity over what ever became of the invention, I was happy to be able to let them (and others?) know.

The article is attached and for those of you who receive the Drs Foster Smith catalog, you will see the DoorSkirts in their catalog within the next week. It goes out to over 200,000 homes.

Thank you to everyone whom encouraged me to move forward with the skirts even through the toughest and most uncertain times.
Karen

Dear Tweetebirds,

This is Karen Cash and I just recently got back online to post an update to an accessory I had designed and in doing so I found a post from you regarding the skirts. Its a post from quite a while ago but I never saw or knew it was there until just today when checking up on my most recent post (the first in quite a while). Your post/reply was:

"I'm just wondering if you are telling owners to remove these before putting their birds back in their cages? Since they are made of plastic I would think there could be some risk of serious injury, ingestion or death if the bird broke a piece off or a foot/toe/leg getting stuck in between the catcher and the door. I'm sure they are strong, but we have a few Too's and Macaws that would have them broke in a matter of hours if not minutes"

And I wanted a chance to respond. I have not made it a habit of suggesting to people that they remove the skirts before putting their birds back in their cages for the sake of preventing ingestion, serious injury, etc - I have mentioned that the person has the choice of leaving the inner skirt on while the bird is placed back in his/her cage for the evening or they can remove it to eliminate the temptation of making the skirt a chew toy etc. The skirts are made of a very durable (with some flex) HDPE material (not a hard snapping/cracking plastic) - if dropped on a hard sruface they certainly do not break nor crack or chip and it would take constant, constant chewing/gnawing in the same place (by a macaw or cockatoo - or any parrot for that matter but in particular the larger birds) to really do some damage and still it is unlikely that the skirt would become chunked up in to pieces. These skirts have been evaluated and tested not just by me and my Quality Assurance Team but by Susan Chamberlain and even better yet, Drs Foster Smith - whom put the skirts thru rigorous testing and fully approved the skirts. Yes I would imagine that your macaw (and for that matter, ANY Macaw, could do some damage to the skirt and gnarl it up some but no they are in no way a health hazard.

Ok - thank you Karen Cash