upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

In 1998 I got a new cage for Wendell (He is now 13 years old) It was one of these wonderful Grant Lake cages (they went out of business a long time ago, they made their cages in NE Oklahoma, rather than import them from somewhere.)

Wendell is at least as destructive as the average cockatoo, and the thing is still in perfect condition.

AT any rate within a few days of my getting this new cage Wendell saw me opening the latch on the door, and realised that all had to do is reach out with his hand and pull up the latch and he could get out. Again, Wendell is a notoriously destructive bird, so I was lucky I was home when he learned this. I put a padlock on his cage, which he instantly learned to hate. If he has a chance to get at the padlock he will throw it with all his might, try to crunch it with his beak, do anything in his power to destroy it.

From the instant he learned this, he would always open the door instantly unless there were a padlock on the latch!!

Within seconds of my removing the padlock he has the latch opened. The door has two latches, I only put a lock on one, but he seldom unlatches the unlocked latch if he sees the padlock on the other one!!! He, amazingly enough, realises that it is futile to do so.

What is interesting is that every now and then he tries a new approach to opening the latch. Today instead of reaching out with his hand for the latch, he tried to push the latch up from the bottom. After he discovered that this new technique would not work, he opened it his usual way!

When I put the lock on the cage I have to be careful, because he would certainly bite if he had a chance, he is annoyed by my putting the lock on his cage. (Even when he is in a friendly mood.)

I also put a padlock on his feed cup doors, because I fear he might open them too.

Bingo has a Grand Lakes cage to and I love it, love it, love it. I've had it 7 years and it still looks brand new. Bingo did learn to get the cage door open, but he has never been able to open the food doors. The latches to them are placed on the back of a solid metal rectangle that fills the full opening of the food door. So he can't get a foot near that latch. When he first learned to get out of the door, he would then go over and open both the food doors from the outside. LOL He sure does give the pad lock a rattle sometimes - just checking, I think!

I hate that they went out of business...I have only heard good things about their cages. My absolute favorite cage is Poirot's. It's from FLOPR...when I went to their website the other day I didn't see the cages listed...it's the only cage I have that is practically too proof...and if I keep dishes in all of the holders..it is too proof...Like, I told Kris...I use a lot of magnets on dish openings for all of my King's cages...

I have California cages for my 3 birds. I heard yesterday that they're going out of business because they can't compete with the stuff coming in from China. I really like their cages because they're welded and there's no screws for Annie to undo.
She got out one time and we don't know for how long. Couldn't have been too long though because nothing was destroyed. It was funny. Mike said he came home from work and when he walked in he saw Annie running down the hall to the bird room. When he went in there he said she was sitting IN her cage acting like nothing was any different even though her door was WIDE OPEN!
Gloria

That Annie! <giggle>