TRYING TO BUILD A CAGE!

[KIPPY]

IS HARDWARE CLOTH OKAY TO USE? IF SO DO YOU NEED TO CLEAN WITH VINEGAR AND WATER? HARDWARE BRACES THAT YOU GET FROM LOWES, ARE THEY SAFE? I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE MADE OF, SOME KIND OF METAL. I DID NOTICE THAT THE HINGES AND LATCH FOR THE DOOR ARE MADE OF ZINC. ARE THEY SAFE? THEY ARE ONLY ON THE DOOR AND WILL BE OUT OF REACH. I'M USING EXTERIOR SCREWS NOT SURE WHAT THEY ARE MADE OF.
I AM NOT A CARPENTAR AND AM NOT VERY EXPERIENCED WITH CAGES AND BIRDS.
ANY INFO AND ADVICE WOULD BE APPRECIATED.
THANK YOU!
KIM

[turkey]

Hardware cloth is the best to use. I haven't heard of anyone needing to wash it with anything. If you wanted you could paint it.

In my opinion it is best to paint your wood anyway, so you could just paint over the hardware cloth when you paint your loft.

I don't think you have to worry about the toxicity in screws or hinges because Pigeons don't chew on things like parrots do. Although you do want something that will hold up to the weather. I used galvanized hardware.

Julie

[ddpowell]

I agree with Julie. If you attached it to wood you avoid the sharp edges that sometime come with clips, but either is fine. I just hose off my cage (I have one for my starlings). Sometimes I have to scrub with warm soapy water. Just don't let it sit in the sun, the wire clips can rust. Good luck! Show us a picture when you are through!

[KIPPY]

IT'S DONE. CAGE IS ON CONCRETE AND I LEFT A ONE AN A 1/2 INCH GAP AT THE BOTTOM FOR CLEANING PURPOSES. CAN HE SQUEEZE THROUGH THAT? I'VE HAD PIGEONS GET INTO A DOG FEEDER AND I DO NOT KNOW HOW THEY DID IT. I HAD TO TAKE IT APART TO GET THEM OUT.
KIPPY WAS IN THE NEW CAGE MOST OF THE DAY BUT HE IS SLEEPING IN THE OLD CAGE. HE SEEMED RESTLESS IN THE NEW ONE. WHEN I WENT IN THERE HE FLEW ON MY HEAD SO I LET HIM OUT AND HE FLEW TO THE OLD CAGE TWICE. I LEFT HIM THERE. NOW WHAT DO I DO?
I WILL WORK ON THE PICTURES. I NEVER PUT PICTURES ON A MESSAGE BOARD BEFORE. I'LL HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THAT.

[AZWhitefeather]

Hi Kim,
Yeah!! Glad to hear you were able to get the cage finished while you had a few days off.

Maybe his 'big' cage will be his play room & his old cage will be his sleeping quarters.

You can put your pictures on Webshots. It's free & real easy to do.
Cindy

[KIPPY]

THANKS JULIE AND DDPOWELL FOR THE INPUT ON THE HARDWARE CLOTH AND ZINC.
CINDY, ABOUT THE PLAY CAGE AND SLEEP CAGE. I HOPE KIPPY IS NOT THINKING THE SAME THING. LOL!PATIO IS A LITTLE CRAMPED RIGHT NOW. DO YOU THINK IT WOULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF I PUT THE NEW CAGE WHERE THE OLD CAGE IS?
THE OLD CAGE IS RIGHT BY THE PATIO DOOR SO HE CAN SEE US AND THE T.V.

[AZWhitefeather]

*CINDY, DO YOU THINK IT WOULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF I PUT THE NEW CAGE WHERE THE OLD CAGE IS?
THE OLD CAGE IS RIGHT BY THE PATIO DOOR SO HE CAN SEE US AND THE T.V*

That might not be a bad idea Kim. Perhaps moving the new cage where the old cage is & removing the old cage entirely, might be a option. The old saying, "Out of sight, out of mind" just may work in this case.

If you have a garage, you could store the cage there.
Cindy