I am exotic pet exotic/ parrot consultant. So, I can get animals in from all over at anytime. I got a call on a little mitred conure, the owner was livid about getting rid of his reprehensible biting parrot. I discussed all the alternatives on behavioral modification however; he wanted nothing to do with it. On top of that the cage wasn't coming with the bird. Unbelievable! How in the world could he have ever ended up with a parrot?

I didn't need a huge cage; mitred conures are on the smaller side of a parrot. He should have plenty of space to stretch his wings, to climb, to hop from bar to bar; besides my birds don't spend a great deal of time in the cage.

Polly's Pleasures Victorian Wrought Iron Bird Cage fits all my criteria for a bird cage for my parrot. It will look nice in my living room though that is the least important factor. The most important factors in determining a cage purchase is safety, size, easy to clean and inexpensive.

Safety -such things as small parts that can be ingested, places a birds feet can get trapped, toxicity in paint or other parts, the bars need to be properly spaced (you don't want to get a head trapped in the bars), and the latch needs to work properly. Parrots are notorious for figuring out how to unlatch, and unlock cage doors.

The cage is pretty much easy to clean, around the three feeder doors there are a few spots that take a bit of extra scrubbing but all in all it isn't bad. I do like the seed guard and the easy to empty, pull out tray. Though, there are a few areas there that give me a bit more scrubbing time as well. There is also a breeder door.

The stainless steel food dishes are a snap to sanitize. Though the conure can pick up the dish a wee bit and flop it back down, it isn't noisy enough to be annoying. At least as long as my computer isn't in the same room with the cage.

I like the sides; they have little rectangles, instead of the bars going full vertical or horizontal. A long time ago, when I was just a kid my parents had a parakeet, he would climb up to the top of the vertical bar and slide down, and he seemed to love the game. The 5/8 of inch bar spacing makes it safe for an adult mitred conure. The mitred conure is a bit bigger than most the other conures.

I like the seed guards and the pull out tray. Some pull out trays slide out like they are stuck in with super glue, this isn't the case with this cage.

I have a California cage the dimensions are pretty close; in fact I did a review on the cage quite some time ago. Polly's Pleasures Victorian Wrought Iron Bird Cage 24"x24"x41" (from floor to top is 61.5" overall) the California cage the dimensions are 24x20x24 54 inches overall, and the bar spacing is 3/4 inch.

The cage is taller than I would want when a bird has behavioral problems. When I work with the bird I make sure he is away from his own cage and is on a standalone playpen or with me on the floor.

When you're on a fixed income you find ways of making do rather than spend the money and or time to find a bit shorter of a cage.

The cage is on wheels and they don't fall out every time you have to lift the cage up. The cage is sitting on carpet and it still rolls quite easily.

This is the interesting part; I paid $399 for the California cage and $359 for the Polly's Pleasures Victorian Wrought Iron Bird Cage. Isn't it nice to pay less for something of equal value nine years later?

When I first saw the play structure on top I was a bit dubious. I am use to the old fashion, playpens on top of the cage, with the two feed bowls and the wood perch. The bird didn't seem to mind the different sort of structure at all. In fact, I think it could be a benefit; he seems to get a bit more exercise.

The shape of the top of the cage is kind of interesting. After I began using it I found that to be an advantage as well. There are different layers to hang toys, and easy places to hang toys. Many cages have no place to hang toys on the top. The solid topped cages with the full playpen leave no place to hang toys except for on the sides of the cage.

All in all I do like the cage. It is safe, within the easy to medium range to clean and sanitize.

I bought the Polly's Pleasures Victorian Wrought Iron Bird Cage from Amazon. The interesting part I bought the cage before 2009 and only paid about $30 less than it cost's now. Not bad considering how bad prices on many things have gone nothing up sky high.


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Polly's Pleasures Victorian Wrought Iron Bird Cage 24 X 22