Hi Catherine.  Oh goodness, no, I won't confront that particular seller, I don't want to cause any problems or hard feelings, just trying to find the best for the bird of my dreams.  Ha, ha, that’s funny about the California cages!  I have a giant stainless steel cage in OK where we live.  My husband has Celiac disease, his father has Lupus, and my daughter has Autism so I am hyperconscious about chemicals and allergens.  Thank you so much for all the super useful information Catherine, I appreciate all your help!  Take care

 Aimee

----- Original Message -----

From: Catherine Tobsing

To: Aimee M.

Cc: Catherine Tobsing

Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2012 12:03 PM

Subject: Re: Parrot Bird Travel Cage, Medium 

Dear Ainee 

I find this very interesting since this very company has contacted me on more than one occasion to help her out and  send out a carrier for her when she over sold one. The bird supply world is not that big. 

I do not wish a problem between me and that vendor so I would appreciate your not confronting her with this. It may be just a competition issue.  

I do not believe they are any differently made or have anything that will harm your birds. We have sold 100's of the 3 lines of collapsible carriers with literally NO problems. The only issue is occasionally the plastic tray in the box might come broken (usually in the winter only due to cold making it brittle) and the companies all replace them if needed. 

Beaking the bars will do nothing to harm your bird. However rinsing down the cage and wiping it dry upon receiving it will remove any dust, loose grit, metal chips, etc from the factory and packing, that would not be a bad thing to do. There are numerous clips on the cage to facilitate assembling and folding back up the cage and they always should be examined to see if your bird decides that a clip is a tasty treat to try and chew off. A hunk of that could cause problems as would any piece of plastic, metal, wood, etc that is eaten by a bird and they are inquisitive creatures. 

People have their own beliefs and you cannot change them. Down the street from our store is another pet shop that specialized in birds and she insisted that if you put your bird in any cage other than a California Cage the bird would DIE. 

Well, California Cage's has gone out of business and she has had to change her tune. She sells less birds now, mostly parakeets and sells the cheap wire breeder cages that are much thinner versions of the travel carriers that are also made in China. 

Sadly, most all cages available are made in China or India or Malaysia. But we do only business with companies that test their stock when it comes in for toxicity. We have dropped several companies once we had concern about their contents.

You might want to consider an acrylic carrier. You can see the small one at this listing. They are made in the states. 

http://www.windycityparrot.com/Acrylic-Bird-Carrier-Crystal-Flight-CS1-bird-cage.html 

There are also Aluminum Cages make by Kings, most likely in China as well. But they are very nice, not painted cages. 

This is the link to the medium sized one. 

http://www.windycityparrot.com/Kings-Cages-Aluminum-Travel-Cage-for-Birds-Medium_p_593.html 

I am here if you have further questions. 

We are only here to serve the needs of the birds. We do not sell birds. They did not ask to be shut into houses and cages after being taken from the skies, they deserve the best care possible. 

Thank you

Catherine Tobsing
President
Windy City Parrot Birdie Boutique
906 N. Western Ave
Chicago, Illinois 60622
312.492.9673 ext 102
312.492.9674 Fax

On Tue, Jun 5, 2012 at 1:14 PM, Aimee M. wrote: 

http://www.xxxxxxxxx.com/collapsible-travel-cage-medium/ 

Hi Catherine.  This is the website I called when the lady I spoke with told me that this particular carrier is toxic if your bird mouths the bars.  We are currently traveling so I am looking for a carrier for my new baby Cape to sleep in at night.  He will be a constant companion & will not spend any other time except for sleeping in this carrier. 

Oh goodness yes, I couldn't imagine having a companion parrot stay in any kind of cage without lots of different toys, even to sleep.  Have to wake up to something fun!!  However, I have been exposed to lots of different birds & even with toys I have seen them use their beaks on the bars to climb around. 

I asked the lady about the "white" (Prevue & HQ) carriers and she said those too are made in China out of epoxy coated steel, but she does not have those same carriers as you so hopefully she's incorrect about them.  Your website lists what the Prevue & HQ are made out of but the other one that I was planning on purchasing does not list what it is made out of & the lady at xxxxxxx.com is certain that they are toxic if mouthed.  Can you tell me what it is constructed of?  UG, China, guess I can't get around that since they're all made there. 

Do you have any suggestions as to a better idea while we are traveling for a carrier?  Thanks so much Catherine, I appreciate all your help and your speedy response  Take care & I look forward to hearing back! 

Aimee