Hello-

Im concerned about your posted info on restoring cages... according to 2 well-respected avian vet specialists in my area,it is NOT safe to use any type of store-bought paint on a parrot cage-powdercoated is the only acceptable method. These vets have no reason to push powdercoat other than genuine care about bird safety.

my sources: Dr Fern Van Sant,DVM-she has published articles on zinc toxicity and other topics-owns avian practice in San Jose,CA  Dr Michael Murphy,DVM-head vet at a specialist practice in Monterey,CA

Just wanted to let you know.                              -Sue and birds Bodhi & Chipper


Hi Sue

Thank you for contacting us

We appreciate the feedback. Prevue Pet the worlds largest manufacturer of bird cages PAINTS many models right here in Chicago and has assay results on file as to their safety. They (Prevue) are the only company to include touch up PAINT in all their wrought iron bird cages. Because they supply these bird cages to the big box stores like Petco, Petsmart and so forth, their potential liability is so great, they must be certain the bird cages are safe.
 
Most people do not understand powder coating. Unless the metal (substrate) is prepared properly, the powder coat will not adhere well. As a former partner in a small powder coating facility (Shelf-Kote, Barrington Illinois) and having sold thousands of cages, I can say with certainty a bad powder coat  job is far more hazardous to birds because of the potential for flaking off an ill prepared substrate. UNLESS YOU KNOW WHERE THAT CAGE CAME FROM YOU WON'T KNOW THE POWDER COATING IS BAD until your bird starts dropping chips on the bottom of their cage (or they get caught in their digestive system)

There are differences between Thermoplastic powders that will remelt when heated, and Thermosetting powders that will not remelt upon reheating. Some powder coat companies recycle the powder coat - great for out door furniture - bad for birds. Further, a powder coat job over metal with too much zinc or rust will not protect the bird. There are factories in China with leaky roofs that produce thousands of bird cages that have been powder coated over rust and are sold here in the US

So to say powder coat is the ONLY way to coat a bird cage is actually not correct. If you look at the cheap bird cages on Ebay, with no brand names they may look just like the ones we sell from HQ, AE & Prevue. I would not trust them to place a rescued street pigeon in, in spite of the fact they have been powdercoated.

Click here to learn more about bird and parrot cages

Mitch Rezman
General Manager
WindyCityParrot.com
4726 W. Walton
Chicago, Illinois 60651
312.492.9673 ext 104
312.492.9674 Fax
877.287.0810 Toll Free