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Altering Guillotine doors

1K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  tielfan 
#1 ·
Hi! Does anyone know how to alter guillotine doors, or secure them so they are safe?
Thanks,
 
#2 ·
Joey's first cage had them for the food and water dishes. He'd lift them with his beak and try to come out. He never was quite quick enough, but I worried anyway. I used bread twist ties to make them open just enough to be able to take his dishes out, but he couldn't lift them.
 
#4 ·
if you want to secure them long term, I would use zip ties. Really cheap. Short term, I use twist ties or toy fasteners. Seems to work for me. Dog clips would probably be the easier to open, though, from a human standpoint. Not so easy for a tiel to open them :)
 
#6 ·
I've heard that twist ties hold the risk of heavy metal poisoning, so I'm hesitant. I imagine the ones without metal would work well, though...provided they don't ingest any of the material.

Would dog clips and toy clips keep doors closed enough? I imagine they'd still permit doors to open a tad. Are padlocks safe?

Also, sorry to get off topic, but is there such a thing as minimum bar spacing? If so, what is it?

Thanks! Sorry for all the questions. I'm new to this. :)
 
#7 ·
3/4 of an inch is considered to be the maximum bar spacing for cockatiels, but I like 5/8 inch better. If the spacing is an inch or more they can stick their head between the bars. Budgie-spaced bars (1/2 inch) are fine for cockatiels too.

Clips on the door will allow some movement, but if you choose the size of the clip correctly it won't move enough to cause problems. Padlocks are safe, but it's a bigger hassle to unlock them. The large cockatoos can figure out how to open a combination lock but cockatiels aren't that smart.
 
#10 ·
I don't think I'd want 3/8" spacing for a regular cage because it would look too walled in. You want to be able to see the bird, and you don't want the bird to feel like it's in a nestbox! But that's still enough space for the bird to be able to climb around on the sides without getting its toes caught, so it ought to be safe enough.

In any case it would be fine for a sleep cage.
 
#11 ·
Thanks all! It'll be used as a sleep cage, if the little one happens to be prone to night frights.

Also, 3/4" is okay for 'tiels? That certainly opens up my cage options, aha. I had always assumed it'd be large enough for a head to fit through, though looking at it now it's not much more than 5/8".

Thanks again! An incredibly helpful forum...I'll be sure to stick around. :cinnamon:
 
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