Customer Reviews

Midwest Poquito Avian Hotel

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I own 3 of these collapsible travel cages. They look good, work good and store away good! Assembly is an absolute breeze, especially since you don't need to use any tools.

Another reviewer mentioned the knobs to open the cages being loose or too tight. Yes, all three of my cages are like that also. However, I think this might have been done on purpose as a way to lock the door. You know parrots can get just about everything open and if they're chilling on the top of the travel cage, they can't just go down and open it up. At least this is my guess as to why they're like that. It's really no big deal.. you unscrew the knob a hair to open the cage and then tighten it again when you close it. I have 3 parrots and when I'm traveling, I choose to only have one or two out at a time. This prevents the "free" parrots from invading the "imprisoned" parrot's oasis, lol.

Also, the rope perch that is included is not of the highest quality. But do not let this keep you from buying this product. As a bird owner, you know there are hundreds of other perches you can install in a cage should the one that's included break.

First I would like to say that this cage looks as nice in person as it does in the photo. The structure is made well and is easy to assemble. The food and water cups stay secure in the cage. It is pretty heavy so it is not suitable as a carrier. .Second, before going on with my problems with it, I purchased it on Amazon for $140 shipping included. I should have done a web search first. Most internet bird cage retailers sell it for $115 shipped.
The rope perch that came with the cage broke as I was installing it. One of the plastic dowels just snapped. Thats OK...I got out the crazy glue (hope it holds).
My real problem was with the hardware. The latches are spring loaded and require you to remove a screw in the latch to install it into the doors, then replace the screw. When you replace the screw, if you tighten it so it is secure, it fits too close to the latch setting to open. The only way to get it to work was to screw it only half way. The problem there is obvious...it will eventually fall out. Out comes the super glue again to get the screws to stay fixed in the half screwed in position. Now the doors work fine, but I sure hope the latches don't ever need maintenance because I will not be able to remove the screws again. This was not a problem with my unit but in fact a design flaw in the hardware.
Anyway, I got it all to work but it was a hassle and the customer service for the company in non-existent.

I own this cage and use it while I am gone in my semi. It is the perfect size for this and my Jenday Conure loves it. As for the latches, its really no big beal. I have no problem with them. If you travel with you bird, this is a great cage.

Moving from CA to the MS Gulf Coast in 2 months. Long haul with 4 lovebirds. Ordered one of these in each color. Exactly what I needed: sturdy, roomy, portable, and fit in the back of my Jeep Wrangler 4 door. Cages took 15mins each to put together. Food/water dishes are very secure. The handle perch is nice although I won't need it. The rope perch that was included is just fine. I plan on putting a couple familiar items in with my little pretties. Other than being a little heavy (which only makes sense) I can find no drawbacks. They suit my purposes, I know my birds will be safe in them during the long trip, and the cages are pretty. Also handy as I am moving to hurricane country and can use them in case of an evac. No damage, no spilled paint, all parts were there and in perfect condition. Well packaged. Some say they needed zip ties to latch, but I honestly can't see it myself. No bird is going to undo the ball latches. They don't need to be taken all the way off to open the door. Very well constructed. I ordered off another site for about $60 less than here, and I paid no shipping/handling. Very, very pleased especially after reading some of the negatives posted by other reviewers. My birds are going to be happy during the 1800 mile drive!

This carrier cage is perfect for our large parrot to travel in safety and comfort. The only drawback is the weight of the cage -- approximately 15 lbs -- makes it somewhat difficult to carry.

I LOVE this cage. I got this for a sleep cage for my conure and it is fabulous. She loves it and it's the perfect cage for nighttime. We will also be going on vacation at the end of the month and she will be going with us in this cage. It's very sturdy, safe and I love the "lock" features on all of the doors. One of them is a little hard to screw and unscrew, though. I haven't had any problems with my rope perch as I have read on some of the other reviews. I got this cage at an amazing price, and I am so happy with this purchase!!

Unpacking this cage, I found the build quality to be superb. It's not in the product description, but the bars are all the drilled type where they connect to the outer frame. Even my home cage isn't built that nicely. The perch was of reasonable quality. I installed it, though nowhere near as high up as the picture, which is completely unrealistic. My Grey liked the perch, but I ended up swapping it out for his triangular swing anyway. He has much preferred it so far (5 days into a 7 day roadtrip).

Unlike other reviewers, my cage came perfectly done. No bent panels. No broken welds. No dirty pieces. No missing/chipped paint. No rust. Assembly was easy and indeed tool-free, taking only minutes. I don't find the weight excessive because I actually realize it's a large hunk of metal.

I would not recommend this cage for anything larger than my Grey. With him, the bar spacing is already pretty close together and the top perch is definitely too small for his feet. He is strong enough to bend the bars if he wanted to (though so far the bars have sprung back perfectly), but the paint has stood up to his abuse. The "small to medium" bird size labeling is indeed correct - I would NOT recommend this product to be used with any Amazon or Cockatoo, as the bar spacing is far too close for either of these parrot types.

The latches are perfect. Yes, you have to unscrew them slightly to open the doors, as other reviewers have said. This is much more intuitive and natural than it first sounds, much like turning a doorknob before pulling on it. I can tell immediately that they're shaped perfectly round for a reason - so they can't be unscrewed and then opened by a beak from inside the cage. If not for this safety feature, I would have used luggage locks and lamp chain to ensure the front door stayed closed during breakout attempts (I use these on my home cage), but they were not necessary.

Definitely recommend, especially for the price!

I ordered the last ruby Poquito Avian Hotel. Once I opened the amazon box, the box for the cage was a little dirty, but I was so happy that I had something for my cockatiel, that I didn't even think about it. As I was opening the box, I was so pleased with the quality of the product. Everything looked BETTER than the pictures. It seemed "dusty" and I am a bit overprotective when it comes to my 18 year old cockatiel, so I put the pieces in the tub, filled it up with water and poured a little bit of Dawn. I wiped down the pieces - the water looked a bit dirty. As I drained the water, the entire tub was full of dirt. I rinsed the pieces again and they seemed fine.

*DEFINITELY CLEAN UPON RECEIVING*

I let it dry and went to assemble the next day. Orange drips were coming off of the cage - I can only assume from exposed metal that started to create rust from the washing. "No big deal, it came with touch up paint."

Then, I went to assemble it. Certain pieces were welded improperly or bent - which I have no idea how it would have gotten bent during shipment because the material is THAT strong and it was packaged quite well.

My father owns a tool and die manufacturing company, and one of his tool-makers was able to bend the pieces in the correct position in order for it to go together.

I have seen NO other reviews such as mine. I read about easy assembly, etc... it would have been easy, if it wasn't welded incorrectly/bent.

I would definitely recommend this product, just make consumers aware that they may run into some problems.

Pros and cons:

Cons:
1) The quality of the rope perch is "crap". The cheap plastic end broke off as I barely twisted the end screw cap when I took it out of the box--so much for a perch! Fortunately I'm married to a carpenter who went to the hardware store and purchased two sizes of dowels, cut them down to cage size and drilled holes in the ends, and put in a threaded stud, a lock washer and nut and a fender washer to hook to the cage bars. Now my parrot not only has a one-inch perch between the food and water cups but another 1-1/4" perch running diagonally above the other perch for variety of standing. (Scratch up the dowels a little bit for better traction.)

2) Even if the perch that came with it were built to be secure, I would have wanted to purchase a more secure perch, if available.

3) The wire cup holders are also "crap" and keep coming out of the the little holes that hold them to the side of the cage. So when you take the cups in & out you have to hold on to the cup holder with the other hand so it won't dislodge from the side of the cage because it's frustrating to try to fit the wires of cup holders back into the slots.

Pros: The cage perfectly meets our need for our amazon parrot size-wise. We will be moving across the U.S. travelling for 5 days, staying at hotels (because no airline would allow me to carry my parrot on board, even though she's small enough to fit under the seat, and is every bit as well-behaved as a dog or cat! If you're going to stay in motels/hotels be sure to call in advance and ask about their pet policy.) Anyway, the cage is just the right size, you'll need to get your parrot accustomed to it slowly though and take it for short rides at a time in your car.


So the cage is great (if you happen to know a good carpenter).

Assembly was a breeze. My cockatiel doesn't like red, of course this cage is a nice dark red. It's taken a couple of days, but she's starting to fly over to it. Well constructed. Designed to be easily taken apart, however, with a few tie straps added I feel more secure with it. Perfect for the mundane hurricane evacuations.