Safe cage for Caique after paint chipping

Paint chips in a bird's cage are a genuine toxicity risk — you're right to act on this quickly. Caiques are curious, destructive chewers, so any painted or powder-coated finish that's already failing will only get worse. Before I point you to a replacement, a couple of quick questions: is this a single Caique, and roughly what size space do you have available for the new cage? Caiques need room to fully extend and flap their wings — that's the minimum bar — and bar spacing should sit between 1.5cm and 2cm for a bird this size.

Good — 60cm width gives you real options. Given that your priority is zero coating risk, I'd steer you away from powder-coated cages entirely and straight toward stainless steel. It's the only material where there's genuinely nothing to chip, flake, or leach. The cage I'd recommend is the Prevue Hendryx F050 Stainless Steel Bird Cage. It's around 50cm wide, 50cm deep, and 91cm tall, bar spacing is right for a Caique at roughly 1.9cm, and the entire construction is bare stainless — no paint, no coating, nothing. It's also considerably easier to clean than coated wire. It's available on Amazon UK and it's the cage I'd put a Caique in without hesitation.

It is heavier than a lightweight painted wire cage — the F050 comes in at around 13kg. That said, it's on castors, so day-to-day moving around a room is straightforward. If you're regularly carrying it up stairs or into a car, that's worth factoring in. But honestly, for a Caique who's already been ingesting paint chips, the safety trade-off is clear. Stainless is the right call here and the weight is a one-time consideration rather than an ongoing problem.

Yes — a few things worth doing. Wash it down with plain hot water and let it air dry fully before he goes in, even though it's new. Check every weld point and bar end for any sharp edges, which can occasionally occur in manufacturing. Make sure the door latches are secure — Caiques are smart and will test them. And keep an eye on him for the first few days in a new environment; they can be unsettled by the change. On the health side, if he's been ingesting paint chips for any length of time, it's worth a quick vet check for heavy metal exposure — lead and zinc are the main risks with old cage paints.

Good plan on both counts. The vet check is worth doing for peace of mind even if he seems fine — heavy metal toxicity can be subtle in early stages. The F050 should serve you well for years; stainless cages essentially last indefinitely if you look after them. Hope he settles in quickly.