Dayang

Dayang is a Chinese manufacturer of wire and moulded-plastic pet housing - bird cages, parrot cages, dog crates, kennels, playpens, carriers and small-animal cages. Dayang states that it has been manufacturing since 1988, employs over 700 people, and that its materials meet RoHS and EN71-3 requirements for non-toxic finishes.

What is in the range

• Bird cages make up most of it, from a 42 cm budgerigar cage up to a 131.5 cm dome-topped indoor aviary. The large cages come as play-tops, pitched-roof cages or flight cages, and most are on castored stands with a slide-out tray and a seed catcher.
• Dog crates in two sizes, both welded wire on four castors with a side-loading tray, plus two moulded plastic kennels.
• Playpens - folding wire panels for puppies and small dogs, and a multi-colour set for rabbits, guinea pigs and small rodents.
• Carriers - a hard-sided carrier in three sizes, and a wheeled trolley carrier with a telescopic handle.
• Small-animal cages from 30 x 23 cm up to 55 x 30.2 cm, most supplied complete with a house, wheel, drinker and slide.

Choosing a bird cage

Two numbers matter more than the headline size. Bar spacing decides whether a bird is safe - a bird that can push its head between the bars can hang itself, and one that can squeeze through escapes. Budgerigars and finches need roughly 1 cm, cockatiels around 1.5 cm, and only the larger parrots belong behind the 2 cm bars Dayang quotes on its big cages. Width matters more than height, because birds fly horizontally; a tall narrow cage looks generous and is not.

Choosing a crate or kennel

Size it so the dog can stand without ducking, turn round and lie flat on its side - and no bigger, or it stops feeling like a den. A crate is a bed, not a holding pen, and nothing in this range should be left outdoors in a UAE summer.

Choosing a small-animal cage

Judge a rodent cage on unbroken floor area rather than levels, because tubes and upper storeys do not count. Current welfare guidance puts the minimum for a Syrian hamster at around 4,000 sq cm; the largest cage in this range is about 1,660 sq cm, so these suit dwarf hamsters, mice and gerbils, or work as one part of a bigger setup. Each listing states its own floor area so you can judge for yourself.