birdhouse

If I read this right, you're pet sitting Pepsi for an extended period, right? And I'm going to guess this is a relatively well adjusted bird who is familiar with you? If that's the case, you've got a nice head start. The first thing would be to get all the information you can from your friend as to likes, dislikes, habits, fears, etc. Stick to Pepsi's version of normal as much as possible. Once things seem to be going well, you can explore how Pepsi feels about some of your ideas for food & activities. Be aware of her reactions & don't force anything. If she's an older bird, especially, she may not be big on change. If you don't feel confident about her reaction, ask for advice. There will probably be moments like sitting for a 4 yo who's over tired or on a sugar high or missing her Mommy or just having a cranky day. Other than that, treat her like a spoiled grandchild & have a great time with each other!

LOL Hope this turns out well! Sometimes poor Belle's in the doghouse for days over minor or even imagined infractions. At some point, she starts to give it back. They remind me of a group of children during a very long car ride. I can do everything possible to keep the peace, but they find a way to keep picking on each other until they decide it's over.

I bought a larger & smaller HQ cage like this on Ebay, for less than half the msrp. Phenix' is about 44" tall & I really love it. Unfortunately, I don't see the seller listed anymore. http://www.mybirdcage.com/medium_arch_cage.html I just ordered this one from Petco for Kura. It's been on back order. But, I'm hoping it will come in this week. I also Googled & found some coupon codes, too. So, it cost about $199 total w/tax & shipping. http://www.petco.com/product/112988/Marvelous-Pet-Supplies-Bungalow-Bird-Cage.aspx?CoreCat=BirdFC_Cagesstands

I can't speak for our friends "over there", but on this side of the pond there's been a bit of excitement the past few days. I think some birds may react to the holidays. Doesn't it make sense that when there's a change in energy, decor, excitement, routine, etc. that our birds will act differently, too?

Thanks, Delma. If they could actually do so much good, that would be super.

It took over a year to get Phenix to eat anything but seed. Eyes pinning & furious, he would fling anything I tried to give him as if it were poisonous. I still laugh sometimes when he makes crunching sounds & happily waves a treat at me as he chows on any number of fruits & veggies. Like Dave said, keep trying different foods made ways. Also, try letting him eat with you or make food into toys. Elevenking just posted about Isaac's new game of foraging in a wide mouthed plastic container. Funny how forbidden fruit seems to taste sweeter.

It sounds like Gary is doing greyt. He's a strong little bird & seems to be overcoming his sad past quite quickly. No, he isn't necessarily always going to bite you if he doesn't want to step up. There are other ways to say no including body language, head back with mouth open, hitting with his beak closed, etc. Kura will wrap her foot around my finger & "shove" my hand away. He may just need to fully believe you'll listen to him. Then he'll learn he doesn't need to go to the extremes of bloodletting to have a say. But it's only been a week & he's still trying to find out what your true intentions are. Trust takes time, especially where there's been abuse.

That is so-o-o cute!

Glad you liked it. I think those activities books have a lot of interesting ideas.

Thanksgiving's come & gone & for the most part, everyone was surprisingly well behaved. Except maybe for this one little moment... It came to that lull at the end of the day when the last guests were finishing their coffee & working up the energy to head out. The dog, full of goodies, had curled up by the quaker's cage to take a nap. From where I sat, I could see Charm work her way down to the floor of the cage, right beside the dog. And for a second, I thought how sweet when she quietly started to bird talk to her as she played. Even when dogs sleep, they seem to be listening to everything that's going on. Inevitably a big, beautiful ear directed itself at the sweet nothings that Charm was whispering. I saw it coming in the instant it happened. Charm flashed out to grab the ear that she'd been after all along and she missed!! The ear settle back in another direction. No one but me had any idea how close the person at that end of the couch came to wearing his coffee when my big dog came straight up off the floor out of sound sleep. Charm took her toy & climbed up the side of the cage, looking for all the world, as innocent as pumpkin pie. Hope everyone else had a great day, too! Happy Thanksgiving!

What a fun & colorful photo! Very nice!

Our whole house seems to wake up about the same time, except in the early spring. Then they literally wake up with the birds & talk to them out the window come about day break. One of the only things about spring that I don't look forward to, not being an early bird, myself. Everyone puts themselves to bed & just doses off. But there will be a round of Good Night's right before lights out.

Same to you!

:confused: I thought that was my line Gravitational lion vital variation groan trail odorous

That truly deserves to be a classic. Thanks Dan & Dave. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I thought it would be nice to make a special Thanksgiving thread for Jay & Maggie & Spock & Joey & company. Just to let them know that even though this Thanksgiving it may be a little harder to remember, there are still so many things to be thankful for. Starting with all their friends on The Grey Forums who are still sending best wishes & looking forward to their return. Happy Thanksgiving to your whole flock.

What a well loved, happy, healthy looking fid! Thanks for the show.

Sometimes it takes the right combination of personalities to be able understand together. It's really great that you found each other & made it happen. Cricket is obviously happy now. And that's a beautiful thing!

I'm really glad to hear things are going so well, but you might want to slow down a bit. That two days in this bird isn't much intimidated by a new flock says he has a strong personality. He's conditioned to being hit & I'm going to guess they threatened to hit him as well. How does he know what you're going to do when you reach towards him & he doesn't know you or have any reason to trust people, especially women, apparently? He's a biter who's been abused. Any of this may color the way he sees things when you start to pet him for instance. Maybe not so good to let him on your shoulder, yet either. You're very vulnerable if you trigger a bite reflex. And you will, at some point. For a while, it might be a good idea to limit it to step up when he's comfortable. Let him hang, talk to him, offer a toy or food. Give him a lot of time to forget what he's known & learn that hands won't threaten him any more. That & the move are a lot for right now.

He's just a beautiful bird!

This is a lot of information on how to create an environment to help keep your birds amused & active http://www.parrotenrichment.com/ I hope you'll find many hours of fun for you & your fids.

You haven't tried to make him do anything. You've given him the opportunity to explore his new surroundings but let him decide how. You've interacted with him like a new member of the flock. All good. He's going to need some time to stop being dazed & confused, so he's probably going to give you some mixed signals. The chest beating is likely nervousness at this point. But Barbara's right, it will have other meanings, eventually. You're paying attention to the way he's behaving & what you're reporting sounds like a bird who is settling in & not freaked out about it. He's probably just so happy to be away from them that he'll try anything. I wouldn't change anything you're doing until he does. Then, react accordingly.

How's Nilah doing???

I'm so glad you took this guy out of his former residence. Extra points for not doing anything radical to the previous owners. I just read all the way thru this & realized my jaw is clenched so hard it hurts. He really does look beautiful. Sounds like he's handled the abuse better than he could have by a lot. Please don't be shy about asking for help with his baggage, cuz I'm sure he's got some after all that. Again, way to go!!!!