Leaderboard

That's what I do: pak-o-bird for short constant moving trips, King's cage for long hauls. I don't feed/water in the soft carrier because it makes a huge mess on the fabric. By the way: the Kings Cage carrier is the bombdiggity! I have the small (no feeders) and the next size up with the feeders. They are such good carriers. The medium sized one slides together, no bolts screws etc I can't believe what a nice carrier it is.

Wow that was an emotional roller-coaster of a post. I can only imagine how you felt when Odie sat on your shoulder and rubbed her beak on you. It's such a shame that Odie couldn't come with you instead of staying with your ex- but at least you know where she is and you will one day be reunited. She is still a very beautiful bird.

Agreed- I love the kings cage. I have the medium one with the bowls. It's incredibly sturdy and I love that it just slots together. It's so easy to clean as well. My only grumble is the plastic bowls that came with it. Alfie managed to crack one quite easily but fortunately the place I got it from (northern parrots) sent me out a replacement for free. (I was willing to pay for it, so kudos to them for excellent customer service!) I always prefer metals bowls over plastic ones. However, he hasn't cracked one since so it is a very minor grumble. I would actually consider a kings cage but I don't think they do anything as big as what Alfie has now. He is in the Liberta enterprise cage (1st edition) and it is the biggest cage I've ever found (other than an aviary). I don't think kings do anything that size. I would also probably have to remortgage my house to afford it if they did, as their stuff can be pretty pricey compared to others. But if the build quality of the travel cage is anything to go by, it would probably be worth it!

When it comes to our greys we always want a happy ending. To get back something we loved like a grey is something special.

Ah ok- perhaps I won't worry so much about it then. I'm mostly going to be taking him on walks in it for now so we won't ever be out for that long. If I'm going anywhere in the car then I put him in his kings travel cage, as that's sturdier. If he's sat still then he's more likely to start chewing the back pack. The kings cage also has fixed bowls with small hinged doors so it's easier to put food and water.in and less likely to spill.

Yeah, my Chessi (tibetan spaniel -- RB 2012) she would gladly drink on the road while traveling. My cats were too upset by the trip to do anything but meow for 6 hours straight (but their carrier doors did have 'clip on dual-dishes' with some water and food -- untouched, of course). But to be honest, there was no way in hell I was going to open a parrot carrier's door while traveling to offer them water! I couldn't have reached them without having the back car door open -- and losing a flyaway parrot on the interstate was NOT happening on my watch! I honestly thought grapes were perfect solution -- it was food and was super juicy. I even cut Kodak's (cockatiel) grapes in half to assist him. Sami (macaw) was the only one to eat her grapes during the whole journey -- she was easy-going and took everything in stride.

I am completely moved and amazed by their incredible long memories! I wish you could have Odie right now, but it sounds like it could be some time very in the very near future. Odie is beautiful, plucked and all!

The only call worse than the ear piercing shriek of our greys is the eclectus alarm call. It's ear drum shattering. It's even louder than the call from my Scarlet macaw, which is saying something.

When I go to the avian vet, I always take a bottle of water and a small bowl. I try to get Timber to drink before heading back, but it's always a no-go. After 6 hours he might though!

When I was 19 (I'm 49 now) I bought my first parrot, an African Grey. There has always been something about the Greys that has drawn me (conures too). We named hrm (him/her) Odie and always called hrm Odie Podie. I only lived with Odie for a very short time, 4-5 years, as by 24, my then wife was filing divorce papers and I was given the boot. My ex-wife held onto my birds for a while, losing my conure outdoors I assume (I absolutely loved that bird) and then eventually giving Odie and Tigger (my Amazon) to my aunt that lives where I grew up in northern New Mexico. Thankfully I am still able to connect with Odie although I haven't done a good job of getting there regularly. The last time I saw Odie was in 2009, the last time I went to see my parents. That was the first time since 1994 that I had seen Odie. She recognized me after I started talking to her the way I used to. My Aunt could even tell that Odie knew who I was. This time around, it took Odie a little while longer to figure out who I was but she recognized me again. My aunt had her out in a garden cage (my aunt basically has a garden of eden in the desert) and we went over to see her. She wouldn't step up on my arm at first but eventually did but was cautious. I started talking to her like I used to and it wasn't long before she asked to climb up my arm onto my shoulder. I let her get on my shoulder and she turned her head and started rubbing my cheek exactly the same way GreycieMae does. It was heart-wrenching for me. I'm not one to cry but the rest of that day it's all I could think about and force myself to hold back the tears because I wasn't about to cry over a bird around my parents and brother. My aunt saw how Odie was acting with me again and took a moment to come over and tell me that she has given instruction when she passes that they (her husband and son) are to give Odie to me so she has a good place to live. That was very comforting. My aunt is 85 and getting frail so I'm assuming some day in the near future, I'll be headed back to New Mexico to gather up Odie and bring her home. She's in terrible shape to my eyes. I've showed these pics to my ex and she says she actually doesn't look too bad considering. My aunt said that when Tigger died back in '08/'09 that Odie started plucking and never stopped. So she's now a plucked bird but she'll always be beautiful to me. These first 5 pics of Odie on my aunt's arm and on my arm, you can see Odie is not too sure about this: Look at that face after she realizes who I am! I swear she has a smile going on that beak ❤️

I just bought the ATS1719 in July and it came with the stainless bowls. Conner lives in it now (sleep cage).

Hmm. Maybe the soil is not the problem and it just needs more water. It is in a very warm and sunny position.

My aloe plant looks just like yours does if a dozen angry macaws ravaged yours down to 7 remaining stalks, 3 of which have broken off ends. lol Jealous! Yours are gorgeous and huge! Mine is, um, at a difficult toddler stage still.

@Timbersmom Alert describes it perfectly - since it's definitely an alarm that he's upset by something! I will try to start calling it an "Alert" also now -- it fits well!

He's beautiful! Loved the videos. He is so bright-eyed, talkative and active.

I'm assuming this is the sound I call Timber's "alert" which I hear when someone comes to the door or he is frightened by something. Thankfully, he doesn't do it when I'm in the room, it's like if I'm not in the room he wants to let me know all is not well. That's why we call it his "alert."

What a sad story of loss! I thought the same as LNCAG, except for the plucking Odie looks good. What a blessing that your aunt was available to take Odie, who knows where he would have ended up otherwise.

I always had cats, and raised 3 children. When the kids are small (like toddlers) you have to be alert and teach them how to treat pets in the home. The cats were curious about the babies, but were never aggressive or problematic with infants. That said, I got Timber because he was in a home with a 4 year old, and the mother feared for a bite to the 4 year old. My comment about that would be the same, you just have to teach the children how to coexist peacefully with the pets.

I have two aloe plants that have been alive and thrived for years. They are enormous, and the pot is always so full of starts it's a constant effort to keep ahead. They are in potting soil. I have no idea why they are so hardy, since I am lousy with plants. I do know someone told me a long time ago that they are succulents, not cactus, so need more water than a cactus. If that is true or not I haven't researched but I water them with the other plants. I'm attaching a picture of one of them. I'm pretty proud, since it is the only thing I've kept alive more than 5 years...

Our birds will show us what we're supposed to have known all along!

Bittersweet -- sad for you to lose your parrots in the first place (divorce is hard, dividing everything up). Also sad that in order to regain Odie, you have to lose a relative and trust others to honour her wishes. Sorry Odie picked out his chest feathers. But his eyes in some shots looked quite bright and alert: happy. Things usually work out somehow, so I'll remain hopeful for you both.

How much does it cost for a pirate to have his ears pierced? A buccaneer!

I had fun reading all the jokes! Hahahahahahahahaha

I moved 250 miles with all my parrots in their kitty carriers lined up in the back seat of my car (not to mention the cats in their carriers on car floor with a fish in tupperware wedged tightly between their carriers). My dog rode shotgun. Trip took nearly 6 hours (I followed the moving truck/lorry). For the parrots, I basically rolled up a hand towel and duct taped it (safely so no toes got stuck!) to bottom of each carrier so they could 'perch' on rolled towels until we got to my new home. Their cages were packed last on moving truck/lorry but still, it took a while to get the cages all set back up inside new home. I had given my parrots each some grapes in their carriers to eat for the journey, but only one ate hers. So I borrowed a large mug from a neighbor and poured them some water (brought from old city -- didn't want to upset their crops with strange new water yet) and each parrot drank and drank from that mug, they were so thirsty and I felt so guilty. I was trying to take turns, give each a couple swallows and then offer to next parrot (they were still in their carriers at this point) and Snickers figured out quickly to simply grab mug rim with his foot and hold tightly so that he could drink his fill. He had so little faith I was coming back to him for multiple turns at water drinking. I think between them, I had to tilt the mug a LOT -- they drank half a mug of water between them. Not recommending parrots go that many hours without access to water (and honestly, I had thought the grapes would provide enough sustenance and fluid enough for them to last the journey). I would NOT worry about water for a short hike!!!

I wouldn't worry too much about the food and water if the trips are relatively short. When I take Timber to the Avian vet (1.75 hours each way) he doesn't eat or drink anything. I asked the vet since I was a little concerned about it (it seems like he is eating or drinking often at home) and he said they usually wouldn't want food or water if in a different situation or environment and it was nothing to worry about.