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Boxes, cupboards etc are the only thing we have found that will keep Huey busy enough so he doesn't butcher his feet. Otherwise he has to stay on Haliperidol 24/7 and it keeps him knocked out and droopy all the time - hate that. Huey goes hormonal in the spring regardless of there being boxes around or not - we found that out the first year we had him. So does our male Caique - loses his mind and rips his belly feathers out, has no boxes etc. Not sure I buy into the boxes cause nesting theory, I'm more of the inclination that it's their normal seasonal hormonal fluctuations. 20200331_082957.mp4

I love the photo of Huey peeping out over the top of the drawer!

They have their expectations! Huey gets irritable if I'm not making his 'lunches with the ladies' soon after he is up.

Due to my work schedule, I feed frozen veggies. I make a mixture of pasta, rice, quinoa, and various frozen veggies. Freeze it and have enough to give daily for about a month. They don't always like what I have chosen, but they will pick at it at the very least.

I've been lucky -- my sis has been concerned that I am high risk -- so she is buying groceries for me, my parents and her in-laws. It's like her Saturday is nothing but food deliveries (we don't all live in same town). So far no has accused of her hoarding - but it's got to be a LOT of groceries. She still can't find toilet paper (I'm not out) - no idea about her inlaws' supply of tp. I did do drive-through at Arby's once for their turkey swiss sandwich (a fave of mine) and I literally unbagged/unwrapped sandwich and dumped it on a plate without touching it. Then I took Lysol wipes to all doorknobs, etc. and then double-washed my hands before sitting down to eat it. Overkill? I told my Mom that story and she thought I was crazy. She said 'well someone made and touched the sandwich' and I said I thought they wore gloves in food prep. And Mom's like "how often do you think they change their gloves and don't you think they are touching other stuff with them on?" Dunno. But that sandwich was such a treat! Snicker's food is holding out nicely so far. He is eating my own rice now without a problem. Good thing since I am out of Birdseye frozen rice and veg mix.

It has been absolute carnage here due to idiotic panic buying. I've never known anything like it. However it does seem to be calming down somewhat now. Shops put in fairly hefty restrictions and reduced their opening hours to give themselves chance to restock the shelves. They also opened early for the elderly/vulnerable and also have dedicated times for NHS/health workers to shop. They're also restricting how many people can be in the store at any time, so you have to queue outside (keeping in mind social distancing guidance) and go in when told. I went today around 1pm to grab a few bits of food. We only bought what we needed before the lockdown and so we were getting towards the end of our supplies. Thankfully I was able to find everything I needed today. I did forget a few bits but I was trying to get in and out as quickly as possible so stupidly didn't take a list. But we have enough of what we need. Alfie has a mix of pellets, seeds, dried fruit and dried veg. He rarely eats fresh produce and usually launches it with gusto across his cage. So he's fairly happy with what he has for now. I've seen others who have use dehydrators to create bird food and as far as I'm aware there's no issue with that? I buy in dried fruit and veg for Alfie as I have such a small kitchen. Otherwise I'd make it myself.

We went to the Grocery Store once during the day and once at night. Going in the morning seems like a good idea. I will try that. We were able to find toilet Paper and Paper Towels today where before nobody had them so things may be normalizing. The Pelleted Mix I get has dry fruit and Veggies in it, so that may be good enough. Unfortunately Breezy gets upset if he doesnt get Fresh fruits and Veggies every day so he might be mad at me for awhile if I cant get them. He gets loud in the morning when he hears me up and I dont start getting his produce ready right away for him.

I assume it depends on the bird. Alfie loves to to shred boxes and magazines and will spend many happy hours doing so. And whilst he's shredding boxes, he's not shredding my furniture, so it works for me. I have never seen any mating/nesting behaviours triggered by him shredding magazines and boxes. The only thing that had triggered a response are some foot toys- usually small ball shaped toys will set him off as he seems to think of them as eggs. Needless to say, he doesn't get those if he's feeling hormonal!

These days I only run when chased