birdhouse

They can be so super sensitive to anything new & sometimes it's almost impossible to tell what the problem is. Really good job figuring this out!!

I'm sure I'm not the only member who has a bird with an unknowable past. While it isn't essential to know how old he is, it would be nice & it could be helpful at times. I know health, diet & care might make any physical clues misleading. But, in general, I believe the ridges along their beaks start to develop at some point. I know their feet get more scaly. At what point & to what extent, I don't know. So my question for the Grey Matters Brain Trust is the best way to go about guessing what a bird's age might really be.

So sorry to hear about Lolita. They do leave such a big empty space when they go. So sad.

It sounded like book I would be able to identify with & maybe learn from. But after reading the rest of the posts, I did some research. Now I'm thinking maybe not.

Thanks. I find interesting things all the time. But Phenix isn't going to have any of it most of the time. I really thought the spoons would be ok on a simple wood toy with a new bell thrown in. He loves bells. It's a real challenge to keep him active. But using a little effort & very little expense I can keep trying, Phenix can keep rejecting & Kura keeps lucking out.

Not me. Before I read this I would have guessed that a swamp cooler was some kind of a green drink - non-alcoholic, of course.

Yes... but... Yes... I don't need a swamp cooler since I live on a pond & the only time I'm not dehumidifying is in the dead of winter with the forced hot air. I can use normal humidifiers for that. But... I'm glad to learn about the ionizing, because I have a small air purifier that ionizes the air. It hasn't happened that I've used it near the birds, but now I know not to in the future. So, as usual, I got an education today. Thank you again!

Bulk wood parts, recycled pony beads, an interesting set of measuring spoons & a new bell ! (w/a beautiful sound!!) skewered onto one side of a replaceable perch swing. This sat in the place where I introduce Phenix to new toys for 3 weeks. It got a "Seriously... NO blankety blank blank way!!!" reception because of the spoons & never went in his cage. :mad: Used to be that I'd have taken my failures apart & gone back to the drawing board. Now, fortunately, Kura is quite happy to accept 99% of Phenix' rejects. She likes the way the spoons spin around & how pistachio nuts magically appear in them, sometimes.

I've never heard that before. Thank you.

Why is that, Dave?

Condolences for the loss of your sister-in-law & very sorry to hear that Charlie hasn't gotten back to normal after putting you through the escape. You don't know what he was exposed to while he was gone. Maybe somethings that were scary enough to still be haunting him, even in the safety of his family. No matter whatever else, love him up. It can't hurt. He could have been exposed to germs & chemicals, too. How is he acting aside from the quiet? How is he eating? How are his droppings? Birds are so tough about showing it when they're sick. Sometimes, you don't get much if any signs. Maybe a trip to the vet isn't a bad idea. It will also help give you & your husband peace of mind if he gets a clean bill of health. Hopefully, he'll be back to normal soon. Good luck!!

These posts are a great all around description of the unique grey psyche & other bird comparisons with super first hand examples. Really wish I'd had this collected insight when i started out. I hope every new grey owner finds this very early on in their parronting.

You & Dave, both... "I can get in trouble all by myself"... Don't encourage me! :rolleyes: We've been having some unsettling weather this spring, too, Malikah. Great thunderstorms. The pond attracts the lightening & the thunder can shake the house. Unfortunately, the fids don't share my appreciation of this & my 85 lb dog climbs in my pocket. I wish I didn't have a dirt crawlspace so I could build a padded room for them, or maybe me, or maybe both. :confused: If you wanted me to see where they conditioned the birds before hand, that looked interesting. I never thought to make it last even longer to make it less stressful. But I get it. I'll see what they do if I crank the receiver volume & subwoofer up, gradually. Maybe it can help next year. Thanks. Also, does anyone have any dietary suggestions? Any recommended diet for short term stress like we'd change their diet during molting or breeding seasons? Thanks, again.

Phenix got tired just watching her... & he did watch the video. I think he thought she looked pretty good. So, at say 30-40 yo, does that mean my TAG's a dirty old man?

OK, this just gave me chills because it's a lot too close to home. Most of that sounds like Phenix. I will definitely add it to my reading list. I'm very glad to see every possible measure taken to stop birds or any critter from being subjected to poaching. I have an enduring nightmare vision of Phenix being caught & the journey in between before he finally found me. It keeps me working with him, no matter how much blood's shed. And it reminds me, always, that I'm not the only one who's working hard for every little baby step he makes.

Yes, Judy, there are definately advantages to living in the country. But, it's not so cityfied as I guess it sounds. I live on the coast and near a large number of water bodies. This is a place people go for vacation & summer recreation. Summer always begins the weekend before the 4th & it's great... if you don't have feathers or fur. The air show is on the bay 15-20 miles down river. Again, when it's over water, sound & repercussions can really travel. We're in the flight path & if a plane makes some of those booms or flies low enough to feel, I'm going to jump, too. Meanwhile, it sounds like thunderstorms. I'm fine with the fireworks. Professional fireworks are anywhere up or down the river, as little as a couple of miles away. Private fireworks might be anywhere, but especially wherever there's water & I live on a pond. Firecrackers etc. are just unavoidable this week & I wish it was just the kids. There's always the random percent of idiots, of course. Yes, Dave, sometimes a BB gun would be tempting. I know it would make Phenix laugh. But for the most part, people handle their fun pretty well. The birds just don't tune out the smoke smells, commotion & general changes in their routine & usually peaceful environment. It's not fun for them to be outside this week so I keep them in. Less time out of the cage because it's safer if only one is out at a time. Thanks Birdnut, there's extra noise in the house. It helps mask the noises outside, some. But that's still another change for them AND they don't get to go to sleep on time. It's just a little harder for them & it all adds up. I'm always looking for ways to make things a little easier if I can. So, thanks a bunch for everyone's suggestions. Please keep them coming.

In our neighborhood, this was night 1 of this year's 10 day celebration of the 4th of July. Phenix talked incessantly. Kura bounced off her perch a few times. Charm tried to out-do the noise. No one in the house likes firecrackers except me. Besides the fireworks, there will be an air show this weekend. No matter it's about 20 miles away. That's nothing as the planes fly & most of that distance is over water. The different air traffic & its noise will help keep the birds on edge for the next couple of days. I love the 4th & everything else about it, except what it does to my critters. By this time next week, they'll all be stressing. And that's before the actual 4 days of mad boat & car traffic, barbecues, bonfires & fireworks. I'm curious to know how everyone & their fids handle the holiday. Would really appreciate hearing from people about how they help their fids through the happy insanity of the 4th of July.

Phenix turns a light off & on, repeatedly & laughs the whole time. He figured out he can get on the back of one of the chairs & snap the light switch for the light on the other side of the glass door. He's just barely tall enough & it looks like it takes all of his strength. I don't want him playing with anything electrical, but the first time I saw him do it surprised me & I broke down laughing. I was so impressed by how clever he'd been to figure it out. And he looked so proud of himself & was having such a great time. So, of course it was his favorite thing after that, no matter how often I chase him off it.

Just hope wherever he ends up he's safe.

... boy, I wish I could say that!! There's a constant supply for the fids because they're a pain in my yard. I shred dandelion greens into the mix of veggies & grains I make for Kura. She'll eat them that way, but just mostly plays if it's the whole leaf or flower. Phenix likes me to give him mostly stems a couple inches long. He'll just pitch it if I make him strip the leaf for himself. Not that he's spoiled or anything. I'm just well trained. :rolleyes:

Phenix likes strings of pony beads & colored wood, cat balls with bells & the drum shaped ones, bells in general & plastic chains. He also likes a nice chain of quick links. If I link a few together, he likes to unscrew them & take the chain apart. A plain old string of wood shapes is really his thing. I get it in bulk, at Jungle Junction in RI & just keep stringing it on whatever. He likes to find smaller pieces that I leave around his cage as foot toys. He also likes the Jungle Talk blocks with the almonds in them. He uses the cat toys as foot toys. He plays hockey on the floor of his cage with the cat balls. He's got my ekkie doing it, too. I have to admit it makes a racket, though. Foot toys get the best reception. I think hanging things are much more threatening. He likes to chew apart or unlink plastic chains. Sometimes, I'll quick link the ends across the lower part of the cage & hang a couple of things in the links of a big chain. He'll perch on the chain & destroy whatever's hanging from it. But I really have to be VERY patient about everything new that goes in the cage. I let him watch me make things. I leave them lying around then introduce them. But I know when I put them into the cage they become scary & he'll avoid that part of the cage sometimes for months. As long as he isn't cowering or growling, I'll wait him out & just show him the toy a few times a week. Then, one day, he just decides it's safe & he usually decides the toy is ok. He's got issues & this is just his way. If I don't let him take however long he needs to accept new things, he would literally just sit around day after day.

:eek: "... it didn't sound that way in my head!" I bred tiels & that's tons easier than ekkies & I got you were sending them to a better environment right way. Maybe I should have said, "It would have broken my heart to have to part with them." I'm sorry if it doesn't read that way.

Eclectus. Beautiful & unique even among parrots. Sweeping generalization, I know, but the males tend to be clowns & the females have the sweetest voices. I don't think they radiate the same energy vibe that puts some people off about parrots. Although the beak issue may apply. I love their colors & there's just something about their faces that always makes me smile.

It's been a few days... How's your visitor? Any word from his family, yet?

Wow you take great pics! Ted should be in magazines. He really is a beauty. Bet Lily will be too, after her next good molt. I don't think I could have given them up. Thank you for posting these pics.