birdhouse

Also, can't hurt to tell the vet what's going on & ask if they'll see you now & let you pay them when your wife comes home. The worst they can do is say no, right?

I know what this sounds like. But do your best to think good thoughts. You don't want Spy to pick up on your stress. It sounds like she likes being held. So that's good. Maybe see if she'll eat some warm oatmeal & cinnamon. Warm food is often comfort food for fids. Both the cinnamon & the oatmeal might help if there's a crop problem. It won't hurt to keep her strength up. And the bonding will be good for both of you.

lol Surprisingly, no. Charm is an enigma in a lot of ways. And I have to say that one of them is that she doesn't generally seem to think of anyone as her minion ...for the most part. She is after all a parrot. It is gene encoded so occasionally it's just inevitable, I guess. But I think of her as more the bratty little sister who's much too adorable for her own good. We all know she delights in making mischief. But she still manages to get away w/pretty much everything. Which is how she got her name. There are very few who can resist her charms.

I'm so sorry! This must be so hard for you. But maybe someone at the vet's speaks English? Because the rest of the world seems to be so much better at speaking multiple languages than we are in the US (for the most part). Is there another vet in the area who does have any English speaking staff? Otherwise, is there anyone you could take w/you to translate? Because it really would be better for both of you if you could go before Saturday. Another possibility, maybe put in a call to a vet or vet school in the states. Just tell them you're situation. I don't know if they could do anything. But would it hurt to try. One of the big institutions like Tuft's Vet School or Angell Memorial in Mass might even have references in your area.

Phenix treats his like a Xmas stocking whenever I refill it. I put all different things in it & he loves it. The best part (besides it seems unbreakable & it's great to work w/because it's so huge) it even though it changes it's still the same. I can actually remove & change it up w/o having to go thru that adjustment period & potential melt down. It's actually new and exciting instead of terrifying & that's just a marvel to me & so appreciated!

I'm kind of excited to check this out. If only the website would cooperate, dang it. I don't know if it's my antivirus settings or what. But I can't hardly go anywhere on that site. I'll have to check it out on something else. I think Harrisons has too much peanuts & corn & just things I wouldn't want to feed daily. So we use TOP Organics Pellets. But , it would be nice to have another alternative to. Even though they're only a supplement w/the mash, TOPS recipe still always seemed a little boring. BirdD-elicious looks a more complex & maybe yummier. How did you find out about it?

Adom may never be comfortable being trapped in a corner while anything stares at him like that. But they both sure looking like they're a whole lot better adjusted, relaxed & happy. That's so great to see.

Wow!! Love what you've done w/the place. lol That is absolutely glorious!! I love the way you guys make top to bottom attraction because so many people don't get that when they design a bird space. I know it will always be a work in process. But it looks worth all the effort from here. And not for nothing, but I can't get over how quite everyone was.

Aaahhh, success!! Very nice job sneaking that little vid like that. Good job you!! That looks like the one I was recommending to Syed because Phenix loves his so much. ..? Maybe we found a must have for all the fraidycat fids. lol http://www.amazon.com/Caitec-Foraging-Ball-Chain-Bell/dp/B00EOOQCH8/187-5246596-4833354?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01 We also have one of those pipe bells. Worth whatever it cost because I love the sound of it & it's another indestructabell that's been around for years & years in spite of massive abuse.

You guys really are taking a beating, aren't you. I hope Mother Nature gets over it real soon.

Is it later yet? ...not that I'm trying to rush you or anything.

Just like I said, good times, right? :rolleyes:

I felt like we were kind of hijacking that other thread, which is why I moved back to yours. For me, the best toy making is quick & easy. Destruction makes fids happy. So the most successful toys are the ones that get destroyed the fastest. Pointless to spend gobs of time on much of anything unless it's a stand, orbit or boing or such. Or unless it's something I make w/the fids help because that's quality time & lots of fun. The strawburst in the pic is a quick link & a big ole handful of straws, wrapped in a zip tie. We can go thru a couple each week per fid sometimes. It takes longer to hang them than make them because of where they happened to work best in the cages. Sometime they get stolen before I can get them hung & that can slow things down a bit, too. ") And just to give you a heads up, when Phenix wants to be a brat, he clips the zip tie open & watches the bundle explode all over the place. Then he laughs & starts chasing down & destroying the individual straws. If I added anything else w/the straws it would likely end up in the poop tray. So the no frills approach is actually self defense around here. Also, just a reminder to use parrot safe bits. Bells, for instance, need safe, strong clappers. They can't be coated w/epoxy. If they aren't specifically bird safe they're made out of unknowable metal alloys that might contain zinc & lead which build up in a birds system over time. A member just post a couple of weeks ago about losing a young fid to heavy metal poisoning, actually. It should be a very real concern w/any metal objects we give them.

Phenix didn't talk human for a couple of years. It actually never occurred to me that an adult wild caught grey ever would. But given the circumstances, I was hyper dialed in to him. So I realized pretty early on that he made situationally appropriate sounds. Like he started swallowing when he got hooked on drinking from my cup & expected me to share. There'd be spoon tapping whenever I went toward the kitchen & a certain fid was hungry, etc. But what actually blows me away the most is Charm & the dogs. Because Charm barely says an intelligible "hello" & that's her entire human vocabulary. Except she does have the best laugh! But anyway, she's always been able to call each dog individually from across the house & have them sit to wait for her to give them a treat. She doesn't communicate w/them in any human language. But she trains them up & orders them around w/no problem at all. I just think that's amazing.

^^^ Did you notice the activity books I posted on Charlie's thread? If you read them, they can save you a boat load of money. Making toys is also fun especially if you let Charlie help. That way, you also get to see what things he likes best. I paid $12'ish & that's my review. I never run out of new ideas & Phenix never gets tired of it. The only thing I have ever been able to say that about & I think we've had it 2-3 yrs now. http://www.amazon.com/Caitec-Foraging-Ball-Chain-Bell/dp/B00EOOQCH8/187-5246596-4833354?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01 These (& straws) are just the bomb & go nicely in that ball. I've paid $7'ish a gross http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Finger-package-Assorted-Colors/dp/B005S4D0HI?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00 STRAWS!! Dirt cheap & the possibilities are endless!!!

I kind of feel like cones are for mutilators. They will probably let the fid heal & grow feathers in. But, when they regain access, they often go straight back to clobbering themselves. Similar case w/vests. Maybe more comfortable. Also good if the fid needs to be kept warm. Misting a couple of times a week w/w/o organic aloe juice (check out Walmart.com) is great for a lot of reasons. A humidifier may certainly help. I like my fountains because I like the sound of flowing water & so does Phenix. Also recommend getting a Hygrometer. Then you'll know the actual humidity level vs whatever it may feel like to you. This is just a long, slow, often heart breaking process that will by-golly teach you the definition of patience, devotion & love. You learn to celebrate the good days because any one day, you may have to start all over again, again, again... Then you take your best guess from those pivotal episodes & move on. Hopefully w/a new piece of the puzzle. I think lots of people blame themselves &/or their fid. That's just more stress & so pointless. Once you learn to put it in perspective there comes a balance point. You can actually care w/o (most of) the negative emotions that the fid is most certainly going to pick up on. And I'm kind of convinced that's a big part to the healing process. Albeit one of the hardest to master for some parronts. EDIT forgot to mention that the bath dish & sprayer are a big part of things. Some of the sprayers I've used have made my fids crazy. And w/my ekkie, I have to use a slow, steady rhythm. If I spray too "aggressively" things usually go sideways quickly. Finding the right bath tub can be equally challenging. So maybe eventually try different dishes if that first one doesn't work out. Some fids also like to stick their heads under a trickling faucet. Some like a shower, too. You can set up a perch & take them in w/you which is great.

Me too. Every time! And I'm glad some more people got to got to enjoy it.

We don't have many bird fairs around here & what we do have are pretty poor from what you all post. I don't why. But, so it's my job to find good websites ...and share whenever I can. ")

The important part - She's safe & sound! The rest of the story - I'm looking for a cage for Phenix. Saw something I liked on Craigslist & called - right in the middle of all this drama. I don't really know why the man even picked up the phone under the circumstances. But I guess people have done much stranger things in a crisis. So, I talked w/him for like 30 mins & sent him everything I had on escapees. He sounded better so maybe it helped. He did seem to listen when I told him to move across the street, at least. But I still got off the phone & cried because I've lost 2 fids. It always upsets me. But even though it's been 20 & 30 yrs since, sometimes I hear these stories & am right back there again & this time it got to me. Since I'm a total stranger it just felt wrong to bother them under the circumstances. But I "happened to find " another link to send that nite. And I'm glad (for all of us I guess lol) he texted back. They called a tree service. He said she practically jumped into the guy's arms when the bucket got up to her. The good & bad news is she was scheduled to get her wings clipped this afternoon. No way to talk them out of it. I tried but there is just too much emotion right now. As much as I hate that part, this is still a great big win overall.

Need every thread anyone can remember about getting a fid out of a tree. It is 4:10 pm east coast time & a rose breasted too really needs us to help her get home tonite, please. The forum search engine is not helpful. So I hope the members will be. Thank you all very much!

Maybe still need some tweaking. But it sounds like an awesome day & the pics are beautiful. Can't wait to see/hear all about the next round.

Comes down to it, I think the ref was pretty fair overall. Let's just say there were fowls on both teams! One fowl after another, actually. :rolleyes:

Really sorry to hear that. Any better yet (I hope)?

Maybe you could get a refund or price match. The Petco's around here know they can be pathetic & overpriced compared to the online competition. Most of them are very accommodating because they really want to keep what they can of their customer base. Unfortunately, their bird dept has gotten pretty sad in the past couple of years. You might want to check out the first two sites for more than just Poop Off. http://www.mysafebirdstore.com/search.cgi?keywords=+POOP-OFF http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=5939 http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&field-keywords=%20POOP-OFF&index=blended&link_code=qs&sourceid=Mozilla-search&tag=mozilla-20

lol To put this in perspective, those nasturtium "jumped the fence". That's a pic of them growing wild albeit in the Pacific NW. W/the misters & all, they could have more than a fighting chance even w/you. And since they're annuals, they're supposed to die after a couple of months anyway. ")