birdhouse

Sounds like a good idea to invest in a "real" cage if you're going to be going back & forth like that. But I think you could do better if you are going to invest in something as a continuing home away from home. Mostly those have a problem w/the bar spacing which is too small & too light weight. They won't be comfortable for a grey to climb. They wouldn't probably fit a healthy perch either space or weight. Ditto many grey size toys. And the smaller the bar spacing, the harder I find a cage is to clean. Speaking of which, One's got a pretty small door. It's easier to be able to fit your body inside the cage to clean, rearrange, etc. Also, they're a little small. Still better than a travel cage certainly. But for about the same money, you could get a legit size cage. The top link below is a cage I'd jump on, if I needed a cage right now. Good size. Reputable manufacturer. Excellent price. Besides, I think it's purrty http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bird-Parrot-cage-Macaw-Cockatoo-African-Grey-Q39-3223-White-Vein-/111252445243?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19e729983b http://www.ebay.com/itm/Large-Play-Top-Parrot-Bird-Cage-Storey-Deluxe-Ladder-House-Pet-Supply-w-Free-Toy-/191005786358?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item2c78d500f6 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rolling-PlayTop-Ladder-Parrot-Bird-Cage-5-Bowls-Gym-Aviary-Free-Toy-Pet-Supply-/191157621442?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c81e1d2c2 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Large-Parrot-Bird-PlayTop-Stand-Finch-Cage-Macaws-Aviary-Pet-Supply-w-Free-Toy-/380896967438?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58af3a7b0e http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rolling-PlayTop-Ladder-Parrot-Bird-Cage-5-Bowls-Gym-Aviary-Free-Toy-Pet-Supply-/380896965640?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58af3a7408

Thank you for posting this. Incredible photos! Wish I could borrow one, too, Janet! "The eagles are not bred in captivity, but taken from nests at a young age... After years of service, on a spring morning, a hunter releases his mature eagle a final time, leaving a butchered sheep on the mountain as a farewell present. "That's how the Kazakh eagle hunters make sure that the eagles go back to nature and have their own strong newborns, for the sake of future generations," Svidensky says." http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26969150 Yes SterlingSL, the level of respect for what's been borrowed & returning it w/o interfering w/the natural order is very admirable. Wish more cultures had these types of ideals. If anyone wants another type of eagle fix they can check into this live stream of a nest of Decorah eagles.

The Midwest 2100 or 2200 would be nice. But I don't think they make them anymore, unfortunately. You could try calling Midwest or check to see if there is any old stock still hanging around somewhere. http://www.petworldshop.com/midwest-homes-for-pets/midwest-small-medium-parrot-bird-cage.php If you found one, could you have it drop shipped to your destination? Airlines do like to beat things up & lose them, for a hefty fee, of course. They can also have complicated rules about flying birds in case you haven't already checked. Collapsible type travel cages (Janet's 2nd link) can get pretty big. All the way to XX large designed for the big Macaws, etc. I have the size Janet linked & what I'll call a large size. No idea what brands. But the large carrier is not only roomier, but so much sturdier. Just for example see vid in this page http://www.windycityparrot.com/Fold-Away-Travel-Cage-Carrier-for-Large-Parrots-603-30-X-19-x-22_p_605.html#.U2I8mlcV_ow Whatever way you go, advise giving the cage a ridiculously thorough going over before the bird is in it. Make sure all the clips & latches secure really well, all spaces are consistent & there are no sharp edges. Since your fid will have "nothing" better to do but look for vulnerabilities, keep checking regularly. He will no doubt want to make his own enhancements to the cage's original design because that's just who they are.

Phenix' rror of sticks is something that's never diminished even a little. After 25 yrs. he has a meltdown even if I have to change out a perch. I don't know if someone was abusive about stick training. It could also have something to do w/his capture. I don't know but it's Big, Big Bad! Since he's almost as afraid of gloves, I eventually made a double layer sleeve out of thick terry cloth. There's a cuff that's actually 3 layers so I can tuck my fingers in safely. He can bite all he wants but I don't get much more than pinched & my clothes don't get ruined. Maybe something like it would help w/Peck? And I'm w/Janet about creating a bedtime routine whenever Peck starts to settle in. We have a ritual here, too & it usually works pretty painlessly.

This just keeps getting better & better! So glad for you guys!

This could be the beginning of something pretty sweet! If you butt them end-to-end you get 40 ft of open flight path which sounds pret-ty sweet. But 20 ft square isn't too shabby either. I was thinking the canvas might still be useful to canopy the roof against sun/heat/weather, too. A sail maker might customize it & incorporate light & vent screening if you were that motivated. Maybe something like a screen square over canvas flaps that tie/snap/adjust from the inside? Wondering if you could use earth anchors? Maybe create a design that allows you to take the structure down for the winter, tornadoes or whatever. Maybe framed screen panels for the walls?

Fruit Of The Earth Aloe Vera Juice With 99.8% Aloe, 1 gal is available at the major drug store chains around here. But the cheapest I've found is $6.44 at Walmart in the pharmaceuticals dept. I always have to ask for someone to look it up because they move it around No.: 004033016 If you decide to try the chamomile flower, I've been getting it at local grocery stores. The 3.5 oz bottle is more than enough to get us thru the season as it's about 3-4 cups volume. http://www.shoprite.com/pd/Badia/Chamomile-Flower/3-50-oz/033844006358/

I'm going to go out on a limb here & say that I think more than a few of us would probably take the same road under the same circumstances. But the CITES regs do exist for some good reasons as well as some that maybe aren't so good. It certainly isn't right for Sukei's fate be determined by bureaucratic nonsense. However, many of the health & welfare aspects aren't all just red tape. Some countries just don't have trustworthy enough quarantine facilities to get approved. That's the one part of this that's a little dicey. Under the circumstances, I have no idea how you'd go about charting the safest route to get Sukei home & that to me is the only really cringe-worthy part in all this. I wish you all the very best of luck though. Hope you'll continue to keep us updated whenever you get the chance. Meanwhile, second everything Muse said about sheers for the windows.

More frequent Aloe juice & bathing might still do it. And he will probably get used to it ...eventually. lol I've also had some good luck giving Kura chamomile tea baths. Chamomile smells like apple & is a soothing herb whether used inside or out. So she also gets dried chamomile flowers to eat whenever she's at her worst. It doesn't really last too long. But it seems to break that focused determination to get after her feathers for just long enough. Have you been able to get Isaac outside, yet? That's usually the big turning point for Kura. I don't know if it happens to coincide w/ a drop in raging hormones, alleviates the boredom &/or it's the vitamin D boost. But whatever, it works w/her so I'm passing it along. Dave was also saying that Feather In is good stuff. So you might want to check this out. http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?201304-New-To-Bird-Care-and-Have-lots-of-Questions!!!

Hi & Welcome Arthur. W/wild birds pairs will often groom each other in addition to personal grooming. Many birds like to bathe, even in mud puddles. They're also forced to bath whenever it rains or even when it mists. The foliage they're moving thru is wet & helps keep them clean to a degree. That's why my grandmother always gave the keets & canaries wet parsley. However, many species live in regions where dry spells may last months or years. Water becomes a scarce & dangerous commodity. So birds also evolved to take dust baths to help control the naturally occurring oils & "visitors" in their plumage. I don't actually know anything about this product. But it would appear to be based on that premise & *looks* to be a possible natural remedy. You might investigate it or something else like it. You might also consider creating your own dust bath. https://ladygouldian.com/Dyna-Mite-Spray There may be a few reasons for a healthy fid to fall of their perch. One could be referred to as night frights. Either they over react to something like a sound or perhaps a maybe nightmare. Obviously, birds need to be able to stay locked onto their perching even while they sleep. But sometimes whatever disturbs them allows the muscle "lock" to release. Or the perching may just not suit the fid all that well. Either way, the easy way to help w/the problem is to change the perching. Natural branches w/smaller, curvier holds & lots of them let the talons hold on better & help to cradle them against a fall. You could create a roosting area, higher up in your bird's cage. Either overload it to some degree w/branches like I just described, or install an actual platform type arrangement, according to your bird's preference. The forum doesn't seem to have many birds who are for the most part free ranging. It would be very interesting to hear more about you & your fid. It might help generate some more ideas about how to answer your questions as well.

Then maybe I should mention 1) the tally programing isn't doing so hot, either. When I couldn't edit my post, I replaced it & Timbersmom thanked me immediately. The "posts" & "thanked" counts added one each. Then I deleted the original which also had a thanks. The the "posts" & "thanked" counts should have gone back down but didn't. But I just did it again w/this post & the post count did change. idk 2) banned member [Richardgen] is still apparently able to log in.

Just tried to add a link to my "Heartbleed" thread. The edit box opened, but wouldn't save the changes. The thingy just spins. I cancelled it & re-tried a few times. Then I cancelled & tried to go advanced ...nada. However, it did let me delete the post I was trying to edit w/o a problem. I also tried to randomly edit a couple of my other posts & it was the same. :confused: ***5/07/14 I am attempting to add pics & edit this post using my Firefox browser. lookin good!! ***

Thanks Penny. I hadn't seen anything when I posted. But scanners are finally becoming available; if anyone is wondering about other sites they use. http://money.cnn.com/2014/04/24/technology/security/heartbleed-security/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 http://tif.mcafee.com/heartbleedtest...Q2NAMGSCSR1093 http://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=16718

And I belong to seasonally naked Eclectus. Every winter the hormones come on & the feathers come off. But it really is what's inside that counts & she's still the sweetest little thing you could imagine. It might be nice if Garcia's feathers come back. But she's already got the most important thing. She's got your heart ") More than a few fans, too. Hope you'll keep sharing your beautiful girl w/us.

It can be hard to keep up. There are probably a lot of people who don't know about that ban. If you haven't already, it might help to visit the World Parrot Trust website ( www.parrots.org ). I really believe someday, the wild bird trade will mostly be a thing of the past. There will always be greedy people. But I'd like to think there are very many more who just don't see the harm. But by sharing Gogo's story you help change that.

I'm so sorry about your baby Fahad.

One of the many things I've learned on GF is that some produce seems to be routinely packaged differently around the country. I said something about celery one time & was surprised at what people normally found in their neighborhood grocery stores. There was a time, around here at least when oranges were routinely dyed. I don't know if they do that any more. But you can definitely see the wax on apples & other things sometimes. It also feels like some fruits have been polished w/something oily. Cucumbers are another thing. I never bothered to find out what that's about. It may even be perfectly safe. It just strikes me as icky for some reason. lol Like I don't even want to touch it, let alone bring it home. I really should have said I was concerned about being able to get peels/skins clean. They are good food & I know it's a waste. But unless it's organic produce, I tend to be a little over cautious about them.

Even buying it at full price from Stop & Shop, you could turn around 1 jar a day on average & never have to work again. Have to make up for that huge point reward, though. Maybe drop the shipping to say $30? Wow, Red Palm Oil really is some amazing stuff!! lol

ROFL! I wonder if they'd take the coupons. http://www.rakuten.com/prod/nutiva-red-palm-oil/263946859.html?listingId=338230559&scid=pla_google_wickedcommerce&adid=18179&gclid=COiArOKn6L0CFRFnOgodmxkAWA

That really wasn't me. Honest. Still saying Sophie wouldn't become a plucker because you feel sure you would be able to recognize & control the situation. Maybe someone else will weigh in & say what we've been trying to in a way that makes better sense to you. But I'm at a loss here. It's just so very important to me that nobody who's working thru this be given a reason to believe that they have failed if they can't achieve the impossible. That should remain a purely self-inflicted part of the problem (a little gallows humor there). There is always a reason for a parrot's behavior. But bird keeping has a long way to go & we don't always know what makes these guys tick, let alone how to reset them when "someone trips over their perch" [Mistyparrot].

The one thing I read that I would kind of worry about was feeding citrus fruit peels, even though peels have lots of good nutrition.Things are so often dyed, sprayed, waxed, etc & I just don't know about feeding it to the fids no matter how well washed. Otherwise, I like that article very much. And I do think there's a lot to what she's written. Thanks for sharing.

If you can get Cosmo interested in chewing on the right types of things it will go a long way toward keeping his beak down, like the others have said. If he won't bother w/the lava stone that's stuck to the side of his cage, there are toys that have stone in them. Also shells. You can incorporate pieces of cuttlebone into toys, too. Cuttlebone is helpful for beak trimming & is also a calcium supplement. Letting Cosmo shell his own nuts will help some & is good foraging. The little hangers that have almonds jammed into holes in a block of wood might do double duty, here. But there are harder nuts to shell if you were just giving them to him. Also, Cosmo may only be interested in certain types of wood. Phenix will rip into most anything. But it's pointless for me to give Kura any kind of hard woods or pine. For a while I thought she just didn't shred wood. But eventually I found that she really likes things like coconut husk, birch, rattan, bamboo & grapevine. Even though they're not that hard, they do keep her beak trim. Everyone also enjoys stripping the bark from fresh branches. If you can cut some switches from bird-safe trees that are fertilizer & pesticide free, you might bring some in & bake them for Cosmos. But just so you know, they do make a lovely mess! But I do believe that's all part of the attraction. lol

Could the tech gurus please let us know if GF is affected by Heartbleed? Thinking maybe send a message thru that public announcement system Talon was so happy to have added last year? Anyway, something to let us good guys know what's up w/o announcing it to the bad guys. If it is, could you also let us know when things are fixed up so we can change our information? Thanks. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/04/14/heartbleed-is-about-to-get-worse-and-it-will-slow-the-internet-to-a-crawl/

Maybe you could add that vid link of Isaac w/his cup on the table, to your post. Or make another one. (hint, hint). He was having such a ball getting one heck of a work out! After you posted that vid I got a cup for Phenix. I'd give him paper cups to tear up basically. He loves to drink out of real cups but I never thought to give him one to play with. Maybe because I'm always chasing him away from whatever he's not supposed to be drinking. lol But Isaac was having such fun I gave Phenix his plastic play cup. He's a little older & maybe a little less boisterous w/his. He only smashes it all around his cage like mad, until it gets loose on the floor. Then either I'm supposed to play fetch or he drags it to his man cave to bash around under the couch. He loves his cup, too. Glad it's all good w/you guys. Almost time for some pics, isn't it?

This is an incredibly diverse membership. Anyone who wants to share has to respect the differences in culture, sensibilities & life styles. Posters just don't tend to be very receptive while they're busy defending themselves. Even w/as many good things as GF has going for it, I think the very best is that we don't often lose sight of the fact that it's all about the birds. ... &/or what Steve said! lol