birdhouse

Me too, Jeff. It's a thing on my bucket list. I think it would be amazing to see a wild herd some day.

I think most of us have seen pics of elephants playing in the water before. I at least have never seen one loose in the ocean, though. This little calf is having even more fun than my dogs usually have at the beach. He was so cute, I just wanted to share.

Still not complaining, but can't say I'm actually surprised. I am kind of having one of those weeks. lol

So everyone else can see the vid??? Thought is was technical difficulties. But I've been trying since you posted it & keep getting "video not found"

Ahh, The Corn Thing! Second only to peanuts & sunflower seeds as most loved by most fids, I think. If you don't mind the mess, it's also very fun to watch them tear apart a whole ear, husk, silk & all. Every so often when it's in season, I'll take a little of the outer husk off to remove whatever it may have picked up in its travels. Then hang it by the stalk nub & get out of the way. Think they eat maybe 5% of it. But they sure seem to enjoy themselves. Reminds me very much of letting them loose on a pumpkin.

Even though it's a little early it looks like this is primarily about everyone going hormonal at once. They tend to go off their rockers at all different times. Just hope they don't feed each others insanity, too. But a little warning does go a long way. At least today I knew to approach w/caution. Made a big deal out of breakfast. Then set them up w/some new things to shred. Checked to make sure the bandaid box is full & put a question mark on the calendar for March 3rd. Just need to pick up some wine & I'll be strapped in & ready to go!

Kura came after me while I was cleaning the grate in her cage. Most of the time, she doesn't ruffle a feather. Even if she were furious, it's a pretty safe bet that Kura's not going to do more than grab me. So, I waited until she got w/in reach, then got right in her face & gave her a big smooch on the beak. Then a couple on her head, half dozen on her shoulder & a few on her wing. Then I went back to cleaning while she preened my hair. Not long after, I went into Charm's cage & was not surprised by the hostile response, just the level of it. Charm is the stereotype for Quaker cage aggression. So I did back just out of reach because she can do surprisingly painful damage when she's like that. I told her how truly sorry her devoted slave was to have upset her while I watched the dangerous body language drain away. It took a minute before she spoke to me in conversational Quaker. Then her normal attention deficit kicked in. She just wandered off & forgot all about whatever I was doing. Mindlessly went to get Phenix' water cup when I saw he'd made soup w/his lunch. As soon as I got near the cage he came flying. Smashed into the bars, eyes pinning, seriously intent on doing some damage. Sigh... Spent probably 5 min diffusing his rage. But he finally turned on the charm & I actually walked away laughing. Found him chattering & waiting in his usual spot when I brought the clean water back. Laughing, he gave it the usual splash & inspection. Then ripped a chunk out of my finger w/o skipping a beat. I'm reminded once again how they're all just so different. They don't usually all get hormonal on the same day, she said gratefully. Early case of Spring fever, maybe? A little residual madness after all the lousy weather? I dunno. Maybe it's just one of those days. Whatever. Think maybe I'm just going to keep a respectful distance for the rest of the day, though.

Now, you've made me cry. These are not "excuses". These are the reasons a very sad thing happened to a very cherished & well kept fid. None of us know everything. W/all the thousands of members on this forum, All of us don't know everything. And there are many, many things that some of us believe are true, while others swear the opposite. Bird keeping is not easy. Which is why only the very best people have the heart to be right for it. I think the time will come when another very lucky fid will find their forever home w/you & your loving family. I hope so. And even though it was a sad reason that brought you, I hope you'll stay.

First, I'm so sorry! I wish there were words that actually helped thru this type of loss. But you have my greatest sympathy. I can't personally bring myself to replace my pets. I feel like I need to wait to adoption until it's about the joy of adding someone to my family, not the pain of trying to replace anyone. If that makes sense. In this case, I'd also wait until I had a better understanding of what it was that got your sweet girl. I think it's a very good idea to see if it's reasonable to think you can protect any other fid from this. Like Judy said, peanuts in the shell are known for this problem. Suggest researching the Bird Food Forum. It's not only possible, but arguably preferable to feed a fid a 100% fresh food diet. You do need to really understand a grey's nutritional needs. You are also committing to a bit of work. But honestly, not that much. Especially once you get organized. Some of us think it's fun as well as gives us piece of mind because know what we're actually feeding our fids. Again, I'm so very sorry. I hope this might help, at least a little.

Never heard of them before. Just did a 2 min search & one of the reviews I read did say they had to open a window to vent the fumes. Although they still gave it 5 stars so I'm confused. Also, saw an estimate fuel consumption of 2.5-4 hrs/qt? They do look like they could have great potential for emergencies though. Have you used yours at all yet?

...and they all lived happily ever after. Awesome

'78. The first blizzard I can remember. Before that storm, I don't think any New Englander would ever have believed a "little" snow could stop the world for a week. That's the thing I remember most about that week. How nice everyone was to each other. Strangers & neighbors who never bothered w/anybody were right there helping each other. The other thing I remember is how fast it all went back to normal when it was over. But, definitely good times, while it lasted.

Change your perspective. Look up & around & see what he can see from there rather than what's actually on the stand, itself. Also, Phenix is the one I always seem to be chasing around the most. He doesn't seem to think its all that exciting to be on his cage vs in it & I can't really can't blame him. He's just never going to stay up there & he's super stubborn about it. Maybe Jasper could do w/a play stand? And since you said the room is small, maybe hang it from the ceiling or wall? This is getting your attention which may or may not be part of it, too. Whether it's genuine alarm over something, attention getting or boredom, Jasper might also benefit from your hanging out w/him more. I've found if I just have snippets of quality time w/Phenix while I'm coming & going, he tends not to travel quite as much. Most days, anyway.

You know, you & that episode crossed my mind that night, Penny. I knew you'd been thru it for a week & the fids had survived those temps. So, about the time I was wondering if the candles might work, that was like the benchmark for the temp I was crazy enough to be hoping for. I think I beat it, because I don't think I would have been as comfortable, otherwise. And yeah, I would have done it, but tapers would have made me crazier. Tea lights in votive cups, were less nerve wracking. So how did you guys do?? W/all the crazy weather everywhere, what have you got to lose, right? It missed us this time. Could not see a thing in any direction, anyway. All the windows were covered w/ice from the beginning of the storm.

The last weather I saw was 15 min before the black out. They were reporting thunder snow of 5"/hr. in some areas & the storm hadn't even fully amped up, yet. The meteorologist was in awe while he was doing his report. Without exageration, people have died w/in feet of their doorstep when it wasn't nearly so bad. This storm recorded sustaining winds & gusts that were actually stronger than the last hurricane. The house was constantly being pelted by flying debris that could very easily cause serious injury, especially in the dark. And there was no safety in the car, either. So Wingy... no joke. Please, please promise you won't ever even think about going out the door on a night like that. OK? I've had a few scary moments since I've lived here. This was just different. Considering how much practice I've had, that's saying something. Yes, Judy, I certainly was wishing for that nice toasty fire & the smell of wood smoke for a little while there. I really wish I could put a fire place or wood stove in. I just isn't practical given the layout of the house. But you know what? After I got it all worked out it was really quite lovely. Surrounded by all that candle light & safely hidden away in our little hobbit hole. I'm not saying I really want to do it again any time soon. But I could, if I had to. I would just load up on the candles & like any good hobbit, bring more food.

No, no! Like I said in the other thread, I am very well aware that things could have been so much worse & I do count myself lucky. This is just about as cheerful as I get at this time of the year! lol Although yesterday, I'd spent 2+ hrs trying to clean out the car & still had a long way to go. Snow & glass driven into just everywhere! I was freezing. My nose wouldn't stop running every time I bent over. My back was being a real pain. Pulled my head out from under the seat & my neighbor was standing there. None of us had any food, of course. But she'd gone in search of basic supplies (literally) & thought to surprise me w/hot chocolate & warm brownies. That really made me smile!!

Can't say I'm impressed w/anything that got posted, actually. I really thought those vids would be much more interesting. Epic... Blizzard... how can you miss?!? Oh well. Sorry about that.

I've had to think about it because I've lived here thru blizzards, floods & hurricanes a number of times now. So, that might give you some idea of just how extreme things got. I'd have just left if the forecast hadn't been so wrong about the beginning of the storm. I would never have pushed my luck like this. It would have been so much more fun to sit in front of a fireplace w/friends. The meteorologists weren't the only ones who were wrong this time. Survival skills aside, I count myself very lucky things worked out the way it did.

I'd actually be surprised if they don't which is why I haven't taken the cocoon apart, yet. If nothing else, there will be more trees coming down. They took a horrific beating & the ones that are still standing are laden w/snow, frozen & twisted. And I don't know how they do it, but the power company must have everything running on a thread right now. I don't think it will take much & mother nature's just going to keep sending good things our way for the rest of the week.

Yes indeed. And now it's raining. Then it's going to freeze. Ain't life grand.

At first I thought it was crazy. But it eventually came down to the simplest logic, really. Fire was the only way I had to make heat. Aside from the potential bird issues, candles were the only safe fire I had available. So I created dead air insulation by putting quilts & blankets over anything that wasn't an interior wall & took my best (read one) shot. I wish I hadn't decided against looking at the temperature at any time for any reason. But I kinda had enough to make me crazy already. Now, I can only say that it made a huge, huge difference. Once everything was set up, there were times I'd kind of "forget" what was going on & would get a very rude reminder whenever I stepped out into the rest of the house.

Let's just say I'm not a big fan.

Hours after its scheduled arrival, Nemo finally showed up & got down to business. When the power went out about 9:00 PM Friday, there was no place to run & no leaving even if there was. Total isolation in the raging dark. They said the winds were higher than w/the hurricane & the actual temp dove to something like 12°F. The house started to cool right away. I live in an old house & have no alternate heat source. Pretty soon I knew it was going to get bad & that the fids were going to be in serious trouble in a matter of hours. Didn't help anything at all when I thought about the very real possibility of being trapped like this for a day, maybe even 2. After a moment of blind panic something that seemed kind of crazy occurred to me, "How many candles would it take to keep from freezing in a blizzard?" I had bags of cheap tea lights from The Christmas Tree Shop. They didn't have lead wicks & they weren't scented. Beyond that, I couldn't say. I've read the warnings about burning candles around fids & they ran over & over in my mind while I helplessly felt the cold taking over. Especially since the idea was to create an "air tight" cocoon for an extended period of time. But it came to choosing between what might happen & what was happening. Finally, I covered every opening in the best situated room & I started to light candles on any safe surface I could find. I cannot tell you how surprised & relieved I was when the room actually started to get warmer! It eventually took about 50 tea lights burning constantly in a 9x20x7 room. But it kept us almost comfortable until the power came back Saturday night, 21 hrs later. If only things had gone so well outside as they did inside. But anyway, I thought this might be worth sharing. I can't go so far as to say candles won't cause any problems for fids. All I can say is what actually happened here this weekend. As unlikely as it sounds, (quite) a few tea lights got us thru some of the worst possible winter weather. And, from now on, I'm going to make sure there are several bags in the kit for light AND heat in case of any future emergency.

Thought the members who don't own a snow shovel might like to watch this from their warm, comfy whatever. So far, this Nor'easter has lumbered along the coast. It certainly didn't deliver the afternoon drama that the meteorologists predicted last night. But they still swear we're gonna get it. Things are picking up & these little vines could grow really interesting by morning. http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylc=X3oDMTJhaWNrcWJ2BF9TAzM5ODMwMTA0MQRnc3RhdGUDMQRwb3MDMgRzZWMDbndfdG9wc3RvcmllcwRzbGsDdGl0bGUEdGFyA25ld3MueWFob28uY29t/SIG=12jer4aij/EXP=1361575210/**http%3A//news.yahoo.com/nemo-vidoes-from-the-storm-202334807.html

That little bit of background says to me that the major trigger was likely fear, then. That's going to make Charlie's trust issues harder to fix & it's probably best to let him tell you what he needs. Fear means any uninvited contact gets a predator/prey response right now. That means Charlie automatically goes into defensive behavior w/o meaning too. Which also means he may bite anyone w/in reach, w/o meaning to. Just so you won't be surprised or take it personally if it happens. Think of it as accidental if you have to deal w/a bite at this point. Every time he chases your wife off, it reinforces the wrong reaction. But he's going to continue as long as he's afraid. Or worse, he could give up & possibly start to pluck again. Maybe best to take a time out & your wife back off entirely for the moment & "ignore" Charlie. In the meantime, she actually treats him like a new bird. Keeping her distance, just including him in conversations & whistling, or singing around him. Not really making much eye contact because a scared fid can mistaken it for stalking behavior. Most Greys believe the world should revolve around them. They don't like to be ignored & reverse psychology often works to a parront's advantage. Once Charlie remembers that your wife's not actually the scary lady, he's likely to start asking for her attention, again. Then they'll be able to start making baby steps back towards normal. I could be wrong but I'm guessing things should go more quickly from that point, because they already had a bond. But their relationship may still remain fragile & she may pay dues for the previous owner for a little while, yet. Good luck. Please keep us posted. And if you wanted to start a general Welcome & Introduction thread, maybe tell us some more about Charlie, that would be great too.