birdhouse

PayPal is supposed to be eating the cost, but who knows at this point. Takes 2 days for the confirmation. The idiot gets paid but I didn't ask how much. I do get a free cage. But I end up w/what I'm pretty sure is the 32" (light weight) model. I don't think it can be rehab'd for daily use. Some of the welds are bleeding rust. It might make a good deck cage. But who knows? Maybe it will surprise me. Everything else has.

Yes. That really was a beautiful post Ray.

HOL-LY --BLEEP--BLEEP--BLEEP--!!!! What a --bleep--!!! Tomorrow, Ebay would have stepped in per their process. Tonight I got an email that the seller is willing to file w/UPS "for" me cuz he's being such a mensch. Read, figures he's found another way to stall for weeks possibly. "Oh no you don't." So, I decided I should check out PayPal's process to see if I could head him off at the pass &/or expedite the ransom of my funds. Big mistake! HUGE!! The rep was told multiple times, multiple ways that I was not going to file a claim until or unless I got a bad resolution from Ebay. I just wanted to know how the processed worked for future reference. But since it was obvious that they weren't going to do anything better for me than Ebay was currently doing, I was going to continue w/o them for the time being. THEN SHE WENT AHEAD & FILED THE CLAIM WITHOUT MY AUTHORIZATION! Minutes after I hung up I got the email & I went ballistic because it cancelled the Ebay claim. Supervisors one thru three would tell me so sorry this happened. However there is no going back. Paypal would be willing to give me a full refund, as long as I was responsible for returning the cage. I'd become responsible for the shape it was in when it got there (remember it's already got issues). I'd eat the freight which I'm guessing off the top would be at least $200 w/packaging. BLEEP--!!!!BLEEP--!!!!BLEEP--!!!!BLEEP--!!!!BLEEP--!!!! The hell with that!! Four supervisors, 95 minutes & a smoldering trail of bodies later, I can go all night & start again tomorrow if I have to. The last poor guy who picked up the phone! lol He started out like the rest, but had the smarts to ask if I'd wait for him to listen to the original phone call. Short version, when he came back he gave me a full refund & told me to keep the cage. Unfortunately, the knucklehead is going to get the benefit of PayPal's bad behavior & get credit for it. Hopefully it's over. But talk about a long strange trip. Good grief!

Thanks. I did take lots of pics. And there are so many things wrong here that it seems like I should be okay in the end. But of course we'll have to wait & see. I also think I can appeal it to PayPal. So there's that. I don't know if my credit card protections apply, but maybe them too. I am waiting to rep this little sweetheart. But in the meantime I also reported him to an Account Specialist. The way it was explained, I think that filing a regular complaint is a relatively inconsequential process. Although it can apparently have larger blow back on the seller if they've been bad enough. Complaining to an Account Specialist is apparently a more involved process that looks at the seller's overall history. I can't imagine I'm the only one. This guy has done so many things that I have to think it's just the way he does business. It occurred to me if he gets the cage back, he'll resell it & do all this again to someone else. So maybe this mess will have done some good for other buyers going forward. But it's all just sooo unnecessary.

So I thought/hoped maybe that was a teaser for you telling us some new fid followed you home ...not?

What a nightmare! I bought a cage that was supposed to be "new, unopened, undamaged" on Ebay. It looked like the guy had good rep & all. The thing finally(!) got here & it was not only opened but repackaged in different boxes taped together to make them big enough. There was no packing material or anything. So, of course the boxes were a mess & the cage is clobbered. There's rust on the dings, on the locks & coming thru the welds in some places. The wheels look like they've traveled many miles on a rough road. To top it all off, it's not even the right size or color. The seller says too bad, he doesn't take returns per the auction. Too bad I somehow misunderstood about the color. And even though it's all the wrong specs to be the 36" model, I'll just have to take his word for it. Any damage is something I need to take up w/UPS because he doesn't take returns. The cage was sold as is. So, after a couple of days of this crap, I'm getting to go thru the Ebay Guarantee drill & hope I didn't just buy a few hundred dollars worth of scrap metal. Meantime, all that money's going to have been tied for at least sixe weeks for absolutely nothing. I've done very well w/my Ebay purchases over the years. But the last 3 have all been a real box of rocks. This is the second time I had to ask Ebay to get my money back. The first time the seller wouldn't honor the auction & still wouldn't give me a refund. I don't know if it's bad luck or Ebay's just not a nice place to do business anymore. But they've sure taken all the fun out of this one. :mad:

uhmm Ray.... are you trying to tell us something (she said fingers crossed!)?

100% agree w/consulting an Avian Vet as part of doing due diligence & research prior to anything like this. But I am going to caution that there are Avian Vets who won't agree on principal - whatever their principals are. I am still having to pass up vets who do not believe that a parrot should be fresh fed. In my estimation that's a type of malpractice of sorts . And I mean they have strenuously objected even after they have performed a full exam w/lab panels that produced 100% glowing reports. I think it's safe to say the same type of thing applies w/any number of "alternate" methods in bird keeping. So I think parronts are looking more specifically for an avian vet w/good holistic credentials. Nature is one big pharmacological smorgasbord that is pretty self sufficient day to day. In special circumstances, critters can instinctively self medicate in the wild using among other things, essential oils. Essential oils are only natural plant oils. We're extracting & bottling the same oils that a critter gets whenever he eats say limes or Eucalyptus leaves ...& gets all over their face & feathers or fur. Plants & animals are very very often interdependent in the wild. For instance, a healthy sloth actually lives its life covered w/a type of algae. Birds who are messy eaters no matter where they live would at least get a face full of essential oils w/pretty much every meal. They would also be covered in pollen & oils every where they roam in the tree canopy. Maybe what we don't realize is that it's all part of what they need to stay healthy. I think we intervened whenever we separated them from all that & built an artificial support system w/so little understanding of their physiology. I think it's past time we back to letting nature do what it does so much better than we ever could. jmho

This is like pretty much anything else. To begin with, there is a very big lot of negative press & fake news (sorry, sorry!!) about EOs & critters (& people for that matter). It's been very hard to find qualified people who speak on the topic, especailly in such a public venue. So that's what atracted me in the first place. And I still don't know how qualified she is btw. I still haven't had time to vet the vet. ") If even the least of these assertions are true, though, think... All those poor parrot owners who miss their room scents, can finally have relief! lol Seriously, though, something that simple can change everything. Everyone can or not chose to graduate to whatever advanced level having done due diligence & research. But there could actually be a choice now & that's major progress towards who knows what eventual end. This is what makes me so excited about the information age. All this time the professionals couldn't be bothered studying so many things that would have improved the quality of life for our companion parrots. Not until we their caregivers did the leg work & they realized they could make a profit. Welcome to Capitolism my friends. But still & as always, it's all about the fids, right?

*** Whiner Warning *** Whiner Warning *** Whiner Warning *** Turns out it was not worth the wait. The wrong color? Okay, maybe. The wrong size? Possibly, but probably not. The dumba$$ packaging that got the poor thing all dinged up? Deal breaker. I wouldn't buy any cage to have shipped if it was used because they ship so badly. Most people just don't get the damage a ride in a truck (or 3) can do & basically, I'd expect them to package it just about like this guy did. But, this was supposed to have been a listing for a new, unopened item. Even though the manufacturer's packaging can be a crap shoot sometimes, too. It should have been safe enough to go for it. I can only imagine why. But thanks to this knucklehead, I am sooo disappointed I just want to start throwing very breakable things. Lots & lots of things. But since that would upset the fids, I'm going to have to go wallow in chocolate now instead. Lots & lots of chocolate.

Me, too. Exactly, Inara. I had a lot more of a moment than conversation w/Phenix this AM. I was giving him his breakfast, etc. I was also telling him that we were finally going to find out if he was getting new digs (not). The cage was finally going to deliver & we could see if my nagging doubts were correct (sadly, yes). I was hoping I was wrong so he needed to eat a good hearty breakfast before I did something that put him off his feed for a while. And then he just stopped & gave me that look. I think we all must know it. The one eyeball, over the shoulder, "what are you up to?? look. So I told him again while he just drilled that stare into me. Then he turned his back on me & left w/all the attitude he could possibly deliver. When I was finished telling him my plan, he gave me the other look. The look that makes you extra glad there's some bars between you...? Punctuating the episode by beating the ever loving out of the nearest bell. I got the distinct impression he was finally listening to what I'd been saying for the past 3 wks. lol

DISCLAIMER: as of this minute, I have done zero research on this vet. I tripped over an interview w/Melissa Shelton DVM in my campaign against fleas. The article was aimed at lavender oil & cats but it was actually worth a quick read anyway. Her basic premises are that good quality essential oils are a good tool, bad quality & badly handled inessential oils are bad & tons of what we think we know about essential oils & critters are pure myth & wives tales. She did sound relatively sane, in the article at least. She also ref'd her website http://www.oilyvet.com/ So, of course, I clicked. The first thing I saw was a pair of Hyacinth Mcaws & I thought I'd best bookmark the page for further study when I actually had some time. But since that could be a while I thought maybe I should share & let anyone who was interested do some research in the meantime. I'm really hoping people will feel free to share & discuss this much maligned topic for everyone's benefit.

Phenix voice sounds like a 3-4 yo boy's voice. So if you can, picture a small child who's pretending to be a lion & then laughing in delight in between. It makes me laugh every single time Phenix roars. It is the most adorable thing ever!

Wow! Really!?! Your benficent overlord has spent all this time to customize your unsightly belongings to make them into something beautiful & this is how you respond?? That's just down right ungreytful, that's what that is! ")

Nope. Thank you for asking. Hope it's okay to take this much needed opportunity to vent because I am shall we say rather frustrated. The damned thing still hasn't even shipped yet!!! There was an unrealistic seeming ETA by 2/15. Since it's only coming from NJ to MA I thought it was a ploy to get early deliver brownie points. Something I've seen Ebay vendors do. But for whatever reason it really didn't ship for that whole first week!!!!!!!!!! The seller was considerate enough to notify me the day before it was going out on time to meet the 2/15 due date. I actually had to ask him to hold off because we would eventually be getting feet of snow & ice in a series of storms over that week! sigh We finally decided it was safe to ship for delivery yesterday. Then guy the got the flu & begged off until next week. bigger sigh All I can say is I sure hope it's going to have been worth it in the end.

Tis the season whether we like it or not. Kura laid another 2 last week. ggrrrr!! I've been told (read Dave said) to leave the eggs & let the hen decide when to remove them. Otherwise, she may be encouraged to try again sooner than she might have. I've tried both ways & really don't see where I could endorse either school of thought. But w/Sadie rather than upsetting her needlessly, maybe wait to see if this is a stray egg or the first of a clutch. Idk how many days apart these Zons lay. But whenever it's past the point, I'd just touch the egg(s) but leave them. Many hens will dump the egg that smells compromised. But first, they will eat them & get to re-absorb whatever nutrients they can.

All in all that's damned lucky, though. Given the timing & everything it could have been a lot more serious.

The longer it takes to rehab a rescue, the more time you have to second guess your ability. Of course there's someone out there who'd be better at reclaiming them. There's always someone better at every single thing we do. And that thought isn't such a bad thing in this case because there's no place for egos in dealing w/abused critters. But the progress that Rosie has made to date is testament to the job you're doing. The odds that Rosie would have found someone to bring her this far back are like a zillion to one. The odds that she'll actually find someone to do the job better are like a zillion times that. So until or unless that other person walks in the front door & Rosie jumps into their arms, believe in yourself enough to continue to muddle through. Actually invest in the realization that Rosie's daily interaction w/you is your reward for all that long, hard labor of selfless love. I say this because I do get it. Yours & Rosie's echo's so many things about Phenix & my journey. A lot of what you've done. Soo many of the emotions. The staggering realization of what it actually means to trust at all, let alone again. I can't even begin to imagine being that brave. I often wonder how many of us could. But there she is, slowly finding her way back into the world in spite of everything. You've given her enough reason to think it just might be worth giving the whole miserable lot of us another chance. Shouldn't that alone be enough for you to realized what an incredible thing you've accomplished?

And well you were entitled! Moving, moving w/an entire menagerie, moving house, menagerie & office at the same time. And you're still conversing in full sentences...? You're my hero!!!!

Oh, it's okay. On the off chance our fid(s) thought we were actually being a clever human even for a moment, it would be on a par w/us saying the dog has good breath (for a dog). ") One of the important pieces of wisdom imparted to us over the many decades dedicated to our enlightenment by the much superior species w/whom we live & are blessed to serve.

Phenix is wild caught. He comes from a similar household. It's safe & familiar, "stagnant" & pretty quiet, all in all. He's no spring chicken anymore. I only know he's older than 35. He doesn't have the exuberance of youth or the need to be loud & proud anymore. He knows how to get my attention w/w/o making a sound. Sometimes he just rings his damned bell & his devoted servant comes running. What else is there to say? Literally from his perspective. IQ in the extreme lower range would effect a critter's ability to vocalize meaningful sounds. Higher IQ might possibly suggest how efficiently it could learn to communicate in a way to make sounds meaningful to others. But there are too many other factors to say anything very definitive beyond that. Emotional well being, age & health just to mention a few. The Wild Bird Conservation Act has only been in place since 1992. Prior to that, there was a very robust infusion of wild genes being continuously introduced into the US breeding population. Also many of the survivors of the wild trade who would not have been able to adapt as companion parrots would logically have continued to become a free or cheap source for the domestic breeding pool for a good many years beyond the ban. Of course there are pockets of inbreeding. But I'd question how widespread they really are. Since being bred in captivity doesn't actually make a breed domesticated, I'd also question how many species of parrots would even be considered domesticated, in the true sense. Given the life span of a Grey could realistically reach 70 yrs or more, the first generation of those genome crosses are still being hatched & very likely will continue for the next decade or more. There should be very many generations yet to come before we actually approach a stagnant gene pool, aside from unscrupulous & oblivious breeder's offspring.

If Phenix is any example, then yes it's normal. He goes thru phases that are at least partly connected to the weather & seasons. Then of course there are whatever reasons known only to his inscrutable little self. And I can see where Dorian especially living "on your shoulder" wouldn't bother vocalizing as much. Also, being an only fid, he doesn't have anyone to wind him up but you. I know people who wish their birds would 'shut up' are going to cringe when I say this. But my flock is never that loud to begin with & I don't like it for them too stay too quiet for too many days on end. Some how, it doesn't feel happy...? It just doesn't feel "natural" to me. :cool::cool:So when things seem too quiet for too long we get rowdy!!!:cool::cool: I get them going either by teasing everyone loudly or singing "sea shanties" or challenging everyone to a whistling contest where I go "Wooo Hoooo" a lot because I can't whistle worth beans. I can't justify it or anything. But it feels like a bonding thing & everyone seems a little perkier afterwards.

I can relate. Phenix is a wild caught. As far as he was concerned anything that wasn't mother approved would kill him. But then we discovered how much he loved to drink from a cup. So we started w/fruit & eventually added veggies to his juices. Then we moved to smoothies & more chunky smoothie like concoctions & eventually mash. Meantime, I used to grind things together in a paste to hide in his oatmeal & camouflaged it all w/Red Palm Oil. lol No actually I didn't know about RPO 30 yrs ago. Back then it was melted peanut butter. You might get some others to share their tricks if you start a thread so as not to hijack this one. My bad. I started it - sorry Kasperhm.

There it is!!! I'll never cease to be grateful for other parronts to bounce things off. It just felt like something was off & the light finally dawns! In my scheme, I've defaulted to the carrier door being closed. Wrong, wrong because leaving that door open makes it all about Phenix' choices & schedule. It changes everything theoretically because it gives pretty much all that control back to him, which is the whole point. Sometimes I'm sooo blonde. I just finished posting how important control is for a Grey, especially under stress. Thank you Dan!! :D:D

That's too bad ...well for this I mean. lol Slowing down the bustle would have been a relatively simple solution for a change. Do you take her out or open the door & let her come out on her own? Points for noticing at all btw. You might be surprised by how many people don't see let alone respond to the smaller subtleties. But they count good or bad, in the long run. Hopefully this is a phase, like Sterling said & you only have to wait it out. But especially if she's gene encoded to be a more timid girl, it's not going to hurt anything to show her you're paying attention & willing to respond to her. I feel like all healthy Grey egos can benefit from being given varying levels of control by their parronts. A little bit extra even in the cases where Nurture needs to overcome Nature.