birdhouse

What a nice surprise! One of the perks of adopting a rehomed fid. Wonder what else Pancho still has in his bag of tricks.

Black to white & every shade of Grey in between. Sometimes I'd swear nature color coded these guys to show everyone just how complicated they really are. Even when Phenix acts like the devil, I have to remember it's usually about his demons. And when he's being an angel, well I can't help but wonder sometimes if there's a reason for that, too. He is what he is & I just have to love him for it

^^^ Very good to hear. Hated to risk sounding like an infomercial myself, but it really impressed me right out of the box. Nothing I've had has ever chopped greens worth beans :rolleyes: I've always had to do them by hand. This was no problem whether or not they were alone or mixed in. That among other things really surprised me. Since last night's introduction, I've been thinking of all kinds of things this might do. Just in time for the holiday cooking, too. :cool:

I'm so glad you two are doing so well & I think you've done a fabulous job of raising him. Hope you keep the pics coming. He really is beautiful.

Was wandering around Bed Bath & Beyond w/coupons & a Christmas list when I literally bumped into the display for the Ninja Master Prep Professional. While I was busy untangling my carriage from the boxes, I had a little flashback to their infomercial. I'm usually not the infomercial type. But when I saw it, I thought it would be nice to have something like that for making bird food. If only the thing actually worked as advertised in real life. But how often does that happen, right? Well, one of my errands that night was grocery shopping for the fids. And one of the things I'd picked off the floor was the sale tag. And I did have a coupon. lol I also thought I remembered there was a money back guarantee. So yup, after a serious discussion w/myself, the beastie followed me home. Made a big old batch of mash/chop/whatever-you-want-to-call-it tonight. I deliberately didn't bother to cut anything very small, just to put it thru some paces. Mixed raw greens, fruits & veggies & threw everything together into the medium container. Piled it loosely about 3/4 full. Maybe 8 single second pulses later... It actually did make this batch of food a lot easier, even though I'm still learning to work w/it. Surprisingly easy to wash up afterward, too. So I'm pretty happy. Really looking forward to trying it for a number of things. If it actually lasts for any length of time, I'm amazed to admit this is one time when real life seems to have measured up to the infomercial! http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=17480391 (not working) http://www.target.com/p/ninja-master-prep-professional-black-silver/-/A-12834027?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=Google_PLA_df&LNM=|12834027&CPNG=Appliances&kpid=12834027&LID=PA&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=12834027&gclid=CMXH2oSTsLoCFcGd4AodNE8AYw

At the risk of sounding ancient (whether or not I feel that way) I would have to say I am one. There was no internet for many years after I got Phenix & whatever books could be found seemed like gold & were, by today's standards pretty worthless. If not just completely wrong most of the time. And the story Phenix would tell about our progress since the Stone Age? Well, sometimes it almost seems like we've found the fountain of youth. I just wish I had the pics to prove it, but he looks healthier now than he did 20 yrs ago. And he was plenty healthy back then. But I really think he's got better overall muscle tone & plumage than he's ever had. Access to people's ideas have added to whatever I managed to figure out along the way & I'd like to think he lives a better quality of life, too. I know he's no youngster & he doesn't exactly act like one. But now there's no shortage of new ideas to help keep him active & challenged physically & mentally. It's a wonderful thing & I don't think I'll ever take it for granted. It's one of the things I value most about this forum.

Oh, sorry. I thought you were saying Zak had been more relaxed & open since he'd left. Didn't realize you meant Zak figured he actually had some time for you now. Hopefully Zak will see how much better it is w/someone who doesn't think he's just a bird & get over it. Meanwhile, at least he knows he's got you & will get some time to appreciate it.

Ok, maybe "loose" wasn't quite the right word. The stalks that come in the open topped bags rather than sealed in "boxes". Holy cow! Who knew it would be this hard to describe ways to buy celery!! lol Do you have any idea of what I'm trying to describe?

If you look at the loose celery vs packaged you'll find some bunches still have some leaves inside the stalks. I actually look for those because they're more flavor in soups, etc. But mostly because the fids like them. Phenix loves to wave them around & make lip smacking sounds for a while before he rips into them. Not crazy about how the stalks freeze, but I throw the leaves into mash/chop/whatever-its-called, too.

I don't have a dishwasher & my fids enjoy doing dishes w/me, too. It gives everyone some "fun" time w/me while I multitask. On a good day I might even get to slip in a bath somewhere along the way. Glad to hear things sound like they're going pretty well overall. Sorry about the BF. Sounds like Zak "knew it all along", though. Hopefully, he'll approve of the next one. Zak's pics look great. Is it just the lighting, or has his feather color evened out?

Congratulations on the new cutie! My budgies have ranged from pretty handle-able to not even a little bit. They did pretty well w/the tiels, though. So hopefully yours will too. One thing I didn't see anyone mention that they love is wet celery leaves woven thru the bars. Mine seemed to like to take a bath on them. And they've all been pretty big fans of millet sprays, too.

what a handsome tiel Chevy's become!

This really turned into a great thread, pikachu! I've enjoyed following it. Information & ingredients for everyone. Glad you asked this question. Which leads me to ask Bran... so what is the difference between chop & mash? Although I totally agree that I don't care what it's called as long as the fids get to eat some good stuff. But I really would like to know. And Mama CJ, fabulous video link. It's kind of nice to see someone else making as big a mess as I do. At least I've confined mine to the kitchen counters (so far lol). Definitely got some more new ideas & it was just fun to watch. Thanks!

Ahh, so now the truth comes out! Truth be told, alcohol is a bit of a problem around here, too... I mean w/the fids, of course!! lol I enjoy an occasional Irish Cream myself. The fids seem more interested in beer or particularly wine. So I don't usually have them out while anyone's drinking for that & other reasons. Phenix can be such a buzz kill he'd surely pull something if anyone got mellow enough to let their guard down. But, back to the topic at hand. So I tried juicing a lime & made my own limeade. I would really like to find a way to keep Phenix crazy happy AND sugar free. He drank it. He liked it. But it definitely didn't have the WoW factor, unfortunately. Simply Limeade is too sugary for my tastes. But I don't know if it's the sugar that's tripping the fids' trigger or what. The label listed "other natural flavors". So I'm going to try concoctions w/sweeter fruits. I'm really hoping if I keep trying I can create my own recipe for a healthier version of the "nectar of the gods".

Whooda thunk Simply Limeade would turn out to be "the nectar of the gods", right? lol I'm so glad sharing my little discovery gave you & Gilbert such a wonderful moment! I've often thought while reading this thread & especially yours & Gwen's posts, how great it is that you've got GF for support w/your fids right now. So much better for everyone than having to battle their demons alone. It's amazing how one little piece of information can make such a difference.

Way to go! My guys really like the 13 Bean Soup just plain & still warm, too. So you might let Isaac sample it before you add anything else.

lol looks like I learned something new today. I've never heard of a hygrometer before. Since my house gets really dry in the winter, I think I'll try one, too. Thanks.

It may make a difference when you feed what. Rocky might be more interested if you feed the veggies first thing in the day while he's most hungry. You might try mixing the veggies w/apple sauce. You could try maybe 1/3 to 1/2 applesauce to start & see if that works up some enthusiasm. If you always keep pellets in the cage, it might help if you take them out before bedtime. If the applesauce doesn't work, you could also try crushing pellets & mixing them into the veggies, or just putting a bit over the top.

Our fids have such an amazing way of being able to bring us joy no matter how grim anything else may be. I think it's one of the most special of the many gifts they share w/us. It's so good that you have Val around to make you smile.

Steve, I hope you don't mind that I've added a couple of links as to what this petition is about. I hope that if people see some of the details of this outrage they may be more eager to do something to help. http://www.examiner.com/parrot-in-national/parrots-of-union-township-losing-battle http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/humane-office-is-rehabilitating-more-than-60-exotic-birds-found-in-home-1225739.html I would ask how it can be that the rescuers are prosecuted when the criminal who abused these birds gets them back. But I realize it's just another sad comment on the upside down state of affairs these days. I hope a lot of people will see this as one small opportunity to encourage much needed change in our (animal cruelty) laws & protect the people who are actively trying to work towards that goal. Thank you for posting this.

I don't know about that much iodine. Seaweed's also pretty high in sodium & too much can cause problems. I know everything from Japan is supposed to be thoroughly checked for radiation contamination, but I don't know how comfy I'd be about other contaminates. You might use Kale if you're looking for big texture. But most of the greens add enough if you don't process them down to itty bits.

Ok, let's see if this makes it any less scary "...chop/mash would include cooked dried peas & beans, grains, some fruit, a decent portion of at least one green leafy veggie, colored veggies & random veggies" You can start very simple. Soak & cook 13 Bean Soup according to package directions. Drain & cool then add the uncooked ingredients: quinoa, dandelion greens, broccoli & apple bits. You can of course switch out for any ingredient that you know your fid does or doesn't like. But Voila! You've made your first mash. The soup has dehydrated carrot etc so it counts for peas, beans, colored veggies. Although you could go totally crazy & shred in a fresh carrot. The quinoa isn't strictly grain. But it's a very nutritious complete protein that you don't need to cook. Dandelion is supposed to be the perfect green leafy because it has so many good vitamins & minerals. Clean & chop any greens down to coleslaw size or smaller. Add about as much of it as the total volume of the other ingredients. After that it's really just about combinations that interest your fid. It's a great way to introduce new food, too. Most of the time all the bits & flavors get so blended they won't even recognize something strange in the mix. Anyone can make this, right? If you aren't planning a totally fresh fed diet, there really isn't anything intimidating, honest. And who knows, you might even think it's kind of fun once you get going.

We have a very strict policy here. No such thing as too many happy fid pics! We would appreciate it if all our members would adhere strictly to this policy!!

Welcome to GF, Rebecca. Amali sounds like a real sweetheart. Sounds like you two are off to a greyt start.

So it sounds like she's eating pretty well. Good for you both! Fids do get bored w/foods though. For example sweet potatoes/yams are a big favorite around here. But at some point I'll notice that maybe they're getting picked around & eaten last. Since fids don't save the best for last, I know not to put them in the next batch or two.