birdhouse

Thanks for the update. I'm glad to hear Pickles looks better & glad to hear you're going to the vet. Birds are very tough about how well they hide symptoms. So, I'm hoping you get an appointment immediately & find out what caused all the excitement. Please let us know how it goes. And maybe once the dust settles, you can post a pic or two & tell us the story of you & Pickles...?

Glad to hear Kito's doing better! I don't think I'd worry too much about her eating habits, right now. Just so long as she'll eat. My guess is the formula & birdie bread are good enough nutritionally. Everything else is bonus points. Just stuff her until she's back to goal weight & gets a clean bill of health. When a bird molts their flights, they loose them in pairs, one off each wing. Nature, in it's infinite wisdom, makes sure they can molt out & still have flight control. They loose a few at a time, in rotation until they have a whole new set.

She really does look like she belongs there. I'm always impressed by that with all of Coco's pics because my guys are always so obviously alert when they're out. Coco's always so at ease where ever she is.

Phenix was older, wild caught, sick & had been abused. He hated the whole world & I was no exception. Unfortunately, he had to be treated immediately; long before he had the chance to settle in or got to trust me. Which made things even harder. But I understood & respected that even though it was a lot easier to do some days than others. Because we basically had everything against us, it took extra time & patience. And I've always thought, a great deal of courage on his part. I did everything I could to show him that my only agenda was to give him a happy, healthy life. Eventually, we made some baby steps & some giant steps & started on a 20 yr journey that I wouldn't have traded for anything.

When they want to make sure you know they're happy &/or excited about something they bob like that. When Phenix started to do that, I'd say, "Who's my dancin bird?". Now, he'll do it for me when I ask.

LOL Which sounds about how it was when I got Phenix. We learn as we go. Good intentions count. And somehow, it all works out.

I'm sorry I don't have enough knowledge to help. It would be a good idea to call your vet & see if you can leave a message with an answering service to have them give you a call. Also, try PM Dave007. He is probably most likely to be able to help. As I see you're a first time poster, just go to any thread he answered, or the members list & click on his name to get the option. to pm. Good luck.

... and it really made me want to run away from home!

Have to be careful that it's not treated with anything. Probably best to buy specifically "bird safe" rope, which you can find on the internet. If you look through the "Homemade Toys & Playstands" forum, you'll find where this has been discussed & some possibles website where you might get some.

I have to wonder about that. Sounds like he's safe, fed, happy & well loved. He may get his fun tossing socks out of the laundry basket instead of something store bought & shiny, but he's having fun. And that climbing set up didn't look so bad, either.

So, it snowed here last night. Came down like crazy & we thought we were in for it, again. But we got up this morning & by our standards, anyway, it was just January in New England... sunny,windy, raw & something below freezing. I came in to thaw out after I'd clean up out side. Sat down with my big old mug of hot chocolate & watched your video. I'd really like to say thank you for the lovely pictures, but it really just made too depressed.

Now, you're in a very tough place. If this Robert character has somebody's bird, he's not a nice person. You don't want give him any reason to do something radical because he's spooked or angry. And while you've come to believe that he's got Mino, that isn't necessarily the case. So if you start to focus your campaign on Robert vs Mino, it might just waste more time. I really don't know how you accommodate both of those things going forward.

Now that the steam has cleared, I just wanted to say it again. Murphy's been a handful to raise & I think you & Kate have done everything you could to be the best parronts possible. And I hope you know that I know for certain that you don't think he's a toy! It was only meant to be descriptive. Everyone hits the wall at some point & you're certainly entitled. But, on the bright side, Murphy is super practice for raising the baby. After him, she may even seem easy. So, if you need a fresh perspective, we'll all try to help. If you need to vent, go right ahead. Most of us feel your pain. If you want someone to tell you you've made a heck of an effort --INSERT APPLAUSE HERE-- And of course, there's always some applicable cliches to offer... Someday, you'll look back on all this & laugh!

Hi Lori & Welcome to you & Solei. There's a whole bunch of interesting reading in the "Homemade Toys & Playstands Forum". Some of our members have made some pretty cool things for their fids. They range from pretty extravagant to quick & easy. Also, there's a recent thread that might be a useful here http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?191743-Entertaining-stimulating-and-challenging-a-Grey Hope you stop back & tell us more about Solei. Maybe post some pics?

I found a nice frozen "bird" veggie mix at Stop & Shop. It's called Ranchero Fiesta blend. It's got the usual mix veggies plus some, like garbonzo & kidney beans & peppers. Mawnee... how come you don't just sit the frozen veggies in hot water until they warm up? It doesn't take long & they'd be less cooked & crunchier.

You might also check this out if you wanted to use some natural woods. My guys particularly like stripping bark. http://www.avianweb.com/safewoods.html

Every time I see one of my birds crash it literally turns my stomach. It's never gotten any less horrifying in all these years. Very glad to hear Cosmo's ok !!

He's young & going thru yet another stage, vocally & emotionally. "I guess it's just a little disappointing when your grey sounds like a canary all day when you know he is capable of more than that. You want that level of interaction with your grey to make it fun for you both." Not helpful, under the circumstances. These are your expectations which aren't being met. He's not a toy. " As for what makes him happy on his stand, I would say the fact that he is 100% free to come & go as he pleases." But are you actually certain of that? He could be hanging out on top of his cage or swinging from the curtain rods. He chooses to be there, for a reason. He can be totally free any other number of places. Why there? It feels like the only thing that makes him feel happy & at ease is if he is free to come & go when he wants & also my undivided attention all the time." ... although you've also said... "The only time he seems truly happy is while sat on his stand in the living room, even if I'm not in there with him & he's on his own. A choice he has made by flying in there even though I may not be in there," Right now, I think you're understandably frustrated. Murphy's been tough to raise & you'd like to think you've worked hard enough to have things under control by now. You love him. You think you know what his full potential can be & you want him to live up to it. WHY WON'T HE JUST GET WITH THE PROGRAM & MAKE EVERYONE HAPPY? ...because it just doesn't work that way. He's a pretty good bird who's got some issues with some things. If you just try to find the patience, you'll both get there.

Pellets are supposed to be well balanced & Harrison's are supposed to be good quality. So, you've got Kookie heading in the right directions. She could probably live pretty well with her current diet for a while. So, you've done pretty terrific so far!! I think most of us would guess that greens would be pretty much a no brainer for birds. But it seems like it's the hardest thing to get them to eat. Just don't give up & keep trying everything you can think of, because they're important. Phenix took years to get to where Kookie is now. He's a great eater, now. The only secret to success that I found was never give up. They'll get there in their own time, but only if you keep trying. Good Job!!!

To be fair, here, unconditional adoption isn't something that most people are cut out to do. And it's a very, very good thing when people recognize it before they do more harm to the bird they would have set out to save. Better to remember that before "encouraging" potential parronts to jump into a bad adoption for both the fid & the parront's sake. It's much better to encourage them to be realistic about their limitations & expectations.

No matter how hard you try, or how many years you spend trying, there will always be "soooooo much to learn about grey world"!! They are endlessly fascinating, intelligent & complex creatures. And they grow & develop & change continuously. I think all of us are very fortunate to have the opportunity to share our lives with them.

...and lots of people's grey's aren't. Lots of them pluck, display destructive behaviors & become unmanageable. You're sensitive enough to him & home often enough to know that being caged & separated from you distresses Murphy. He's sensitive enough to you & you're around often enough for ***Murphy to know that his distress distresses you***. A grey will continue any behavior that gets him a reaction for as long as it suits his need for the reaction. When you say you ignore him, you mean you don't interact with him during certain behavior. Not that you ignore him. Not that you can tune him out & just carry on as if he wasn't doing it. There's a huge difference & Murphy is probably more atuned to it than you are. The status quo isn't working. So how about a change? Acknowledge that you're not actually ignoring him, both to him & yourself. Try not to be angry & frustrated with him because he's got genuine emotional needs at inconvenient times. Start by putting new food cups into his cage where he won't poop in them. Simple solution. One less stressor. Noise canceling earphones for you? Bird videos for Murphy? Make it a point to connect with Murphy at regular intervals when he's in his cage, no matter what he's doing. It would be good to figure out what Murphy gets on his stand that makes him so happy. Is there a window? Can he see or hear something that he likes? Is the baby in there? Can he watch the door & wait for Kate to come home? I could certainly be wrong, but to me it sounds like his behavior is begging, not demanding... need vs want. For whatever reason, Murphy's needy right now. You expect him to understand why you're withdrawing from him at certain times. But you don't understand why he's driven to need your attention at the same time. How come he's supposed to be so smart??

I limit Kura's nut intake because of the overall calorie value. Ekkies internalize their fat & are proned to fatty liver disease. They aren't as high energy as some birds, but I'd guess ounce for ounce they're one of the biggest eaters. Balance is the key to good nutrition. I don't want a big chunk of her daily caloric intake to be eaten up in a couple of minutes on one food. She can eat a couple of nuts in a couple of minutes. For the same number of calories she could spend an hour eating certain types of fruits & more on certain types of veggies. But nuts are still good for them & part of a well balanced diet. Kura LOVES to eat. Everything is the best thing the first time she eats it. She definitely goes thru sweet potato sprees. Then they get kind of boring & get rotated down the fav list. Which is fine because the next group will have come into season by then. She gets mostly whatever's in season & that keeps her diet fresh, healthy, interesting, varied & cheapest. Maybe you'll find Rene benefits from the ekkie's diet, too. Phenix eventually became a pretty decent eater, especially considering he originally thought all fresh food was poison. But after he watched Kura for a while, he had another major eating break thru. I don't know if it was example or jealousy or what, but it worked out pretty well. Kura likes to chew on wood & leather some. Her favorite toys usually include some combination of smallish beads, knots & moving parts. Loves to shred qtips, coffee cups & filters, phone books, etc. Her very favorite thing is straws. I usually have to make her a strawburst about once a week.

Many of the people on this forum have a lot of birds & it works out fine. If 2 birds of the same breed like each other, they tend to bond closer to each other & that can sometimes weaken or cancel out their need to bond to people. It's usually a very different dynamic when the birds are different types. I have several birds. They all have their own cages, but live in the same room & have free access to each other when they're out. Not all of them get along. Not all of them even pay attention to each other. But they all think I'm wonderful.

It's all good. No sleep for a couple of months is a small trade for happy tears on apple slices & all those years you'll have together.