birdhouse

If it were me, I'd get the smallest hard cat carrier I could find. They're pretty readily available. Better containment for transporting an injured bird, if necessary. Less room to move around. It would be cheaper & take up less space in the down time. You don't know how well Steve will travel or how much you'll want him to. You can always get him an upgrade later when you know more about what you may want from it. ** I line mine with paper towels & then put in a comfy perch cross. http://www.amazon.com/petsupplies-com-Comfy-Perch-Cross-Medium/dp/B0002ML6FY It is rigid enough to shape to floor of the carrier, so Phenix isn't flat footed (he hates that). There's no need to try to fit it into the openings & nothing sharp to get jostled into. Also, I've got a couple of cheap little cups to hang on the door for food & water. Kura's got a water bottle, but some birds (Phenix) wont' drink from them. **EDIT: Craigslist usually has a bunch of them, hardly used & cheap.

He's really working on it, isn't he? That was too adorable! I don't know if I could keep a straight face long enough to teach him anything

Kura has one similar to Janet's. She's a good traveler & loves to see what's going on. I like that it knocks down when it's not in use. I have a pet carrier like this for Phenix http://www.overstock.com/Gifts-Flowers/Petmate-Intermediate-Pet-Taxi-Fashion-Carrier/4333057/product.html He's not a good traveler & is easily panicked. It's better for him to have someplace to hide & feel's more secure with a more solid enclosure. Also, with him, it's better to have the side door type, rather than the hinged lid. He freaks out when he sees it closing overhead.

Poor Kito! It's so frustrating & sad when a bird starts plucking! They can do so much damage so fast. But it usually takes a while to find the cause & a long while for those feathers to grow back. Sounds like you've covered everything & can only wait now for the rest of the test results. I think the only thing you can do at the moment is love her up & try not to worry too much. XX to you both. Please let us know what you hear from the vet.

I think it's really terrific that you're considering adopting Steve vs getting a baby. He really needs to stop being passed around & find a real home. I know ideally, you'd like to spend some time with him & on different days. But if the situation won't allow it, then okay. Rehoming isn't often about the "ideal", is it? Which is what makes it so special. As reported, Steve seems like he has very good potential & doesn't sound like he has any major issues. You can't know until you get him home, but that's often the case, anyway. You might do well to have a vet visit scheduled for the next day & see what you can negotiate about medical issues at the sale & in writing. Even still, you shouldn't probably plan on any further support from the current owner. Unless you can pay by check & cancel it faster than she can cash it. But that's getting into some legalities that you'd probably rather avoid. Even though you may be going in a little blind, you're not unprepared. You've thought this thru & done your homework. You've got a whole forum full of support as well. Now all that's left is to meet him. If the little voice in your heart says, "Walk away" then this just wasn't right & you spent the day on a road trip. If it says "He belongs with us" then swoop him up & prepare yourself for a lifetime with an amazing little bird.

Interesting how different Kura & Sully are. Kura's a great eater & there isn't much she won't eat. But her beak always has food on it. I don't know how, but she even manages to get seed all over her face. She'll eat dried fruit. She's actually quite fond of banana chips. She likes fresh fruit. Apples will take a backseat to citrus, bananas or berries every time, though. She's pretty much a veggie eater. She'll usually eat any fresh veggies first. I think she could live on broccoli & squash for a week if I'd let her. She's also nuts about nuts. Nice for me. Since she can't have many, they make great bribery! Names...? What type of names do you tend to like? Did you check out Streetwise' thread about naming Lucy? There's a ton of suggestions there. Just randomly: Basil, Chili, Chilly, Merry or Pippin? Can't help it, I just think the hobbit thing fits.

I'm so sorry this has taken you on such a crazy journey. Given what you've said, it sounds like this last lead could be very legit. I honestly think it's better to have the police involved because this can potentially get dangerous. I can't really imagine our local news media getting involved with something like this, unless it was a very, very slow news day... maybe. It's really wonderful that you've got such a great resource to help with your search! Good luck!!

Phenix came to me sick & it took a couple of years to get him healthy. A couple of years after that he got a bad infection & was at Tufts for a week. Bad enough for any animal we love to go thru this, but birds seem so much more fragile & vulnerable. I remember very well all the things you can fear. But veterinary practices that are licensed to treat wild birds are pretty rare. Much more scarce even than normal avian vets & we know how few of them there are. Think how well equipt they have to be to handle all those different types of sick & injured totally wild birds. How fast & fragile wrens are. How strong & dangerous are hawks? This is the type of place that just seems to attract people who genuinely love animals. Where you find the best overall care, not just treatment for the patients. You're very lucky to have a veterinary facility like this for AnnaBella. She really is going to be in very good hands.

The pics are certainly good enough to see how cute he is! So sweet. I missed all that w/Kura. Her beak was all black, but her eyes were gray for a long while. She was probably about 1 yo. Kura reminds me of a hobbit. First and foremost, she loves food (of course) & the comfort of her hobbit hole. She also enjoys a good party to observe (not too rowdy), fun people to watch, the occasional adventure & lots of naps in between. In general, she's a pretty quiet bird. But she can make some definite jungle calls that can be quite loud & sometimes really eerie. She plays hard, enjoys being the center of attention sometimes, is really open to new things & has a very different personality from Phenix!

Phenix forgets how strong his beak is & doesn't really make allowances when it's freshly sharpened on a toy. I know he's drawn blood when he hasn't meant to because of his reaction. Honestly? I think Issac was just messin with you. My guess is Issac got more of a reaction than he expected & that played into the Evil Grey sense of humor. We don't admit it much but they've all got it. Even the most perfect fid has demon days. Once he starts laughing "correctly", you may discover a surprisingly dark & twisty side to Issac. But that's not his basic nature & he's very bonded to you. So, he got it out of his system & went back to his sweet lovable self ...for now }; >

Well... it's not our usual introduction to the forum. But as a die hard fan, I kind of have to say WAY TO GO PATS!!! ...and wouldn't it be great if they could go win the Superbowl this year?!? I'm just really happy they came so far this season. It was a pretty unlikely start. And yup, Jack is pretty cute. The lad certainly has some great genes!

Oh, Yay!!! Another ekkie. Is it definitely a he?

If you have reason to think there's a person who knowingly has your bird, that would be theft & I would think you would have grounds to ask the police to keep an eye out for the "entertainer". You wouldn't have to press charges or anything. But you might get someone official watching for him. And/or you could talk to the locals who work in the area. Busboys emptying trash & wait staff serving in sidewalk cafes, employees who step outside for a break. Who's regularly part of the nightlife downtown who might have seen him & be willing to give you a call if this guy came around again? And again, posters. Maybe the local area businesses will let you put some up inside? I really hope this call finally gets Mino home to you. Good Luck!

I didn't realize they made big ones. I got a few little ones that didn't last, at all. They all ended up as mush in the water dishes so I didn't replace them. Maybe I'll try some bigger ones. Thanks

The good news is it wears off a little, after a few decades.

Who do you trust more between the breeder & the vet? At least around here, the level of avian veterinary medicine is always suspect. The breeder certainly doesn't want a reputation for selling maimed birds. Being purely cynical, both have monetary considerations, here. After you've done all the research you can, it would probably be a good idea to take Lucy to the most advanced veterinary facility you can. Here, we have a veterinary college & the veterinary equivalent of human hospitals which can offer much more advanced knowledge & treatment. It's been my experience that it's well worth the effort to at least get a consultation from them. They're also usually willing to work with your regular vet. Hope this helps. Good luck with Lucy.

Those look worth a try, Ray. Guess I was kind of hoping for something that would contain the water more. Not great for the cage but probably better to encourage a reluctant bather. Thanks.

Awww!

Zakica looks pretty happy. Love that second shot. Is the ring in the third pic a section of tree trunk w/the middle cut out?

That's a tough start! Sorry to hear it. Hope everything works out.

Happy New Year Cocoa from Phenix & the flock!

Oh my goodness! It's a really good thing Phenix can't have a conversation with Axel. Phenix is outstanding. He picked up a 15-20 second bit from hearing it whistled once on TV (classical, no less). My friends get a real kick out of how fast they can teach him a song. I'm pretty hopeless. On a really good day I might get a couple of notes out. I really wish there was some way to describe this, but Phenix has literally tried to teach me for years. It's exactly like us trying to teach them a sentence, only the roles are reversed. He laughs at me. He gets frustrated. He imitates my pathetic attempts. But the poor guy's never given up. It's actually pretty amusing, in a humiliating kind of way.

WOW Karen...7-1/2 birds!! A greenwing's got to count for a bird & a half at least. LOL Sorry to hear about why you got him/her, but so glad for you. I know the fid will be loved either way, but I hope the bones heal & everything's normal. And yes that was a nice compliment, but it's just a fact that this will be a lucky bird to be adopted into your flock. Congratulations, that's incredibly exciting news. Cant wait to see pics & hear you & Streetwise comparing notes on your new babies.

Kura's my problem child when it comes to baths. She was totally water phobic. They even had a water bottle in her cage. She was really, really terrified of baths. I started to put her on the other end of the counter on her bath perch every time I did the dishes. Which is often because I haven't got a dishwasher. Didn't try to bath her just made it hang time. Just put her back when I was done & bathed her later in the bathroom. Curiosity finally won out. She started to get closer til she eventually sat on the dish strainer to watch. Then reach out a little to the faucet, etc. We finally got in the sink... on her terms in her own time (almost a year). We've still got a long way to go but she's gotten a lot, lot better. Some days she actually looks happy when she's in the water, now.

Hello, Farruk! Welcome to the forum. There's certainly plenty of advice here about keeping your new grey healthy! But don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions. Look forward to hearing more from you. Maybe you could tell us a little about you new grey...? And we always love pictures if you want to post any.