birdhouse

Glad to have been of service, ma'am. Re "dust"... Yep, all of us fossils. lol Personally, I don't play well w/IE. There are versions of Google Chrome & Firefox browsers that work w/most platforms, thankfully. Might be worth checking out?

"(CNN) Knoxville News-Sentinel columnist Sam Venable knew he'd found a sad story, but he didn't know just how many hearts it would break. Venable's column about a terminally ill 5-year-old boy dying in Santa's arms has spread everywhere since its publication Sunday in the Tennessee newspaper. Among other things, it nails the emotional richness of the holiday season. "I've gotten a big response to this," Venable told CNN. "People have told me that they were crying when they read it, and I tell them that I was crying when I wrote it." It all started several weeks ago when Eric Schmitt-Matzen, the Santa in Venable's column, got a call after work. "It was a nurse I know at the hospital," Schmitt-Matzen told the News-Sentinel. "She said there was a very sick 5-year-old boy who wanted to see Santa Claus." Schmitt-Matzen, whose 300-pound frame and real white beard make him a popular Santa in the Knoxville area, got to the hospital in 15 minutes and requested that anyone leave the room if they were about to cry. In his column, Venable relayed Schmitt-Matzen's brief interaction with the boy: '"They say I'm gonna die,' he told me. "How can I tell when I get to where I'm going?" "I said, 'Can you do me a big favor?'" "He said, 'Sure!'" "When you get there, you tell 'em you're Santa's Number One elf, and I know they'll let you in." "He said, 'They will?'" "I said, 'Sure!'" "He kinda sat up and gave me a big hug and asked one more question: 'Santa, can you help me?'" "I wrapped my arms around him. Before I could say anything, he died right there. I let him stay, just kept hugging and holding on to him." After the boy's family realized that he had died, Schmitt-Matzen said he left the hospital and cried all the way home. "I was a basket case for three days. It took me a week or two to stop thinking about it all the time," he told the News-Sentinel. "Actually, I thought I might crack up and never be able to play the part again." Schmitt-Matzen considered hanging up his red suit but saw some children laughing and playing and then changed his mind. "It made me realize the role I have to play," said the part-time Santa, whose Facebook page has been flooded with likes. "For them and for me." His is not your traditional feel-good Christmas story. Still, we're certainly glad it was told." http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/12/living/santa-terminally-ill-boy-irpt-trnd/index.html

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Just saw this. Haven't tried inserting any vids for a while, so I just did Looks fixed, now. Maybe you could try again.

Thanks, Dave. But in this case Phenix' cage has literally always been in his corner. It's bad enough just getting him into another cage. His head would probably explode if I tried to move him & that's only a slight exaggeration. I dread getting him a new cage every single time. He sits and shakes for days, maybe a week. After he stops shaking he still won't move off his food cup for as much as a month. He'll scoot across & grab a drink, whenever he absolutely has to. But otherwise he just sits there looking pathetic no matter how I handle transitioning him or how long I take. What can I say? It does take the fun out of it. But we've managed to limp our way thru the last 30 yrs worth of cages & other dramas somehow. Think we can manage to make it thru a few more.

Oh sure, that would be the best! Fingers crossed you catch a huge break there!! But I must have been confused about Lilly. First, I thought it was "he" now. Just teasing, I know that's old habits. lol But what do I think I remember about some people who you were super impressed w/who had a great big gorgeous indoor training facility that you were really lusting after... And I thought they had something to do w/Lilly somehow... Do I just totally need to adjust my meds here or what?

What do you think about getting in touch w/the local SPCA? They'd have access to facilities/fosters for large confiscations. I was wondering if some one of them could work w/you for boarding. Also, didn't ")Mr. Lilly come from a large facility? Surely someone you've been in contact w/after all this time should be able to help.

Nice! Bet Jara's loving it. Lots os room for lot's of new things to do. Don't be afraid to stuff the cage. A busy bird is a happy bird. This site has a bunch of greyt ideas, if you haven't already seen it. Can't wait to see & here more about from you guys. http://www.parrotenrichment.com/

Technically, that would qualify as potential nesting material, but I idk. I'm kind of thinking it's more about getting your attention. Even though it's different houses you've had a kind of running battle of wills about that desk area I'm kind of wondering if Dorian doesn't just get so frustrated w/the status quo that he's taken it to the extreme. He does get your attention! lol Have you ever thought about maybe moving the desk to a Dorian free zone? I don't know if there is or could be such a thing. But like Bailey'sPapa recently said avoidance can be the best answer for some problems.

None of my guys ever take kindly to a cold spray bath. Even if it's 100 in the shade. Even though Dorian does. And even though somewhere SterlingSL posted a vid of GreycieMae in a Pyrex dish having a ball and fending off Toby who can't wait for his turn swimming w/the ice cubes. Sometimes I just have to throw up my hands & laugh. Our fids can be so similar in some ways & so different in others. In the end things just come down to trial & error &/or plain dumb luck. Oh, & btw, just when you think you've got it, they may very well go & change their minds. What can I say...? Welcome to life w/a Grey parrot. I can go thru the very long list of what bottles didn't work w/my flock. But, again, there are specific personalites coming into play. Like Phenix will die if he's ever too near anything that's transparent, florescent yellow or orange (yah, don't even try)! Instead I'll just say that I've had pretty good results w/my chemical sprayer (from Walmart?) that's always been dedicated purely to bird bathing. It pumps up then mists for a long'ish time. So long as I don't wave the wand around like a stick they'll usually be more likely to maybe sit still for it, sometimes. I also have a small, clear bottle that works surprising well. It's small enough to fit into my fist & get pumped w/my thumb. So really, they don't hardly see the thing. Which I'm going to guess is part at least of it's success. It has got a nice mist & is pretty quiet which I think may also help. But again, just a guess why they're less likely to rebel when I use it. Always qualified, don't you know. lol

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It's always going to depend on the bird. Which is why I debated saying anything & then decided to lead w/my problem child. In the wild. ekkies nest in rotten tree trunks. So logically, would you think she'd be looking for a hidey hole like say a cardboard box? But this ain't my first rodeo. So no cardboard boxes & nothing enclosed as soon as I realized she was going to be a hormonal little hen. Soooo, she started laying in her food cups. Aside from the floor, it doesn't get any more open than that. And since she doesn't quite fit into a cup, I'm pretty sure that's got to hurt week after week. I guess it's been 5 yrs now. I can't stop her (so far). I can't encourage her. But I can't stand to see her tortured, either, 3 times a yr. So I compromised. I bolted a ferret litter box into one corner. Still not giving her a suitable nest, by all accounts. But sure enough, she laid this next clutch there, like I expected. GreycieMae is going to do her own thing. Hopefully, she won't be laying eggs & all like that because trust me, it takes a lot of the fun out of things. Double extra if she has egg binding problems. But since prevention can be the best cure, like I said, I felt like I should at least offer it up for consideration & hope I'm totally wrong.

This morning, I went looking for Kura to feed her breakfast. Found her right where she's been since October 3, sitting on her 2 now totally mangled eggs. "Well, maybe I'll get her back tomorrow". When I saw this thread I thought, "Oh it's a cool new hangout!" Then immediately, "Oh crap, it's a nest box." Sorry to be a kill-joy & all. But since I don't wish a broody hen on anybody else, I thought I should share that.

Bathing is a very tough thing w/Greys, idk why. You watch the wild birds in the mud puddles or the macaws & zons & you'd think birds love water. But many Greys never got that memo apparently. The only thing you can do about bathing or preening is keep experimenting. We all want a quick fix. But it's all about trail & error. I have found with my guys that the bottle, spray & rhythm of the spray all make a difference. I have gotten some bottles that have scared the crap out of one or more of the flock & had to be re-assign for household duties. I have found where certain colors sent them over the edge. And with my ekkie in particular, I need to use a nice slow deliberate rhythm. Otherwise, she's going to start running away & she's not going to stand for a bath for that day, at least. About the only thing they all agree on is that they'd prefer a misting vs spraying and with room temp water. Another thing you might try, although it's no more of a quick solution, it baths. Will Korra play in a water dish? In the sink? Maybe if the water is trickling. How about if you up-sized the water dish in her cage, maybe?

Something's really wrong if you don't end up smiling after you watched that. Thanks for sharing!

Happy belated Dorian & many, many more!

I'm looking for a new cage & wondering how this worked out? Was it a good deal?

Hi & welcome euromix. Always good to see someone who puts this much effort in even before they've met their fid. First brownie points right of the bat. ") I've always had fids & dogs. The dog is more likely to be an added bonus than anything. Especially if you had a dog while you had your other fids & have some idea of blending a multi-critter home environment. I've had my Grey for about 30 yrs. He's usually lived w/a couple of very large dogs at a time & he's had a great relationship w/all of them. He thoroughly enjoys training them up & ordering them around. I have to be careful not to put things like raisins in his dish because he shares his food whenever anyone asks. He was actually way, way more receptive to my 80 lb shep/lab mix than us for a couple of years after he came home. He was a rescue who'd been abused & understandably didn't like people. The dog was very nice company for him while he transitioned. Your schedule doesn't sound like a problem. It's what's going to be the norm. It's not a houseful of people w/different scheduling issues. It's you & it sounds like you're relatively predictable. But where life happens, they live through it just like we do. Maybe he'll like a cage cover or something. My guys don't get covered except in the dead of winter because they don't really like it much. But they don't pay much attention when we do "normal" things after they've gone to bed, usually. So I think that all sounds good. But if I were to suggest one more thing before you go all in, maybe see if you can find a rescue group. Working at a sanctuary or even becoming a foster would give you the opportunity to get some hands-on experience & a(nother) support group for after the adoption. You might also find your new fid is re-homed vs a new baby. There are so many out there.

Oh geez. I was reading this & had a customized M.A.S.H. scene flash through my head! lol Whenever I read your posts, I "hear" you & Pat. And I often think how good it is that you seem to be such an awesome team as parronts. This is unquestionably another one of those times, for sure!! So going through hell but Paradise awaits. You can do it. And when it's done it will just be another chapter in that book you're going to write someday.

Nobody apologizes for loving their fids around here! Kind of our version of , "Nobody puts Baby in the corner!". Sorry looks like nobody was around to give you ehugs yesterday. But eventually, we're all there when you need us. So double extra TLC. Wish there was more we could do.

This is heartbreaking. Wish there was something more comforting to say, but I'm so sorry!

Wonderful news about Ollie! I'm so glad for all of you. Hope he's back to his old self by this time next week and you have a whole holiday season w/no more vet visits needed. Just a whole flock of happy healthy fids to drive you crazy. Wait, wait, that was supposed to be a good thing! Honest. lol Can't be surprised if you feel a little blue about losing Lily. I remember when you fell in love w/her & expect she'll always have a special place in your heart. But it is happy news, also. Maybe you'll be able to see her sometimes?

From our house to yours; good wishes for lots of feasting & bunches of warm fuzzies all around. Happy Thanksgiving!

"Beware a quiet bird" is certainly in the top 5 rules on how to coexist w/a parrot. Maybe "redirect wherever possible" & "always keep a sense of humor" as well. Top 10 for sure. But when Alfie looks as proud of himself as he does there, I think it makes it almost easy. Lucky that he didn't take out something irreplaceable, too. ")

Sounds like you two could use an old fashioned bundling board or maybe a trundle bed. lol Hope you can get that to settle down. Too long w/o a good night's sleep gets a little brutal after a while. I have to give David points for going above & beyond under the circumstances, though. The man's quite the trooper. Or have you & Miss G been giving him more of an incentive to try to leave the house than you're admitting...? lol