birdhouse

If you put sunflower seeds with anything except maybe peanuts, they'll eat the sunflowers. You're just going to have to keep experimenting. You might try some of the birdie bread recipes. Offer things in different sized pieces, sometimes it makes a difference, stems & rinds, cooked & raw, with a little grape or pomegranate juice poured over them. Just barely wipe some peanut butter on different things. You might also try skewering pieces & hanging them instead of putting them in his food dish. Speaking of dishes, have you tried making a bird safe supper for Laddu to eat with you? Many fids like to eat with their parronts. Sometimes they'll try things off a plate or spoon that they won't look at twice in the cage. Unfortunately, there's no magic solution for picky eaters. You just need to keep trying until they come around.

I got my boing shipped from CSN stores & they were the cheapest, by far that I'd found. I got a large A&E sisal boing & it was huge & decent quality for store bought. http://www.csnstores.com/asp/keyword.asp?sortby=&keyword=boing&maid=&matchtype=&keywordvalue=&stype=2&command=dosearch&itemsperpage=96&ListFormat=1&LayoutFormat=1&mclass=Bird+Cage+Stands%2FAccessories Phenix wouldn't go near his for about 6 months. But, that's how he is. He didn't growl or cower, so I just left it & waited. Now, he's on it all the time.

LOL When my guys do that, I stick my head in their cage. They all have big doors. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. And I never tell them I'm going to shut the door until I'm on the other side. Why give them a head start?

I actually like to see Phenix tail feathers getting a little scruffy. It means he's about to lose them & get some brighter ones. It always surprises me how much greyer they get as they age.

Can see where that would have been a little scary! Glad it wasn't anything serious.

Unforeseen side effect... haven't heard this song for a while & forgot how it gets stuck in my head. It's been playing since I read this & now I have the pictures to go with it. So, uhmm, thanks again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again...

This bird may also be "mean" because he's sick. He should probably be seen by a vet for both his own sake & for the other birds'. If you don't feel you can do this, then please find him someone who can. I saw a website for a sanctuary in Columbia SC called BirdLove. You can also call your local SPCA for advise.

This is really good news! Thanks for the update.

Wow, Eagle Eye Judy! I was focused on Cody & had to go back to see what you were talking about. LOL Cody really does look happy, healthy & styling!! Very nice!

That really is cool! I've always liked that song & now I know some of the phrases I could never figure out. Thank you for sharing this!

Sounds like he's been at this for a while & he may have been searching which is why he went to the Pets' Corner to begin with. I know it's hard for greys to get moved around. But I didn't think they were well suited to being on display like this, either...?

It might be a good idea to acknowledge him when he channels the scary man. See if it's more comforting to talk about what he's acting out, or just distract him with a whistling game or something. I would stop trying to get him to step up for now. Change focus to establishing a bond of trust & pleasure between you. No demands, no stress, no expectations. Once or twice a day, hand feed him something like a grape or orange section. Tuck one hand into a loose fist, palm down. Put the wrist/forearm in front of or barely against him. Offer the treat in the other hand so he'll have to lean across the arm with nothing beyond an occasional bit of contact to eat. Make a big deal about telling Marcus how wonderful he is & encourage him to enjoy his treat... period. Be sure not to use any words that he would associate with step up. Quit after a couple of minutes & let him finish the food on his own. Once he becomes very comfortable doing this, feed him for longer & make it a little harder for him to reach. At some point, he should step onto you to feed. Make sure to tell him how wonderful he is but try not to get excited. Position the treat so he can stay on you as long as possible. Give it another few days before you start using the phrase that you want him to associate with climbing onto you while he's there. Now Marcus has some good experiences to counter the bad. Hopefully some of his trust in people has been re-established. Meanwhile, he won't have any reason to know you're trying to get him to do anything.

Hello, stranger The tech thing gives most of us problems. Hang in. As for Harvey, I have it on good authority that he's a much loved, spoiled rotten fid & that's a beautiful thing. Good to hear from you. Hope to hear from you often.

Wow! I feel for the Coco & Angelo. Hope the article will generate some feed back & get the park to see things differently.

What a nice set up! Love the way she comes & goes when you ask & that she has all that open space to fly.

Just thought this was a nice story http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/shrine_ecret_angel_CGDxrh9Pr3mjkghYtrfGLP?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=

Birds aren't apparently legally covered by the same protections as dogs & cats. But they may be protected as exotics. I saw a website for Animal Ark & wondered if someone there might be able to help? If they aren't up on the specific laws that would apply, they might know where to go for official advise. And they may also know of local resources in the community.

Someone gave me a cage & I went through the same thought process. Could only find 2 places in MA/RI to bird-safe powder coat. They were ridiculously expensive & I had to get the cage sand blasted before hand. They wouldn't guarantee the coat life & said it wouldn't last more than a couple of years at best. Hope you have better luck.

too many good byes our hearts are with you xxxxx

I was hoping there'd be some more answers to this. I originally got mine given to me, but I'm going to need to buy some more sisal to rehab my boing. I've done a little checking & come up with these websites. I don't have any experience with any of them. So, it would be great to hear any feedback. I think I've seen members post about the first one...? http://www.cabirdnerds.com/index.html http://www.greyfeathertoys.com/ http://stores.ebay.com/junglebeaks http://www.birdsafestore.com/rope.aspx http://www.fowl-play.com/cart/en-us/dept_8.html

There are cages that come with a bar that stops the bird from being able to tip the cups. My last 2 did & they didn't mention anything in the info on the website. With many cages, the cup holders are just screwed into the doors. You can just leave them off when you set up the cage.

Really !!??!! We've had a breeding pair of hawks & their offspring around for the past 3 years Even when they're in the house, every one of my birds is very fearful whenever they're within hearing distance. Once the babies fledge, it seems like constant loud, whining, begging to be fed. Luckily, the family moves on a few weeks after that. I guess the good news is, if this hasn't stressed my guys beyond enduring, then I guess Sully's ok. I'm just really stunned to hear that he's trying to get the hawk's attention. My guys do everything they can to hide. Also, as much as I appreciate almost everything in the wild (bugs don't count!) I'm not a big fan of these birds. I've never seen them eat anything but wild birds. They prefer baby birds but I've seen them snatch plenty of adults in flight or otherwise. So, tell Sully it's a really good thing that he's being ignored.

LOL Belle, my german shep is the vacuum cleaner around here. I'd be happy if my birds would just pick up their toys.

Wouldn't it be nice if Cricket could actually use it to help clean up?

Wow! What a whole lot of progress & so quickly! He really is a little champ, isn't he!?! When you cradle him in the palm of your hand he knows he isn't going to fall. That may become his version of stepping up, so you've already accomplished that one. Really encouraging to hear about him flying to you when you when you offered him a treat. He's playing & doing normal happy bird things. That's awesome! You said he climbs the bars & has started trying to sit his perches. If he keeps flitting to them but doesn't stay put, he may be having problems with grip & balance. Keep trying different types & sizes of perches until you find what he's comfortable with. It's just going to be trial & error for a little while. How about a small ladder? He could 1 - go up 2 - use his beak & 3 - rest his body against it to perch. I don't think he'd do well with plastic unless maybe it had grips molded into the rungs. I'd lean it from one wall of the cage to the other, maybe half the cage height at first & put the base of the ladder thru the bars at the bottom of the cage for stability.