pearllyn

Thanks so much to Greyforums for sending me a Happy Birthday message this morning - it brought such a smile to my face to think of all the special folks I have met here. I've had a lovely day so far, and Alfie is being especially nice to me!! xx

Good luck with the move Tom. I'm looking forward to hear how everything goes for you as we will be moving too in a couple of weeks, and I'm anxious for everything to go well!

Aah, you're little birdy angels are all keeping a close eye on you. And why am I not surprised that Jay is still thinking about his Amazon room! Thanks for the update Maggie. Love to you all. xx

Aah Alfie must have had her holee roller hanging in her cage for about a month before she looked at it! I do sometimes put paper into it - she just likes to empty it out rather than find treats in there I think!

Hmm, that kind of puts a different slant on the dilemma. When any prospective new bird owner comes looking for advice about "which one to choose," we always say you let the bird choose you. If Betsy seems happy where she is and doesn't want to come sit with you, that almost makes the decision for you. Almost. On the other hand, It would be awful to go back in a year and find her bald because she is still there, or worse, the wrong person took her home then sold her on because she "won't play, won't talk, work forces sale" etc. As a foot note, we were at an Aly Bain concert last night (scottish fiddler) and there was a fiddler from New York there - Bruce Molsky. The last tune they played was an American one and I can't recall the name of it, but the first line of the chorus was "Coming round the mountain charming Betsy"! I thought it was a sign! Then when we got home and watched The X Factor, one of the contestants won her sing off with "Save me from myself"! I thought for sure Janet I would come back on here tonight and see pics of your new arrival lol!!

I have asthma and was concerned I would take a reaction to my grey but have had no bother at all. I was allergic to my cats when we first got them many years ago, but became immune and the allergies stopped. I don't keep cats now and when ever I visit a home with a cat,, I get the really bad allergic reaction! I have also heard good things from people with birds who have air filters/purifiers, so they may be worth a try.

Alfie having some fun with her Babble ball (around £6) and Holee Roller (£3 in a sale) She gets a lot of fun from both of these toys and they weren't too expensive!

Thanks for the udate Jill. Very concerned about our Jay and Maggie. x

I think this is a head or heart decision - your heart seems to want to bring Betsy home, but your head is thinking there might be another needier bird who also needs a good home? You sound like you've been thinking on it for a while and who's to say that Betsy might not become a reeeeeally needy bird once she has sat in the pet store for a while being overlooked because she doesnt talk. She already needs a good home and on top of that, she's lost her family, bless her. Best just bring her home now. Heart knows best. x

That is so sad. And seems a little bit stupid to me, not to mention greedy and cruel - they must know these birds would be better off in homes. I think making them an offer is a good idea - they can only say no.

4 years Dee? Hmm, there's hope for us yet then! Lol - I wish! Alfie has no hesitations about flying into a darkened room. Your snuggles with Kito sound lovely!

Haha I got that noise right away!! I do it often lol! The only time Alfie does that noise now is when she wants to bite, but is resisting lol! When she was going through her biting phase though, she wasn't often good enough to let me know when one was coming! Harvey is a real gentleman.

Wow how unusual. It's almost like she was going to be an Albino but didn't quite make it. Poor baby. she sounds so sweet. I hope she finds a loving forever home.

Thanks Dee. I love that Java is so happy to go to bed - I have to peel Alfie off of my fingers to get her into her bed! I'm hoping that once she has her own room and we get into a new routine she will be happier to say nighty night.

She's lovely.

Thanks for the replies folks. I forgot to mention that Alfie has a birdy bunk which she absolutely loves - she will settle down anywhere for the night, so long as her birdy bunk is there! It's roughly a foot square, so Dave's suggestion of a cage around 24x24" should just about do it. At the minute Alfie sleeps in her daytime cage which is in the main sitting area of our home, with a cover over her cage. I just never feels she gets enough sleep - we are quite late to bed at times and I feel sure she gets disturbed. I'm very excited about being able to give her a seperate bedroom! Thanks again. x

Don't give up you two, I have had the exactly the same prob with Alfie, this thread was started when I just about began to see the light at the end of the tunnel. She absolutely hates the spray bottle and thrashes about something wicked. I now shower her in her travel cage and she sits quiet and accepts it, but it was a long time coming. You might still end up with a bird you will humour you at showertime. x

Hay folks, I'm thinking Alfie will be getting her own room soon and would like to get a little sleep cage for in there. What sort of size will do. She will only be going in there at bedtime. Thanks. x

Sorry Judy, you are right, it is most upsetting to say the least, but non birdy people just don't get it do they, I mean, not all of them. They just see an animal in a cage and not the torment and anguish. I hope videos like this shared with a wide enough audience can re-educate the planet to make this kind of suffering a thing of the past. I tried to edit the title so people will know what they're watching but it won't let me. x

Not sure if this will have been posted already, but I came across it today. It is a video by Irena Schulz of Bird Lovers Only. Please share this with anyone you think might even vaguely care. Animal abuse in every form has to stop, and we can only do it by letting everyone know how all these animals can feel. Everyone has been touched by an animal in some way or another at some point in their lives, and awareness raised for one species is awareness raised for all living breathing feeling animals. xx [video=youtube;yb-VzeVA1ZE]

That was my first thought Janet - he left the bird once, he could do it again. I saw this in the paper (I don't get a paper but my Mum cut it out for me - aahh!) and thought how sad, but the bird is probably well cared for with, as Dee says, more than one caregiver who is emotionally invested in his wellbeing. Without any more info to go on, I say leave him where he is! P.s. NO WAY I would emigrate if I couldn't take all my animals with me!!

So sorry to hear that Shanti has flown off. ParrotAlert is a relatively new site, but they may still be able to help. It would be worth registering anyway http://www.parrotalert.com/ GOod luck with finding him - praying he comes home safely. x

Aah that's such a shame Jill. He'll maybe change his mind one day, you never know! Jan that sounds almost exactly the same scenario that made Alfie change her mind! They're so clever - if they have a choice you can be happy that they're happy!