SunnyBird

Dear Dhorje, Can you tell me what kind of line you are using and how you are attaching it to the harness? I would like to make one also. Furthermore, how do you let out and take up the line when Cocoa is flying? Thanks, Renate

But wait - if they mature between 5 and 10 then it can't be hormonal!? I hope not - I hope he just sees me as mommy and is trying to test his limits while at the same time being needy. I don't want to stop touching him now that he is so affectionate with me. One of our favorite things is when he lifts his wings while I dig my nose into his armpits and kiss and give him raspberries.... we both enjoy it, the cuddling. It's so warm and soft in there.... I'm in love with a Klingon... maybe because I'm one of them too? Sorry Spock - but they are part of the federation now, aren't they??

Somewhere I read that there have been a few cases in domestic animals getting cancer but I don't remember where I read that. The other thing is that it could dislodge and move to another part of the body. Like I said, I'm in no hurry and a bit fearful of having the procedure done but in case I need to travel internationally my bird will need it for his pet passport.

I use newspapers and I remove 2 sheets in the morning and another 2 sheets in the evening. If there are a lot of pieces of food around the edges of the tray, I have a little tiny hand broom and shovel to scoop them up. I line with about ten pages thickness so it lasts around 5 days. Then I wash out the tray and the bottom cage bars in the bathtub.

Lately Sunshine has been refusing to get off me. I let him sit on me a lot while I'm working at the computer or in the kitchen but lately I've been having to literally peel him off me, toe by toe. He just turned a year old. Are his hormones starting to kick in? He tries to feed me often as well. Furthermore he is constantly climbing on top of my head. I tell him no and I scold him but he'll do it again at the next opportunity. That really annoys me. What do you think?

That is a good idea. I will not remove the ring, however, unless it's absolutely necessary, and then I will do it without hesitation. Cheers, Renate

HA HA LOL Yes they are Simba and Selini. They were kittens at the time. Both of them and Sunshine celebrated their birthdays within the last month. When Sunny first got home they stayed by his cage constantly. They were mesmerized by him. They've gotten used to him now, except when he's flying around. Every once in while one will try to swat at him although he's flying much to high for them to reach.

I really did a lot of searching when I shopped for cages 3 years ago. I used to sell on e-bay so naturally that was the first place I looked. (I was living in NY at the time.) I ended up purchasing 2 cages, one from e-bay and one from kings cages in New Jersey. This is the one I bought (in Sandstone - really nice). They had a sale on at the time and I paid $300 including shipping. Right now they have it for $399. It was worth every penny. It's a beautiful huge cage and I feel reasonably confident that its paint is non toxic. A lot of the cages on e-Bay are from China and I would not buy one that is being sold too cheaply there unless it is used. http://www.kingscages.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=ELP_3426 The other cage I purchased was a bit smaller and it only cost me $25!! Somebody was auctioning their used cage because they had bought a larger one. The lady lived near me and had a CAG and a TAG living in the same cage. It turned out to be a Kings cage as well, in great shape and really clean. I was able to order a couple of spare parts for it (the play top section which she didn't have) when I bought the larger cage. This is it: It costs $299 new! http://www.kingscages.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=134 When you search for cages on E-Bay, if you find someone in your area, you have a really good chance of winning the auction at a lower price if it's pick up only. The competition is less. Plus, you will be able to see who had it first and take action accordingly (i.e sterilization, etc.) All used cages need a good cleaning and disinfection and also if you can, keep it outside for a while in the sun (it could have some bugs in it). Don't be too turned off by that. It is very rare. All in all it is worth it. I use the second cage at our trailer in the country so that Sunshine can spend a lot of time outdoors. Here's the photo when I just put it together. Sunshine liked it right away: Here's the smaller one I had him in for the first couple of months (not the greatest photo...):

Glad you are feeling better. Are you using the extension line for the harness or did you make your own? In the second video I lost track of Cocoa completely. :-)

Here's Sunshine sharing out dinner (which he does most every night) - looks forward to it, in fact. Never see him get inside his cage so quickly at other times of the day! Last night it was Chick-pea soup, and he loved it. It was a great opportunity for me to get some messy bird face photos! Enjoy. Cheers, Renate and Sunshine

Thanks Jayd. I'm really glad that there was no health problem after all. I get so anxious, especially since we don't have real avian vets here in Greece. That is why I'm so glad to have found this forum and am able to communicate with people like you and others here who are willing and able to offer information and advice. Knowing that it may or may not have been a fungus, and just observing my bird very carefully, enabled me to be prepared to help should the need arise!

I would like to microchip Sunny so that I can travel with him if I want to or need to. Within the EU it is mandatory for traveling. I have not yet found the right vet to do the job but I will when the time comes. I also will keep the band around his leg as long as he can stand it because I don't want to have to prove that he was not wild caught and illegally imported. As for the GPS technology - check this out: http://www.telemetrysolutions.com/quantum-4000-feather-lite.php It's not yet internal but there are people out there using them on their birds. I saw a website in Dutch, I think, where they were using this device on their trained falcons. I can't find it anymore.

Every time my daughter cried when she was a baby (she had a very loud voice) I would automatically break out in a cold sweat for some reason. This would definitely drive me around the bend. However there's really nothing you can do about it except hope that when the child gets older the bird will forget about that sound?

Those moments are very precious. Also they force us to stop what we are doing for a change, and relax and focus on our selves.

The first photo is of their pariliament building which is on the Buda side, where I was staying for a conference. The rest of them are from the Pest side, the castle, the church, etc. The latter side has more traditional Hungarian architecture from what I understand. It was very beautiful - it's too bad I only had one afternoon off to take a quick walk. Personally I still think that Austria has the most beautiful cities I've seen so far....

That is great news Jeanna. Please work with him to exercise those wings every day by letting him flap while he's perched on you (preferably over a bed in case he falls). It's going to take a long time for him to change his feathers and he will need to not let his muscles atrophy in the meantime. You are going to have to teach him how to fly later on. You are lucky to have a free flight indoor club in your area. I wish I had one!

Hi! I'm following up on this old post of mine with the happy news that my worries were groundless. Sunshine turned 1 year old on Sunday and has molted heavily three times since he's been with me (since the age of 4 months). This time around he's lost all his tail feathers (over a staggered period of about 2 months), just enough time to let the new ones grow in enough to give him flight control. He's also lost about 4 flight feathers so far, but most importantly, he's losing all those ugly black feathers he has on his shoulders. Looks like TPU was right and that the first feathers are not so strong. His new ones are all growing in beautifully. In this photo you will see new bright green feathers interspersed among the old worn blackish feathers. I've posted more photos in the photography room if you are interested. Cheers! Renate and Sunshine

My recent visit to Budapest, Hungary. Sorry about the quality - I was shooting into the sun most of the time....

Here's Sunshine enjoying the sunshine! He's been replacing a lot of his baby feathers lately.

What is that he's wearing around his eyes?

Wow is this what they call a growth spurt in fids????

Scritches to you, Sunshine and Renate

Happy Hatchday - squawks to you - I can't say Starbucks or Wanna Cupa Cawfee but here's a HELLO and a STEP UP to you!!!

I also posted this thread in the Amazon Room but it seems to have disappeared. Why?