GT_Jacket

Murfreesboro, TN (about 35 miles SE of Nashville) - Grew up in Atlanta, GA.

Questions - What is the right size PVC for the areas that the CAG will be perching on - 1) If wrapped with Vetrap or sisal twine? - I went w/ 3/4" 2) If wrapped with 1/4" Sisal rope? - I went with 1/2" If I build a climbing net area out of the 3/8" sisal rope, how large should the "holes" be? I'm not talking a huge net - may 3' x 3' at the most. 3/8" sisal was the largest diameter I could find - okay to use on this size bird/net? - I ended up finding 1/2" sisal rope and utilize this. Pain in the XXX to tie but came out great. I made the holes probably 5" w x 7" h. HTH, Brett

I'm going to try the Bird Butler from http://www.birdsetc.com/ for our new CAG (mid July)... seems to have great reviews and can stand up to larger parrots...

LOL - thanks for the story Ray -

Unfortunately I could not find a breeder I liked close to us. I will be having my CAG flown in so I will not be able to spend any time with them prior – The breeder currently has 3 being weaned. I think I will let them pick the one they feel is the “best” of the group regardless of its sex. Thanks, Brett

Which one would you get and why? The bad news from the breeder I'm getting my CAG from (Mid/late July): "First of all there is a problem with your baby. He has done something to hurt a foot, vet says he's pulled something and will most likely be permanent damage. We are going to wait until he is a little older to decide if it can be repaired or not. Most likely he will end up losing 1 toe. I have wanted to keep some babies for future breeders, so I will most likely keep him for that and go ahead and pair him up while he's still young." The good news from the breeder: "I have 3 more babies right now that are not weaned yet. I think they should be ready in about 4 weeks, so I can probably ship it to you when you are ready. I'll have them DNA'd in another week or so. Since I have 3 of them to choose from, which sex is your preference?" Thanks for your input - Brett

Isn't it cute how naive they are at this young age It is my understanding that you need to work to keep an AG from becoming a one person bird. Make sure they are exposed to many people early on.

I have not ordered from this site yet, but looks decent. http://www.nutsonline.com/organic/

Too cute. Thanks for my Gilbert fix.

I don't know about the rest of you... but I'm in need of a Gilbert update...

Thanks Dave. Great points.

I've been trying to figure out how to utilize the nesting box door on my cage to hang a covered bird bath to and it be on the outside of the cage. Seems like it would stay cleaner and be easier to change the water, etc....

Would either of these King cages be a suitable sleep cage?

Thanks. I ended up picking up a dual 24" fixture. It was rated for 17watt and even though the bulbs are 20watts they said it should be fine. Any idea if the light diffuser cover (bumpy kind) will remove any of the "good" stuff? Brett

Dan, after reading this I'm planning on installing one or two Lumichrome 36" bulbs over a "play" center I'm making. Couple of questions - 1) The 36" bulbs are listed as 30watts but I can only seem to find 3' T8 fixtures that are 25watts. Any thoughts on this? 2) Is ~20" above where the bird will be perching still the recommended distance? This is 20" above the perch and not the head of the CAG right? Thanks for the great info - Brett

I've had saltwater tanks for 20+ years. Got into true reef tanks about 7 years ago. After much debate - I have actually taken the tank down since that 1st post. I'm going to keep all my high-end equipment to re-setup later, but wanted to be able to give Echo all my free time/$'s in the beginning... It is amazing all the living things you can have in a reef aquarium.

I had a tiel' growning up that could sing and whistle the entire Georgia Tech theme song. It's fav saying was "To hell with Georgia" (Georgia Tech's #1 instate rival)... Unfortunatly, it passed fairly young with a rare liver disorder. The liver got so large that it could not breath well.

Meet Echo. DOH 3/21/11 (picture taken on 4/18/11). We ended up going with a breeder out of state. I really liked how they did not have dozens of birds at once, abundance weaning to my choice of pellets, allow to become flighted and only clip if buyer desires, interaction with other people/pets, etc... She is going to hold a little longer than normal for us so we can take delivery after our vacation in mid July - Let the waiting game begin - Brett

bran - thanks for the link - love the chop. I'm going to try making that and some tinkerbell mash before our new one arrives (Mid July) -

Dave - I would love the same PM as your are sending thenabrd. Thanks, Brett

That is my understanding, but I think the sleep cage preferably goes into an empty/spare bedroom... not your bedroom.

For those that have a separate sleeping cage - are these typically smaller? Could the 1st year smaller cage later be used as the sleeping cage?

Look for exotic bird shows/fairs in your area - We picked up this cage at one for $325. http://www.largebirdcages4u.com/play-top-bird-cage-with-toy-hook-36x28-sku8003628 Accessories, toys, etc were very reasonable at the show also.

In preparation for our new addition we need to swap out our teflon pots/pans - This Cuisinart Greenware Nonstick cookware is labelled as both PFOA and PTFE free. Is it okay to use? http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-GW-10-Greenware-Nonstick-10-Piece/dp/B001NIZ7C4 Thanks, Brett

Sprouting... I love the look of it. From their web site - "3 seed mixes: Big Bird, Middle Sized Bird and Lil' Bird. Any mix will work for any bird - the names refer to the size of the seeds not the size of the bird." Do you have a preferred mix out of the 3? Since my initial post, further review and talking with Harrisons - seed will not be part of their daily diet. What about as a treat? Harrison appears to have some nice Organic Seeds - any of these types look better than the other (I will probably shy away from the peanuts)? http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/Certified-Organic-Seeds/departments/7/ I also ran across Red Palm oil on Harrisons site and had started to research. I agree it looks like a great addition to their diet. Thanks for the Baby food and dehydration tips - Brett