Wingy

If you can get Missy to eat bread or toast you can try this recipe http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes.php?recipe=1453 To get it to rise properly you'll have to leave in the salt but could probably cut it back to 1/2 tsp. Honey, preferably raw, should be substituted for the sugar using the same amount. Now take the pellets and squash them fine substituting say 1/3 to 1/2 cup for the same amount of flour. Now add any seed she usually eats and let her see you doing it. Make a big production of it actually (just imagine the Swedish Chef from the Muppets and keep calling for her to watch you add pinches of her seeds into the dough). If she goes for it you can slowly cut back on the seeds in the bread and start introducing things like shredded vegies into it, but only when she isn't looking.

Does Missy eat bread?

I think what Nancy means is a person should never give up just because they are not the chosen one. Don't allow a parrot to be a one person bird because every family member has something to contribute. At least that is how I take it.

I'm so glad. Seeing that bath scared me. BTW I think the aviary is amazing.

Smokie you can also try asking your vet if they can recommend a place that offers boarding. The bird store I go to offers boarding and a web cam so I know that is an option to me if I ever can't find an appropriate sitter. edited to add. Any place you take your bird for boarding comes with risks, including private residences where birds are in the home. There is always a risk that your bird will be exposed to illnesses from other birds whether a vet check is required for boarding or not.

I'm still working on learning the blog setup and figuring out how I want to set it up. When its up and running it will be called Recipes4parrotsandparronts. Until I am ready to open it I'll throw some recipes here. This is one I tried tonight. It was pretty simple and I didn't have to fuss with it much. It could easily feed a family of 4. Todays suggestion is courtesy of Rachel Ray. http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/budget-recipes/linguine-with-eggplant-ragout Now I used reduced sodium tomatoes and choose to salt/pepper my plate and not the whole dish. This dish was good but was missing something. I'm thinking that a good pinch of bruised caraway seed or hot pepper flakes would be a flavorful addition. OTOH my partner in crime thinks it need rounds of Italian sausage. I do understand that this recipe contains garlic and there seems to be conflicting information on whether or not garlic is a parrot safe food. I've read yes, I've read no, and I've read just a little. You'll have to make up your own mind on this one because I can't find anything concrete one way or the other except that www.mysafebirdstore.com carries foods that contain garlic. Happy eating! Wingy

Now maybe that big bowl is part of the problem. Try giving her a small bowl or only filling the big bowl just a little bit. You'll have to feed her more often but she'll see less seeds and hopefully take tastes of the other stuff. I'm not suggesting starve her or even waiting until she finishes just offering less for a time to see if that encourages her to try something new. I knew a child that was a stinker at meal times and only picked at the favorite. I started using a small plate, only put 1 or 2 pieces of everything on the plate and the kid ate without a fuss. The child was overwhelmed and just picked his favorites because he had been given enough of those foods to fill up on so there was no need to try anything new.

Yes you can hang a sheet up with a curtain rod to help with the mess. Put another sheet down on the floor under the cage. Bed sheets make great floor and wall protectors. If you have high ceilings you can join 2 sheets together so it covers the full length. Because your bird won't be eating the sheet feel free to decorate it using dye or non toxic child safe fabric paints. This way you have art instead of a sheet behind a bird cage. If you really want to be sneeky you can make a fake window by using the sheet/painted sheet or even sheers and add curtains. Ta-dah, fake window disguises a mess catcher.

You know those command things might just work for the windows. If I start even with the top of the frame a curtain rod can rest on the frame for support but be held in place by those command things. Keep the ideas coming folks. I have lots and lots of wood to cover.

Screens might work around the pillars and would give an attractive place to land.

Jayd I'm usually pretty good at ideas but this one has me stumped. The 4 windows I need to cover are my only windows. If there were any other source of natural light I could have sheet metal covers made that I would slide onto heavier spring rods and hide the whole contraption behind large framed posters. I tried sliding cardboard panels in the window just to get the feel of the room with the windows covered and it was like a cave and not in a good way.

Please please please watch that bird bath. There is no telling what is in the glaze. I was going to get a small birdbath for Isabelle the Quaker but she is such a chewer and the store couldn't say what the glaze/paint was made of. The store manager actually suggested I only buy the base and have a bowl made and glazed at one of the ceramics shops in the area.

Thank you for the tip on things to watch for.

I live in an old house. It is not quite 100 years old. Every where you look there is wood trim with almost 100 year old varnish on it. In the living room I have 4 fixed pane windows that with the molding are approximately 30" x 20" and are about 8 inches from the ceiling. Everything is original and all moldings have been varnished, never painted. Floor to ceiling varnished columns and a varnished 18 inch header separate the living room and dining room. My kitchen has the original wood and glass fronted cabinets with the thumb turn brass hardware, and wooden counter tops, again all varnished. My problem. I expect that the varnish is toxic. I really think I need to come up with some way to cover the window areas and columns to prevent them from being chewed on. That should be easy, right? I have to do this without putting any holes in the plaster or wood. The landlord is adamant about it. Any ideas? One other tidbit. I don't have any curtain rods that I could build on. I ended up putting curtains on spring rods to block out some sunlight. Just in case your wondering no my house isn't drafty. The walls are the old plaster and are 10 inches thick with no cracks. Yes, I do have a milk door. No, I don't have a coal chute but I know where it was. Yes, all the doors do use skeleton keys. No, the house isn't haunted.

This is what I worry about with my partner in crime.

You've got a little ham with those beans.

Pria do you love Billy for who she is or what she is? If you love her for what she is then you'll have to fret that you don't have the "perfect" show piece. If you love her for who she is then just do the best you can and love on her no matter if she is feathered and beautiful or looking like a Sunday oven roaster. Its ok to keep trying but its not ok to make yourself crazy. Refocus all that worry energy into something positive for both you and her.

If you have located the nest then you should call a professional to have it removed. If you haven't then you can try using traps. You can make your own or buy them commercially. Here is a good reference http://www.cals.uidaho.edu/edcomm/pdf/BUL/BUL0852.pdf Tips on removal start on page 9.

I will be if they modify ok. I'm looking to set up a blog to keep them organized. I spent last night trying to learn the ins and outs of Wordpress.

Have you located the nest?

Try ice cube trays. They are easy and they stack. Once frozen crack the tray into a freezer bag and poof your done.2

I can't help you with flies other than to suggest a good fly swatter. Spiders on the other hand I can help with. Food grade diatomaceous earth will kill the spiders as they walk through it. It is not a poison but you shouldn't breathe the dust so it shouldn't be used inside where pets or birds are just in case of airborne particles. It is extremely important that you only get the kind that is food grade. http://www.tidbitsandstuff.com/2009/kill-spiders-with-diatomaceous-earth/ Sprinkle it outside around sills and screens, in your flower beds, around your pipes or anywhere the buggies are coming in.

With the kids all being gone I've gotten lazy with meals so I am going to make that cajun 15 bean soup sometime this week. I picked up the sausage today and everything else I have in the pantry. I have come across some new recipes and will be testing them out soon.

I bought a cage today. Yeah me. It should be here Tuesday or Wednesday. It is the one Dave suggested from E-Bay. I'm not 100% sure the timing is right but some things have happened to suggest that I should do this. First finding a cage that I could work with (the legs can be cut down at work to accommodate a better height for me) and the second coming into a small inheritance that I never expected. I started thinking what better way to honor a big, loud, messy man than by getting a big, loud, messy parrot. In a very special way my Grandpa will be spending each and every day with me. Once the check clears I'll be calling the bird store and seeing what they have coming in and put a deposit down. So here my journey officially begins.