lizruork

hihi i just posted a (looooong) intro in the welcome and introduction room.... one of my immediate concerns in adpting mai tai a 16 yr old cag is that i have extremely limited space for his home.... he has been living in a small (27X16X27) small animal cage with no tray.... pls understand it wasn't a matter of abuse or not recognizing his needs.... his owner took mai tai with him to a retirement home and that was the best they could do.... mai tai had a happy life and spent a lot of time out of his cage... now that the mai tai may live permanently with me i need ot do better.... but the max surface area i can give him is 36 wide by 18 deep by about 30 high (to allow him to sit on top outside the cage which he enjoys but a dome top could be up to 40ish inches) so i started scouring websites for something suitable.... not much and nothing with really appropriate barspacing.... i got in touch with a few folks regarding a custom build.... larry at thunderbird was fabulous but sadly i cant afford the amount the cage and shipment would come to.... i found a small parrot cage at cages4less that is 30 X 18 X 30 which the closest i have come but the bar spacing is only 5/8 .... but it does have a play top........ does anyone have any ideas, know of other custom builders? .... have any thoughts on a wood cage (a builder of bird cages in toronto makes beautiful hardwood cages but it sounds crazy for a parrot)?... had experience building your own? ... know if there are plans i could give to a metal worker i know in toronto??? thanks for any and all coments liz r teddy and mai tai

hihi my name is liz ruork. i live in midtown toronto canada. i have been living in my my own very tiny home for 7 years with my standard poodle teddy. she is 11 and i am heading towards 60. before teddy i had a number of birds over the years; all smaller birds.... canaries finches cockatiels... and the last 2 my beloved pistachio (quaker) and jelly) maroon bellied conure both comics and crazy (pistachio taught jelly to speak by pushing her into a corner of the cage every day and forcing her to repeat after him and wouldn't let her out til she did .... recently i was asked to give a home to mai tai, a 16 year old congo african grey..... teddy and i met him at the new year and he came to stay on a trial basis 3 weeks ago... mai tai is a delightful bird.... very gentle, not too noisy.. all in all a sweetheart... here is his story... locally bred and hand raised, mai tai spent his life with bert and sheila, then just bert after sheila died... and when the time came he moved with bert to a retirement home with independent living.... mai tai was a very happy bird. although he lived in a tiny cage, he spent a lot of time out and about with bert travelling on the handle of bert's walker.... he went very regularly to links road clinic for check ups and beak and claw care.... sadly, bert who is in his 90's became too ill at the end of last year to care for or interact with mai tai any longer.... mai tai became depressed and began feather picking.... bert's niece cathy and her husband paul, who have a very demanding red-lored amazon who came with a full set of luggage, knew they could not give him the home he needed and they found me through a mutual friend... teddy and i went to meet mai tai and decided to give it a try.... the issues i needed to resolve (in no particular order) were 1. mai tai had a lifelong bond with bert, could he be happy with me as a replacement ? 2. the age discrepancy.... mai tai will live a lot longer than me.. should i be setting him up for another major life alteration in the future ? 3. i work from my home and mai tai will live in my living room.... would he be compatible with a live/work environment ? 4. how would teddy who is getting older and more fragile and has a recurrent cancer handle change in her life-long situation ? 5. could i provide mai tai with a suitable home within my tiny home ? 6. not driving meant getting to links road and dean axelson would be tough could i handle that? 7. could i handle the additional expense of giving the very best care to another animal ? 8. was i ready to spend the rest of my life with a parrot ? 9. was i romanticizing the idea of living with a grey... with visions of alex and living now with a truly brilliant dog was i anticipating too much? so 3 weeks in i know that 1. mai tia is the the sort of bird that wont impact my clients negatively... most have been excited and enthusiastic and have enjoyed his vocal displays 2 mai tai has stepped up a few times, allows me to scratch his neck and started regurgitating food for me this week 3. he is still over preening and is pulling some down but no feathers i think 4. teddy is fine with mai tai but seriously hurt by the amount of attention he is getting from clients and other visitors 5. i have had a good chat with dean axelson and have a good handle on what i can expect in time and expense for mai tai's vet care... not that i can completely afford the increase in vet bills but i can cut back on other things to cover it and these questions remain unanswered is it fair to give up on finding mai tai a home with someone in the 20's or 30's who can give mai tai a home for his whole life? i seriously cant get my head around the first one.... if there was a younger candidate, which there isn't, how do i know that mai tai would be happier or live a long healthy life? is the confined space i can offer in my home enough (more on that below and in the home and cage forum area) ? there is no suitable space for him to live... my home is on 3 levels... he has to live on the main floor to get the interaction and daytime stimulation he needs and it is also quiet at night... but the only space away from doors windows and vents is on top of a small antique cupboard... total surface area 36 wide by 18 deep ... and far enough for the ceiling to provide a 30 tall cage with some play space above...i haven't found any cage with suitable bar spacing that would fit well..... and of course it is just not enough space... but mai tia has spent years in the retirement home in a small animal cage only 27 by 16 by 26 tall..... and he isn't unhappy... but the cage must change because there is no tray and the water and food is place so high i have to get on a chair to do anything ..... i will be posting to the cages and homes forum looking for ideas and help on this but please ... any ideas will be so much appreciated... i got a quote on a custom cage from thunderbird and as perfect as it would be it is just not in my budget right now and probably ever...... can i see myself caring for a parrot the rest of my life ? will he be the exciting engaging partner i envision? i know i will lose teddy sometime in the future... with the greatest of good luck i may have another 4 years with her ... i know i can't live without an animal companion but the joy of a dog is that it takes you outside your home and amongst other people... i know i would want another dog..... can i handle the responsibility of ensuring a safe stimulating healthy home for mai tai as i age and if my health fails. mai tai has great charm and is gentle and sweet but i think my idealized version of the species that gave us nkisi and einstein and alex vision of a grey is unrealistic... i am not sure what i envision our relationship to be.... i want to know more about what other folks have experienced with their greys thanks for reading this and look forard to your comments and ideas liz r, teddy and mai tai