neoow

Meant to add- is there a way members could contribute towards any costs if they chose to? This forum has been absolutely invaluable to me in the years I have been a member so I would happily contribute. I don't ever think it should be a mandatory thing and I probably wouldn't be able to donate much but if there are costs involved in making these kind of improvements (as I'm sure there are) then I would be willing to chip in as and when I am able to. Heck, even if I could buy KevinD and Talon a beer (or drink of choice), I would- just for all their hard work! (and anyone else who works behind the scenes of course!)

I appreciate how tough this is. I have just been through a rough spell with my 16 year old AG Alfie. He didn't want to know me and wouldn't even come to me or sit on my knee when out of the cage. He was starting to show some signs of aggression if I put my hands in his cage (he never used to do that) and if I asked him to step up to my hand I'd more often or not get ignored or bitten. So I have given him lots of time and space to figure things out. He seems to be coming back around. Yesterday he came and sat with me on the sofa for ages. Whilst I didn't get to give him scritches this was a big step forward seeing as he would actively ignore/avoid me before that. On the other hand- he LOVES my housemate and will let him give him scritches every day. It's very difficult not to feel a little bit jealous and upset about the change in dynamic but I just had to roll with it. They can be contrary little buggers at time but we love them anyway. 😂 Just stay calm and patient with him. He might come around eventually or he might favour someone else in your household. You can't predict it and often can't change it. they do seem to go through a lot of changes around that age where behaviours and temperament can change. Just keep going. Don't force the issue- let him lead. He'll let you know what he wants and when!

I'd happily use it and will enjoy seeing other peoples videos! I think a mix of mobile and desktop functionality is best. I use both to view the forums.

I have tried wrapping treats in paper but Alfie prefers to fling them around rather than grab them and tear them apart. Even if I show him the treat and wrap it in front of him he will still fling it as far as he can! I found some great little boxes recently which are perfect for foraging. I fill the smaller box with treats and paper, put it in the larger box and top it with treats and paper and Alfie has loads of fun shredding the box and finding some tasty treats. I have a small stockpile of the boxes at the moment as they are the perfect size to fit on his shelf and the fact there is a box within a box gives him an extra challenge too. (plus it makes more mess for me to clear up!)

I would be sad to see the forums close down because there is a wealth of knowledge and years of experience in the archives. It would be a real shame to lose everything that people have put into this place over the years- especially as some of them are sadly no longer with us. However, I understand that it is a large undertaking to keep a website/forum running. I also understand that this can seem like a totally thankless task when hardly anyone shows up and posts any more. I enjoy keeping up to date with everyone's birds and I would be sad to lose that connection with the people here. Is there a way to archive the data on the forums and make it searchable? Is there some way that this can be moved to another communications platform where we can still add to it and communicate with each other (for those that are left?) I don't even know what platform would be the best to use. Yes there is facebook where you could make a page or a group. But is that the best format? Would everyone move across? Are there other platforms available which are less taxing in terms of management and maintenance?

It's very sad. Humans manage to ruin everything good in this world. I am glad Sukei managed to survive what must have been a horrific ordeal and I'm so glad he found a family who loves him and is willing to move mountains for him. (or at least fly him over some!) I wish governments and leaders across the world were more willing to protect the planet and the critters that inhabit it, rather than looking to line their own pockets first- regardless of what damage that causes.

He gets his favourite treat every time he goes near it or touches it and I also leave some inside- he hasn't been brave enough to stick his head far enough to take a treat from inside- but will take one from the outside. 😂 But he's still very curious about it, so hopefully it won't take long to convince him to step up on the perch inside.

Woohoo! All sorted! Thank you!

He's REALLY interested in it- watches closely every time I move it and tries to find ways to get a closer look. He hasn't actually stepped foot in it yet but he is comfortable with walking up to it and looking round it. He did stick his head in a couple of times too.

Oh crud. I just realised I posted this in the wrong section - it should have been in the problem forum and resolution one. Apologies! If a mod is able to move it then please do.

Hi @ILeo I saw your posts in the chat box so figured I'd make an actual post about this issue. It's a really minor one but as it was mentioned in chat I figured I'd log it properly. My profile picture disappeared and was replaced with a 'N'. I am unable to change it back to a photo. I am using the default blue theme at the moment. I click on my username in the top right and go to my profile. I then click the photo button at the bottom left of my current profile picture. This loads an empty box which I think should be where I can upload a photo - but that never appears for me (as shown below) I click the continue button and the colour of my profile picture (with the 'N') changes. So it just looks like the section to upload a new picture isn't loading properly. Like I say, it's a minor issue and doesn't really bother me- I just noticed it when my picture disappeared and I tried to upload a new one. I haven't done any kind of trouble shooting from my end (e.g different browser, clearing cache, different forum theme etc etc). I'll try and make some time to try a few things to see if I can get it working. If I do, I'll post what I did.

Hopefully so! Fingers crossed that he takes to it! He doesn't like his travel cage and actively avoids going in it- he has always hated going in carriers/small cages. So I'm hoping this is a bit more successful.

I'm trying to encourage Alfie to forage more for food. It's a natural behaviour of African Grey's (and other parrots of course) and a good one to encourage as it keeps them active and makes them work that bit harder for their food. Tonight I made a foraging tray and put it on Alfie's shelves. I put some fruit and veg and other tasty morsels in the bottom of a tray then filled it up with shredded paper and foot toys. He had to root around and pull the paper and toys out before he could get to the treats. It kept him busy for quite some time. Most of it (including the food) ended up over the sofa but he seemed to enjoy digging through the tray. I have a couple of foraging toys in his cage (a buffet ball and a wheel that he has to spin and line up the holes with the treats in different compartments) and I'm thinking of putting a tray at the bottom of his cage for him to forage in. I'm also toying with the idea of getting some bird safe plants and putting them in his cage (whilst supervised) so he can dig through those and pull them apart. I just need to be a little bit careful because I also have two cats- so I would have to make sure they either can't get at the plants or that they are cat safe as well as bird safe as my two cats get into everything! (they are indoor cats) Do you provide foraging opportunities for your birds? If so, what do you set up for them?

I went to the Think Parrot show yesterday for the first time ever. If you live in the UK then it's hosted annually at Kempton Park Racecourse (off the M25) and is definitely worth a visit. I picked up some good bargains on a few toys and also bought a backpack style carrier (similar to the pak o bird) in the hopes that Alfie likes it so I can take him out for walks (and get him out to the aviary). I also sat through one of the 'masterclasses' which was really interesting. It was about cognitive beahviours/abilities in parrots and enrichment. There were also some free flight sessions where we got to watch macaws and sun conures flying without harnesses. That was pretty spectacular. Here are the goodies I bought: This is a plastic crate stuffed full of leather strips. I'm planning on hiding a few tasty morsels in there... once Alfie accepts it. It's huge and quite heavy. This will either be for his cage or for his shelves- if I can find something strong enough to take the weight of it on the wall/ceiling! Alfie loves rope and swing toys so I grabbed a couple of those. These are huge so will be used in the aviary. Another swing toy- this is HUGE so will be another aviary toy. Here is the backpack carrier. Alfie has been REALLY interested in this. I built it in front of his cage and have been practicing putting it on and off (whilst trying to keep it as steady as possible) in front of him. Today he decided to take a closer look and climbed down to the floor to take a look. He rarely goes on the floor and if he does he normally gets to higher ground as soon as he can- so he must have been really curious! Checking it out form his cage Having a closer look!

I'm doing my best not to let it bother me - it just seems strange that it was such a rapid change. Hopefully it's not a permanent change but if it is I'll just have to roll with it and take the good bits where I find them! We had a good time today - no attacks. I removed all the cardboard and magazines from his shelves and put toys for him to fling around up there. I also filled a tray with fruit, veg and treats topped with shredded paper and toys so he had to forage around to find the treats. Once he cottoned on to the fact there might be tasty food at the bottom he was busy for a while.

Thank you, I wish I could read his mind too! He doesn't seem to get angry when I talk to him or go near the cage - but he won't lower his head for scritches. If he doesn't lower his head, he doesn't want them and any intrusive fingers will probably result in a bite - so I never try and force anything with him. I can be really close to his cage whilst talking to him and he's not giving me any signs to say he doesn't want me there. The flying to the back of my head and striking out always comes out of the blue. I can't spot anything that happens before it to trigger it. It could also be hormone related. Maybe he's seeing the shelves as a nesting area seeing as that's where he tears up all his boxes and magazines? I wonder if I should remove the boxes/magazines for a little while and replace them with foot toys to see if the behaviour happens then... I'm just clutching at straws at the moment!

Still struggling to work this one out. Alfie comes out of his cage of his own accord as soon as I open it. He doesn't wait for me to leave, he'll climb right out. He then flies to his shelves and plays and ignores me for a while. If I'm round the corner at my computer he will sometimes fly to his cage and check up on me. Or he may climb onto his tree and start preening. He's still not letting me give him scritches (but my housemate is allowed). Yesterday he came and sat on the coffee table next to the armchair I was sitting in but I just talked to him and watched him. Normally he would come and ask for scritches and sit on my knee but he didn't. I didn't force the issue either. Today he pushed a box off his shelf and flew to his cage so I wandered over to the shelf to put the box back for him. He flew to me and landed on my upper arm, then lunged at the back of my head twice. I put my hand/arm over my head to stop him from getting it again and to either usher him down my arm or to get him to step up and he grabbed the finger instead. Then he flew back to his shelf. I wish he could just tell me what I'm doing wrong! 😂 I'm still suspecting either the haircut or him being protective over his shelves. I'm leaning towards haircut because he doesn't let me scritch him through the bars of his cage anymore like he used to. I'm really not sure how to tackle this one and resolve it. I'm doing my best not to get upset about it but I do worry that I've done something to break the trust or upset the relationship. I just wish I could understand it and know what to do to prevent it from happening.

Yay! Glad all is going well with them both!

Great to hear things have improved for you both!

Yes - last summer we had ridiculously hot weather for long periods of time (never known a summer like it) and when Aflie was moving about a lot he started panting. So I covered part of it to keep it a bit cooler. It creates shade but does let a little sunlight through as well. Originally I was using whatever I had to hand - towels/sheets/blankets etc but they kept falling off. So I bought two sheets of the material in the photo instead and made it a bit more permanent. It has eyelets and I just cable tied it to the aviary bars. Makes it easy enough to remove too. It's like a plastic woven screen... not really sure how to describe it! There are still some areas which get full sunlight throughout the day as I didn't want to block it all out.

Here's another one for you! I think this is a little easier than the first one?

Managed to convince Alfie to get in his travel cage so I could let him play in the aviary today. It's glorious weather outside and the first opportunity that he's had to go out there this year. Can you spot him in his aviary? (he's definitely in there, honest!)

Hmm. I'm now peering at Alfie wondering whether he is in fact an african grey or just a pigeon with a painted tail... he is totally indifferent about cheese. Flings it across the cage if I dare to give him any. The only treat he will do (nearly) anything for is cedar nuts.

That's great news!

What a wonderful update.