neoow

Oh how adorable!! Bet you can't wait to get her home safe! Lots of pictures when possible please

First off... wow, what a change! Loving the new layout! Thank you for all the hard work that went into getting things up and running! Secondly- this isn't a problem as such, more of a general 'how to' query. I'm still finding my way round the new site so I may be missing some obvious things. This also isn't a complaint or a grumble. Just looking for the best way to navigate around the new site. I can see there is an 'unread content' and 'activity' button at the top and these take me to an activity stream with all the latest posts/comments. However I can't seem to find a way to get to the threads these comments come from, so some of it is out of context. It will say "so and so posted something in somebody elses thread" but doesn't give the thread title and I can't seem to find a way to get to that thread from the activity stream. At the moment I'm ignoring these two buttons and looking at each 'room' to see which threads have been updated and reading through them there, as I like to see the whole conversation rather than just the latest comment/update. If someone else has found a better way to see the latest updated threads (rather than just the latest comments) please can you let me know how?

That's adorable!

It's normal. The daily showers will help to reduce it but will never eradicate it completely.

Sounds like a fantastic project! I have recently ripped out and re-created by back garden. Well I say I... it was actually my dad who did all the work. I just pointed at things, explained what I wanted and made sure he had a steady supply of tea and snacks! I have included an area at the back of the garden for an aviary. It's going to be 12ft long, 6ft wide and 6ft high. It will be multi-use: for my two bengal cats and also for Alfie to use (though not at the same time for obvious reasons!). I haven't bought it yet because I used a lot of my savings on the garden itself. With the weather getting colder and Christmas looming I'm holding off on buying the aviary until early next year. But I'm super excited for Alfie to finally have a safe place to play outside! I'll be following this thread with interest!

Oooh I might have to try to in order to try and get Alfie to eat different foods!

I get a blank photobucket screen as well using Chrome. I was looking forward to watching it!

Alfie gave me a good chomp the other day because I dared to suggest it was bed time. He was having so much fun he didn't want to go to bed. I'd already let him stay up late but that wasn't good enough. So when I ask him to step onto my hand, he did... but he also grabbed and squeezed to let me know he wasn't happy about it. He doesn't draw blood- but he does like to let me know when I'm spoiling his fun.

I second the "whatever works" sentiment!

Thank you SterlingSL that's exactly what I meant!

Don't be surprised if this thread sparks a rather healthy debate about wing clipping. I don't like the approach suggested by the woman here. Having watched Alfie get clipped when he was young in a similar way, I decided it was far too stressful for him to ever consider having it done again. Only reason I had it done in the first place was because I was following what I now consider to be bad advice from the place where I got Alfie from. They suggested lightly clipping one wing then waiting a few weeks and lightly clipping the other. I followed this advice then realised Alfie was a strong enough flyer that once he sorted his balance issues out he could fly just as well as he could before the clip. So for me, it made no sense to continue. Alfie screamed the place down when they toweled him and I personally felt it was unnecessary stress for him. I worry that with Poppy being a fearful/timid bird it will be extra stressful for her. Apparently there are ways to train a bird to get used to being handled in a towel (according to Barbara Heindenreich) but obviously this would need lots of careful and patient training with Poppy. Similarly, getting her used to going into a carrier should be possible... with lots of time, patience and reassurance. Personally, I wouldn't risk setting Poppy's progress back by having a stranger walk into the home, towel her and clip her wings especially if she's a timid bird anyway. I'm not sure what to suggest to you here though. How old is Poppy now? Is she able to fly or still learning? I'd be cautious of having her wings clipped if she's still quite young and hasn't fully learned to fly yet. (Apologies, I forget how long you'd have her now! Time zips past so quickly!)

Just a thought for the open door - I've seen people mention that they use those door curtains (not sure how best to describe them) that's a row of hanging chains/ribbons/plastic strips? Just wondered if that was an option for your house? Children and dogs could still get out but it may stop the birds from trying to fly towards an open door (because it'll be covered). I wouldn't trust them enough to just leave the door open willy nilly but it may be enough of a distraction that the birds don't try and fly outside? Apologies for my vague description- I have no idea what they're called or where to get them from! I'm thinking of this kind of thing... https://www.hygienesuppliesdirect.com/images/mainpics/94204.jpg

Alfie is the same. I can offer him up all sorts of tasty morsels and more often than not he'll chuck them to one side or just ignore them. Cooked, raw, it doesn't matter. At most he'll take a couple of chunks out of it before throwing it. I persevere but he's a little bugger for trying not to eat the healthy stuff. With the exception of grapes. He can't turn down a grape. He gets given a few grapes every so often as a treat and he devours them.

So glad this had a happy ending and Olive is now back safe and sound.

I wish Alfie would eat his pellets. I've been trying him on harrisons recently and he's not interested. I've been sprinkling them on his food, hiding them in his food, giving him pellets with only a few seeds. He always eats round them... or throws them out completely. On the plus side- he is getting a bit more adventurous with his fruit and veggies these days. He ate a sugar snap pea at my mum's house and normally he wouldn't touch those. I even managed to get him to take a bite out of some brocoli. Not sure he approved of it... but at least he took a chunk out of it rather than just throwing it away!

If I stay up too late then Alfie starts saying "night night!" to prompt me to go to bed. If he wants more food (because he's picked out all his favourite bits and isn't interested in whats left) he'll start grabbing the lip of his food bowl and flicking it so it makes a loud metallic noise... it's his equivalent to banging his knife and fork on the table I guess. I really should just give him a servants bell he can ring when he wants me to do something.

I have not skipped work to finish reading a book. I have however, stayed up most of the night reading a book I couldn't put down and then was tired and grumpy at work the next day. Oops! I HAVE been late or left early due to pets (emergency vet visits etc). When I was still living at home with my sister and parents I got called home from work because Alfie had escaped in the house and my sister was too scared to do anything. She hid upstairs with the dog. I was unable to keep a straight face when telling my boss that I had to go home because my parrot was holding my sister and dog hostage. I have not been in the awkward situation of being seated next to an ex with their new partner in a restaurant... thankfully! Never have I ever.... made myself late to an event/work/outing because one of my pets was being adorably affectionate so I stopped to make the most of it. (Hey, don't judge- my cats like attention on their own terms and one was refusing to let me out of bed without giving him loads of fuss first... this might have happened on more than one occasion!! :cool:)

I have a small kings travel cage for Alfie and I can't fault it. Very well made, very solid. Yes it's on the heavy side but not heavy enough that it causes me any issues. The only thing I don't like about my one is that it comes with bespoke plastic food/water cups that would be difficult to replace. But as Alfie isn't in it for very long they haven't been ripped to shreds yet. I don't know if that's the same for the cage you are looking at or if they changed that design.

But when you're making lists... you're not paying attention to GreycieMae! This is win win- she gets the pen AND attention!

Greycie is hilarious- I love the mischief she gets up to!

Sorry, am totally ignorant here. What is it?

I'm planning some work in the garden over the next few weeks and I hope to get an enclosure out there for Alfie and the cats to use (not at the same time, I hasten to add!!). So I'm going to have this to look forward to! Alfie knows exactly where I can't reach when he's out of his cage. So I will leave a step ladder in the enclosure I think!

Sending big hugs and best wishes to you and Timber. Sorry you're having to go through this. I am hoping beyond all hope that it all works out ok.

I'm sorry but I did laugh. But then I did feel sorry for you afterwards. Alfie always picks up the loudest, most obnoxious noises. He seems to learn those a lot easier than he does anything else! I hope Dorian gets bored of the sound very quickly!

Haha that's hilarious! Sully has you wrapped round his little talons!