SRSeedBurners

Not sure how I missed this post. I thought nothing gets past me. Apparently one did. I'm glad I caught it, that toy looks right up GreycieMae and Huey's alley. Easy to make too. I'm on it. I make something kind of similar out of wood that I cut into thin slices. But that requires busting out the miter saw. Cardboard - much easier to deal with.

This is a rough one. I'm not finding anything in your post, other than the 'rough iron cages' you mentioned that could be leading to a zinc poisoning. My first question when it comes to vets, since people believe they are miracle workers - are you sure she is seeing an avian vet? You mentioned your vet 'has avian vets'. They either certified or not. I'm only shooting in the dark here that they actually know what heavy metal ratio to look for. This is a really good article I bookmarked years ago when I was agonizing over using GAW wire in my outdoor aviary. It's talks about chronic vs. acute zinc poisoning and you are definitely describing the chronic. There are some ideas in there about where it may be coming from: http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww14eiii.htm

Even cooler! So you're waiting is nearly done! Did you ever decide on a camera [system]? I'm still fumbling around with getting electric and LAN cabling out there. We have graduated to leaving our two mids (Caique & Jardines) out there during the day. They have the smaller of the three sections. I had a guy give me a quote on steel reinforced security screens which I'm going to need before I can leave the Greys out there $3300!!! At that price I'll get my own welder and do it myself. Also got to have something before the heat comes along because mine will definitely overheat with no airflow. But even with just the two mids out in the aviary, that has freed up my bird room to where my Greys are loose in their bird room, and the two lils are just loose in the house. So we're technically cage free right now.

So 5 weeks from Monday it should be done?

How close is your breeder? I'm wondering if they can come over to help you get the bird in a carrier. Some people aren't as fearful of getting bit and that's what it takes with some birds (our Huey butchers my hands & arms). I'm really surprised you're having this trouble with a handfed baby with a known history.

That's the way I see it. I'm not really up-to-speed on alerts and how they work as I don't plan on using them. I suspect that alerts are done through some software detection either on your own NVR system/BlueIris or you pay for a service, like the Nest cams, that do it for you. In both cases, your aviary cam would constantly be sending you alerts from the birdy movements if you tried to do it with one camera. I have seen some of the software, where you are setting up your zones and you could map out the aviary outside of the alert zone. I think that's how it works. In that case you could get away with one over-head turret cam. There are professional systems installers if you think it's something that will get over your head quick too. In our case, this new aviary is getting security bars on the inside that will serve to keep the birdies from crashing into the windows and also keep someone out.

I'm not sure one camera will work for your situation. You are wanting to survey the surroundings and receive alerts but you don't want the fids interfering with that. So in that case a bullet camera, mounted at the top near your roof ridge to monitor the perimeter of the aviary and a PTZ camera inside the aviary to watch the fids. That's what it's looking like to me. I would definitely consider getting it wired. Where is your electric panel in relation to the aviary? If it's just inside that wall where the cement was poured easy-peasy for an electrician. You can run a cat 5 and electric out of that vent just below your roof ridge.

NVR is Network Video Recorder. It's similar to a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) camera system which is what you typically see at a 7-eleven or some other stop-n-rob type joint. Both record video for later viewing. DVR transmits an analog signal, over coax cable, directly to a DVR unit which in turn does the H.264 compression/conversion and stores the video. OTOH, IP cameras run over your standard Cat5 ethernet cable, are fully compatible with your LAN and do the H.264 conversion right at the camera sending the feed either directly to an NVR unit, or through your LAN/WAN whatever. They seem more versatile to me. I won't even consider a DVR unit if someone gave me one for free. I'm sure there are good uses for them I'm just hell bent on an IP camera so no DVR for me. Based on what you wrote, the only camera that I can think of that fits what you want is the Arlo camera. They are wireless - completely - running on batteries. I tried some out in my outdoor aviary and I could not make out my Jardines and Caique from the surroundings half the time. But it sounds like you are more wanting a perimeter surveillance? Not something to watch the birds? If you use something that gives motion alerts inside the aviary I can imagine it would be going off non-stop. I can't recall if the Arlo required a subscription for alerts or if you got a certain amount of cloud storage and alert for free. I'm highly adverse to any kind of subscription service for my cameras. I'm probably going to setup a BlueIris system and run my own server. I'm ordering my cameras this weekend once I crawl up in the roof and see how the heck Im' going to run cabling to the soffits.

Oh oh...I have done a TON TON TON of research in this area. I am currently running a Foscam FI9826 in their bird room and have been for years. Foscam is chinese as are most of the cameras you can buy. The camera is average, decent, whatever, but my problem with it is accessing the camera offsite. Their software absolutely SUCKS! On their support forum it is nearly a 'set stores on fire, turn over cars' riot situation with users like myself who have spent money on these pieces of shit and they will do nothing to address the issue of accessing their cameras. A camera is pretty useless if you can't access it right? So far their only answer is to use a very outdated version of IE if and until they decide to somehow write an interface for HTML5. They won't because they rip everything off and nothing has come along to steal. Don't buy Foscam. Don't buy their U.S. former counterpart - Amcrest - they have the exact same issue. Nearly all cameras will have this issue with browser support being a moving target I've learned, so while it's not really Foscam/Amcrest's fault that their crap no longer works, they are still selling their cameras under the pretense that you can use a browser, bullshit. I have considered all the usual suspects: D-Link, Nest, AvertX, Q-See, Lorex, Arlo, Samsung, Night Owl... There are just too dang many to really figure it out so I threw myself onto the cctv gods, thankfully. I have learned that the Dahua cams are pretty damned rock solid and very highly trusted among the cctv gurus. Also the issue of accessing them offsite is pretty much solved by running Blue Iris on a machine dedicated to running the software. It has the ability to function as it's own webserver. You can also buy a pre-packaged NVR system too that does the same thing. Do you have cabling to the area? Power or will you need PoE (power over the ethernet cable). Want wireless or wired? Pan/Tilt/Zoom? Do you need it to be 'outdoor' proof? Do you need nighttime IR capabilities (I use my IR all the time)? I can recommend a setup once I know what you're parameters are. It will be one of the Dahua Starlight series as they seem to be the best on the planet right now at consumer pricing.

I'll ask my question regarding your comment in Talon's thread since it's getting derailed: - why don't you condone glofish? From what I've read they are merely genetically modified with a fluorescent protein gene that's naturally found in other marine animals. My problem with them is the business behind it. They are very guerilla tactics when it comes to use of the glofish word and completely have that market cornered. As much as I would like to have some, I don't really want to stuff the pockets of corporate pigs. That's my problem with them. I believe that photo that I posted in Talon's thread was some kind of non-glofish tank. It was very stunning to look at in it's own right. Re-linking that image here:

oh oh...you're taking requests. I want to see: - Maalik (no wine bottles - haahaahaa) - The two dusky conures and the pineapple GCC (do you know about my Tinkerbell?) - The BHC and the Jardines (we have those two as well and they are best friends forever, or until Toby doesn't want to share)

Greys are the most photogenic. Naturally a black and white...my favorite.

What kind of fish do you have Jayd? I went to see a lady about some parrotlets when I was getting one for my daughter and she had this fish tank that was so stunning when you walked into the room. I've always wanted one after seeing it. But I need another hobby to clean up after like I need another hole in my head. I keep my lights off in my office at work and a glofish tank would be awesome there. this is the tank that was in her office. I don't think they are glofish though.

I think we're having a bit too much fun with this new aviary:

2-3 years ago, GreycieMae started doing this maneuver where she stands straight, lifts her head up and back and makes a sort of exhale noise. No idea where she got this but my wife picked up on it and now they will do their "center"ing together. "GreycieMae....center" is usually what my wife will tell her when they do it. We like to call it GreycieMae's calming yoga...for when she's not terrorizing the house. One needs to cool her jets you know! I've always wanted to catch a picture of it and I just happened to get it today totally by accident. I was trying to snap a pic of her and Huey in the new aviary. I guess it was her "oh gosh, not the camera again" calming yoga moment

I feed Volkman's Birdeez Buffet and have for years. It contains dehydrated veggies/fruits. I basically have a concoction where I boil water then throw in a bean cuisine for 15-20 mintues, then I throw in the birdeez buffet (minus the pasta pieces). Let that cook for another 10 minutes then throw in the pasta and some frozen peas and vegetable medley. Makes for a really great parrot buffet! Huey thinks it's the best thing ever. He gets super excited when he sees me in the kitchen making his breakfast!

We're his new home.

OMG...that's a lot to deal with. I'm hoping you're finding some solace in the birds and they're not causing some the drain. Mine drain me and I only have 6 plus I'm not dealing with any of the family issues you're having....and a move too.

Not sure what's going on with the forum and videos. I upload to youtube and then paste the link in my post. The forum automagically embeds the youtube video. Works great.

That was just the main construction. I still have left to do: Wire with electric - I'm getting an electrician to do that because it needs power from the panel and I don't screw with the panel. Lighting - me and the electrician Cameras with cat-5 cabling - me Window wire panels - me Some landscaping - me More rope climbing nets and toys! - me

Oh you had to ask didn't you! Here's a sampling of his talking, he tends to only talk in private, private meaning on the other side of the wall in the kitchen. His favorite spot is in the kitchen, especially with someone cooking there "La-la-laaa-la....La-la-laaaa-la" F*#! (former owners two teenage sons taught him this along with the next one) S*#t "Get me the hell out of here" "What" "Hello?" (always after the phone rings) "Huey's a good bird" And apparently a lot more that we haven't heard yet. And this one is funny: Wife and I were having one of our usual fights - loud talking, talking over each other, lots of tension and Huey belted out: "SHUT UP - STOP IT...JUST STOP IT". Not only did it stop the fight that was going on because we could not believe what he just said, but since he said it in perfect context we felt bad that we were stressing him out. So the fight stopped immediately. Wife took him to the bedroom and babied him as if he had told me to shut up and stop it and I promptly got on messenger and asked the owner if what I heard was actually what I heard because it was so unbelievable. The owner confirmed that Huey doesn't like fighting and will say exactly what we heard. He's not the most prolific talker and he doesn't talk very often but we get a real kick out of it because he's the only talker now out of 6 birds. However he is not a cuddly bird and will bite the living daylights out of you if you make a wrong move - something my cuddlebugs GreycieMae will never do.

This is a super cute video. Before this was taken, Huey was helping himself to GreycieMae's nut, literally taking it right from her talon. She would look at him incredulously, then pick up another nut and before long Huey would reach over and take that one too. That's what I intended to get avideo of. But by the time I got the camera, GraycieMae had about enough of Huey's one-sided sharing. And here that are just chowing down a little later

I hour your contractor is faster than mine regarding his own time estimates. We were told 4 weeks, 5 max. 12 weeks later we were wrapping things up. Normally we would have said something but his work was such high quality with attention to detail - I just shut my beak. Keep us posted with pics.

With all the exciting luxury aviaries springing up, I thought I'd share a nice blueprint for the perfect home floorspace plan that I found. It's perfect!

We went with the Solar Grey, it's a really nice smokey color and casts a bronze light (sort of like the color you see when there's a forest fire in the area and the sky is filled with smoke - bad joke I know - but that really is what it looks like underneath them). Home Depot only carries Clear and Solar Grey in our area so I never got to see the others. We have enough sunlight that comes through the windows on the side that I'm not concerned about maximum sunlight overhead. They provide the partial shade I was after and then under the soffits it's full shade. How are you building the roof? We have 16 ft beams like what they use on a pergola. The beams come directly off our house roof. The Suntuf panels sit directly on top of the beams (on top of the Suntuf 'horizontals' but that has no bearing on what I'm talking about). Then on the underside of the beams I am putting up 16 gauge wire. So there will be a space the width of the beam between the wire on the bottom and the panel sitting on top. Similar to you I don't want something punching a hole in the panel and my birds getting an escape route. My concern is a squirrel chewing through. If there is threat of hail, I won't have them out there anyway so a baseball size hailball I'm not worried about. These panels will take a pretty good strike but it is possible a branch could punch through if directed just right.