New To Group

[The SuperUnknown]

Hi all, My name is Debby and my cag`s name is Nellie but I call her Bird. I know, not very imaginative. She calls herself "Bird Whacker". She`s a rescue bird, more or less. My son found her at a beagle breeders house when she was 9 months old, stuffed in a dark corner and out of the way. She was locked up in a very small cage with no toys of any kind and was never let out or played with, the woman of the house was terrified of her. He couldn`t leave her!!!!! He also couldn`t keep her so you know the rest of the story. She lives with mom. (me) She is, for the most part, a friendly bird with her chosen people. (heaven help you if your not `chosen.`) David, my son, is her MOST chosen person or as I call him...her boyfriend. My husband is her playmate and I am her caregiver. She has learned many words in the year and a half we`ve had her and is happy. She was a feather picker (who wouldn`t be?) when we got her and has recovered completely from that nasty habit. She has many "pets". Her cats are terrified of her, much to her delight and she has a small dog that cleans around her cage. She loves taking a shower with her `daddy`, laying on her back to play and swinging from my couch pillows. But all is not well. I am also an orchid hobbyist and her room is also the sunroom. You can imagine the destruction at times. No, I don`t blame her. The plants are there and she`s most certain they are for her entertainment. I can`t lock her in a cage again. So I would like to build her a floor to ceiling `pen` so that she and my plants can live in harmony. Do any of you have your birds in such a pen? Any suggestions? Does anyone know where one might find plans/pictures? I`m enjoying reading all your posts and visiting the web pages. Blessings! Debby

[yarg]

Jayne & Pepsi (CAG) Frankie (MSC2) Peaches (MOL2) Bridget (`Tiel)

[Stitch]

mine, Zoe. She`s almost eight now but I do think those deplorable conditions in which she was kept for the first two months of her life will be in her memory forever. I have zero regrets that I found her, though. I wouldn`t trade her for anything. She just takes a little extra care and as time has passed she`s become an irreplaceable part of my life. At first, she would only allow _me_ to touch her but now she`s friendly with just about everybody that cares to interact with her. So..give your CAG a little more time and I think you`ll see her `chosen` list grow.

That`s great she loves showers...some birds never develop that love for water...it took us about three years before Zoe would willingly take a bath or shower. So, I`d say, whatever you`re doing to gain this birds trust, you`re doing right.

Regarding a pen..why not a simple hanging perch that can be moved about from room to room? We have three, one large, one medium, and one for the shower. The large one has a food/water dish but all have toys hanging from them. Also, what about a simple platform that you nail suitable branches or store-bought perches on, designed in a way you think your bird might enjoy playing on? You can even put wheels on it. It`s really not hard to do and with a little advice from your local building supply store I think some homemade stands (and toys) are actually better designed. Way cheaper, too.

Nice to see you here and welcome.