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Steve is sat on his own in the other room by himself, whistling/singing/talking to himself-lots of Peekaboo in his muttering  painted bird posted:Speaking of hanging out with bird bros. If they stay put that's fine, just leave the door open so they have the option and one day they'll eventually take it. Put some millet on the outside of the cage where they can't just reach through the bars to get it. Add a perch by the door so they can sit right next to it, maybe put the treat on that. How are they with taking treats from your hands from the outside, and if you put your hand in? Start with that. They now never get millet again unless it's from your hand. When they stick their beaks through the bars to eat the millet, gently try and touch their beaks, go OTT with praise etc if you manage. They'll be confused at first probably, the millet will win out, and eventually they'll not really care. You can combine the touch with "beak rub" and maybe they'll pick that up, so when they're by the bars you can ask them "beak rub?" and if they want one they'll put their beak through. Inko learnt that and does it CROWS EVERYWHERE posted:He is suspicious of the nest, I'll see if he wants to be put in it like being put into a sleeve after he's had fun inspecting his food. Adorable. He'll be fine while he's little, but once puberty kicks in the nests/huts might encourage hormonal behaviour. My conure can't have one because he gets more aggressive and bitey with it in his cage. He doesn't miss it, at least.
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Jul 7, 2015 14:55
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Dreggon posted:i feed bird it just stares at me. like what do you want is there some other reason you came to visit it wants a scratch give it a scratch
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Jul 7, 2015 15:05
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Dreggon posted:i feed bird it just stares at me. like what do you want is there some other reason you came to visit Its rude in the cockatoo community to not also offer a drink. Give them a double scotch neat.
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Jul 7, 2015 18:29
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Daisy is by far the best pet I've ever had. My only regret in life now is that I didn't get a bird sooner. She comes right out of her cage the second I open it now, loves scritches, she met my son for the first time last weekend and took to him immediately. 
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Jul 7, 2015 18:36
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx0H3-O43Mc Tried getting a bell toy for Pion. Clearly, trying to disassemble it is more fun than just ringing it.
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Jul 7, 2015 18:57
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Slaughterhouse-Ive posted:Its rude in the cockatoo community to not also offer a drink. Give them a double scotch neat. nielsm posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx0H3-O43Mc
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Jul 7, 2015 19:17
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Good afternoon birb friends! Bitey and I are just back home from a trip to the vet (for new bird checkup) and Bunnings (for seagrass mats)! Vet was very pleased with Bitey as a healthy, happy bird with good bird shapes! He said it had been a long time since he'd seen a regular peach-faced lovebird, and he wished all the birds he saw for checkups were in such good condition I got to see Bitey's poo friends closeup, with mostly good poo friends and none of the two major gut infections that lovebirds often have. Apparently there should be more rods than spots, which is best, once he is all the way converted onto a pellet diet. Bitey got some blood taken for some tests and suffered the indignity of having a metal tube shoved down his throat (I think that was for the worming).Speaking of pellets, Bitey is treating his pellets with a lot less suspicion! I have put both seeds and pellets in his cage, with the pellets in his regular food container, and a heaped spoonful of seeds in another container in a different part of the cage, as the vet recommended. He looked very wrathful for a couple of minutes but then ate some of the pellets and must have decided they tasted nice because he ate a few more! Now Bitey is clattering around happily in the boxes on top of my wardrobe and squeaking at a bird outside. The psittacosis etc tests should be back this week, but the DNA sexing might take a couple of weeks. e: Oh, Bitey also got weighed and is about 46g, which is apparently a good size for a peachy lovebird of ~9 weeks. He was also very well-behaved, apparently, from being picked up out of the box to being put in the little plastic box for weighing, to being handled, poked, and prodded to show the two students his various birdy features. CROWS EVERYWHERE fucked around with this message at 03:47 on Jul 8, 2015 |
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Jul 8, 2015 03:44
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Good to hear. Make sure you give those mats a good soak in water and dry sun dry them completely, just to get all the dirt out. The lady I buy toys from told me they are safe and that by cleaning them you can make them less safe through the possibility of mould growing if they arent dried properly. She's a vet nurse so I trust her. I haven't had an issue with mine hanging them out on the washing line. Don't be afraid to cut them up either, I've mad shelves etc in the cages as well as a cylinder for a hut. I attached them with sisal twine which someone said was safe, but my Quaker pulled those apart and everything fell apart so I use the big clips toys are attached with now, he likes banging them on the cage for fun and his home isn't going to fall apart so win win.
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Jul 8, 2015 04:56
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A Saucy Bratwurst posted:Good to hear. Make sure you give those mats a good soak in water and dry sun dry them completely, just to get all the dirt out. The lady I buy toys from told me they are safe and that by cleaning them you can make them less safe through the possibility of mould growing if they arent dried properly. She's a vet nurse so I trust her. I haven't had an issue with mine hanging them out on the washing line. Yeah, I got a few because they're very cheap, and I'm going to turn some into ladders/ramps, some into nest or shredding stuff, some for alternative flooring in his sleeping cage, etc. Some are definitely getting chopped up! Bitey has had a nap in my jumper while I ate my lunch, clambered up and down the flyscreen and net curtain, and eaten some more of his tasty pellets. He's now back up on top of my bathroom door having a preen and occasionally squeaking at me and/or outside birds.
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Jul 8, 2015 05:00
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Just wait until you go into a pet store and see one rolled up with shredded paper in it for $30.
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Jul 8, 2015 05:10
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All this talk of Bitey reminded my wife that her Uncle had a budgie who they couldn't think of a name for who, well, was bitey, and they somehow ended up calling him "Piranha Man" for awhile. As these things often go, the bird was named Piranha Man for all of his days. He continued to live up to his name, too, as he somehow got it into is bird brain that biting was a form of affection and never quite got it out.
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Jul 8, 2015 05:22
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A Saucy Bratwurst posted:Just wait until you go into a pet store and see one rolled up with shredded paper in it for $30. I've been seeing casuarina pods and gumnuts with thread through them, and branches and twigs off eucalypts, all at crazy markups! For a bird Bitey's size I can get much better just by going to the park or asking my family to mail me down some of their firewood/bits left over from tractoring around. Oh, PS: Given as it's going to take a couple of weeks for Bitey's DNA sexing to come back, I'm going to start calling him/her Captain Fifi McAfee from now on. If she does turn out to be a girl, she will go down in history as the first female bird captain of the MFP.
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Jul 8, 2015 05:41
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nielsm posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx0H3-O43Mc Oh yeah, bell clappers are systematically removed in this household. I need to order more bells.
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Jul 8, 2015 12:58
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Bicyclops posted:All this talk of Bitey reminded my wife that her Uncle had a budgie who they couldn't think of a name for who, well, was bitey, and they somehow ended up calling him "Piranha Man" for awhile. As these things often go, the bird was named Piranha Man for all of his days. He continued to live up to his name, too, as he somehow got it into is bird brain that biting was a form of affection and never quite got it out. EDIT: I think I have the only cockatiel who is totally disinterested in bells. Judah doesn't hate them, he just kind of goes "meh" and dings them once then plays with something else. The little carabiners that shredder toys sometimes come on, however... those are the best for making noise by banging them against the cage bars at seven in the morning. Tendai fucked around with this message at 19:11 on Jul 8, 2015 |
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Jul 8, 2015 15:35
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Tendai posted:"Pegleg" i have this bird
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Jul 8, 2015 15:58
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Dreggon posted:i have this bird
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Jul 8, 2015 19:09
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Tendai posted:Pegleg was hardcore. He couldn't walk at all and could barely fly but he climbed around his cage like a champ and lived to be about 7-8 or so, which I think is a pretty decent budgie-in-captivity lifespan. He died eating in his food dish which was probably an okay way to go. 7-8 is great. Loki is 7 and I'm still keeping my fingers crossed he'll kick the cancer's rear end and live to be 8. 
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Jul 8, 2015 19:13
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I think budgies can live as long as 15 years, but 10 is more likely (especially for English budgies) given ... less than ideal breeding standards and how budgies are usually kept.  If Pegleg lived to be 7/8 with his problems, though, I'd say you were taking pretty good care of him! (Recently I saw a classified ad looking for someone to take in two budgies who can't fly--I assume due to inborn conditions--and they asked for no rehoming fee and I was so tempted. I still am, but my boyfriend won't let me. Plus, I'm worried Hubris and Gnosis would pick on them.)
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Jul 8, 2015 19:23
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Tendai posted:Pegleg was hardcore. He couldn't walk at all and could barely fly but he climbed around his cage like a champ and lived to be about 7-8 or so, which I think is a pretty decent budgie-in-captivity lifespan. He died eating in his food dish which was probably an okay way to go. Sounds like Inko, though he's able to waddle around with difficulty. I wonder if it will affect his lifespan, and how much. To die eating would be the best way for a conure to go 
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Jul 8, 2015 19:25
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Battle Pigeon posted:Sounds like Inko, though he's able to waddle around with difficulty. I wonder if it will affect his lifespan, and how much. To die eating would be the best way for a conure to go
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Jul 8, 2015 19:27
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painted bird posted:I think budgies can live as long as 15 years, but 10 is more likely (especially for English budgies) given ... less than ideal breeding standards and how budgies are usually kept. I've definitely know some who lived for 15-17 years, but I think that's the exception rather than the rule. The drat testicular cancer is really common, though. My wife's family has lost two to it over the years.
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Jul 8, 2015 19:45
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Also, if you live in Europe (looking at you, Battle Pigeon, though I dunno how the shipping to Eastern Europe works out) and are looking for good online bird stores, I found a few German-based ones that are pretty good! Sadly, everything is in German. Knuti's: they sell toys, accessories and so on, but what I use them for is food. They're the only distributor of Roudybush pellets in Germany! Their prices for Roudybush are very reasonable, IMO. Otherwise, too pricey for my liking. But still, Roudybush suppliers! In Europe! (Roudybush is my preferred brand because Harrison's is too expensive and I don't like the fact Zupreem et al dye their pellets.) Ann's World: the shop attached to the site of a parrot expert who's written several books on clicker training. She curates the selection herself and all the toys are bird-safe. The selection is not that wide, but the shop is comparable to Windy City Parrots, IMO. I ordered from them and just received the package today and all the toys are of excellent quality and well-priced. They even included a leaflet on making parrot chop! Vogel Galeria: these guys specialise in handmade, all-natural toys. Mostly they make perches, swings, out-of-cage playgyms and things of that nature. I ordered from them the other day, but I'm still waiting on the package so I can't vouch for the quality myself. Yet. Outside of Germany, there's Scarlett's Parrot Essentials, UK-based. Pricey and the shipping fees are scary-high for me (since I'm in Germany), but the quality is good and they ship promptly. Everything is curated by the owners (who own large parrots) and they also supply a number of pellet diets and a lot of high-end cage brands. Recommended, especially if you're in the UK--they ship free within the UK for large orders. (Just be sure to take note of the size of the toys. I ended up ordering a few that were simply too big for the budgies.) Bicyclops posted:I've definitely know some who lived for 15-17 years, but I think that's the exception rather than the rule. The drat testicular cancer is really common, though. My wife's family has lost two to it over the years. Yeah, like ferrets, budgies are tumour factories.  I really hope we can at least avoid fatty tumours with Gnosis and Hubris.
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Jul 8, 2015 19:49
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Oh yeah I was gonna ask you what the good new site you found was, thanks! Maybe they'll have reasonable shipping. We're in the UK for a few weeks in August so will be picking up Harrison's and whatever else then. Free shipping woahhhh Birds are going to get boarded at the vet again, for a bit over two weeks. Pre-emptively feeling bad for them, they'll be in a large room with rabbits and no windows, able to hear people but who knows how much interaction or not. Tendai posted:Honestly I'm still surprised at how long he lived. We weren't A+ parrot owners (but then again, we didn't have the internet at that point to know different, just vet recommendations and a few 80s bird books) but man, he was a hardy little son of a bitch. His beak/head worked fine so he'd cruise around the cage bars somehow. Was he able to use his legs/feet for gripping, or he just pulled himself around and flapped etc?
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Jul 8, 2015 19:58
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Battle Pigeon posted:Was he able to use his legs/feet for gripping, or he just pulled himself around and flapped etc?
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Jul 8, 2015 20:02
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Capt. Conure is apparently overweight. I don't think she likes my idea of making her forage for food.
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Jul 8, 2015 20:06
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First two sites deliver via courier, so expensive, and the third site doesn't deliver at all. Not too surprising I guess!Tendai posted:He basically just pulled himself around, his legs/feet were paralyzed. He couldn't fly but I think he'd flap to get balance now and then. Or rather, he flapped and that's why I think he was doing it. Did you adapt his cage, like give him little shelves or everything low down or whatever? It's amazing how adaptable they are. There's videos on Youtube of a budgie in a similar situation, paralysed legs but can fly, and powers himself around to hang out with his people and get carried about-anyone remember the bird I mean? SquadronROE posted:Capt. Conure is apparently overweight. I don't think she likes my idea of making her forage for food. How heavy is she?
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Jul 8, 2015 20:17
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Battle Pigeon posted:Did you adapt his cage, like give him little shelves or everything low down or whatever? It's amazing how adaptable they are. There's videos on Youtube of a budgie in a similar situation, paralysed legs but can fly, and powers himself around to hang out with his people and get carried about-anyone remember the bird I mean? We were pretty ignorant at the time. But there were some obvious things that we added like a little platform to sleep on etc. Mostly he just adapted and cruised around. Helicopter died after only a year or so, but Pegleg lived a pretty good life and then, as far as we know, ate himself to death. So, you know. Parrots.
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Jul 8, 2015 20:20
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Battle Pigeon posted:First two sites deliver via courier, so expensive, and the third site doesn't deliver at all. Not too surprising I guess! 69 grams. The Vet said to watch her weight.
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Jul 8, 2015 20:24
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SquadronROE posted:69 grams. The Vet said to watch her weight. But average adult GCC weight is 60 - 80 g 
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Jul 8, 2015 21:12
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LITERALLY A BIRD posted:But average adult GCC weight is 60 - 80 g Then I honestly have no idea. Maybe it's just because of the trend? In a year she's gained 9g. Or maybe the vet is jealous of Capt. Conure's stunning good looks.
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Jul 8, 2015 21:20
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Maybe she's starting to look fat, so she's fat for her frame size?
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Jul 8, 2015 21:31
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Maybe the vet poked at her breastbone and it felt like there was more fat than muscle there? It's a completely normal GCC weight though, like LAB said.
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Jul 8, 2015 22:37
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Regardless, I've increased the amount of foraging toys to get her some more exercise, and decreased the amount of food by a tiny bit. She doesn't seem to be unhappy for it at all, and it gives me a chance to shop for more foraging toys!
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Jul 8, 2015 22:54
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Yeah, more foraging toys seems like a thing that could never really hurt, it's an activity and food. Unless your bird is too dumb to understand them. Judah. I'm looking at you Judah. Mr. "I saw you put that millet in this wrapped up piece of paper but now where is millet???"
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Jul 8, 2015 23:32
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Captain Bitey McAfee did not let me sleep in past ~8ish this morning, which is good as I have a JSA appointment today. There are lots of parrots outside today so there is lots of squeaking to be done. I also gave the floor a good sweeping so Captain Bitey is a bit upset about the lack of floor food. He spent quite some time clambering over my old loofah, I may have to give it to him as a cage accessory. The pellets I'm currently transitioning the Captain onto (which he's eating, even though he has to inspect it suspiciously and then stare at me reproachfully when he realises there are no sunflower seeds) are these ones, the Vetafarm Maintenance Diet parrot pellets. I was talking about pellet choices with my vet the other day. He said he personally recommended the "Nutri-Blend" ones over them, like these ones (in small/mini pellet size for a lovebird), which are brightly coloured. He said nutritionally they're both fine, but 1) birds seem to prefer the brightly coloured ones, and 2) it produces better quality stool.  Over both of them he'd recommend the appropriate Roudybush pellets, but they're harder to get at regular pet supply stores (though for a bird of Captain Bitey's size, a packet from the vet's would last at least a couple of months).Does anyone here have experience with the two Vetafarm mixes? I'm probably going to get the Roudybush ones anyway when I run out of the ones I have right now (well, before I run out, to get him transitioned over to them without a fuss). Either way I'm very impressed with the Captain for being a good birb and eating his pellets 
CROWS EVERYWHERE fucked around with this message at 01:56 on Jul 9, 2015 |
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Jul 9, 2015 01:42
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Oh by the way, thank you guys for the taming tips! I'm still pretty frustrated that the budgies are so terrified of my hands.  I hope I can teach them not to be but drat is it disheartening when I go to change food bowls and they flip out.I'm super jealous of everyone's tame as hell birds, haha.
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Jul 9, 2015 01:54
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You're in north Brisbane right? Pet City in Mt Gravatt has roudybush but thats a big drive for bird food
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Jul 9, 2015 01:58
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A Saucy Bratwurst posted:You're in north Brisbane right? Pet City in Mt Gravatt has roudybush but thats a big drive for bird food Yeah, it'd be quicker to go to the vet's at Chermside for it, as I'm in Deagon. Or order it online but I am around Chermside fairly often (well, when I'm actually outside) so it shouldn't be a drama going there every couple of months.
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Jul 9, 2015 01:59
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Tendai posted:Yeah, more foraging toys seems like a thing that could never really hurt, it's an activity and food. Unless your bird is too dumb to understand them. Hey now, I bet Judah spent literally minutes thinking over it with all two brain cells tiels have before deciding a corner of the cage needed to be yelled at.
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Jul 9, 2015 02:15
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Slaughterhouse-Ive posted:Hey now, I bet Judah spent literally minutes thinking over it with all two brain cells tiels have before deciding a corner of the cage needed to be yelled at. One brain cell is for "???" and the other brain cell is for "!!!"
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Jul 9, 2015 02:42
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