Macawnutz
Seriously Nutz!
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January 2016 Feathered Estates Highlight
Bartleby
I am very pleased to announce this month's showcased member Bartleby!
1~ What kind of birds do you have and how many birds did you design your setup for?
I have two birds, a Blue-throated Macaw named Ripley and a Blue-fronted Amazon named Sterling. The setup houses them both, but Sterling spends the majority of his time in his double macaw cage.
2~ Is your setup for a handicapped bird?
Not really. Sterling is not able to fly because of a preexisting injury so I do make sure to have access points to different areas that he can use…not like he ever really does, though.
But hey, it’s the thought that counts…right? 
3~ Are there any budgeting tips you discovered while doing your setup?
Budget?
Ha ha, what’s that? 
Oh wait, I think I might have seen one of those a long time ago. 
Or maybe something we learned about in school? 
My only budgeting tip is this: parrots do not care how “pretty” something might be. I could buy a fancy finished piece with bells and whistles from a manufacturer
…or I can roll up my sleeves and make something that my birds will enjoy just as well. 
It’s probably not as pleasing to my eye, but it’s certainly more pleasing to my wallet! 
Rip's DIY EWD inspired flier...
4~ Is your setup changeable or stationary and do you add or make changes continually or do things stay primarily as is?
Changeable….mostly.
Some pieces will most likely always remain where they are simply because I am confined by the position of outlets, ceiling joists, closet doors and windows. However, I’m not shy about punching holes in my walls and ceilings (repeat after me, spackle is my friend!
) so I do tend to move even securely anchored pieces around. Thus far I’ve done a major overhaul once a year. I’ve only had birds for two years….so who knows if this will hold true. 
I rotate swings and perches and things with hooks monthly. I add new and remove old…so that I can bring it back out in 6 months and pass it off as “new” again.
Half of the closet where I hide stuff....
5~ Where did you find your materials if you made it yourself or where did you purchase the setup and do you have favorite places to purchase safe toys and/or supplies that you find reliable?
I have a mix of DIY, purchased new and some CL finds as well. Lots of AA vendors are featured in the room. Ripley loves MPBT and IGAW, Sterling enjoys the latter as well. I hike and I’m very fond of grabbing some natural pieces, drilling a hole in it, adding an eye screw and suspending it from…something.
That's a lot of holes in the ceiling!
6~ Do you have a favorite item that you bought for your setup?
The Java trees are probably my favorite items…and the cargo net….then there’s the Atom. Ooh, and don’t forget the Kraken and the Oddball…..plus the binkies. Yeah, I’ll admit it….I like all of it!
7~ If you made any DIY toys what is your bird(s) favorite and were there any failures?
I’d say Rip’s favorite is the DIY dragon wood swing with the chains loaded up with bolted on pieces of wood. She loves that swing and when I fill it she sets to work immediately.
As far as failures, I like “natural” stuff, undyed wood and natural ropes and what not….Rip fancies color, the more color the better and the more obnoxious the color the bestest! So most attempts at presenting plain wood are met with a tepid response…..I’ll be honest, it’s probably more akin to scorn. :justdont: Rip gets colorful toys.
8~ Did you incorporate into your setup any foraging toys and how did your bird(s) take to them and was age or inactivity a factor?
I do have quite a few foraging toys and areas. I’ve got more acrylic foraging toys than I care to admit
, most are cracked at this point in time courtesy of a blue and yellow PITA that lives in my house. Rip is a foraging master and needs to have her brain occupied….lest she take over the world as a weekend project. 
Sterling needs things a little slower. I do have some treat cups in his cage and will scatter some nuts so he has to climb around to work for those. I also sometimes wrap his bowl so he has to “work” for his food. But he’s a shy soul who just hasn’t embraced the idea that new stuff isn’t going to eat him. I’m positive age and life experiences have everything to do with the difference between Rip and Sterling. She is young and has lived a charmed life so she has every reason to be bold and brash. Sterling has lived a life of trauma and is weary and fearful as a result.
9~ What difficulties did you encounter, if any, and how did you remedy them?
Rip disassembles everything. EVERYTHING.
:sadbye:
So the single biggest challenge is coming up with ways to prevent her from tearing everything down.
She unscrews screws….that are holding up perches she is sitting on.
She disassembles the sliding mechanisms on heavy closet doors. She systematically removes every single bolt, nut, nail and staple she can find. She removes every single foraging toy and tosses them on the floor….every single day. 
So, I have had to figure out ways to stop her mayhem (which is pretty much like trying to catch water with a sieve 
). I bought a box of a hundred stainless steel locknuts. I put up sheets of acrylic and attached them to the back of toys so she couldn’t rip them down.
10~ What do you like least about your set up (if anything)?
I’d like more space and more natural light.
It gets a fair amount of light as one window faces south with no trees obstructing it, but I would like more. Also, I can’t ever have enough space. Rip is flighted and I would love for her to get a better work out than this room can afford. Plus, some extra ceiling height would be nice….I swear I have permanent knots on my skull from whacking into all the hanging stuff!
11~ What do you like most about your setup?
The lifestyle it affords my birds. I want them to have the space to make their own decisions and the ability to occupy themselves as they see fit.
12~ Did your bird(s) take to the setup right away or did they approach it tentatively needing time to adjust and do you feel their age was a factor?
Rip took right to it….and when I’m doing renovations and introducing something new she is usually right there “helping” me and testing things out. :hammer:Rip has a unique definition of “help”…but I digress. Sterling takes more time. He is doing better and doesn’t freak out when something new shows up. He watches it, but new things no longer induce panic stricken honking fits of hysteria. 
For sure age and experiences have contributed to their varying reactions.
13~ Any future renovations planned?
Yep.
Oh, you want me to actually explain?
The big goal is to build an aviary off the back of the room that can be accessed through the back window. That way Ripley can go outside as she chooses as long as the weather is permitting. I had hoped we would be there already, but I suspect we are a year or two off. I also am going to build another TV stand without the space underneath, that collects all the detritus that is shifted around by Rip’s wing wind, and that runs all the way to the wall. The couch is going to be replaced by an overstuffed chair, another 48” java tree will appear at some point in time and I’d like to get another Atom and an EWD flyer too. I still have more trim work and painting to do. I’m trying to figure out a way to migrate Sterling out of his cage, but still provide him some personal space that Rip can’t access
Bartleby
I am very pleased to announce this month's showcased member Bartleby!
1~ What kind of birds do you have and how many birds did you design your setup for?
I have two birds, a Blue-throated Macaw named Ripley and a Blue-fronted Amazon named Sterling. The setup houses them both, but Sterling spends the majority of his time in his double macaw cage.
2~ Is your setup for a handicapped bird?
Not really. Sterling is not able to fly because of a preexisting injury so I do make sure to have access points to different areas that he can use…not like he ever really does, though.
But hey, it’s the thought that counts…right? 3~ Are there any budgeting tips you discovered while doing your setup?
Budget?
Ha ha, what’s that? Oh wait, I think I might have seen one of those a long time ago. Or maybe something we learned about in school? My only budgeting tip is this: parrots do not care how “pretty” something might be. I could buy a fancy finished piece with bells and whistles from a manufacturer
…or I can roll up my sleeves and make something that my birds will enjoy just as well. It’s probably not as pleasing to my eye, but it’s certainly more pleasing to my wallet! Rip's DIY EWD inspired flier...
4~ Is your setup changeable or stationary and do you add or make changes continually or do things stay primarily as is?
Changeable….mostly.
Some pieces will most likely always remain where they are simply because I am confined by the position of outlets, ceiling joists, closet doors and windows. However, I’m not shy about punching holes in my walls and ceilings (repeat after me, spackle is my friend!) so I do tend to move even securely anchored pieces around. Thus far I’ve done a major overhaul once a year. I’ve only had birds for two years….so who knows if this will hold true. I rotate swings and perches and things with hooks monthly. I add new and remove old…so that I can bring it back out in 6 months and pass it off as “new” again. Half of the closet where I hide stuff....
5~ Where did you find your materials if you made it yourself or where did you purchase the setup and do you have favorite places to purchase safe toys and/or supplies that you find reliable?
I have a mix of DIY, purchased new and some CL finds as well. Lots of AA vendors are featured in the room. Ripley loves MPBT and IGAW, Sterling enjoys the latter as well. I hike and I’m very fond of grabbing some natural pieces, drilling a hole in it, adding an eye screw and suspending it from…something.
That's a lot of holes in the ceiling!
6~ Do you have a favorite item that you bought for your setup?
The Java trees are probably my favorite items…and the cargo net….then there’s the Atom. Ooh, and don’t forget the Kraken and the Oddball…..plus the binkies. Yeah, I’ll admit it….I like all of it!
7~ If you made any DIY toys what is your bird(s) favorite and were there any failures?
I’d say Rip’s favorite is the DIY dragon wood swing with the chains loaded up with bolted on pieces of wood. She loves that swing and when I fill it she sets to work immediately.
As far as failures, I like “natural” stuff, undyed wood and natural ropes and what not….Rip fancies color, the more color the better and the more obnoxious the color the bestest! So most attempts at presenting plain wood are met with a tepid response…..I’ll be honest, it’s probably more akin to scorn. :justdont: Rip gets colorful toys.
8~ Did you incorporate into your setup any foraging toys and how did your bird(s) take to them and was age or inactivity a factor?
I do have quite a few foraging toys and areas. I’ve got more acrylic foraging toys than I care to admit
, most are cracked at this point in time courtesy of a blue and yellow PITA that lives in my house. Rip is a foraging master and needs to have her brain occupied….lest she take over the world as a weekend project.
Sterling needs things a little slower. I do have some treat cups in his cage and will scatter some nuts so he has to climb around to work for those. I also sometimes wrap his bowl so he has to “work” for his food. But he’s a shy soul who just hasn’t embraced the idea that new stuff isn’t going to eat him. I’m positive age and life experiences have everything to do with the difference between Rip and Sterling. She is young and has lived a charmed life so she has every reason to be bold and brash. Sterling has lived a life of trauma and is weary and fearful as a result.
9~ What difficulties did you encounter, if any, and how did you remedy them?
Rip disassembles everything. EVERYTHING.
:sadbye: So the single biggest challenge is coming up with ways to prevent her from tearing everything down.
She unscrews screws….that are holding up perches she is sitting on.
So, I have had to figure out ways to stop her mayhem (which is pretty much like trying to catch water with a sieve ). I bought a box of a hundred stainless steel locknuts. I put up sheets of acrylic and attached them to the back of toys so she couldn’t rip them down.10~ What do you like least about your set up (if anything)?
I’d like more space and more natural light.
It gets a fair amount of light as one window faces south with no trees obstructing it, but I would like more. Also, I can’t ever have enough space. Rip is flighted and I would love for her to get a better work out than this room can afford. Plus, some extra ceiling height would be nice….I swear I have permanent knots on my skull from whacking into all the hanging stuff!11~ What do you like most about your setup?
The lifestyle it affords my birds. I want them to have the space to make their own decisions and the ability to occupy themselves as they see fit.
12~ Did your bird(s) take to the setup right away or did they approach it tentatively needing time to adjust and do you feel their age was a factor?
Rip took right to it….and when I’m doing renovations and introducing something new she is usually right there “helping” me and testing things out. :hammer:Rip has a unique definition of “help”
…but I digress. Sterling takes more time. He is doing better and doesn’t freak out when something new shows up. He watches it, but new things no longer induce panic stricken honking fits of hysteria. For sure age and experiences have contributed to their varying reactions.
13~ Any future renovations planned?
Yep.
Oh, you want me to actually explain?
The big goal is to build an aviary off the back of the room that can be accessed through the back window. That way Ripley can go outside as she chooses as long as the weather is permitting. I had hoped we would be there already, but I suspect we are a year or two off. I also am going to build another TV stand without the space underneath, that collects all the detritus that is shifted around by Rip’s wing wind, and that runs all the way to the wall. The couch is going to be replaced by an overstuffed chair, another 48” java tree will appear at some point in time and I’d like to get another Atom and an EWD flyer too. I still have more trim work and painting to do. I’m trying to figure out a way to migrate Sterling out of his cage, but still provide him some personal space that Rip can’t access
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