Macawnutz
Seriously Nutz!
Super Administrator
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
July 2016 Feathered Estates Highlight
I am very pleased to announce this month's showcased member Newbie GCC!
Setups used by multiple birds
1~ What kind of birds do you have and how many birds did you design your setup for?
2 Green Cheek Conures, Rhoma and Rhema.
2~ Is your setup for a handicapped bird?
No
3~ Are there any budgeting tips you discovered while doing your setup?
The Dollar Tree is a great place to find some cheap things to use. I used the small orbits I bought from an AA vendor and added some dog toy rings from DT to make it more of a gym. Rhoma did not fly when I first got her, so had to get her moving and climbing and build up her confidence!
Mother Nature is a wonderful place to get perches, too. My dad sends me wood from his yard, I cut grape vine when we are out in the country, and I am always looking at the trees everywhere I go for safe new perch materials. I made their playstand myself. It is an old wooden table and a sugar berry tree that a neighbor cut down.
Decorate shower curtains and Command hangers from Wal-Mart are great floor and wall protectors. Just let the shower curtains air out before hanging. Makes for easy clean up from the food flinging Rhoma’s messes!
4~ Is your setup changeable or stationary and do you add or make changes continually or do things stay primarily as is?
Changeable. Things are always getting moved around and in winter everything gets moved into another room away from the window. If I do not quit putting holes in Hubs ceilings though, I may be on his poo poo list and restricted! LoL!
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?
Many of the items are from our wonderful vendors, a few are made myself, and some are redecorated or added onto from things from our vendors. I think I have bought from almost every vendor on AA.
The large, cage top grape wood perches are from a reptile store. I could not find any grape wood large enough to do what I wanted. Took a chance at a reptile store and plopped myself on the floor of the store until I found just the right pieces. Took about an hour. They thought I was nuts, but I had a vision, knew what I wanted and was not leaving until I found the right pieces. LoL!
6~ Do you have a favorite item that you bought for your setup?
The grape wood swing from BBT. I did not technically buy it, though. It was a contest winning, but I love it!!
7~ If you made any DIY toys what is your bird(s) favorite and were there any failures?
There are a lot of failures. These 2 turkeys are PICKY! I have given up making toys and stick to making things for them to climb on and rearranging what they have. They are happy if I throw a couple pieces of plain balsa slats in their cages every morning, but if I make a toy for them, they look at me as if to say “WTFudge am I supposed to do with THAT ugly thing?!?!” Get one from a vendor that is made from the exact same materials that I used, but it is adorable and they tear it up.
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?
Oh yes! Both are lazy foragers. I have Dollar Tree Easter baskets for their foot toys to encourage them to forage. I will hide treats amongst the toys sometimes. Rhoma loves her basket and will pull all the toys out and throw them around her cage while I am at work. Rhema will grab one or two off the top to play with unless there is a treat in the basket. She is lazier than Rho inside the cage. Outside the cage, though……watch your head because Rheems loves to fly! Rho likes to be carried around on your shoulder and only flies where she wants to go if we are not going where she wants us to.
9~ What difficulties did you encounter, if any, and how did you remedy them?
Only real problem is that they do not get along, so I can only let them out one at a time or in separate parts of the house when Hubs can keep watch on one while I keep the other. That means 2 of almost everything for cage top play and a couple of neutral areas for them to play. Rhoma likes to tease and will try to play on Rhema’s cage to irritate her. Separate room play does not always happen, though. They like to be in the same room and will flock call if they cannot see each other. Some days they will not allow being in separate rooms, so it has to be one out at a time. I am looking to put an old door in the hallway, barn door style, with SS mesh in the window panels so maybe it will be easier to let them both out at the same time. I currently have a sheet hanging over it to keep them separate when they are both out at the same time.
10~ What do you like least about your set up (if anything)?
Is there ever enough room?!?! I need a mansion and a money tree for everything I want to do!
11~ What do you like most about your setup?
Lots of climbing activities and I love to see their confidence increase when they explore new things!
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?
They took to the large grape wood swing and stands immediately. Most everything else, they scream at, give the evil eye, and need bribery to approach and explore. They are much better than they used to be though. There was a day when even bribery would not get them exploring new things.
13~ Any future renovations planned?
There are ALWAYS plans going through my head! “Wonder if I can move this here, get one of those other things to put there, change this up here, buy one or two of those other things, rehang the one I took down last year that they did not like……….” And I still want to make an outdoor aviary space for them. There is just never enough time or money to do everything! Where is that dang money tree?
I am very pleased to announce this month's showcased member Newbie GCC!
Setups used by multiple birds
1~ What kind of birds do you have and how many birds did you design your setup for?
2 Green Cheek Conures, Rhoma and Rhema.
2~ Is your setup for a handicapped bird?
No
3~ Are there any budgeting tips you discovered while doing your setup?
The Dollar Tree is a great place to find some cheap things to use. I used the small orbits I bought from an AA vendor and added some dog toy rings from DT to make it more of a gym. Rhoma did not fly when I first got her, so had to get her moving and climbing and build up her confidence!
Mother Nature is a wonderful place to get perches, too. My dad sends me wood from his yard, I cut grape vine when we are out in the country, and I am always looking at the trees everywhere I go for safe new perch materials. I made their playstand myself. It is an old wooden table and a sugar berry tree that a neighbor cut down.
Decorate shower curtains and Command hangers from Wal-Mart are great floor and wall protectors. Just let the shower curtains air out before hanging. Makes for easy clean up from the food flinging Rhoma’s messes!
4~ Is your setup changeable or stationary and do you add or make changes continually or do things stay primarily as is?
Changeable. Things are always getting moved around and in winter everything gets moved into another room away from the window. If I do not quit putting holes in Hubs ceilings though, I may be on his poo poo list and restricted! LoL!
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?
Many of the items are from our wonderful vendors, a few are made myself, and some are redecorated or added onto from things from our vendors. I think I have bought from almost every vendor on AA.
The large, cage top grape wood perches are from a reptile store. I could not find any grape wood large enough to do what I wanted. Took a chance at a reptile store and plopped myself on the floor of the store until I found just the right pieces. Took about an hour. They thought I was nuts, but I had a vision, knew what I wanted and was not leaving until I found the right pieces. LoL!
6~ Do you have a favorite item that you bought for your setup?
The grape wood swing from BBT. I did not technically buy it, though. It was a contest winning, but I love it!!
7~ If you made any DIY toys what is your bird(s) favorite and were there any failures?
There are a lot of failures. These 2 turkeys are PICKY! I have given up making toys and stick to making things for them to climb on and rearranging what they have. They are happy if I throw a couple pieces of plain balsa slats in their cages every morning, but if I make a toy for them, they look at me as if to say “WTFudge am I supposed to do with THAT ugly thing?!?!” Get one from a vendor that is made from the exact same materials that I used, but it is adorable and they tear it up.
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?
Oh yes! Both are lazy foragers. I have Dollar Tree Easter baskets for their foot toys to encourage them to forage. I will hide treats amongst the toys sometimes. Rhoma loves her basket and will pull all the toys out and throw them around her cage while I am at work. Rhema will grab one or two off the top to play with unless there is a treat in the basket. She is lazier than Rho inside the cage. Outside the cage, though……watch your head because Rheems loves to fly! Rho likes to be carried around on your shoulder and only flies where she wants to go if we are not going where she wants us to.
9~ What difficulties did you encounter, if any, and how did you remedy them?
Only real problem is that they do not get along, so I can only let them out one at a time or in separate parts of the house when Hubs can keep watch on one while I keep the other. That means 2 of almost everything for cage top play and a couple of neutral areas for them to play. Rhoma likes to tease and will try to play on Rhema’s cage to irritate her. Separate room play does not always happen, though. They like to be in the same room and will flock call if they cannot see each other. Some days they will not allow being in separate rooms, so it has to be one out at a time. I am looking to put an old door in the hallway, barn door style, with SS mesh in the window panels so maybe it will be easier to let them both out at the same time. I currently have a sheet hanging over it to keep them separate when they are both out at the same time.
10~ What do you like least about your set up (if anything)?
Is there ever enough room?!?! I need a mansion and a money tree for everything I want to do!
11~ What do you like most about your setup?
Lots of climbing activities and I love to see their confidence increase when they explore new things!
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?
They took to the large grape wood swing and stands immediately. Most everything else, they scream at, give the evil eye, and need bribery to approach and explore. They are much better than they used to be though. There was a day when even bribery would not get them exploring new things.
13~ Any future renovations planned?
There are ALWAYS plans going through my head! “Wonder if I can move this here, get one of those other things to put there, change this up here, buy one or two of those other things, rehang the one I took down last year that they did not like……….” And I still want to make an outdoor aviary space for them. There is just never enough time or money to do everything! Where is that dang money tree?
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