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March 2016 Feathered Estates Highlight - Tanya

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Macawnutz

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March 2016 Feathered Estates Highlight
:starshower1::starshower1::starshower1:

Tanya
I am very pleased to announce this month's showcased member Tanya!

It's so hard to pick just one!
Setups used by a single bird
Setups for handicapped birds
Setups on a budget


1~ What kind of birds do you have and how many birds did you design your setup for?
Rhubarb is a Rose Breasted Cockatoo. She is currently our only bird and will have a Happy 3rd Hatchday on March 5th!

2~ Is your setup for a handicapped bird?
Yes. Rhubarb has trouble with joints in her feet, legs and sometimes her wings. All of this is due to gout. She has diminished kidney function from an avian bornavirus infection she acquired as a hatchling. When she has gouty flare-ups that make it hard for her to get around I try to make sure she has plenty of wide and soft places to perch. To make soft places, I wrap old towels around her perches and tie them on with jute or cotton twine. Since she loves to untie knots, these offer a special treat for chewing so they must be inspected and replaced regularly.
Perches1.jpg Jute.png


3~ Are there any budgeting tips you discovered while doing your setup?
Phone books are the best! As are a surprising number of clean recyclable items (empty water bottles are a favorite!), unused coffee filters, cupcake papers, garden-fresh organic edible plants, freshly cut eucalyptus branches, thrift store washcloths (for perch padding) and salvaged parts from partially destroyed toys.
WaterBottle.png Spool.jpg

While watching TV, I take a phone book and fold the corner of every 3rd page in toward the center. One corner down from the top, skip a page, one corner up from the bottom. Once that’s all done, I use a simple hand saw (for wood) to cut the book in half, from the opening edge inward almost to the spine. Bending the spine in half (until the top of the spine touches the bottom) gives a nice fan that protects the wooden support beam near her cage and provides endless shredding fun!


I do quite a bit of gardening, so I often give Rhubarb different kinds of edible plants and flowers to chew and rip apart. She really enjoys eucalyptus branches, bamboo, sunflowers and nasturtiums.
IMG_0053.JPG Sunflower.png
Flower.png Watering.png


4~ Is your setup changeable or stationary and do you add or make changes continually or do things stay primarily as is?
It changes from week to week. Rhubarb is prone to picking (due to painful joints) and so I keep her busy by making at least one small change every weekend. It may be rotating in some “new” toys, adding fresh plants/branches or simply threading some new bits, like a folded coffee filter, through an existing toy.

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?
Rhubarb is a light chewer most of the time so toys can last quite a while. Many of our truly new toys come via AA secret santa exchange. Toys from Things for Wings are a huge hit. When a toy starts to get a bit worn, I take it apart and save the bit that are still useable. Rhubarb loves to “help” me make new toys.
ToyHelp.JPG
She’s so in love with cork right now. It’s the first thing she goes for in a new toy so I’m looking for a vendor that sells raw chunks.

6~ Do you have a favorite item that you bought for your setup?
Her ladder. It makes it much easier for her to get down to the feeding station in her cage. RB2’s are ground feeders so as long as she not in terrible pain I encourage her to the bottom of the cage to get her pellets or seeds.
LadderFood.jpg
When she was very sick, we moved all the perches close to the floor of her cage so she could have easy access to food and water.
Low.JPG

7~ If you made any DIY toys what isyour bird(s) favorite and were there any failures?
Currently her favorite is made from half of an unused cotton mop head (it was very cheap and comes apart with gentle pulling, like preening rope). She preens it, spins it, and hides underneath it. Most failures are in the she-won't-touch-it category. A few rotations of a newly made toy into and out of the cage seems to warm her to the idea though.

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?
When she has a gouty flareup, I place pellets and fresh food where she can easily reach it without too much movement. So long as she is mobile I encourage foraging. This is especially true for seeds. She still hasn't quite gotten the hang of the rotating dispenser, which is why I put seeds in it... to ration them. Plus, dont' tell her but I think it's so darn cute when she makes her little "sqwee, sqwee" of frustration that she can't immediately eat ALL OF THE THINGS out of her seed dispenser. She does however, understand her tiny bowl of fresh foods on her perching platform!
Platform.JPG Foraging.jpg

9~ What difficulties did you encounter, if any, and how did you remedy them?
Rhubarb's cage is at the intersection of the living/dining room so she can see us in any part of the main living area.
View from the kitchen (left) and living room (right):
KitchenView.jpg LivingRoomView.jpg

She loves being in the center of things, but there is no lighting immediately over her cage. When I first installed a lamp, it was too strong of a UV emitter and burned her even though she only exposed for a couple days and was always at a greater distance than recommended. She now has a nice UV-free incandescent lightbulb. I had to put some tissue paper around the shade to extend it so that it wouldn't shine into our faces when we watched TV. Rhubarb loves to "adjust" the paper by chewing it to her liking!

10~ What do you like least about your set up (if anything)?
Not having enough bird-friendly landing places around the house when she goes for a fly.

11~ What do you like most about your setup?
Compactness and a central location! Also, having a sleep cage in a quiet place. We had a lot of behavioral issues when we first brought Rhubarb home. Now I feel that a sleep cage with a few good perches is a must for a cockatoo-friendly home!
SleepCage.jpeg

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?
She took to it right away. I'm not sure if it's age related or not. Being a cockatoo, she needs quite a lot of stimulation and gets bored pretty easily when there isn't something new to explore or game to invent.


13~ Any future renovations planned?
Yes! Finishing her Play Gym 2.0, which is currently in the garage in need of final assembling. Also, I'd love to build a small outdoor aviary sometime this spring, but I have to get approval from our HOA first. :)

 

Sylvi_

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Rhubarb is beautiful, congrats!
:congrats5:
 

sunnysmom

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I just love Rhubarb (and her name!). :) Great set up! :)
 

expressmailtome

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Thank you for sharing your setup with us! I enjoyed reading your interview.

Matt
 

iamwhoiam

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Congratulations. Great setup for Rhubarb. She is so lucky to have you.
 

webchirp

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Lovely story and beautiful baby...congrats!
 
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