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Living Room Setup for Larger Birds
Living Room Setup for Larger Birds
My set up for my birds is mainly built out of their cages and two play stands. It is set up for larger species of birds and for a larger area in the house because it's in my living room. I have partitioned off my living room and my kitchen with a screen door type of structure so my birds will be safe from my cats and dogs for their out of cage time.
1~ What kind of birds do you have and how many birds did you design your setup for?
I have come to be the companion of 3 beautiful birds. My set ups are designed for each bird. So if I wanted to add more I could but I really would need more space.
My first bird, Tyrion, a Congo African Grey, I bought as a baby about 4 months old from a pet store; he is 4 yrs old now and a total love.
He is in a 3 ft x 4 ft x 5 ft cage with 4 different kinds of 7 perches, 5 different dishes, a hanging net over his cage and tons of toys.
My second bird is Lagatha, a Blue Fronted Amazon who I adopted from the SPCA - she is a very special girlie.
She is in a 2.5 ft x 3.5 ft x 5 ft cage with 4 different kinds of 5 perches, 5 different dishes, and a hanging net over her cage with tons of toys.
My third bird is Ghost, a Goffins Cockatoo who I got through a great rescue he has tons of attitude.
He lives in a 2.5 ft x 3 ft x 5 ft cage with 5 different kinds of 5 perches, 5 dishes, tons of toys and a play stand with a hanging net on top of his cage.
2~ Is your setup for a handicapped bird?
No but I think with a little work and depending on the handicap I could make my cages work.
3~ Are there any budgeting tips you discovered while doing your setup?
Well with the exception of one cage my cages are second hand. The perches and toys have all been bought on sale or I make my own. Nothing is better than a good sale on bird toys.
4~ Is your setup changeable or stationary and do you add or make changes continually or do things stay primarily as is?
If I wanted I could change things around and move the cages as they are on wheels. The toys and perches get changed all the time.
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?
A lot of my toys I do make myself and I get my supplies right from this site's own Danita at her store Things for Wings. Other things I get from the Petland here in town because my kids work there and their discount is great. Some things like the wood I get from my own trees as they are bird safe and I make a lot of toys from them.
6~ Do you have a favorite item that you bought for your setup?
Well it's Tyrion's favorite - it's his nemesis toy. Ever since he was a baby he has loved this toy so we always have to have it in his cage or he gets in a funk.
7~ If you made any DIY toys what is your bird(s) favorite and were there any failures?
They love all the toys I make eventually, sometimes it takes them some time to go after them but once they decide they like it they rip them apart. I guess if there was a failure it would have to be the cardboard tubes I put out; they seem to be the last ones torn apart.
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?
Yes I do I make these little Dixie cups filled with nuts and hide them around the cages or in toys. Sometimes I will load up skewers with fruits and veggies. They really like the skewers and seem to take their time with the Dixie cups. Tyrion is the one that goes after the foraging toys the most but I think it has to do with that he has been given them since he was a baby and the others have not.
9~ What difficulties did you encounter, if any, and how did you remedy them?
The biggest issue I came across was making the hanging nets. As you can see on Tyrion's cage is my first attempt and it's not so great but it got better as I went along. Also finding just the right rope to use on the toys was hard because it has to be easy to knot and some just aren’t.
10~ What do you like least about your setup (if anything)?
The perches in Tyrion's cage, 3 of them are dowels and I have been messing with other perches but nothing has really worked yet so it’s a work in progress. I wrap his perches in vetwrap all the time but that gets expensive as he likes to tear off the wrap all the time.
11~ What do you like most about your setup?
I really like the hanging swinging perches and so do the fids, that’s more the reason why I like them too. Tyrion loves his, he sleeps there every night rocking himself to sleep. Lagatha loves hers as well spending time there rocking. And Ghost loves to grab the bottom and swing back and forth screaming.
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?
Well for the most part I really don’t give them time to adjust I just put the new toy in their cage and let them go at it. Tyrion has been raised this way so he has never had an issue. And I never thought to give the others a chance to be shy about new things. Lagatha was a little timid but now she just goes with the flow of new toys and things and really so does Ghost. I think it's mainly due to the fact I never gave them the chance to be afraid of it, I showed it to them and then in it goes and they are ages 4 , 7 and 13 so I don’t think age matters.
13~ Any future renovations planned?
There are always things planned. I would love to connect all the cages by ropes above hooked on the ceiling. I think that would be fun with big round perches hanging off them. I'm always thinking on how I could make this living room fun for them. We are planning on redoing the floors so no more carpet so that will help with what I want to do with hanging stuff.