DQTimnehs
Ri-DQ-lously crazy 4 TAGs!
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
November 2017 Feathered Estates Highlight
I am very pleased to announce this month's showcased member
@Cockatoo-Dust (Skylar)
:congratsbig:
Setup used by multiple birds
I am very pleased to announce this month's showcased member
@Cockatoo-Dust (Skylar)
:congratsbig:
Setup used by multiple birds
1~ What kind of birds do you have and how many birds did you design your setup for?
I have two cockatiels (Echo and Sparta) and an umbrella cockatoo (Butter)!
I designed it for the three of them to all be in the same room, so I didn't have to clean multiple rooms.
Sparta (had to be enticed out with millet, she's not very enthusiastic about coming out of the cage.)
Echo! (a friendly boy
)
and last but not least, Butter! (seems to be a favourite around AA
)
2~ Is your setup for a handicapped bird?
Nope.
3~ Are there any budgeting tips you discovered while doing your setup?
For large birds, it's a lot cheaper to buy dog exercise pens and build a wall than it is to buy a big cage. Only downsides are that it will need to be built into the house which is a little inconvenient, but it does the job.
For the smaller birds, I don't really have a lot of advice on budgeting other than making your own toys and "stealing" tree branches for perches, but those apply to all birds.
4~ Is your setup changeable or stationary and do you add or make changes continually or do things stay primarily as is?
Since the cage wall is built into the house and attached to the walls, I can't really move it. The stand I currently have is also attached to the wall, so I can't move it either. There is not really anywhere else to move his smaller cage, so there is a good chance it will just stay where it is. Plus it makes a good sleep cage/time out cage.
(pics of stand and cage wall)
I have been adding new things like rope perches attached to the cage wall and slowly but surely increasing the amount of toys inside his area, but most things stay the same there.
For the smaller birds, I can't really move their cages either. The rest of the floor is carpeted and I really don't like vacuuming the whole floor, since the rest of the room is really big, haha.
(pics of Sparta's and Echo's cages)
Generally, things are most likely going to stay the same after Butter's recent upgrade.
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?
We used the gold midwest dog exercise pens as raw cage material, largely based on @JLcribber 's indoor aviary tutorial. Used a lot of untreated 2x4s from the hardware store to support the bars. I used stainless steel wire to attach the bars to the 2x4s. It supports itself quite well.
There is also this extra part made of the same materials that covers up an old air conditioning we don't use anymore. I couldn't take it out myself, and my parents never got around to doing it, so until it gets taken out I have the midwest bars surrounding it to keep Butter from chewing on it.
My mom likes to order toys for Butter on the internet sometimes, but I mostly make them myself. I use 2x4s cut apart and drilled through, and toy parts from vendors here at AA.
I got my smaller bird's cages years ago with a bunch of supplies and things back when a local budgie breeder had to sell everything so she could move into a dorm. Paid $200 for everything, which was a really good deal. I also make a lot of their toys with things I already had, and never had to buy perches since there were so many that came with the setup. Never really had to buy bowls or anything else either. Very glad I convinced my parents to make that purchase.
(So many supplies and bird toy parts!! They get hard to store after a while.)
6~ Do you have a favorite item that you bought for your setup?
Butter's area is not fully furnished, but I think when I buy an atom swing that it will definitely be my favourite item
7~ If you made any DIY toys what is your bird(s) favorite and were there any failures?
I always tend to make them all different, but Butter really seems to like shredding toys and the small birds like toys with bells and other shiny things.
I wouldn't say there were really failures, just learning where to buy parts and things like that. I've never found it difficult to make bird 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've introduced foraging toys to Butter, and he really loves them! He was scared at first, but he is honestly scared of everything in the beginning.
The little birds aren't really into the whole foraging idea, and that's okay because they've always got their bells.
9~ What difficulties did you encounter, if any, and how did you remedy them?
I think the biggest issue I've had so far isn't really related to the setup itself, but mainly the lack of space for Butter in the first few years of having him. It seemed to really do a number on him and he's developed a slight overpreening issue because of his lack of space.
I'm hoping his space upgrade will help him out along with the preening toys I've made for him.10~ What do you like least about your setup (if anything)?
Probably the only thing I really dislike is that the big window doesn't have the best insulation and we have to close it off when it starts to get cold. Other than that there isn't much I dislike.
11~ What do you like most about your setup?
All of it.
But seriously, probably the fact I have so much space for them.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?
Butter was scared of his upgrade for 2 days exactly.
But otherwise took to it pretty quickly. The small birds take no time at all to adjust to new things in their environment like toys or cages.13~ Any future renovations planned?
Probably not any major ones other than getting Sparta a bigger cage when I can, but I plan to get hold of a java tree stand and an atom swing for Butter. That will probably be the last purchases for a while other than toy parts and food.
I love how dedicated you are to Butters! And it's awesome you could provide him with such an awesome space 
You really did up Butter's area great. 
Butter is one lucky Too!
