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Post by suesbird on Jul 2, 2020 8:15:15 GMT
Cal have you checked out the Natural Bird Company, Karen makes amazing things and you will spend a penny or two Really good quality and Karen and Darran make their own stuff and they are so nice, friendly and reliable.
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May 3, 2024 11:00:10 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2020 9:48:31 GMT
Thanks for that, suesbird, their site is the nearest thing to Heaven on earth! And it's pay day tomorrow
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Post by Hezz on Jul 2, 2020 19:55:03 GMT
Be prepared to wait for your order as their chief toy maker is only getting back into things after a nasty accident.
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May 3, 2024 11:00:10 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2020 12:51:42 GMT
Yes, I read about it on their website, so glad to hear he's on the mend. Sat next to Siri's cage furtively watching him from behind my laptop I saw him pecking tentatively at some spinach leaves, then stuffing his beak on them - next thing he was thinking about taking a bath in them but decided chucking the leaves everywhere a la Jesse was a better idea. The little tyke was like a miniature shot-putter - a blurry cyclone of different shades of green with black stripes with spinach leaves whizzing around like leaves in a strong wind. Ok, I exaggerate a bit - budnut's licence He's even tucking into a wedge of sweet potato...Gosh, a connoisseur! AND, I definitely heard him say DeeDee's name this morning, so he's a talker, too! I've never been able to teach a bird to talk, I got told once it's cos I have a low voice. But what a lovely blessing! I'll have to watch my language, can't have "Oh KWAP!!!" twittered when we have visitors
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May 3, 2024 11:00:10 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2020 13:09:05 GMT
Jesse & Siri having a tete-a-tete this morning... Siri started clicking his beak so I took Jess out & they were beak-to-beak through the bars - definitely a blossoming bud-bromance developing Max doesn't seem too bothered, though is watching with interest. Personally I think Jesse was after Siri's spinach - bigger pot, bigger banquet, bigger mess for Mum to clean up . Siri doesn't mind The Hand of Mum in his cage now.
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May 3, 2024 11:00:10 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2020 18:10:52 GMT
I've been mega-busy this weekend making, adapting, creating & rearranging furniture to convert my living-room into a recreational facility par excellence for the resident Tweeters. It's now known as The Mess. If anyone is considering gym or Mensa (UK boffins' society) membership, forget it, just get yourself a bud, improved communication skills (avian), engineering skills, limbo proficiency, regular workouts mainly bending, stretching (persuading bud to step-up to return to cage from curtain rails, picture frames..). Anyway, being a bud-nut of few words ( ) I'll just post the pics of the results of my labours with a brief comment. Siri's new below-cage landing pad. A pillow-case folded in half with the back of an old fleece jacket inside, I used water-based felt-tip pen for the bud landing target. Buds' new toy box. Changes to curtains to discourage The Nibbler (aka Jesse) from unpicking the seams & preventing foot-tangling. The top pic's two of my pashminas pegged onto a net curtain tension rod (extendible so fits different sized widths), pegs also clipped to the sides to hold them open. (Pegs are the best invention ever - they make great paper clips, for example. I use them for no end of things except what hanging the washing out - tumble drier The bottom pic is a quilt cover cut in half and hung onto the curtain track. For the first time ever I had to put a bookshelf onto a window-ledge To the back of it is my balcony door - the door's to the left of the bookshelf. I had nowhere else to put the bookshelf because I had to make room for the pièce de résistance...Ta-dah! The Bud Aerial Walkway ((proud)) I'm saving up for an air purifier so to save some money I made a prototype-being-tested-seed-sprouter out of an old herb jar & the bottom of a plastic bottle lined with kitchen roll to absorb the moisture dripping out. I used a tea strainer to keep the seeds in as I emptied the water out. I've just put birdseed in it, let them soak for 12 hours in a warm, dark place & now it's on a sunny windowsill (well, it would be sunny if it'd stop flippin' raining ) No sprouts so far, but it's worth a try. DeeDee helped & hasn't stopped talking ALL afternoon I'm now going to make a nice extra strong cuppa tea & relax...
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May 3, 2024 11:00:10 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2020 9:51:20 GMT
I've left the walkway up so the birds get used to it. Jesse's done some fly-pasts for a look-see & then this morning did a very impressive aerial slalom between the supports, shot over my head at close range parting my hair as he zoomed over, then slalom-ed back to his cage for a quick preen before a beak-bashing session with a wide-eyed Max. I almost expected him to do a wing-waggle
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May 3, 2024 11:00:10 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2020 11:03:35 GMT
Just saw some very unexpected behaviour from Siri. Max & Jesse had flown over to Siri's cage for a howdy-do from above. Max tentatively entered Siri's cage & Siri started bip-bip-bipping at him, biting Max's feathers & chasing him off with open beak. I sit next to Siri's cage partly camouflaged by a large parlour palm (bud-ok). I had to very quickly scoop Max out to safety. Luckily he doesn't mind being held for a time (training for nail-clipping at the vet's soon - I always hold my buds while it's being done as the vet wears a gauntlet- type thing that makes me shudder. I know it's necessary, just me being over-sensitively protective of the little feathered fragilities. I was thinking of adopting a similarly flightless bud as a companion for Siri next year, not sure now.
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Post by willowsmum on Jul 6, 2020 21:21:08 GMT
Wow, you have been busy @cal. That's some transformation! Bet the buds are going to enjoy exploring
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May 3, 2024 11:00:10 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2020 22:14:08 GMT
I've booked Siri in at the vet's tomorrow as he was sat for over 3 hours without moving, drinking or eating. I put one of those tube water dispensers alongside him so at least he could drink without having to move. I watched him for a while & saw him do a sort of hiccup every few minutes & frequently open his beak wide & stretch his neck, tilting his head back. I did manage to get it on video for the vet. After the spat with Max this morning I just have a hunch all is not well. All 3 buds always have a long siesta in the afternoon when they all snooze, beak grind and chunter. Siri just sat in silence looking miserable, as a rule he out-chunters even DeeDee. Otherwise he's very vocal & active, moving easily around the cage. He doesn't engage with me much apart from contact calls when I get up from my chair, an R2D2 conversation & watching me with interest. I sit beside a large parlour palm partly obscured by the leaves so I can keep an eye on him without him thinking I'm predatory. He's fallen off his perch twice today that I've seen & DeeDee said she had to help him right himself after landing on his back again. I've just got home from work six hours later and he seems better now but even so I'd like the vet (avian) to give him a bit of a check over, especially the wing that was injured. Better safe than sorry. Tomorrow morning I've got to bandage a splint on the top section of one of Dee's sunflowers damaged by the wind. She's all woebegone & worried in case it dies. "Mum, sunflowers are like my children! If I lost one I'd be devastated!" Sobs & tears in abundance. (She grows them every year for the bees. We have an annual Sunflower Seed Crushing Day and use the hearts for the birds (wild & resident). Any excuse for a celebratory cake (I'm thinking lemon drizzle cake this year The most she ever had was 40 in our old place with a big garden. Our neighbour had 2 cats who always liked the feline lavatory facilities, catnip & bird-table at Chateau Cal. The only time I've ever heard DeeDee swear was when my neighbour was pegging her washing out while Dee was doing her half-hourly sunflower forest inspection & I heard her shout, "Oi! I'm sick & tired of your cats cr(expletive deleted)ping in my garden!" Those strange screeching noises I mentioned in an earlier post distracted both she & my neighbour. (I wish I had a nice giggly chortle...) Ah, the joys of motherhood Am I the only Mum with a sunflower first aid kit?
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Post by willowsmum on Jul 6, 2020 22:26:06 GMT
So sorry that Siri isn't well @cal. I hope the vets goes well tomorrow. Also hope you can save the sunflower and that Dee isn't too upset. Yes, you may be the only mum with a sunflower first aid kit!
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May 3, 2024 11:00:10 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2020 12:33:28 GMT
The vet said Siri's fine. I took a matchbox with some of last nights droppings in & she said they're normal. She said his wing's completely healed, he bit her 3 times (handling a bud with just latex gloves on? OUCH!) She said if he continues to get stuck on his back just to ring the surgery & she'll refer Siri to an avian specialist. And I'm going to look into pet insurance... I feel like I'm approaching burn-out having had it a couple of times over the years, so I'm going to go back to basics & take a break from everything for a few weeks until my holiday. See you all then. Take care, God bless & KYSS (Keep YourSelves Safe). Back home, tucking into some bud sustenance aka millet, I'm about to tuck into some human sustenance (aka Danish pastry followed by dessert - a bacon sammidge - delish
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May 3, 2024 11:00:10 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2020 13:02:39 GMT
I re-made the aerial walkway into a play area Siri's cage is now next to Max & Jesse's so he doesn't have so far to walk to visit. He's speaking a few words mixed with the R2D2 sounds & enjoyed a couple of cheek tickles. Siri socialising a bit Ooh, gotta scratch that itch Post-bath drying out
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Post by blue48 on Jul 18, 2020 14:53:26 GMT
Oh my goodness, your birds are taking over your home lol So glad Siri is fine.
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May 3, 2024 11:00:10 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2020 7:46:49 GMT
blue48 It seems to be the way with budgies! Window sills filled with seed sprouters, pots of spinach seedlings & grasses & branches drying, boxes full of toys... I had a thought if I had to make a choice between going to work & nursing a sick budgie the bud would be my priority, "Sorry, boss, I can't make it in today, a member of my family is very ill, he's huddled on his perch looking very down in the beak..."
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