Oct 6, 2011 7:41:27 GMT
Marianne Marlow
Administrator
George, Daisy, Iris, Billy, Peter, Chipper, Dinku, Barney, Ayla and Rocky
Posts: 28,815
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Post by Marianne Marlow on Feb 14, 2024 8:50:03 GMT
How is everyone there Ira? Also, how is the house?
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Post by Ira on Feb 14, 2024 9:15:17 GMT
Marianne Marlow The human residents are all ticking along, although Tom's had a feeling of anxiety in his chest since the weekend, but there doesn't seem to be one particular reason for it. The house is alright. I'm still going to get a quote for some of the work I want doing on the bird room/living room but I'm going to have another crack at doing it myself. It'll take longer but be a lot cheaper. I think it'll be a weekend morning jobbie, so that I can shower and toss the clothing into the laundry, and then it be dry ready to go again the next day. When we moved in, there was an old Kallax in the hallway which had ended up in the room we're currently drying laundry in. Last week I got my desk and built it, and then on the weekend Ant and I moved that kallax into the office and unboxed all our books onto it. At some point the office will need decorating but at least for now it feels more like a lived in room. Haru's blood tests all came back negative, which was great news. Everyone's in the bedroom now, which is very entertaining in the mornings. I bought a sunrise alarm clock back along, which does wonders for me in the morning because now I nearly always wake up before it starts playing blackbird singing at me. The budgies seem to decide that about 5 minutes before the blackbirds is the time for them to start moving about and chattering. It's pleasant. I might have to get them one for the bird room and set it to finish getting brighter a little before mine, so that they're ready to go in the mornings. I've been getting into a routine of working with them all briefly in the morning and then again in the evening. Even Haru's willing to take millet seeds from between my thumb and finger now, which is a great help. It works better for me than even using a single bobble because there's no way that any of the others can steal the millet even if they come over. They can shift the other bird, but they can't get a cheeky nibble from the side. We're working on target training because I'm hoping it will allow me to start introducing the syringe as a target. Naturally Yuki's the most wary of anything I'm holding, but I should be able to build his confidence over time. Haru's uncertain about the pellets, although she has had a nibble here and there when she sees the others eating. So I'm caught in the situation of not wanting to give the others seeds, because Little Miss Chunky Gwen certainly doesn't need them, needing to feed Haru seeds/nutriberries, and Haru trying to squeeze her way out of the Hagen Vision to be with the others. (Note, this is the key thing I dislike about the Vision series. The bar spacing is a little too wide when you have a little budgie determined to get out.) So I'm ferrying her over first thing in the morning to eat and then again when I get home from work. Then later in the evening she might give me a look. The silent communication is enjoyable. Yesterday she was looking at me through the bars, and I was lying on the bed watching her and thought she might be asking for food. Perhaps she gave up because she started sidling off along the perch, but then I sat up and she came scurrying back to the bars to peer at me. The swings are still on track to being demolished, although Haru has slowed down on that a little. Between her at the knots and Gwen at the wooden reels I'll be lucky if the perch itself and the quick links are salvageable!
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Oct 6, 2011 7:41:27 GMT
Marianne Marlow
Administrator
George, Daisy, Iris, Billy, Peter, Chipper, Dinku, Barney, Ayla and Rocky
Posts: 28,815
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Post by Marianne Marlow on Feb 14, 2024 9:38:42 GMT
Your birds must be very determined. I have three visions and have had others in the past and no budgie has ever almost escaped from them. The bar spacing on mine is the same as the imac cage I have. Or do you mean on the sides, where the little clip holds them together?
You're so great with training. I'd love mine to be tame but I just don't have the patience for it. I have thought about clicker training but not done anything about it.
So glad that Haru's tests all came back negative, that is great news.
Sunrise alarms look great. I have thought about getting one.
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Post by Ira on Feb 14, 2024 10:02:48 GMT
No, the clips on the sides hold those closer than the regular bars. The space between the bars on the Hamberley is inconsistent but ranges from 1cm to 1.25cm. But on my Vision it's 1.75cm. Which is fine until someone's upset about being in there and starts pushing their head through the bars. Which thus far has been Gwen, Aster and Haru.
I find it easier to click with your tongue rather than use a clicker. A clicker is just another thing to have to hold. I've started with saying 'Yes!', because that's not something I say to them often. It's actually more awkward because they're relatively tame already. My main challenge is never allowing Gwen into a situation where she'll bite me. Which means not letting her jump onto my hand. Except for things like 'step up', of course, but then I always make sure that I still have at least one seed between my fingers and I get her to step down and let her have the rest then.
I actually envy Loz's ability to just enjoy being around the budgies but I can't be quite that chill myself. Although I think working with them has its benefits too, and I enjoy the training sessions but its as much for them and their confidence as it is for me.
It definitely needs to be positioned where your bedding won't block the light, so I have ours quite high up. But this time of year especially it's doing me the world of good. I'm in a much better mood most mornings.
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Oct 6, 2011 7:41:27 GMT
Marianne Marlow
Administrator
George, Daisy, Iris, Billy, Peter, Chipper, Dinku, Barney, Ayla and Rocky
Posts: 28,815
|
Post by Marianne Marlow on Feb 14, 2024 10:09:39 GMT
Do you have the cage meant for cockatiels? This is what is on their website.
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Oct 6, 2011 7:41:27 GMT
Marianne Marlow
Administrator
George, Daisy, Iris, Billy, Peter, Chipper, Dinku, Barney, Ayla and Rocky
Posts: 28,815
|
Post by Marianne Marlow on Feb 14, 2024 10:12:08 GMT
Loz's budgies just land on him!! It's been a long time since I had budgies that would do that!
But then I have a hyperactive 4 year old here too, so it's not always a chilled environment.
I do click my tongue at Dinku to get him to go in in the evening, apparently he was clicker trained in his previous home.
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Post by Ira on Feb 14, 2024 10:24:06 GMT
Possibly. I didn't know that was a thing, to be honest.
Yeah, that's what I miss about having the babies. Just being landed on.
Routine and consistency seem to be the important things. If they know what to expect then they're not worried about what you might be about to do.
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Post by Loz on Feb 14, 2024 11:18:29 GMT
I think I've trained Chocobo. There are times we've been in the porch together when I need to open the front door (to go outside, to blow the expended seed hulls out of the food bowls). Previously I've had to sort of shoo her away, which I hate doing. The past couple of times, I've just said, "Out you go!" and sort of tossed my head in the direction of the lobby. She's taken the hint the past two days and taken herself off into the kitchen. I can then safely close the porch door and open the front door. I'm very pleased with my Chocobo 😊
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Post by Ira on Feb 14, 2024 11:23:31 GMT
She's such a good girl!
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Post by criswell on Feb 14, 2024 15:10:23 GMT
I'm glad Haru's tests were all negative.
The swing destruction project made me smile. Are they in competition with each other to see who can destroy the most? I noticed when they were here that some of the swing cotton reels were quite diminished.
It's great that your books unpacked. Books definitely make a place feel more like home.
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Post by Ira on Feb 14, 2024 16:59:20 GMT
They might be, criswell! Yes, that was Gwen's work. She's determined to make them all cylinders. I fogured the swings would just be woodless eventually but Haru seems to think they'll look better without the cord too. I'll have to get some of Karen's usual ones that are covered in beads! They do. And we had all these boxes of things in the living room that were going to have to move into the office or go back into storage, so it made sense to empty them where possible so we can use things. It jist feels less like a make do construction site. I need to gather the few kitchen things into the kitchen. Get the spare blankets either under the bed or on top of the wardrobe. And then sort the rest to see what can go away away.
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Post by Ira on Feb 14, 2024 18:53:10 GMT
I give you... my miniature beached whale! Apparently my wee fluffy marshmallow considers this to be a good position for singing his heart out.
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Post by Loz on Feb 14, 2024 18:58:27 GMT
I give you... my miniature beached whale! Apparently my wee fluffy marshmallow considers this to be a good position for singing his heart out. I have a couple like that. They used to use the platform perches to stretch out on until those got destroyed
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Post by criswell on Feb 14, 2024 22:25:36 GMT
That is so cute!
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Post by Ira on Feb 18, 2024 15:02:08 GMT
The 1st law of Cagemantle is that everyone belongs to Lord Indigo.
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