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Post by lousette on Mar 5, 2013 14:39:12 GMT
I cannot believe how excited I was to get the new cage for Hob, but it arrived on Saturday (amazing service from Zooplus once again). I did get the Vision cage in the end, the tall one, but am very happy with it. I also bought some new toys and this gantry ladder was the bees knees www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/birds/toys/bird_swings/59538 Showed it to Hob before we put it in the cage and he fell in love. I mean really fell in love - he was posturing and pecking at it, so cute! Set the cage up and put the ladder swing inside - he was apprehensive, but braved his fears to be with the new love and got into the cage surprisingly quickly. He was a bit apprehensive at first (to be honest I expected it would take much longer than a few hours for him to be brave enough to check it all out, I was thinking like a few days but he was cool). He now sits in the cage all day long (even though the door is open) and then gets into his small cage at night to sleep and also to eat. Once he is more confident I will put his swing (where he sleeps) into the large cage and take the small one away, but for now he can have both until he feels safe. I have left the bottom of the cage more bare with only a few perches so that he can fly a little and the top is a bit more full as I knew he would probably spend most of his time at the top. I think he is loving the height as now he looks down at us where before we looked down at him and I think that was quite intimidating. I am so happy, he really seems to love it. All ready now to get a little friend!    And of course put his ladder and mirror back in place as he loves that so much.  |
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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: 28,848 
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Post by Marianne Marlow on Mar 5, 2013 16:00:08 GMT
Hob looks very happy  |
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Post by samwiseg on Mar 5, 2013 16:28:13 GMT
Thats fantastic! Looks home from home, when you getting Hobs new friend then? When when when! |
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Feb 9, 2012 0:20:38 GMT
Nani
Normal Green
Kisses to all my fids~
Posts: 272
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Post by Nani on Mar 5, 2013 17:36:04 GMT
aw he looks so so happy!
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Post by stace on Mar 6, 2013 1:35:07 GMT
Hob will be happy in there in no time. I have two cages. One is home, for sleeping, meals and playing. The other is down the other end of the house and is always open as a second play area. It's got heaps of toys in it, but it doesn't matter as it's not his main digs.
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Post by Hezz on Mar 6, 2013 1:39:50 GMT
It is looking like home for him already, so well done, Lousette. Can I make one small suggestion, though, and that is to cut off the tassels on that thing he loves so much. Tassels can be a killer for budgies, especially if they like to play with them, for two reasons ...... one is that they can peck at them and ingest bits of cotton and this is not good, but the main reason is that they can become entangled in the tassels and hang themselves. Not a pretty sight to come home to.  With things like that, that rely on a knot to hold it all together, before I cut the tassel off I put a cable tie around the rope just below, but next to the knot and pull it as tight as absolutely possible, then cut off the tassel. This gives the knot a lot more stability, so you don't have to worry about the knot coming undone, with the rope cut off short. I'd also take some of the perches out and give him more room to flit between them, and use the ones you remove next week so things are constantly changing for him - keep him guessing and stimulated. |
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Post by lousette on Mar 6, 2013 9:30:17 GMT
Fab, thanks Hezz. I will definitely cut the tassles off. I did originally put in less perches, but he doesn't seem to want to fly inside the cage and climbs everywhere around the edge so then I ended up adding a few more (I think he learnt to rather climb in his old cage which was too small to fly). His cage door is always open so he flies back and forth from his playgym to his cage. Playgym is right on the other side of the room, so he gets plenty of exercise and then just treats his cage as a place to sit and play with his toys. Shall I still remove the perches to try and encourage him to fly in the cage? Thanks a lot for the advice |
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Post by Moogie on Mar 6, 2013 9:43:57 GMT
oh Hob is lovely and so glad he loves his new cage |
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Post by stace on Mar 6, 2013 9:49:24 GMT
If he's out the cage all the time, it doesn't matter so much. If he gets locked in his cage for extended periods, it's good for them to be able to fly a little. As a general rule, it's give to them a bit of room. But it depends on how you keep them.
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Post by BudgiesBuddy on Mar 6, 2013 10:57:18 GMT
Hob is very lucky budgie |
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Post by lousette on Mar 6, 2013 11:52:24 GMT
If he's out the cage all the time, it doesn't matter so much. If he gets locked in his cage for extended periods, it's good for them to be able to fly a little. As a general rule, it's give to them a bit of room. But it depends on how you keep them. Thanks, yes that is what I thought. In summer I might have the cage closed for a bit more if the sliding door is open and then I will make sure there is plenty of flying room. I have removed some perches anyway and made sure that they are in a zig zag type of formation so that he can fly from one to the other diagonally. Talking about summer, is there any way I can still open a window and have it be safe. Do you get mesh or something that you could put over windows openings. We do tend to have windows open a lot in summer and I would hate for him to be confined to his cage all day long when he is now so used to being able to fly around. I have been thinking of posing this problem to my husband as he is ingenious with problems like this and could possibly make mesh screens for us that is escape proof, but he already thinks I have gone budgie crazy so I might have to let the dust settle for a bit  |
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Post by Hezz on Mar 7, 2013 0:48:06 GMT
Fab, thanks Hezz. I will definitely cut the tassles off. I did originally put in less perches, but he doesn't seem to want to fly inside the cage and climbs everywhere around the edge so then I ended up adding a few more (I think he learnt to rather climb in his old cage which was too small to fly). His cage door is always open so he flies back and forth from his playgym to his cage. Playgym is right on the other side of the room, so he gets plenty of exercise and then just treats his cage as a place to sit and play with his toys. Shall I still remove the perches to try and encourage him to fly in the cage?Thanks a lot for the advice I would. Just a few. Simply because they are meant to be terribly active little birds. Any activity you can get him doing is wonderful. If you can pilfer some branches of willow, apple to give to him as perches too, these are really good, both for his feet and his beak as he will have much fun ripping the bark off. A variety of perches, toys, bark, almost everything you put into the cage - if you have an alternative of each thing, then each week after cleaning time, change everything about, different toys, different perches, this all helps keep his mind active and stimulated and less inclined to go looking for the fun things in the house that you don't want him near! You may have to show him that he can fly from perch to perch in his new mansion, as you are probably right in thinking he is used to not being able to fly while "at home". |
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Post by lousette on Mar 7, 2013 11:04:59 GMT
Thanks Hezz, I will definitely do that then. I have bought a whole bunch of extra toys and perches with the idea of swapping around, so will do that as well once a week. I will also try and encourage him to fly inside with some millet incentive Once he realises it is possible I am sure he will stop climbing around the edges (it seems to tedious). |
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Post by Hezz on Mar 8, 2013 0:39:16 GMT
It does seem tedious for a wee budgie. Anything to get him moving.  And bribery in the form of millet is totally acceptable behavior. Come the weekend Hob will be in budgie-heaven with new toys to explore. |
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With things like that, that rely on a knot to hold it all together, before I cut the tassel off I put a cable tie around the rope just below, but next to the knot and pull it as tight as absolutely possible, then cut off the tassel. This gives the knot a lot more stability, so you don't have to worry about the knot coming undone, with the rope cut off short. I'd also take some of the perches out and give him more room to flit between them, and use the ones you remove next week so things are constantly changing for him - keep him guessing and stimulated. 
And bribery in the form of millet is totally acceptable behavior.