BirdChannel Forum / BirdChannel Community / Bird Product Rant & Rave

bird sitter DVD

newquakermama — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:47:51 GMT

One of the best things about the Bird Sitter DVD (besides the beautiful birds) is the choice of music. The bird squawking is really loud, and I don't particularly want Zeno to be louder than he already is.
I've left the DVD on all day with New Age, Light Rock, and Island/Reggae music, hopefully so he maintains some semblance of calmness.
Am I being too self-centered? Will running the DVD without the bird squawking mess with his little head?
newquakermama

Poop Off!

luvmycadillac — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:38:47 GMT

Okay is it just me or does Cadillac produce some of the worlds strongest poop? I have tried poop off as well as recently tried kaytee ez care quick clean. I spray it on let is sit (but not dry)then scrub the heck out of it. I see really no difference then letting it soak in a tub. Am I doing something wrong? Am I not letting it sit long enough come on folks give me feed back!

Also does anyone else think seed guards are just a waste of time and energy?! I really dont think Cadillac's stops anything other then his cover from hitting the floor. If he is perched on top of his cage(on the outside bars not the play area) and he poo's it will catch his poop but it never catches seed/pellet/food. Do any of you not use your grates? Ive considered it because he NEVER goes to the bottom of his cage but I have fears that he might start at some point (though he's not in the last yr since Ive had him)and walk in poop or eat something that has fallen into his own waste!

If you have any tips for easier grate cleaning please let me know. I deep clean fridays (though this week its today since we were gone last friday)and vaccuum his cage daily I use to keep newspaper ontop of his grate under his rope perch and may consider going back to that because its such a pain in the rear end to clean these grates.

Safe wood for playstands?

amea_gari — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:18:34 GMT

I'd like to manufacture a playstand for my senegal, rather than buy an expensive premade. I have a fondness for natural woods such as driftwood, grapewood, etc. I was wondering if anyone knew of any good sources of these, and also if there was anything I need to be aware of when purchasing various types of wood to make a 'gym' for him.

I mean, I guess it's obvious I shouldn't buy anything that's been varnished. I know cherry wood is bad for some reason. I found an inexpensive piece of grapewood at a Marshall's the other day but decided against it as I couldn't be sure it was completely untreated/unsprayed (though seems likely it would be fine).

OMG a bird killer product! please read immediatly

mazey — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 20:36:13 GMT

My best friends blue cockatiel ,sapphire died yesterday because a cozy buddy killed her! my friend Katie keeps her birds in a seperate bird room, she has 3 a cockatiel, a blue cockatiel and a budgie, having the room gives them room to fly during outside of cage time. but at night you cant hear them, katie got a cozy buddy a couple days ago because sapphire was having trouble sleeping, so yesterday night she left the cozy buddy in the cage. sapphire got up out of the cozy buddy but her foot was caught, both her tonails and band was caught up in the material she started to taking off and she fell hanging upside down, she was hanging so long that all the blood went to her head, she died. sapphire was found dead in the morning in the same position of death, and thats when katie came to the conclusion of what had happened to sapphire. so i thought that i should tell everybody as a warning about cozy buddies, only use with supervision, i know its a sad story and she was on the phone with me crying for hours. i appologise if i scared anyone. mourning for sapphire.....rip

Got my Bird Paradise order

newquakermama — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 10:55:54 GMT

I received my full-spectrum lighting floor lamp from Bird Paradise yesterday. I went home after work and set it up on a timer, from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
At first, Zeno didn't really know what to think. It's really bright, much brighter than what he was used to. He sits on his rope perch pretty close to the light. When it came on this morning, he was OK with it. It's still too soon to tell if it will make a difference in his temperament.

I also got the Bird Sitter DVD. I really enjoy watching it! such pretty birds! But it is LOUD! I think Zeno will have to get used to hearing all the loud birds, and I hope it doesn't make him louder! I'm hoping the DVD helps entertain him when I'm gone.

The bird trainer in the DVD says watching the DVD will make your fid more self-confident. I just hope it makes him happier. newquakermama

Alex and me

mamie1019 — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:01:24 GMT

I went to the mall last night and picked up the book Alex and me. It came out in stores on Oct. 28th. I sat up in bed last night reading about Alex. This book is a great book but it brought tears to my eyes. He was such a smart bird that had the intelligence of a 5yr old child when he passed away. You can visit the alex foundation website to purchase this book.

I got my toys

ickybird — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:44:10 GMT

Well, I just got my first order from Parrot Island today. If this is what their Scooter World toys are always like, they have a customer in me.
I got the Bubble Blow Fish, the Duck, Duck, Not a Duck, the Zoobilee, and the Tug and Pull. They are HUGE and HEAVY! I honestly don't think I could make them for much less . I haven't put them in the cages yet because I want to play with them first:)
I also got some Golden'Obles. I want to mix several different shapes and brands of pellets for them. We have the football shaped Zupreem and KayTee, we are getting used to the log shapes of LeFaber and roundybush and now we have these circles. We will add some cubes, too when they are used to these.
So this week end I am planning on being able to scrub down each cage and hang the new toys. I'll let you know how the girls like them.

air purifier

jgreene — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:26:57 GMT

I have had a Flair air purifier in my bird room for about 7 yrs. It is shot. I was wondering what other air purifiers people use that they are happy with.

parts is parts

ickybird — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 10:06:22 GMT

OK, so this is neither a rant nor a rave, but this seemed the best place to post this.
Where are the best sites to find toy parts? I think I want to make some big girl toys for Toodles and I have looked at a lot of places, but really can't pick one out over the others. Any favs out there?

Bird Talk Subscription Service

Greys — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 12:15:22 GMT

Horrid! When you ask them questions they tell you "When you are ready to listen, let me know" and then they hang up on you. Nice people. Represent Bird Talk very well.

Big Beak Solutions

carolz7 — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 05:55:15 GMT

Does anyone have this problem i have a green wing macaw that when he is out of his cage playing he will go to the other birds cages and undo all there toys and perches. So i came up with this idea to stop Mr. Troublemaker.
Take 2 pvc pieces not sure what it is called drill a hole in the one end put the screw thru and tighten, lastly place the cap over lightly tap in place and no more problems.
Hope this helps if you have a large bird that does this it will stop him from taking things apart. I have had this in place now for 6 months and it has worked just fine.

New Play Stand WOW WOW LOVE IT!!!!!

carolz7 — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 19:07:24 GMT

Well it got here a little late but we wont tell him. The new Play Stand for Red finally arrived about 2 hours ago. I just love it. He loves it went straight for the food dishes which i did not fill with anything, i figured he would start playing with the new toys. Now i cannot get him out he wants to stay. This is really nice got it on Ebay.

I found a new web site

zimbasmom — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 15:53:51 GMT

Some one told me about this web site, we were talking about selling birds. A lady called me she has a greenwing and a double yellow headed zon she want to sell because her & her husband have been working non stop since the hurricane and have neglected the birds. So a friend said maybe list them on OODLE I said WHAT?? Sure enough www.oodle.com just type in what you are looking for and your city, its kind of like a craigs list I guess, well I typed in Parrots, Houston Texas and found two pages of birds for sale.

So by the way I am still trying to find good homes for two beautiful parrots if anyone wants info PM me.

humidifiers

newquakermama — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:52:39 GMT

What is the best and easiest kind of humidifier? I live in Colorado, where it's dry, dry, dry. Even when it snows, it's dry snow.
I live in a studio apartment above a garage, so it's tiny.
I want a humidifier that's easy to use and one that won't harbor a lot of germs and gunk. Am I dreaming?
newquakermama

Cage Warnings

Monica — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:34:41 GMT

Just wanted to cross-post this...

Let me just start off by saying I still like the cage I bought for my cockatiel ChenChen but I was totattly unaware of some of the dangers that are buil into it's design.

Here is a far off shot showing the whole cage when we first bought it

As you can see it is a pretty big cage and for 60$ a pretty good bargain

Now here is where the trouble began. About two days ago I heard ChenChen screaming and when I ran to his cage I saw he had a toe caught in this part of the cages wiring

The cage has about six different places with steeply narrowing bars that a bird with a cockatiel sized foot could break a toe in

I though it might have just been a freak accident but it happened a 2cnd time so we used a smalll saw to remove the diagnol piece of bar to solve the problem.

If anyone else has this cage and is keeping smaller birds (cockatiel, budgerigar ect.) then I highly recommend removing this little section of bar. If I hadn't been there each time my bird could have lost a toe or even broken a leg flopping around like he was.

And another post....

I have a cage with toe-catching Vs in the decorative work. I made it safer by putting a plastic plate on each side of the problem area and screwing the plates together with plastic screws. It's not pretty but I don't have any more problems with toes catching!

Here's what it looked like before I added the plates. The bottom of the inner circle was the problem area:

My point is, please try and be aware of the cage dangers before you buy! It might save your birds life, or at least their stress!

rope perches?

tonabyrd — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 17:14:01 GMT

have any of you ever tried one of those long rope perches that you can bend around different ways? i think my boys would like one just wanted to make sure they are safe. it seems alot of bird items have hidden dangers

heated perches on sale @ F&S!

Filippo&Debz — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 10:21:20 GMT

I'm on the heated perches pricing kick again. I never did get the 29.99 perches some time back because when I went back they had raised the price. And then I started thinking about the cords getting in the way while they played on their cage top.
I have finally decided to get a perch for each their night cages only. ANDDDD, if you go through BC you get 10.00 off on a 100.00 spent PLUS the perches are on SALE!!!that's right kids! ONNNNnnn SALEEEeeee!!!! (echo)....
If you where thinking about it, now would be the time.

Queencitypets.com or parrotworldusa.com

lucylu216 — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 22:22:55 GMT

I was just wondering if anyone has ever ordered from queencitypets.com or parrotworldusa.com. I am considering buying a cage from one or the other but have never bought anything from either. Just wondering if anyone has purchased from either and what kind of experience you had

Good cages?

broccoli — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:01:49 GMT

So Broc has a decent sized cage- but she keeps escaping from it and now she has so many darn locks it's taking me forever to open her cage, to change her food and water, and so on.

Any good escape proof cages that don't cost a fortune?

I've been going through the bird talk and there are tons of cages but I have no clue which one to get! And honestly I like her cage, it's a good size for her, and the only problem I have is her escaping.

Any good locks out there?

Drfoster and smith??

Erines11 — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:42:58 GMT

So i have a 5 dollar off coupon for this website. I as wondering is this company any good. Is it worth the money for shipping and stuff. Please post your opinions!!

Do any of you have this type of carrier

ditty — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 06:06:19 GMT

I am looking at a specific travel carrier. I don't know if you all have seen them but they are like a front pack with a mesh front so the bird can see out. It has a perch in there for them to stand on.

Basically I am looking because when I don't run and am only walking I like to take Yoshi with me. (in the warm weather) Problem is that he hates his flight suit with the diaper.(not that I could blame him) With the harness I am absolutely COVERED with poop by the time we come back. He loves coming with me but eewww! So I am looking at these as an option. My question is- won't the bird chew through that mesh in about 5 seconds? I don't know anyone who has bought one.

If you have one or know of anyone with them please give me the skinny -good, bad, or ugly. Thanks.

Colored rope?

newquakermama — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:19:57 GMT

Are dyed toys, including rope, safe for birds?

Your Latest Pet Store "Impulse" Purchase

FeathersNFuz — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:53:06 GMT

We'd like to know what was behind your latest pet store "impulse" purchase. Take the poll and tell us why you bought that latest "impulse" item for your pet.

I bought this perch

luvmycadillac — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:47:09 GMT

Just before Halloween I bought this perch by 8 in 1 called Jungle Talk edible spiral perch after bringing it home as with all his toys I placed them across the room, moved them closer over the last 2 weeks and put it on top of his cage. Well he must have known it was up there because he refused to come out of his cage. It was originally bought to attach to the playstand my husband made (which I'll post photos of as soon as he attaches the rings for the toys, lazy man!) and I figured I'd remove his calcium perch which he perches on to eat and drink and replace it with this one, after all its been two weeks right?!

So while he was on the playstand yesterday I replaced the calcium perch with the Jungle talk perch. And lo and behold 3 hours later he still had not returned to his cage, so I took him off the play stand and he climbed into his cage, onto his lava rock perch, eyed his food and came right back out. So I gave up and put his old perch back in.

Has anyone used one of these? Where your birds scared to death of it too? I admit it looks like a snake and it usually doesnt take him 2 weeks to accept something (other then a human)

trying to find a certain toy

tonabyrd — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 16:20:15 GMT

when my amazon was at the breeders he had an acrylic ring. big enough for him to perch on, kind of like a swing but just a big hoop. she told me it was his favorite thing. problem is i cant find one for him. i have checked the local pet stores and the online companies that i normally use. no one has one. my lovebird has a swing that is simalar but obviously much to small. i was wondering if anyone has seen something like this and where? thanks.

New and improved bird carrier backpack

JacysMom — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:39:56 GMT

There was a topic about bird backpacks earlier this week. People were saying a good one was hard to find. Many worried about their bird chewing their way through the mesh. Well my husband reminded me about Scooter the escape artist toothpick making Senegal and what his parronts made for him.

They took a travel cage like the one below..only bigger.

They then placed it in this backpack

and wear it facing towards the front instead of over their back.

They put a perch inside, a piece of orange in case he gets thirsty is attached to the side of the cage and even non swinging toy or two are attached to the cage so he can chew or play while they walk or jog.

He seems to love it. They have peace of mind because he can't chew his way out and escape. They can easily see him, and it leaves their hands free.

Anna

Pricing heated perches

Filippo&Debz — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 08:23:23 GMT

Morning y'all,
So, I actually used my morning online time productively this a.m.
I compared sm thermo perch prices with 11 pet sites and came up with Discount Warehouse being the cheapest 29.99 each.
Has anyone seen it for less?

favorite swings?

newquakermama — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:00:09 GMT

Does anyone or any quakers have a preference for swings?

Recommend Cage

Peri — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 06:06:46 GMT

I will have 2 parakeets in Nov and wanted a recommendation on a cage. I can't afford alot so those nice big expensive ones won't do for me. But I do want one that is easy to clean and keeps cleaning maintenance down (then allows more time to spend with the birds). I would like a good sturdy quality one that I will last a long time.

Does anyone know of any websites that sell cages at a lower cost?

Any help will be appreciated:)

Caique Calendar

freedomoflight — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 10:10:36 GMT

Just a heads up for all you caique fans out there, the 2009 Crazy Caiques! Calendar is now available. You can find it at http://zazzle.com/caiquecrazy*

Lafeber's Nutri-Berries

Quaker81 — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 10:09:09 GMT

I have used the Brown brand of nutri-berries( the actual name of them is escaping me right now) and my birds loved them. I do understand that these can be fed as the sole meal for birds, I however use them as treats. I have offered the nutri-berries daily for around a week and a half and they have yet to touch them, with the exception of one of my budgies. The only difference I see in the Lafeber's is they are very very hard were as the Brown's brand were much softer..... Having never boughten the Lafeber's I have no idea if they are supposed to be rock hard or if they are supposed to be like the ones I have bought in the past made by Brown? These were a lot more expensive than the Brown's and after them not eating these I probably will not buy them again. Unless you all tell me I just got a bad bunch and need to retry with a new batch. I have one budgie out of my flock that loves to forage and I think that is the only reason he likes these because he can peak the you know what out of them.

Mess Magnet?

broccoli — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 18:35:16 GMT

Anyone tried this? I saw it in the new issue of Bird Talk and I'm curious if it even works. Broc is a messy girl!

New HQ Flight Cage

Monica — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 23:58:48 GMT

I have put this in the cockatiel chat, but thought it time I put here as well! Got a new cage for Noel... an HQ Flight Cage (primarily made for sugar gliders but works well for birds too!). I was going to buy a different cage but then was offered this one for $100, brand new. The people who bought it had it for 3-6 months in a box and never used it!

When I first got it home set it up, I was going to clean it... but it got too cold to clean outside (it snowed... biggest snow fall this winter...) and I didn't feel like taking it apart only to have to put it back together just to clean it... so it's been waiting to be cleaned... until a couple days ago! Finally got it cleaned up and put in the birds room for Noel and Casey to get used to it. I don't know if Casey will actually be living in the cage or not, with Noel, but we'll see how that goes!

The first photos are just "models" to show of relative size comparison of this cage... and why I recommend it to many people who own smaller birds... best cage you can get for your money!

Well, I've got the cage somewhat set up now... still need to put a rope perch inside... not sure how I'm going to do that as I have two boings (one that Noel previously used although now has been set aside to dry), and one that the budgies use frequently (specially Smurf! it's his humpy-boing! )... and one rope perch currently in use by the cockatiel family... I DO need to get more but would rather learn how to make one instead of having to buy them... as that'd be so much easier! I've got an idea on HOW to make a rope perch, but the only thing I have is wire... that I'd probably need more of... and I'm not entirely too sure where to find the end-caps or what the best glue would be to use...

The toys that are in the cage are more than likely for looks than anything... since Noel pretty much ignores most toys and always has been.... so thus I'd be surprised if she used any of them, let alone destroyed one... but here's hoping anyway! I do need to look into getting yucca toys from Wesco (the ONLY toys I've found that she'll completely destroy... go figure!), if I can figure out where the best place would be to buy some... but all in due time. For now, here's just the "basic" setup, at least that is until I might change it around!

I hope that once I can get Noel fully set up in this cage, and get some supplies, to turn the birds room into an inside aviary for all the cockatiels and budgies.... bourkes too if its warm enough for them in there but I doubt it. The room itself is about 11'W x 12'L, 14'L if you include the closet area. I haven't done this before hand, you see, as Noel and Casey are cage-free and have been for a few years now (over 4 years I do believe so). Casey may remain cage-free, however in turn may be separated from her buddy, so we'll see how things will go there...

Back from Parrot Island

ickybird — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 12:51:20 GMT

HI. I'm back.
We got to go to Parrot Island in Minneapolis, and I am glad we did. I think I blew my bird toys/food budget for the next 100 years.
There were a lot of wooden toys that I have not seen before and got some of them for Willow ( Toodles is who I ALWAYS get toys for) and I got one of those gizmos that are stainless steal boxes made of plates that are bolted together and the bird unscrews the bolts to take out a treat.
We also picked up some birdie bread mixes and a bag of dehydrated veg and fruit mix.
I met the owner and was really impressed with all that he knew about parrots in the wild and captivity. He handed me a long and involved print out of air purification to read that will take a day when I have time and energy. What he had to say about it was very interesting. One of the points he made is that unless your bird room is totally closed off from the rest of the house....totally... a room sized HEPA filter is not going to do the job. The air from the rest of the house circulates into that room, too. I have always contended this. So I feel vindicated!
Sally Blanchard will be there in October ( don't know the date) and I am going to TRY to get there to see her.
ML2. The Hyacinth was not there. POOP! So I did not get to make my husband hold him. The Amazons that were there sensed his fear of them...because of Willow...and they were giving him the evil eye. So I didn't even ask to hold them. They were beautiful birds, though. Really healthy. They feed the birds a blend of their own brand, I believe. They are working with vets and other parrots specialists to replicate the wild diets of parrots.
I guess they have higher prices than some places and in some things, their prices are very high. But their selection is fantastic and you can pick the brain of the owner. I can't say enough about how impressed I was with his knowledge.
They are in the midst of moving so I expected the place to be sort of chaotic. But it was very clean and tidy. They said they were way down on their merchandise selection. But I couldn't tell! It was a greater selection, BY FAR, than I have seen even at the bird fairs.
They have a 'club' for customers that for an annual fee, you get discounts on the things you buy. Like at the book store. I got enough stuff and enough discounts that it paid for my membership. I intend to buy from them on line. So it was a good idea.
I was VERY impressed with the place, and I think my husband is really happy we do not live in the Minneapolis area.

pretty bird gold

Lorek — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:44:17 GMT

does anyone use it? like it? dislike it? where do you get it?

Bomb proof small dishes

JacysMom — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:29:09 GMT

I need help.

Jacy has been destroying the dishes in her cage forever.

We found some one piece plastic dishes at Petsmart that attached to the cage with a wingnut. Since it was all one piece she couldn't remove the bowl and dump it. She has now, with much satisfaction and joy, destroyed the "indestructable" plastic dishes.

We can't use heavy crocks on the bottom because she will kick it out all over. We can't use any size crock that fits into a metal circle that is removable because she removes it. We really need dishes because within less then 5 minutes she has no food or water. Then she is alone for hours with no water or food.

Anna

Bird Talk & Art

FoxersArtist — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:45:56 GMT

Does anyone know how I could get in touch with Bird Talk about showing some of my birdy art? I like to do pet portraits, murals and some other things and thought some readers might be really interested in my work. I think this could be a great way to support our rescue if I can get it going.

Here are a couple of examples:

Watercolors:

Acrylics:

Clay Ornaments:

Comics:

Thanks a bunch!

-Anna

Anyone heard of the Babble Ball?

Tanya&Kirby — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:34:34 GMT

So I bought Kirby this awesome toy. It is a hard plastic ball that makes sounds and/or talks when stimulated by motion and/or sound. Kirby loves to attack his and knock it of the table. I bought 2 different ones - the birdy babble ball and the talking babble ball. The birdy babble ball comes with a chain to hang from the inside of the cage. Unfortunately the birdy babble ball has gone on the fritz and is not working after only 2 months, but the talking babble ball still works great. If anyone has got a babble ball could they please let me know if yours went on the fritz and how you dealt with it.

Here is a link to a caique playing with one on uTube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9YeXCN1tZs&feature=related

I got mine through ParrotdisePerch.com (a Canadian internet based bird supply store, since I am Canadian). They were only $10 each and Kirby has definitely gotten my money's worth. Here is a link - http://www.parrotdiseperch.com/parrot/shop_details.php?prod=1675

I bought this toy

luvmycadillac — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:03:54 GMT

So a week ago this past saturday (2 weeks tomorrow) Cadillac (cag) and Junebug (lovebird) got new toys. Man did I spend more then I realized I would but oh well they seems to enjoy their toys. One toy that I am asking about is one of the forgering toys I got Caddi he doesnt seem smart enough to get the almonds out he's stuck his tongue in and thats about it usually he loves to rip into toys like this.. Anyone else use this toy and what were your experiences

So, inspired by all those bird toy sales...

KnuffleBunny — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 07:39:22 GMT

So, I fixed up my order last week at Bird.com, and came on today to order to find that hanging amazon gym out of stock....

So, I was figuring to just bump it up to the macaw size one.

But I worry it'll be too big for Cinq ( CAG).

So, would it be an appropriate size for him?

19 x 19 x 30"h - 18.8 lbs

Those are the dimensions.