Concerned for Kele

[MiaCarter]

Derk wrote....

Your set-up for your finches sounds like what I have for my lovebirds. I don't ever shut the lovebird cage doors, so they rarely go inside because I have feeding stations. How do you work the free-fly. Just supervised? Just the day? Only feed/water in the cages? Shut doors at night? Do you have dimmers and they return to their cages as it gets dark?

I turn the lights on and do breakfast in-cage. I leave them to eat and wake up for about an hour, then I open the doors and let everyone fly free. They stay out all day until around 8 at night.

Then, I prepare dinner and feed them in-cage. Most everyone migrates back to their home cages on their own. There are usually a few stragglers whom I'll have to catch (though some only need to see the net to know I mean business. Then they often fly back on their own! LOL)

I've got some food and water dishes around the room. I'll put out one station with fresh foods that they can graze on during the day (just due to convenience. I hate picking greens out of the cage bars LOL). The rest are non-spoilable foods.

I leave the cages open during free fly (with the exception of those with chicks and parents. They don't do free fly due to potential for interference/upset and the cockatiels' propensity to raid nests.)

The 2 cockatiels don't have a cage so they live free all the time.

I'd LOVE to get a new lighting system that I could dim to simulate dusk!
I will turn off the lights to signal the end of free fly. I leave them off for about a minute and then turn them back on. I started doing this when I had a deaf bird and just continued, as it's a good way to get their attention.

re: finding doors - I wonder if all the white (or black) bars make it confusing especially since there are two layers of bars - front and back of cage. Perhaps a coloured tape could be wrapped around the bars that frame the door they are to use to get in and out. They do see colour. This might help them see/identify the entrance.


That's a GREAT idea!!! Love it! Just a bit of painter's tape would do the trick. Painter's tape doesn't have a really strong adhesive so no problems if it comes off.

[dunker817]

I like the idea of the fake Christmas tree. I have room in a corner for one. I was thinking they needed more greenery. I've thought about using live plants but am worried they might pick something up from the dirt and stuff. The thought crossed my mind to use hanging plants but I was concerned it might stimulate them to nest and breed. I'm too much a novice to deal with breeding birds.

[Derk]

dunker817
You could cover the soil with marbles/marble size pebbles. The finches won't be able to move them, eat them - and you will still be able to water. I have live plants that currently sit on some cages or beside them. Of course, I researched them and they are safe for the birds to eat. I let them grow into the cages. These plants were actually cheaper then good looking artificial plants, although I have cheap ones as well.

[Derk]

MiaCarter
Mia, thank-you so much for all that information. I was not sure if the zebras could be trained that way. I'll have to get a net and give it a try.

I also currently do the quick lights off to warn the birds lights out is about to happen. I do however also have night lights that I purchased for a couple bucks at dollar stores. They are LED (cheap to use) and very bird safe. I have several types depending on how much light I want to be emitted. Occasionally, one of my lovebirds would get spooked and it would crash into a wall. No problems since the night lights. I added them to the finch rooms when I started letting my zebra hen incubate her eggs. I wanted to make sure she found her way back to the nest/eggs/then chicks if she was startled at night. I am guessing you may also have night lights since cockatiels are prone to night frights.

[dunker817]

I turn the light off but turn on the hall light so the light shines through the door. My theory is that turning off the light will help them to settle down and the light from the hall lets them find the perch they want. After a few minutes I turn off the hall light. They get moon light through the window. I guess it works because I never hear them until the sun is up the next morning.

[Sally]

A small night light, even one of those we use we use in bathrooms, or for small children, or even in guest rooms so they can find their way to the bathroom during the night, will work to make sure there is a bit of light, even when it is a dark, overcast night with no moonlight.