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parrotlover
09-08-2017, 04:47 AM
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Hello everyone I am happy to be here. I have two members of my flock
Tiki: female cinnamon pearl cockatiel
Verde: male eclectus parrot

This is Verde's cage. I want to know if there is too much stuff in there.
2 x wooden dowel perches
1 x long rope swirl
1 x rope net
2 x shreddable hanging toys
Too much?


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PlaxMacaws
09-08-2017, 03:55 PM
Welcome to PP, parrotlover. I personally think that companion parrots deserve to be spoiled :D. They're wild animals and we keep them captive in our homes... so, arguably, they're entitled to a lot of compensation. In my view, as long as their toys are safe and maintained, virtually anything goes. However, birds may become desensitized to the *thrill potential* of certain items (aka: getting bored with them). A solution for that may be as simple as alternating the group of toys to which your bird has access, and doing so on a somewhat regular basis.

One suggestion/warning about the items I can see in your cage photo involves your spiral boing rope. Near its top and at its bottom, it looks as if it may be becoming unraveled. Birds can easily become entangled in loose rope fibers during play activities. That's especially dangerous when there's no one at home to save them if/when the entanglement occurs. Aside from that concern, I see no other issues.

Some of our other members may have thoughts for you as well.

Dragonlady2
09-08-2017, 07:48 PM
Welcome to the forum parrotlover!:th_smile: I love ekkies. Mine is called Willy.

I have just a couple of questions. How long is Verde out of his cage daily? What is his diet?

I used boings initially, but because Willy is strictly on a fresh food diet, I had to remove them. His feet and beak left way too much residue on the boing which became a breeding ground for bacteria. I use a variety of perches for him. A sand perch, branch perches and one dowel perch. I think the net in the cage will have Verde getting his feet tangled. Ekkies are not as agile or deft with their feet, so they require solid perches and the ability to use their beaks to move around the cage.
Verde should be able to spread his wings out in the cage.

I was lucky and was able to find a used double macaw cage for Willy and he uses every bit of it. Verde is unlikely to use the bottom perch as most birds will opt to be near the top of the cage if they have a choice. I agree with Tony regarding swapping toys around and changing the environment.

We would love to see some pics of your birds and hear more about them.

Lady
09-09-2017, 08:09 PM
:th_hi: parrotlover,
Welcome to PP, it's nice to have you and your flock!

I agree as it has already been said, we just can't have enough for our guys. I love rearranging Lady's toys and perches. Just like I need a change, I believe so does she. Imagine being in your house every day morning noon and night and not changing anything :eeeek:! I couldn't take it, I love adding fresh flowers or new curtains to go with the season. I don't always buy new things but I like to change them up by putting them in a different room and swapping them around. I do this with Lady's toys as well. Sometimes she chews up parts of one toy and looses interest in it so I salvage what's left if possible and make something new with the leftovers. It saves money too.
Hope to hear more about your guys and :needpics: Not really, just like to post emoji's.

parrotlover
09-10-2017, 01:33 AM
Welcome to PP, parrotlover. I personally think that companion parrots deserve to be spoiled :D. They're wild animals and we keep them captive in our homes... so, arguably, they're entitled to a lot of compensation. In my view, as long as their toys are safe and maintained, virtually anything goes. However, birds may become desensitized to the *thrill potential* of certain items (aka: getting bored with them). A solution for that may be as simple as alternating the group of toys to which your bird has access, and doing so on a somewhat regular basis.

One suggestion/warning about the items I can see in your cage photo involves your spiral boing rope. Near its top and at its bottom, it looks as if it may be becoming unraveled. Birds can easily become entangled in loose rope fibers during play activities. That's especially dangerous when there's no one at home to save them if/when the entanglement occurs. Aside from that concern, I see no other issues.

Some of our other members may have thoughts for you as well.

I have cut the remaining rope off of the ends. Verde is happy with it. Thank you for your input.


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parrotlover
09-10-2017, 01:40 AM
Welcome to the forum parrotlover!:th_smile: I love ekkies. Mine is called Willy.

I have just a couple of questions. How long is Verde out of his cage daily? What is his diet?

I used boings initially, but because Willy is strictly on a fresh food diet, I had to remove them. His feet and beak left way too much residue on the boing which became a breeding ground for bacteria. I use a variety of perches for him. A sand perch, branch perches and one dowel perch. I think the net in the cage will have Verde getting his feet tangled. Ekkies are not as agile or deft with their feet, so they require solid perches and the ability to use their beaks to move around the cage.
Verde should be able to spread his wings out in the cage.

I was lucky and was able to find a used double macaw cage for Willy and he uses every bit of it. Verde is unlikely to use the bottom perch as most birds will opt to be near the top of the cage if they have a choice. I agree with Tony regarding swapping toys around and changing the environment.

We would love to see some pics of your birds and hear more about them.

Thank you. I have removed the rope net and gave it to the cockatiel. Oddly enough verde likes the bottom perch but only for eating and drinking. He is on a pellet diet with veggies and occasional bread. I feed him zupreem natural blend pellets. I bake bean veggie and egg corn muffins that I cut up and feed him. I leave the shells in for added calcium. I let him come out on his own and then hold him because he is not tame and is afraid of hands in his cage I just adopted him the other day.


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Dragonlady2
09-10-2017, 12:44 PM
Do you know how old Verde is? He will probably like some berries too. It sounds like you are off to a good start!

Casper's 2nd best friend
09-10-2017, 02:56 PM
Welcome to the forum, that is a lovely cage.
Spray the ropes and boings with F10 when cleaning the cage, it will kill the germs but is parrot safe.

Quakerella
09-11-2017, 01:33 AM
Hi and welcome to PP.

All great ideas and advice. I love using natural tree branches (safe ones of course) for all my perches. You can get such a variety of sizes and shapes, and they are great for exercising the legs and feet. They are perfect for them to chew and you can throw them away and new ones are readily available.
**Always make sure they are cleaned thoroughly before putting in cage.**

parrotlover
09-11-2017, 01:38 AM
Do you know how old Verde is? He will probably like some berries too. It sounds like you are off to a good start!

He is only five. He doesn't seem to like fruit at all unless it's dried.


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parrotlover
09-11-2017, 01:38 AM
Welcome to the forum, that is a lovely cage.
Spray the ropes and boings with F10 when cleaning the cage, it will kill the germs but is parrot safe.

Noted thank you


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parrotlover
09-11-2017, 01:41 AM
Hi and welcome to PP.

All great ideas and advice. I love using natural tree branches (safe ones of course) for all my perches. You can get such a variety of sizes and shapes, and they are great for exercising the legs and feet. They are perfect for them to chew and you can throw them away and new ones are readily available.
**Always make sure they are cleaned thoroughly before putting in cage.**

Hello I always spray the perches down first with soap and water then rinse off. I love using natural perches. My tiel has natural perches in her cage and she likes to chew the bark. I am aiming towards getting verde some branches. I just have to find a saw.


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Quakerella
09-12-2017, 04:03 PM
Hello I always spray the perches down first with soap and water then rinse off.

Just for the safety of your bird.

You may want to give them a good scrub with bleach and water, rinse them well and let them dry in the sun or put in the oven.

Bacteria and bugs thrive under the bark.

Casper's 2nd best friend
09-12-2017, 07:54 PM
Just for the safety of your bird.

You may want to give them a good scrub with bleach and water, rinse them well and let them dry in the sun or put in the oven.

Bacteria and bugs thrive under the bark.

The perches, not the bird :pinkgrin:

Quakerella
09-12-2017, 08:04 PM
The perches, not the bird

:th_laughing8:

Good point, duly noted.

parrotlover
09-12-2017, 08:04 PM
The perches, not the bird :pinkgrin:

Lol yeah I know [emoji23][emoji23]


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