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Post by Adele on Aug 8, 2017 16:37:06 GMT -7
I've been wanting to build an aviary for years. We finally moved into a house with a decent yard and have settled down. I drew up the designs and my brother came over to help me. After two days of work we finished it. It is 14' x 9' x 9'. I still need to fill it with rope and branches and other fun stuff. We built the aviary over a crepe myrtle tree. I heard those trees are safe and pretty hardy to parrot bites.   |
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Post by susan on Aug 8, 2017 17:22:35 GMT -7
Wow that is great Adele, I will not show Sid, he is the jealous type to begin with. You did a great job, They are lucky fids to have you as a mom.
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Post by Jane on Aug 9, 2017 0:37:35 GMT -7
That is brilliant. I am sure Manzi and Maui will love it.
Jane
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Post by chris on Aug 9, 2017 6:12:15 GMT -7
Wow that's awesome - I might move in myself haha!
Great job!!
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Post by beakertrout on Aug 9, 2017 10:30:08 GMT -7
Very nice!
I would have put a moat around it.
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Post by Thomas on Aug 9, 2017 12:02:39 GMT -7
Wow, that's very nice! I keep thinking about a larger space for Sheeba in the backyard. I just which our winters were a bit shorter to be able to put it to more use. Portland, Or. gets pretty cold and rainy.
Thomas
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Post by Adele on Aug 9, 2017 17:21:44 GMT -7
I have a tortoise that was too interested in the aviary, so that is why I put the wood bumper around the bottom. It keeps Hercules from bothering them.
It has been a bit too hot for the birds. Maybe just because they are not used to the outdoor weather just yet. I can only put them outside for 30 minutes or so in the afternoon before they start panting too much. It doesn't get very cold here in Los Angeles though. I'm not a fan of the cold.
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Post by Adele on Aug 10, 2017 13:40:23 GMT -7
I put up some perches for the birds. Usually Maui is the fraidy cat, but she was quite content to eat from the seed dish, then go sit on a perch. Whereas Manzi kept screaming at me to get him out. He did not like it. I've been sitting out there with them to help Manzi get used to it. He also refused to stand on the scary perches, so he just hangs on to the side of the aviary and screams for me to get him.
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Post by chris on Aug 10, 2017 14:11:48 GMT -7
Haha - gotta love AG's and their super flexible adaptations to new things. (NOT!!!!)
Would have to imagine that in their native habitat it gets quite hot, so you'd think biologically they'd be well suited to deal with it. But I've observed the same thing with my TAG here in Florida - she'll start panting and such if I put her outside in the summer on my screened porch even for a little while but when it's cold in the winter (let's say in the 50's) she's super happy.
Not sure what to make of it ....
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patch
Weaned Todd
Joined: June 2017
Posts: 28
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Post by patch on Aug 10, 2017 15:19:11 GMT -7
How about some sort of shading over one corner, so they are not in the sun fulltime?
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Post by Adele on Aug 11, 2017 10:14:45 GMT -7
You can't see from the angle, but half of the aviary is completely covered with roofing panels, so they have a lot of shade. Maui does prefer to be in the shade, but Manzi has been staying in the sun most of the time.
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patch
Weaned Todd
Joined: June 2017
Posts: 28
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Post by patch on Aug 11, 2017 14:49:02 GMT -7
For anyone who is having trouble falling asleep:
African Greys need more calcium than most parrots. This can be obtained from their food, and they crave such things as (cooked) chicken bones and (cooked) eggshells and certain vegetables which contain high levels of calcium (dark, leafy greens). To metabolize their calcium, they need a lot of Vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin) which they cannot absorb through glass window panes, but must get through direct sunlight, as through Adele's aviary or on a screened porch. I have tried "reptile" light bulbs which are supposed to supply full-spectrum light. They are very expensive, and, I feel, of little benefit. Our birds need REAL sunshine. Here's why: (prepare to snooze!)
When sunlight falls upon their plumage, it contains Vitamin D precursors, which are absorbed by their feathers. The bird then preens her feathers with her beak, whereupon she ingests the precursors, which turn into actual Vitamin D in her system, which aid in the metabolizing of the calcium. (This is why the calcium supplement you buy at the drugstore contains Vitamin D.) Anyone still awake?
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patch
Weaned Todd
Joined: June 2017
Posts: 28
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Post by patch on Aug 11, 2017 15:03:25 GMT -7
One more comment, Chris:
If your bird is panting in the heat, she is overheated. That is not good--bring her inside (air-conditioning?) and, if not, maybe mist her with water. A bird holding her wings away from her body, with her mouth open, panting, is suffering from the heat. Yes, they are African by nature, but each individual bird is adapted to the environment where they were raised. Watch your bird, she will tell you when she is uncomfortable.
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mplo
Baby Bird
Joined: September 2017
Posts: 21
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Post by mplo on Oct 1, 2017 21:10:00 GMT -7
That looks like a fabulous aviary! Hope you and your birds continue to enjoy it!
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Post by Adele on Oct 2, 2017 10:55:52 GMT -7
Thanks. They've been loving it. In the mornings, they are always excited to go to the aviary. I will post some more videos of them. They both scavenge the ground, looking for seeds/bugs to eat. My female is an older/geriatric bird, and the aviary has been a game changer for her. It took 10 years off her age!! Now she's flying again and quite chippy.
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