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How I “accidentally” made a Parrot Jungle Gym

By Lynn Galbreath

My husband and I have a Maximillian Pionus.  We acquired her from a person who found her in his yard, kept her for 5 years, then put her on Craigslist.  The entire 5 years he believed she was a conure and fed her a diet with almonds and Goldfish crackers as the basic foods, with dried fruit as a treat.  Amazingly enough our Avian vet said with a good diet and exercise she would be healthy, and she is.  Although veggies are not yet her favorite food she is slowly learning they are not instant death.  She eats the Phoenix Landing Mash fairly well; the fruit and veggie topping not so much but even throwing pieces to the floor gives her a taste.  She will happily and easily Step-Up. We also recently adopted a Venezuelan Brown Necked Conure from Phoenix Landing.  He will eat anything but is in Step-Up training.  So the two birds complement each other in those respects.

At any rate- back to the unintentional Jungle Gym.  

A few months after acquiring Sydney the Pionus,  I enthusiastically purchased a LOT of ½ x ½ square dowels with the intent of cutting them into short lengths for her to chew up.  She was power chewing through wood sticks from Etsy parrot supply sellers and, being cheap, I was planning to save money.  So I bought $69.72 worth of 1/2″ x 1/2″ x 36″ Square Poplar Wood Dowels!  Made in USA!  This amounts to 80 three foot dowels.  The little detail of “POPLAR” escaped my notice… and so after they arrived I discovered that Pionus really can’t chew hard poplar wood with their usual enthusiasm.  OK, now what to do….

These 80 dowels lived under my bed and in the back of the closet for months.  I tried selling them on Craigslist and had zero response.  I gave some to a friend with a chinchilla; with the same lack of interest from her chinchilla as from my Pionus.  

Then lighting (so to speak) struck.  I spend too much time poking around Etsy looking for extra good deals (as I said I can be cheap) on parrot chew supplies.  I somehow stumbled on a site selling 3D printed plastic connectors — 3D123 owned by Ken O.

The Etsy samples shown were for round dowels and the satisfied customer pictures were all using round dowels.  I clicked that magic button called Message Seller and asked if it was possible to use square dowels.  Ooohhh…Ken was intrigued, never having made connectors for square dowels.  He knew it was possible and asked for time to figure it out.  He made an earnest attempt to figure out exactly what I needed which was somewhat difficult because I didn’t know what I needed.   Since the wood dowels were still living under my bed where they had been for months, I was not in a hurry whatsoever.  To my surprise Ken messaged back in a couple of days with the configurations and sizing figured out. SO fast!  On the Etsy site 3D123 he has multiple types of connectors you can choose from; square corners, 4-way corners, things with different angles, ones shaped like a Y and so on.  Having no idea what I was going to do I asked for 6 of each type, and said not only did I not care about the color choice but I was pretty sure my parrot didn’t care about the color choice also.   Within a few days I had 36 multi-colored connectors in 9 different configurations in my mailbox.  Plus a few extra ones for good measure.

I am neither an architect nor an engineer so my construction method tended to consist of See-What-Happens-If-This-Gets-Connected-Here.  I happily made a Jungle Gym.  Sydney loves it.  I love that she wanders all over it poking at things and doesn’t merely sit on the highest dowel.  The Gym measures approximately 40 x 58 x 20 inches (it is not exactly rectangular) with the highest stick another 12 inches but that one is only vertical so I hang toys on it and my husband uses it to attach clamp on food bowls..  The pieces are intentionally at odd angles and it wobbles a small amount but we are all fine with that.  The connectors are holding every dowel securely so it’s not in danger of tipping or coming apart.  I did use some screws and glue in the construction after I ran out of connectors and wanted to finish the project the same day.  My husband says that the connectors are more sturdy than my screws and glue.

Having lots and lots of remaining dowels I later bought a few more connectors and built three smaller perches/playstands plus a small one to sit on the kitchen counter or a side table.  The three play stands are gorilla glued to 12×18 floor tiles.  This gives them stability when a flying parrot lands with a thump but they are extremely portable also.  Normally one sits in front of a kitchen window, and two are in the home office.  When I fold clothes or are cleaning the bedroom I bring one of them in the bedroom with me and Sydney supervises until I finish.

This spring we are screening in our little back deck and moving the Jungle Gym outside with the intention of leaving the door to the deck open as much as possible so that the birds can choose whether to be inside or out.  They love being outside in their travel cages so I expect the freedom to fly outside to the Gym will be a wonderful addition to their daily routine.  They will be able to happily yell at the crows and the squirrels while sitting in the sun.

The upshot is that I highly highly recommend Etsy site 3D123.  Ken will design connectors to your specifications.  He even lets you pick your colors.  He responds quickly, the connectors are cheap and Ken is a pleasure to work with.  

And may your parrots love your creations as much as mine love their Gym and Playstands.

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BIRDIE-WALKS: An Essential Part of Your Parrot’s Mental Health

By Suzanne and Larry Cromwell

Have you ever wondered how you could provide a high place in your home or in your aviary for your birds?

We have a high “birdie walk” in our Florida home. Our pair of Timneh greys are constantly either walking on it, resting on it, or climbing up and down from it. They love it and even need it. We knew before we left our home in Hobe Sound, Florida for our summer house in Milbridge, Maine, that one serious problem was going to be the lack of a birdie walk there. We have a high ceiling in our newly constructed bird room in Maine but had nothing for our Timneh greys to roost on higher than their cages. The result was not pretty. Our almost 54-year-old wild-caught, former breeder pair, mostly just moped in their cage for the first couple of weeks until we were able to construct a suitable substitute for their beloved high roost back home.

We all know that attaching to walls usually results in wall damage. And if you can’t or don’t want to hang something from the ceiling, what are your options? We knew it would have to be free-standing and sturdy.

With a great deal of help from one of the construction crew members, who built our bird room addition, we have come up with a way to build a simple platform for our Timneh Greys to hang out on.

Our birdy platform is 9 ½ feet off the ground but you can build yours at any height that is high enough to be above everything else in the room but low enough so the birds can’t damage the ceiling or the walls.

The support bases for the columns are two heavy duty Christmas tree stands that are tested for trees up to 10 feet tall with a trunk diameter of up to 7 inches.  In our case, our carpenter and very helpful friend provided two 9 foot tree trunks that are approximately 7 inches in diameter. He sawed them down on his land and transported them to our house. We screwed them into the stands and then screwed in a 4” x 1” board on the top of the trunk columns. Our board is 13 feet long but you can’t have a span of more than 6 feet if you don’t want the board to sag in the middle. So our board extends on both sides of the trunks.  We used poplar but any bird-safe wood can work.

We provided both a swing with bird-safe ropes that can be climbed as well as a rope spiral to climb up to the roost. We attached the spiral rope to the top of their cage and attached it to a hook on the platform.  The swing and the rope spiral are attached to hooks (facing in) which made replacing the rope swing and rope spiral easy to do.  We also attached two outriggers for the birds to sit on. This construction is heavy and is not intended to be moved, so place it where you can easily clean around it.

We chose the largest trunk that the stands could support for stability, which we would recommend but the height will depend on your space. Even a foot higher than the cage height will give them a great place to climb up to. 

Our Timneh greys are almost 54 years old and can no longer fly up due to arthritis, but they can and do climb and go up and down many times during the day. If your birds are able to fly up and down they will enjoy it too. We cannot put a tree in our bird room, but I can assure you that they enjoy this enrichment.  They rarely come down except to eat, bathe, and sleep. We think it has saved their lives. It has certainly made them better!

Editor’s note: See more about their Florida birdie-walk in an earlier blog post:
https://blog.phoenixlanding.org/2017/05/27/birdiewalk/

These wild caught Timneh greys were adopted through Phoenix Landing in 2013 and have been living their best possible life since. It’s very hard to find adopters who simply appreciate the magic of birds, without expectation, especially a bonded pair. Suzanne and Larry are extraordinary and we are so grateful!

<strong><strong>A Bolivian Adventure, Wild Parrot Conservation</strong></strong>
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A Bolivian Adventure, Wild Parrot Conservation

We have just returned from an adventurous two weeks in Bolivia. As with all our ecotours, the goal is to learn about native parrots and support conservation efforts. There are 54 psittacine species in Bolivia, ranging from the critically endangered red-fronted and blue-throated macaws, to a diverse number of other macaws, Amazons, conures, and pionus species. The Bolivian constitution is committed to the rights of all living creatures, but it is not an easy country to create NGOs (non-governmental organization). This poses challenges for much needed conservation organizations.

Our tour was organized by José Antonio Díaz Luque, a brilliant researcher and scientist from Spain who has spent the last 13 years of his life committed to helping the critically endangered blue-throated macaw, and other threatened species like the red-fronted macaw. Both of these macaws are down to small numbers and live in very remote areas.

The infrastructure of Bolivia is not set up for tourism, especially for seeing these particular birds. So, we found ourselves on many bumpy roads (and rivers!) traveling to remote areas; definitely an adventure. Sometimes if we want to see something rare, we have to work hard to get there, right?

In the Jardin Cactaceas Municipal Protected Area, community of Anamales, we parked in front of the roosting areas of the red-fronted macaw. There were a few individuals flying around and “shopping” for potential nesting areas. 

There are only an estimated SIX breeding pairs remaining in this protected area. However, thanks to the CLB Foundation (www.fclbolivia.org/, Facebook and Instagram), this small community is developing a true appreciation for the need to preserve the species. We were greeted kindly by the park ranger and families of the area, who provided us a wonderful lunch and friendly welcome. The children even wrote a poem about the birds which they recited for us.

Our tour group contributed some much appreciated medical supplies to the community. And thanks to Angie Yeung, owner of the Celltei company, Phoenix Landing was able to make a $1,000 donation for a community garden. This garden will benefit the local families as well as the rare stingless bees they are also breeding for medicinal honey, providing new economic opportunities for the families of this community.

When we show support for a community in the name of parrots, the people understand how much we care about the birds and this encourages them to invest in their protection as well. 

During our travels, we also saw many other species like the canary winged parakeet, conures (white eyed, green cheek, mitred), blue front Amazons, and other macaws (military, hahns, severe, and yellow collared). We thoroughly enjoyed watching their social behavior and the kinds of food they eat (flowers, pods, nuts).

We also came across an illegally kept captive blue and gold macaw on a home patio. This bird has severe feather destruction and has been deprived of baths and proper nutrition for many years. The government was notified and the bird was rapidly picked up for rehoming. More about that shortly!

One of the highlights of our trip was visiting CIESA – the Endangered Species Research Center, (Facebook and Instagram), where there are plans to breed blue-throated macaws for future reintroduction. We also visited the Gran Mojos Municipal Protected Area, where there are an estimated 50 wild blue throats in this protected area, and we saw about 12 that morning. Beautiful and rare!

At the CIESA center we met the blue-throated macaws who will be part of a future breeding program. CIESA does a great job of caring for the birds, and we were especially impressed with their diet program, which involves a wide variety of fresh foods rotated on a daily basis. Laura Epperson picked out some toys from our store to take along, to include skewers from Expandable Habitats. Just like our birds in captivity, skewers are a great way to encourage foraging and activity. Here is one of the skewers being used for food, and the blue-throat who was so excited to try it out!

We also met a group of very young canary wing parakeets that will be released soon. Look at this brilliant approach to teaching foraging and feeding. They put food on the browse and placed it in a carrier with the young birds. This simulates wild foraging and teaches the birds how to find food once they are released. Sheila Carpenter and Kathleen O’Neill generously donated money onsite to help the center build a larger enclosure for the birds, as the next step towards their future release.

We had the privilege of meeting the blue and gold macaw who was rescued a couple of days earlier. Dr. Rhoda Stevenson (ABVP-Avian) from the Exotic Bird Hospital in Jacksonville, FL was part of our group, and she was able to consult with Dr. Vania Gonzalez Rodriquez, a World Parrot Trust funded veterinarian onsite at CIESA. They even named her Phoenix, since we were instrumental in helping this distraught macaw to move forward to a better life!   

We would like to thank the incredible leaders of CLB (Lyliam Gonzalez, Pamela Suárez, and Cecelia Nuñez Poggi) for the efforts in facilitating our adventure and telling us about their exemplary work in the protected area communities; as well as the members of CIESA who hosted us at their center which will have an important role in the future survival of the blue-throated macaw (Vania Gonzalez, Marcella Franco, and Michael Arce). Phoenix Landing, along with the Lafeber Company, will be supporting the purchase of a much needed microscope and medical supplies for the CIESA center. Let us know if you would like to help too!

Most photos courtesy of Angie Yeung, thanks Angie!

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23 Trees: A story of a macaw getting loose, and what it took to get her home again

by John Kerns

“Six days on the road and I’m a gonna make it home tonight.”  Words from an old country truck driving song from long ago. 

Day one: The nightmare begins

Harley in a tree

On a warm Monday in late October around lunch time here in Northern Virginia our 20 year old female Blue and Gold Macaw named Harley accidently got outside and flew away.  We, Bobbie and I, saw the general direction she went in and started scouring the neighborhood and woods in that direction.  After several hours, we saw and heard nothing.  Finally, around 4:30 p.m. a neighbor heard her squawk and located her in a tree next to a very busy road a few hundred yards from our house.  We stayed with her until dark and with great reluctance, went home.  Fortunately, during the night she didn’t fly and we were back there at first light on Tuesday.  

Day two: Tree one

We tried to coax her to come down to us.  The tree was such that she couldn’t climb down and I doubt now that she was sufficiently hungry or thirsty enough to even try.  We also deduced that because she is a prey animal, she will not naturally fly to the ground. So we camped out near the tree where she could see us and hear us calling her name, offering her food, etc.  We even brought our other BGM (in a carrier) to see if that would be any motivation.  It wasn’t.  So she spent Tuesday in the first tree. 

Day three: Four more trees

Harley flies away from the bucket truck

On Wednesday, a friend brought a small bucket truck that was able to get close to the tree.  Unfortunately, the boom was about four feet too short.  When I reached to gently pull the branch toward me, she flew.  She flew about 100 yards to a very high tree across the busy road.  The Fire Department, via Animal Control, brought their big tower truck.  We got within about six feet and she flew off again.  From our high vantage point, we could see the direction she flew in and the area where she may have landed.  After an hour or so, we found her in a tree in a neighbor’s backyard.  For the rest of Wednesday, she flew to four more trees.  Each tree was several hundred yards away and with the help of wonderful neighbors, we were able to locate her each time.  By dark, she was in a tree across the street behind a neighbor’s house where she spent Wednesday night. 

More days, more trees

We were with her from first light to last light each day.  From Wednesday to Saturday, she flew to 23 different trees.  Each time was to the top of a high tree on the outside branches.  There was one time when she flew north.  As we were searching a likely landing zone, I saw her flying from even further north heading south toward us.  If she hadn’t flown back toward us, we would have never known where she was. 

Help from friends and neighbors

Everyone in the neighborhood, without exception, was helpful and supportive.  The NextDoor App was humming.  Our neighbor Josh said that was about as much drama as NextDoor has ever seen. Ted has Superman eyes.  He spotted her in trees that I missed.  Mike has Superman ears.  He could hear Harley clucking in a tree a hundred feet away.  The last two nights, Thursday and Friday, she flew right at dark and we had to go to be bed not knowing where she was.  Thanks to Mike and Ted, we were able to locate her the next morning after a couple of hours searching and calling. 

The weather was perfect, generally sunny with highs in the 70’s and lows in the 50’s.  One morning was a dense, cold fog that burned away by late morning.  The first couple of days when we saw Harley flying, it was a frantic, rapid flapping.  By Friday, it was a slower beat.  At first we thought she might be running out of gas.  Nope.  She was actually getting very efficient with her flying.  It was perversely beautiful to watch. 

Day six: Trees 22 and 23

By Saturday afternoon, she was working on day six with no food and water.  Tree 22 was the highest tree yet and it was on the edge of woods.  If she had continued to fly north into the woods, we likely could never have located her.  Instead she flew west.  From her wing flapping, she was clearly running out of gas.  Unable to get or maintain altitude (?), she landed in a low tree in a front yard.  When Ted spotted her, she was in the middle of the tree about 15 feet over my head.  Long story short, a neighbor brought a small ladder that I leaned against the trunk and she climbed down the small branches to my hand.  It was 2:30 p.m.  But who was counting?  It was into a pillow case and a kind neighbor drove us home. 

Finally home

Harley, home at last!

She was clearly worn out.  I estimate that she flew a total distance of around three miles, plus or minus.  When we got her home, she immediately drank a lot of water after which she ate.  She had lost about 170 grams or about 15% of her normal body weight.  By evening, her poop was all urine and urates.  The next morning, there was some feces in the poop. 

If we had not gotten her back Saturday afternoon, we aren’t sure we ever would have.  She was probably quite depleted by that time and the weather turned colder.  Saturday night and Sunday, the weather was in the 40’s with a cold rain.  But she is finally home, warm, hydrated, fed, and resting. 

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It’s Cherry Season! Cherries are wonderful for parrots

by Ann Brooks

Cherries have many positive health benefits. They lower total cholesterol, are anti-inflammatory,  contain antioxidants, and are a natural source of melatonin.

As we learned from Dr. Rhoda Stevenson, DVM Diplomate ABVP-Avian during our recent Wellness Retreat, cherries are also a superstar healthy food for birds. Dr. Stevenson owns the Exotic Bird Hospital in Jacksonville, FL and gave us an informative talk about holistic supplements in avian practice.

Birds with poor kidney function often test high for uric acid. At some point, high uric acid can lead to gout, which is a very serious problem for parrots. Cherries can help to decrease uric acid and manage gout.

Having regular labwork can help your bird stay ahead of this problem, although sometimes the disease has seriously progressed before uric acid is noted. So maintaining a healthy diet is the key!

One of the main causes of kidney problems for birds is a seed-based diet. Please make sure your parrot enjoys a wholesome fresh veggie, fruit, legume, and grain diet, with access to plenty of fresh water and a quality pellet. Providing fresh foods takes more time and resources, but feeding cheap, unhealthy seeds to your bird will only cause ill health, high vet bills, and probable early death.

Here is Bertie enjoying her cherries and she likes to roll the cherry seed in her beak for awhile. We are not aware of cherry seeds being a problem for birds, they know how to discard them after a bit of fun!