Aviary designs and fillers suggestions?

[allie]

Hi,

We have just finished building our aviary on our balcony and I was wondering if anyone here, including you, of course, Maggie, wanted to suggest anything. Does anyone here have an aviary for their birds?

It's so empty, and while we are recovering from the trauma of building it, I'm thinking of whether it should be left for her to practice flight and landing or filled for climbing and to block flight.

It's kind of odd---15'x3'. With a roof, and a wood plank floor that will have to be padded. I was thinking of those cheap bed pads maybe or peat moss, or the left over charcoal filters from my air filter!

I have 3/4" sisal and 1" cotton rope on hand and am considering T=perches too. She will be watched the entire time she's out. I actually want to find a cotton hammock chair so I can sit out there with her and she can either climb the hammock (bird safe holes and materials of course, if there's such a hammock) or it can buffer one end in case of a fright flight.

I'm excited about it, cautiously, as I know my friend may not take to it as quickly as I did!

Allie and Luna

[Maggie-]

Hi Allie,

I think we had this conversation before. Three feet wide is a little cramped for a bird to learn to fly. I think climbing would be dandy. Whatever materials you use, just make sure they are safe for beaks. I'm not sure charcoal filters are.

What an exciting path you are taking the two of you down!!!

Mag-

[allie]

Maggie, you're right! I just want her to learn to land so badly, but I realized that she really only flies when startled anyway so it would be safer for her if the space is a huge climbing jungle with lots of rope and soft branches to "catch" her before she hit the sides.

I think I may add a water feature too! I'm thinking of putting a wood stump in there with a nice large terra cotta plant pot dish. I want to add a few low-light, birdsafe plants, to make it natural.

I have ordered a hammock that is 100% cotton and has a tight weave so that she won't be tempted to squeeze between the fibers. It will also serve as a cover for my balcony window when I''m not sitting in it. I don't want her hittting a window in an aviary of all places.

She seems to love it already. Although she is a fearful bird, she did live outside for years before I got her so she took to it immediately, and keeps asking me,"wanna go outside?" !! So far it's not filled, but we go walk the perimeter when I'm well enough, and I sit out there and let her watch the birds. She makes her happy excited "chipping" noises when we go out and actually wags her tail as if to say, "finally, I'm back where I belong again!"

I hope it helps with her feather destruction. I think it will. I'm so excited!

Allie

[Maggie-]

Sounds wonderful, Allie! It is best to introduce the changes to the aviary slowly. That way, she will not be afraid of a thing!

Please keep us posted!
Maggie-

[allie]

Well, today the first additions were made to the aviary. I finally got my brother's help. It was so nice of him. There's a hammock chair for me in there that will be safe for her to climb on with my supervision, and two interestingly shaped sweetgum branches with twigs are placed high up at angles to make them more interesting than the horizontal perches she experiences all day in the cage and tree. and playtop. I have supreeme rope to connect them and plan on adding some horizontal perches and plastic chain too!

She wagged her tail at the door of the aviary today so I took her in to see the changes and she wagged that tail the whole time! It was a gorgeous, dry, cool, breezy day, and she just loved feeling the breeze and looking down the lawn into the woods!!!

I can't believe she had no fear of the hammock or branches, just stretched her neck out to them with interest. I think it's because so far, I'm keeping everything natural looking. She's frightened by brightly colored perches or plastics. I didn't put her on either of the two new items. Just let her look. I hope we are well enough to go out again soon!

[Maggie-]

Allie,

The tail waggin' and head stretchin' certainly show how happy she is! And they said that only DOGS wag tails.

Hope you guys can go out again this week!

Maggie-

[aimige]

[Maggie-]

[aimige]

[Maggie-]