Getting a Meyers!

[Cambear]

Alrighty, some of you may remember when I first came around and I was wondering what bird I was going to get. I was going to get a Galah, but I'm moving into an apartment complex at some point, and I know how loud cockatoos can be. Plus, I've started working a lot more.

Therefore, I'm getting a Meyers! It would cost just as much to get a Meyers baby shipped in as it would to buy a local baby senegal. That was the deciding factor for me. Yes, I know that you shouldn't buy a bird based on price, but overall, I do like Meyers more.

I have not even contacted a breeder yet. I'm waiting. OldWorldAviaries (anyone have any experience with them?) has Meyers for $415, then however much shipping costs. Babies are DNA sexed as well.

Obviously, I don't know when I'll be getting it, as again, I haven't even contacted the breeder. This is just my final decision.

Anyone who owns a poi, can you tell me which one of these cages looks best?

HQ Medium Double Playtop Bird Cage - Presented by BirdsComfort.com

Large Prevue Bird Cage - Presented by BirdsComfort.com

There's a cage that I would get from Drs, but it seems to be more for canaries, finches, budgies, etc. Plus, I like feeder doors. A lot. I know how cranky birds can get, I don't want to stick my hand into a cranky bird's cage.

Harrison's, Lafeber, or Roudybush? Anyone have a preference? I like Harrison's because it's organic, but I don't know if a little Meyers could go through a pound bag in time?

The closest avian specific vet to me actually is an hour and 20 minutes away, and 20 minutes from the airport. The (major) airport itself is like, an hour and a half away. I would be going to that vet for a yearly check up, but there is a local vet here that is familiar with birds, but not avian certified. They do nail trimming, beak trimming, can help with blood feathers, emergencies (to get stable to get to the vet in the city), etc. Would that work?

Would it be okay for a Meyers to be out and about in public, weather providing? There's only two people in my house, so I figure that he needs to get more socialization than that... I don't go out a lot, other than for work and appointments.

The baby's wings will (I'm assuming) be clipped before I get him. I intend to keep full flighted and harness trained.

Thanks for any feedback!

 

[thekarens]

Congrats! Meyer's are wonderful birds. Scott Lewis is a top notch breeder and highly recommended. I was in contact with him when I was looking for a jardine. The cage is plenty big. My sennie is in a 30x24 and he doesn't even use the whole cage (but he does use the whole playtop.

Any of those pellets are fine. I prefer TOPS, but my birds won't touch them. Lately I've been trying to convince them to eat Harrison's, but they aren't convinced of that either. They were weaned on Zupreem and I've been trying to get them off of it.

If it were me I'd take the baby to the avian vet for the initial visit and the other vet for nail trimmings, etc. I actually use two vets myself. I have one that I use for regular checkups and another that is in town for serious stuff. I'm lucky, both are avian certified.

Not only is it okay for them to be out in public, I think it's a great idea. These guys need a lot of socialization. There's 3 people in my house, but I'm the only one that pays attention to the 2 sennies, so they are pretty wary of other people.

Both of mine came clipped and it's taking forever for them to grow back in. If you want a flighted bird you could contact Scott and ask him if A) he even clips and B)if he does if you could have yours flighted.

 

[riddick07]

Congrats! I prefer TOPS too but recently my conures have gone on a pellet strike and my cockatoo wasn't interested in TOPs. So I'm also feeding roudybush at the moment. The cockatoo will eat those but my conures are still on strike not sure what's up with them.

 

[mtdoramike]

The top link would be a better cage. You have to remember the smaller the bar spacing for these birds, the better. The second link has bar spacing of 3/4 of and inch while the first link is 5/8 inch.

 

[Cambear]

Thanks guys! I'll definitely get the cage with the smaller spacing. (Edit: Looking on other sites at the same cage, the cage spacing is 3/4.... is that okay still? hard to find a cage big enough with smaller spacing.) The one I was going to get was:

Bird Cages: HQ Wrought Iron Flight Cage w/ Cart Stand

But like I said, I'd take it that that's more for canaries and such, even though it says for conures, lories, etc. I feel like a bigger bird could just snap a bar by looking at it...

I think I'll try Harrison's. Are Meyers one of the birds that should stay on Harrison's for life, rather than just growing age? If he doesn't like Harrison's, I'll try Roudybush or summat. TOPS is hard as hell to get your hands on here, and you can get it online, but generally the shipping is rooough.

I think I might prefer them clipped when I first get him. I don't know. I know how to clip, I've done it before. I'll ask him if he clips, he seems to be my best bet at the moment.

Depending on the time that the shipping flight comes in, I could go right from there to the vet. Kill two birds with one stone (no pun intended), because that vet is open until 8PM. Bird would definitely be seeing avian vet at least once a year for a check up and all that.

I'll have to get a harness then, so I can take him out. I wouldn't take a clipped bird out on my shoulder without a harness, let alone a fully flighted one! I have a friend who did, and they never flew away, but recently she lost two of her big flock due to the lead (!!!) paint in her apartment... I told her she should sue. Oops.

Thanks guys!

 

[Cambear]

Sorry for the double post!

I've found a place that has the same cage (5/8" spacing) for $400! From BirdsComfort it is $280 + $160 for shipping (stupid rural area). I know where I'm getting the cage, so long as the shipping isn't also a killer... Just checked, shipping is free! Woot!!

Also, I found this. In the small, would it be okay for a travel cage?

Bird Transport Cage | Bird Cages, Large Bird Cages, Small Bird Cages and Bird Aviaries

I have a cat carrier that we got from when my cat's liver was failing (she is a-okay now! she got into some of my [alcoholic] dad's beer, which he failed to clean up when he spilt and nobody knew about it...) because we thought that we would have to take her to the vet a lot more, and the large dog crate we used was a pain to lug around. But nope, she's okay!! So it's never been used, and the spacing in the door is like... I don't know. It's the smallest Compass carrier! This one:

Cat Carriers & Crates | Compass Kennels by Petmate

I do not travel in a car with ANY animal outside of a secure, plastic crate. While a travel cage can keep a bird contained, if you are in a wreck, those wires aren't going to do anything to protect your animal. Plus, that travel cage (the wire one) collapses down for storage! Can't complain about that.

I have about $600 in my bird "fund" right now, the cage is $400, travel cage is $45, the (current) toys, food, etc I have in my Drs cart is $200 (it's mainly a lot of perches, toys, Harrison's, and Bean Cuisine, can Meyers have Bean Cuisine??). Plus, bird itself is $415, plus the shipping which tends to be about $130 since we have a major airport here with like, everything. That comes up to around $1190. I start my (main) job in a few weeks, and will be getting $200 this summer in 4 days from working at a booth at the fair. although, pretty sure that's out of Meyers breeding period... But I'm okay with a young adult too. If I have to wait until spring, that's okay too, though. I'll definitely have the money by December, though, so I might have to wait until this time next year... Oh well. I also need money for vet stuff, although we have CareCredit (or is it CreditCare??) with like, $350 remaining on it, so that would cover the $70 initial vet visit. We got CC when my cat was so sick.

I might have to wait a year, but I'm already super excited.

 

[mtdoramike]

This is the travel cage I have for my Senegal. It's the same one that you are looking at, but on sale, plus free shipping over $49.00 so you can buy a few toys and get free shipping. Bird Cages: Fold 'n Go Travel Cage at DrsFosterSmith.com

 

[Cambear]

Aaah, man, I wish I had my card activated now. It'll go on sale again at some point though before I get my Meyers.

Drs. is wonderful. I get a lot of stuff from there.

And I have decided to get Lafeber's instead of Harrison's, because Harrison's has clay in it. I would order the smaller tub from the Lafeber's website, but it costs just as much to get the 1.25lb tub shipped here as it does to buy the 5lb from Drs. I sort of have OCD about buying things from the least amount of sites possible. It's terrible. Currently, I've got it down to four online although, I could go to the one store in person.

 

[Cambear]

I've talked to Scott (OldWorldAviaries) and he's put me on a list to tell me when he's got babies!

Does anyone with a Meyer's or similar sized poi have any idea the "guidelines" of how much they should be eating? I can't really find any specific measurements anywhere, and I really don't want to go around wasting food. I do have an EBT card, but still... there is a limited amount of money on it, and I only get so much money from work. However, one of my jobs, I do work at Subway, and I have been given permission to bring him home some fresh veggies by the word of my boss. My boss loves birds and has two quakers. She even had babies one time and kept them in the back room to hand feed them on her breaks... it's not like she couldn't come in to work!

Also, since I'm getting a weaned baby, would a bungee perch that's 3/8" still be too small? I know that their perches should be 1/2", but it is a bouncy perch and he'll still be little. They perch on some pretty small things out there in the wild... But I know it's different in captivity.

(Sorry for double post!)

 

[mtdoramike]

Aw wow, you have got it made in the shade then. I wish I had access to all that shredded and cut up veggies. I feed Tiki my Senegal about three to for spoons or a third of a bowl of veggies in the morning like corn, peas, beans and such. Then in the afternoon around 1:00-3:00pm she gets fruits like grapes, banana, strawberries, blue berries or melon. Basically what ever is in season. I also give her a couple of spoons of a seed & nut mixture during the dau as well if she wants it.

 

[Cambear]

Yeah, it's pretty great. Access to spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, small amounts of cheese (I know they can't have much at all), bell peppers, etc. Have jalapenos and banana peppers too, but I wouldn't feed those as they aren't fresh and tend to have some form of pickling/seasoning or such on them. Overall, there's not a whole lot he CAN have (pickles, onions, etc), but there's a fair bit he can have.

Do you know if they can have black olives? Some places say toxic, others say non-toxic!

My (general) work schedule is from around 9AM to about 3-4PM, but sometimes it's from 9AM - 1PM then from 3PM - 8PM split shift. Generally, I'm home at some point in the afternoon/evening to give them some fresh foods. I live about 10 minutes away, so it's not like I have a massive commute and don't get home until super late.

I plan on bed time being at 9PM, then getting him up at like 8AM to feed him, shower, get ready, refill the dry foods, his water, etc, then go to work. My mother is home most of the day, so she'll be around (I'm moving into an apartment this spring/summer) for awhile so I can figure out just how much I need to leave for him to eat while I'm gone and such... Definitely sucks being an adult, but my jobs aren't so bad.

I work at Subway and a local restaurant, and was thinking about applying at a Dairy Queen, but that's also like, a 25 minute drive, which means earlier starts and later nights... Depending on where I move to. I'm staying in this general area, hopefully. If I move closer to the cities though, there are a LOT more job options closer to home (and also avian vets!). But, man, I'd hate to give up my Subway job. I get a free 6" sub meal every time I work. I cannot complain about this. And my boss is really excited for me about getting a bird, lol. I imagine she's going to fawn over him quite a bit.

Harnesses. I don't really like the FlightSuit and the Aviator seems to be quite bulky looking on smaller birds. Think I could make one? I can't imagine it would be too hard...

 

[mtdoramike]

You could probably make one if you are handy, but that isn't problem, it's getting the harness on them. This is where most people give up on them because they don't want to traumatize their bird any further.

 

[Cambear]

I'm pretty handy, lol. I've made guinea pig and ferret fleece bedding by hand because sewing machines and I don't agree. I'll probably just make a half-arsed attempt at one with some cheaper stuff to see if I can get him used to it (which, I believe, most any bird CAN get used to a harness-- most), and then "upgrade" to a better quality one.

Plus, the harnesses for smaller birds tend to work better for say, cockatiels and such... Meyer's are pretty stocky. Plus, if I make it myself, it'll be all super cute and stuff and have my own design.

 

[Cambear]

I don't want to spam this sub-cat with threads, but I have a silly question.

Does anyone feel that they could just hoard groups of any specific family (like poi) of birds? Or just hoard birds in general?

It's a good thing I'm moving into a rather small place... No room for all the cages I would have to have if I got all the birds I wanted!

 

[jenphilly]

Well, I want to bring home half the babies at the shelter I volunteer at!!! We have been joking in other threads that my daughter is going to get rid of her bed to fit a macaw cage and its been suggested we don't really need a sofa, would fit a few more cages

Its a joke of course, but especially when it comes to working with shelter birds, its hard to not want to save them all...

 

[Cambear]

Aha, would have to sleep on the couch! Unless you got rid of that too... The floor!

I would really love to own one of each of the "smaller" poicephalus guys, Senegal, Meyer's, Red Bellied, and a Jardine's... I think a Cape would be too big... But there's no way that my one bedroom apartment would hold all those cages!

I would also loooove a Ducorps and a Galah, but oof, I know how cockatoos can be... My uncle has a Galah.

I'm going to need a mansion for all these birds... Boyfriend says one is enough for now (but he's in England!... what he doesn't know won't hurt him )...

 

[SoCalWendy]

Wow congrats on your Myers. They are great birds. I had one years ago. But being very naive about birds, I re homed her. Regret it everyday.

Regarding the cages 1/2 to 5/8 are the better choices for a Myers. As far as food goes, I feed both my poi and my plet Harrison's fine. As well as chia seeds mixed with Volkmann's Featherglow 15 min soak and serve. They also get fresh or frozen fruit and veggies. I limit their seed. I will place a very small amount somewhere in their cages so they have to find it. Fun fun

 

[SoCalWendy]

Yeah, it's pretty great. Access to spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, small amounts of cheese (I know they can't have much at all), bell peppers, etc. Have jalapenos and banana peppers too, but I wouldn't feed those as they aren't fresh and tend to have some form of pickling/seasoning or such on them. Overall, there's not a whole lot he CAN have (pickles, onions, etc), but there's a fair bit he can have.

Do you know if they can have black olives? Some places say toxic, others say non-toxic!

My (general) work schedule is from around 9AM to about 3-4PM, but sometimes it's from 9AM - 1PM then from 3PM - 8PM split shift. Generally, I'm home at some point in the afternoon/evening to give them some fresh foods. I live about 10 minutes away, so it's not like I have a massive commute and don't get home until super late.

I plan on bed time being at 9PM, then getting him up at like 8AM to feed him, shower, get ready, refill the dry foods, his water, etc, then go to work. My mother is home most of the day, so she'll be around (I'm moving into an apartment this spring/summer) for awhile so I can figure out just how much I need to leave for him to eat while I'm gone and such... Definitely sucks being an adult, but my jobs aren't so bad.

I work at Subway and a local restaurant, and was thinking about applying at a Dairy Queen, but that's also like, a 25 minute drive, which means earlier starts and later nights... Depending on where I move to. I'm staying in this general area, hopefully. If I move closer to the cities though, there are a LOT more job options closer to home (and also avian vets!). But, man, I'd hate to give up my Subway job. I get a free 6" sub meal every time I work. I cannot complain about this. And my boss is really excited for me about getting a bird, lol. I imagine she's going to fawn over him quite a bit.

Harnesses. I don't really like the FlightSuit and the Aviator seems to be quite bulky looking on smaller birds. Think I could make one? I can't imagine it would be too hard...

Poi's love peppers, all varieties, seeds and all. I had a flight suite for my Myers. It worked out great.

 

[Cambear]

I'm getting Goldn'Obles, but don't know if I should get the ones that look like burnt cheerios or the crumbly ones... I think the crumbly ones are more for like, parrotlets, but I also don't want there to be a lot of waste if the cheerio ones are too big. I'm also getting the GoldenFeast Conure seed mix. Plus, I'm getting sprouts and stuff, and going to buy some bean soup mixes and cook those up and leave out the seasoning (duh).

I was thinking maybe some seed every other day or so. I'm pretty sure I read that these guys get chunky pretty easily.

Fresh fruits and veggies are quite easily obtained here, I have an EBT card and we have loooads of organic farmer's markets around.

I'm super excited! I just want them aaaall.