Update!

[ProbablyHarrison]

Oh and another update! After wasting away over what on earth to name my companion, I've finally come to the decision. It took a lot of debate and consideration because I'm so picky. But I'm finally content with a name. He's going to be called Charlie.

I know that name sounds simple now but it took well over a month of hard thinking to really settle on it! Haha

 

[MikeyTN]

That perch by being in the dome area is not going to get much use, but by being on the sides they will use it. My ekkies use it all the time to trim their beaks, I never had to take them to the vet for their beaks as they do it on their own. Yes when it's higher up they will use it more, just place it a bit higher then your other perches. They will know what to do once they use it.

With a baby I would highly suggest in moving the perches a bit low for now cause they have the tendency to fall. Even the sizes of the perches matter too, I tend to go smaller until they learn to perch properly then I go with different types!

 

[ProbablyHarrison]

This update is a couple of weeks past due, but a small project my mother and I worked on (though it didn't feel that small for the two and a half days it took us) was tearing up part of the carpet in my room and re-tiling the floor where Charlie's cage will be.

After tearing the carpet up, before laying down the tile:

After laying down the tile, before the finishing touches:

The pictures don't show it but we also grouted the whole area and lined the walls and put down some transition strips between the carpet and tile. It was an experience! But it will be MUCH easier to clean, and now my mom says she likes it so much that she wants to do the rest of the room. She can do that herself!

Oh, and I just spend half an hour scrubbing down branches in my bathtub and ended up showering with them to rinse them all off because there was no better way at the time! I'm already insane and I don't even have Charlie yet. :22:

 

[weco]

Nice job, but if she really wants to change out the rest of the carpet, you need to break out you 5" inserts before it completely cures or you'll stand the chance of cracking tiles.....

I like the 5/7 offset in your pattern...

 

[aConureLover]

I'm really excited for you too!

 

[Joshuwaaa]

Aww that's awesome! I bet you can't wait now? Your room is literally decked out and ready for the arrival!

Can't wait wait to see some pictures.

 

[julya]

Wow! Your set up looks great! I wish I could replace some of the carpet in my place, but unfortunately I rent.

 

[ProbablyHarrison]

So last night I grabbed some of the magnolia branches I'd been saving and finally put them to good use.

I scrubbed them down with a 10% bleach solution, rinsed them, and dried them in the sun for a couple of days before they were ready, and grabbed stainless steel hardware at Home Depo. The base is solid oak, from a former part of my desk (we cut it in half so I could have room for my cage ). I also added wheels.

I'm going to vet-wrap the bottom over the nickle L brackets and of course pad the base with newspaper. It was only one evening of work and about $25 for the whole project (with loads of hardware left over for later projects). Well worth the time!

 

[Joshuwaaa]

Oh gosh that is amazing! You have put so much effort into making your home full proof and amazing for your bird. I can't wait until he gets home and you both get to enjoy your hard work.

Definetly picked the most amazing bird too, my Loki is the best part of my little family, your Charlie is going to love being with you!!

P.s your hard work is inspiring, I may have to take some lessons from you on bird DIY haha!

 

[ProbablyHarrison]

That's very kind of you! Thank you so much. I can't wait until he gets here either! My whole family is on the edge of their seats looking forward to him coming home.

 

[drlisaort]

Charlie is going to be one lucky boy. You are so creative! I could use some ideas for my play stand, it's not half as entertaining as Charlie's.

 

[RisingSun]

Awe I love your set-up! and I like how you have that rope winding up to his food dish from the bottom of the cage. That's a great idea. I know Matisse loves going after his tossed food on the floor of the cage. I'll have to try that.

I'm new to register but have been following your eclectus search. Happy that you found your baby finally. You two are going to have a blast!

 

[ProbablyHarrison]

I got this idea from someone on mysafebirdstore's facebook page and i couldn't resist making one for Charlie.

It's a seagrass mat woven with natural/birdsafe toy parts and chewables so he can explore like crazy. I can't wait to see if he likes it. I really hope he does! But either way, it was fun/challenging to make and I enjoyed it. And it was relatively cheap, too! I spent more by bulk ordering some parts but I have loads left over to work with. I'm really into this toy making stuff. xD

 

[drlisaort]

Wow, what an awesome idea!!!! Would you attach it to Charlie's cage or on a playstand? And where did you find the mat? I'm so noncreative but would love to make something like your did for Oliver. I'd think he'd be busy all day long while I'm at work. Thanks for sharing!

And when is Charlie coming home????? You must be chomping at the bit for him...

Lisa

 

[ProbablyHarrison]

Oh I'm going crazy waiting! Haha.

The material and most of the toy parts come from mysafebirdstore.com and really it didn't take all that much creativity! Haha. I just suggest using sisal or something because the leather strips I got from the site were hard to tie and didn't work as well as I'd hoped. I ended up using some stainless steel wire I'd purchased at a bird show earlier or creatively jimmying a paper stick through the toy part and mat xD But it was fun to do!

Oh, and here in the picture it's attached to the inner side of Charlie's cage via a quicklink on each corner. It's pretty huge! It goes almost front to back of the cage; I think the mat is like 26-28 inches long. Hopefully if nothing else it will keep Charlie from throwing pellets onto my desk! Haha

 

[drlisaort]

Great! Thanks for the info. I think Charlies going to have a blast once he settles into your home.

 

[faeryphoebe1]

Wow. That's an amazing mat.

 

[Soyajam]

I suspect we'll be referring to your boy as "King" Charlie - he's going to be so bloody spoiled!

 

[Joshuwaaa]

D'aww that toy is so cute! I bet you can't wait for him to be ready now!! I can't wait to see him!

Awesome job!!

 

[ProbablyHarrison]

I just have one thing to add to this thread:

HE'S COMING HOME TOMORROW!!! I'm impossibly excited.