An old bird

[Wolf]

George has probably learned the whistles from some of the wild birds outside and may even be combining some of them inti new whistles and this is perfectly natural for them.

As far as George hanging out at the window screens, it is fine for him to do this, but I would keep a very close watch on the screens as he is strong enough to tear a hole in them at any time. If it were my bird and my windows I would mount some 1/2 inch hardware cloth in a frame and put that up on the outside on the house covering the window screens so that even if he were to tear open the normal screen wire he could not get out. This would also help to protect him from predatory birds outside as well as from cats and such. without the hardware cloth screen for additional protection, I think that I would be worried about escape or hawks and such predators.

[Pajarita]

Yep, you will need to put something else on the window because screens are like paper to their beaks. I once had my birdroom screens redone in a material that is supposed to be pet-proof -they guaranteed that even a dog as large as a great dane would not be able to break it- but I had to bring them back to be redone in stainless steel mesh less than 2 weeks after and the employee asked me what kind of pet I had - bears? and it had been the little lovebirds that had chewed the holes in them!

[Georges mom]

I'm going to back his cage up a bit where he can still have the whole window but not access to the ledge. I saw a hawk land on my deck rail the other day and wondered if he heard or saw George in the window. I have millions of birds around because of the wetlands but nonetheless it still worried me. George likes to shout out at all the birds too and whistle along with cardinals. Neighbors down the block can hear him. I won't move him from his window but I will keep him a safe distance from the ledge. He can't access it from the ground either. Gotta keep him safe!!

[Wolf]

I think that I would also keep that window closed as regular window screening is not going to stop a hungry hawk. The hawk can rip through it as if it were not even there. About the safest thing to do is to build a second frame that will fit the window with hardware cloth on the outside and stainless steel window screen on the inside of it as you do not want George to be able to chew on the hardware cloth. Most hardware cloth is galvanized with zinc which is toxic to parrots. You may be able to find stainless steel hardware cloth but it is expensive, but the good news is that you would not need much of it.

[Georges mom]

I'm just going to keep that window closed. George can still hear and see all the bird without that one being opened. That hawk came back today and this time I let the dog out and he took off immediately. Normally I wouldn't do that but I think he's threatening and he needs to go. I have a question..... I need to know what I can put around the lower half of George's cage for when I don't want him to access the floor and house. I don't ever like to close him up but there are times when I can't have him out wandering but still would like him to have access to his play area atop cage. He spends a lot of time up there with all his play gyms, ropes and toys. I've tried putting a large blanket around the bottom but he just knew that the bars were still there and scaled right down it. Anybody have any suggestions?? George is a better guard of the house than the dog. If someone walks in and no one is around, down he comes and goes after them and bites them in the foot. The dog just sits and watches. Any suggestions?????

[Wolf]

What to put around the cage to prevent George from climbing down to the floor is a very interesting question and I know that I have never seen anything on the market for this purpose. I do not currently have any answer except for a custom built barrier that might double as a seed guard, but that would require a couple of photographs of the cage showing the front and side of the cage as I would have to know how the barrier would attach to the cage and then I might be able to draw up the design for something. I have made a couple of what were intended primarily as seed guards for two of my cages and for a while they also worked to prevent one of my birds from climbing down to the floor so I do have a couple of ideas, but keeping my birds from climbing down was not the purpose of mine. It is really amazing at how well they can climb around obstacles when they really want to.

[Pajarita]

Oh, geez, yes, that is one question I don't have an answer for... Whenever I want my amazons to stop roaming (they like to go on the bookshelves and chew everything they find there: shelves, books, little figurines, etc), I just give them a new, big box and they chew it and scratch it for hours - especially this time of the year that they are hormonal and looking for nests -have you tried that?

[Georges mom]

Yes, George gets a new box every 2 weeks and although he loves it, he is only chews it for a bit then goes off wandering. I have quite the setup above his cage too with various toys hanging from the ceiling and he loves to play up there and does a lot but always ends with him coming down. I'll have to think on this for awhile and see what I come up with. Someone suggested an enclosure type fence to go around his whole cage on the ground like for a small pet or child but he'd scale right over that. He wants the life of the dog and he has the life of the dog. He comes running when I come in hangs out on the furniture and even sits and looks out the door. He's even gone as far to go and perch in the dogs bed. I've ordered one of the portable perches that come with a solid base so I can take him with me around the whole house. He hates being left out and cries out when he gets left behind. I've spoiled him and I know it but I just love him.

[Wolf]

Indeed, they all hate to be left out of anything that you are involved with, since they were never meant to ever be alone in their natural environment it stands to reason that they pretty much live to be with you all of the time and it is one of their biggest desires.

[Pajarita]

Yes, indeed, they do love to be with us. But I don't see what you do as spoiling. I think that what you are doing is exactly what needs to be done so kudos to you for it!

As to finding a solution to your problem... well, all I can say is "Good luck with that!" I've had parrots for 24 years and have not found yet a way of preventing them from getting anywhere they want to go so I have resigned myself to keeping constant track of them and simply walking over and moving them back to where they don't cause any damage, removing the object I don't want them to destroy or covering/disguising it with something. Not very good solutions in terms of economy of work and time on my part but there you have it