The see-saw swing is one of the most popular toys here. There is one in Perry & Lennie’s cage & also one in Dalai’s cage. Moriarty does not have one in his so his first encounter was when he was out & about. He ignored it for a time but after a little encouragement & tapping on it he finally, tentatively climbed on. Unsurprisingly, it was an instant hit with him!
Moriarty trying the see-saw swing
Moriarty trying the see-saw swing
Moriarty trying the see-saw swing
Moriarty trying the see-saw swing
The see-swing does, of course, require another to be sat on it for it to be used to its full capacity, so I am pleased to report it is used by both Lennie & Moriarty.
I have always thought that arranging the furniture in a cage is a skill. There are lots of questions to ask, like will the position of this perch/toy mean it is covered in poop? Will the toy be in an accessible yet challenging place? Is there enough space for wings to be stretched or even for a fly?
I thought I had considered all things when rearranging Moriarty’s cage yet somehow he found a glitch in the design. If he dismounts his swing in a certain way, one of the bottom bells gets caught in the Olympic rings! Despite this being a fault, it almost turns into a new toy. The swing’s bell is now in a great position to be biffed, & the swing can still be used, even at the funny angle!
Perry & Lennie often pop into Dalai’s cage for a change of scenery.
Lennie is the more frequent visitor & will be in & out, but Perry also visits & spends some time ‘chilling’. Initially, they were wary of moving around the cage, almost like they were uncomfortable that Dalai was not there, but over time they have become more relaxed.
That said, neither have dared to sit on Dalai’s perch at the back on the far right (a twig-like perch, diagonally across the corner). Dalai did not allow them to sit on it. Perry accepted this rule pretty quickly & did not bother to attempt to sit there. Lennie wanted to sit next to Dalai on that perch, but the nearest he could get was to cling to the cage bars near the perch & if his luck was in, Dalai would go over & chat to him. If Lennie was feeling particularly bold, he would tentatively climb onto the perch when Dalai was otherwise engaged at the seed trough, but he was on edge & never hung around there for longer than a minute.
(Incidentally, Bezukhov was allowed to sit on this perch, possibly because he lived in the cage before Dalai & it would have seemed churlish not to allow him!)
Even though Dalai is not here, Perry & Lennie still do not sit on Dalai’s perch.
Here is a rare moment when Perry sat on Dalai’s swing:
Since Bezukhov’s flight to Rainbow Bridge last July, Dalai has continued to stay in the Silver Villa, favouring bedtime on his own, rather than having to share with Perry & Lennie. Possibly a part of this is because he likes to retire to bed earlier than the others. Bezukhov was always mindful of Dalai’s preferences, whereas Perry & Lennie are a bit more ‘animated’ at a time when Dalai is less appreciative!
Perry, Dalai & Lennie
So far, there has been one exceptional bedtime, that strangely occurred at the end of Day 45 of their recent medication. I am still unsure whether that was a coincidence!
The evening of the 14th January, Dalai was already locked up but at around 20:30 he indicated he wanted to come out. Sometimes he would like a last fly before bed. But on this occasion, instead of going back into the Silver Villa, he went into Perry & Lennie’s cage! The few weeks prior, he had been spending time in their cage during the daytime (usually in the morning) but this was the first time he went in at bedtime.
Perry, Dalai & Lennie
Needless to say, I left their doors open for awhile, in case Dalai changed his mind. He did actually poke his head out the door a couple of times & looked at the open doors of the Silver Villa & seemed to contemplate returning, but twice turned around to go back into Perry & Lennie’s, so it was definitely a conscious decision.
Certainly he upset the apple-cart as he investigated which position he wanted to rest in, including upside down on the ceiling! Meanwhile, Lennie was still trying to kiss him every two minutes, despite Dalai jabbing him away. Perry was just trying to find a peaceful spot & actually came out on the landing platform twice, seeking calm.
Perry, Dalai & Lennie
Dalai finally, very astutely, came to rest on the purple swing (he has the same in his cage, though he does not sleep on it), which is not used by either Perry or Lennie at bedtime. This brought some calm. I felt confident enough to lock them in & put their cover over.
I stayed up extra late but did not hear a peep out of them, but all the same I still thought it best to get up a bit earlier in the morning! The next morning, all was well!
Despite Dalai’s overnight stay being relatively calm (after the initial surprise) he has not repeated it. It is anyone’s guess as why he has not! For now, he seems happy sleeping on his own in the Silver Villa.
Perry & Lennie’s first encounter with a teeter-totter-mirror-see-saw (ttmss) swing was during an exploratory visit to the Manor. They did not have one in their quarantine cage so it proved to be a good source of entertainment. They also discovered the hot pink one in the Silver Villa.
Because of the mirror & the perches on either side, photos can come out…. interesting!
In the Manor:
How many??
Perry & Lennie
Lennie & an upside down Perry
Perry & Lennie
In the Silver Villa:
Perry on the hot pink swing
Upside-down Perry on hot pink swing
Perry & Lennie on the hot pink swing
I like the way that when they fall off, they just immediately get back on again. No drama, no fuss, no analysing… they just carry on where they left off. 🙂
Spearmint Perry & Lennie Denisov came to our home on the 14th of November 2016. They had been in a busy cage of about 10-12 budgies. Though I specifically got two so they had company during quarantine, I thought it still might take some time for them to adjust to the quieter surroundings. I hoped they would also become friends during quarantine.
They were indeed very quiet that first evening; both sat together on the perch in the corner. Fortunately, the perch they chose to sit on had the millet spray by it, so they were able to eat something without having to be particularly brave.
It did not take long for Perry & Lennie to relax into their new cage. They were relatively quiet at first, but tucked into the millet quickly & had a tentative explore of their new home. I initially put seed in a dish on the floor of the cage as that was how they were used to feeding. I was happy they were eating but it was quite a few days before I actually saw them drink.
Arrival in the travel cage
Lennie & Perry
Lennie & Perry
Lennie eating millet
Gradually, they started checking out different things. They found the little white dish with tonic seed. They found the central chewy toy which provided (& still provides!) hours of beak action. That particular toy was a success – the raffia could be chewed & pulled out, the paper string could be chewed & the little knots untied & beads could be played with (before they fell off!) & wooden blocks could be climbed.
Perry drinking water
The mess at bottom of cage
Perry & Lennie
Lennie chewing chewy toy
It took them a bit longer to work out how to use the swing, but once they did, they used to sleep together on it of a night.
Sometimes, even when it is cold, the room can be filled with sunshine. On one particular day, Dalai was having a snooze in the sunshine, on Phinny’s hot pink ttmss swing. Here are some photos in a slideshow:
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I have included a photo of Bezukhov who was also sitting in the sunshine. He looks like he is sleeping because his eyes are closed but he was actually having a grumble at the time. The photo looks a bit weird because he was behind the swing with the mirror that just happened to be reflecting the cage bars, giving a strange illusionary effect.
During their moult, feather dust & dander is more noticeable. Sometimes, Bezukhov & Dalai sit on the perch preening & you can see it drift down & settle below them. I have singled out Dalai in this post simply because the dander he leaves behind on the ttmss swing in the Manor is particularly noticeable because of the dark colour of the perch.
Dander on swing
Dander on swing
Dalai on swing
Bezukhov very rarely sits on that swing which is why I know the dander pictured is Dalai’s. Bezukhov prefers the counterpart (hot pink) swing in the Villa.
Previously, I alluded to Bezukhov & Phineas having a new home. The new home (in waiting) is the Liberta Oregon cage.
The reason I decided to buy (yet) another cage is because since Cagney’s sad passing, Bezukhov has moved into the Ferplast with Phineas. As much as I like many aspects of the Ferplast Piano 6 cage (& it has been popular with all who have lived in it) it is an awful cage for catching a bird – as detailed in my post ‘Medication & the Ferplast‘.
Ideally, they would have both lived in the Manor but it seems it is not suitable for bedtime. I suspect this is because at bedtime, they need to sleep at the highest spot & in the Manor this means the loft area (domed part). The loft area itself is quite small, compared to the rest of the cage & I believe this makes it difficult to share with Phineas. In the old days, the loft area comfortably housed Atilla, Raspy, Cagney & Bezukhov at bedtime so it must be the combination of the size & Phineas.
So, assuming the Manor will no longer be used for bedtime by Bezukhov & Phineas, & Bezukhov’s medication regime is long-term, I felt that a new cage to replace the Ferplast was the way forward.
Liberta Oregon bird cage
After much deliberation, I chose the Liberta Oregon cage. A pet shop about 40 minutes drive away actually had it on display so, unusually, I was able to see it ‘in the flesh’ before buying. On the shop floor I also simulated chasing Bezukhov around it! It has a flat top, so no confined dome area to cause problems at bedtime & more importantly, has a large front door to facilitate a more evenly matched chase. As with all cages there are some design issues but I will address these another time. For now, it had what I was looking for.
So, cage bought, delivered & assembled. It was introduced to Bezukhov & Phineas on the 16th October. I decided to ‘go for it’ & when they were both out of the Ferplast, I did a straight swap; new one in, old one out. I arranged the furniture in the new one as near enough to the Ferplast as possible.
Predictably, they gave the new cage a wide berth. The manor was now the place to be. However, I took the opportunity whilst Phinny was jiggling away on my hand, to gradually move my hand (& him) into the Silver Villa. He was too wrapped up in his jiggying to notice, but when he finished the job, he found he was in his new home. What to do? Find a way out of course! On his way out, he found some millet by the door so had to stop & eat that, as witnessed in this video:
Puddings & Toyboys 