Nest boxes?

Steptoe · Site Admin Joined: Oct 06, 2004 Posts: 4550

Im not really a fan of people who dress their pets up in human cloths Shocked

Is that a small hatch door down the bottom?
I would have made the door a little wider than the bottom left side, and taken the height up to at least the 2nd cross bar....
easy access, ....kakariki tend to go high thru doors....when the doors get up around the normal standing height of a person....therefore if there is no saftey door setup, have the door so one stoops to go thru.

Also the mesh goes on the inside of the avairy....make easier cleaning ,less build up on 'shelves'.
And paint the mesh a very dark brown or matt black with water based paint and small sponge roller.. makes looking in easier....clour a patch about 4"x 6" with a black felt pen in the middle of the mesh...u will see what I mean.... looks like someone has cut a hole in the mesh.

Perches.. get a good sized branches 1/2" to 3" diameter and hang at different levels, but high, and one across the front couple inchs off the mesh... this allows inter action with the birds without them having to hang off the wire and destroy their tail feathers

Back wall paint darker, more abrown or green... birds feel safer when their background is darker , more 'natural' camoflage for them.

Feeding the veggies....somewhere here, maybe my album...I have made door type containers that one can open and feed from the outside.

Seed container.... deep at least a 3" above the top level of the seed, stops making a mess throwing all the seed out
Dont put and water or seed containers under a perch.

Wendelina · Snr Member Joined: May 11, 2012 Posts: 34

I've let him out now Laughing

The door for the birds is the section right across the top section, it drops down and is held level by chains.

There is an access door for humans at the bottom (right hand side as you look at the photo). The left hand side is just wall.

We wish we had known about the mesh before, still I'll just have to be very thorough when cleaning.

Thanks for the tip for the mesh - we tried a patch as you said - it's amazing the difference that makes Thanks! Just checking could I use permanent marker pen on all the mesh? (I can get loads of pens from work) or would the smell be bad for the birds?

You have given my husband reason to gloat - he said it needed a perch across the front!!!!!

We are going to try to colour the walls but the aviary is fixed to the wall Crying or Very sad

I'll have a look for your feeders. I know exactly what you mean about seed throwing!!!!

Their water and food is not directly under perches.

Thanks very much for all the useful information.

Steptoe · Site Admin Joined: Oct 06, 2004 Posts: 4550

The avairy is a long term thing right?
I work hard at being lazy.. I would put the effort in and build a new bigger human access door...
Mesh, even on our out door avairies I fix the mesh using an electric upholstry stapler...9/16 staples....

Back wall.. I would be temped to hang that brush/stick wall stuff

I see no reason why felt tip could not be used....

Couple buttom quail make great vaccuum cleaners...
We put about a 200mm kick board along the bottom of our avairies... keeps the outside cleaner and most of the floor inside 'appears' tidyer

Husbands are always right....ever noticed that when they are, the wife says "well I thought......" no THATS where the problems start wall

...they should not think d'oh!

How do u intend to maintain the floor?

Wendelina · Snr Member Joined: May 11, 2012 Posts: 34

Yes hopefully their permanant home now. We will have to rethink the door when we get too old and stiff to get through the present one.

Our mesh is stapled on too!

I like the idea of a brush back wall - much easier than trying to piant through the mesh! happy^

Felt tip it is then! Wink

My local supplier is trying to get me to get quail too I sense a conspiracy Whistle

My husband totally agrees with you about wives and comments! mad

The floor is stone tiles - easy to clean and looks good! Gets vacumned daily and scrubbed every couple of days.

Did you speak sternly to the admin regarding the albums??? Whistle

Steptoe · Site Admin Joined: Oct 06, 2004 Posts: 4550

Wendelina · Snr Member Joined: May 11, 2012 Posts: 34

Hi Steph,

Thanks for your advice, I'm looking for pumice sand (and now you have also got me looking at Quail!). Think

The inner shelf is now installed (extra marks to you and my husband!) wall

There are also two small ones across the back corners for 'Fred' who insists on sleeping on what was the v narrow ledge there and consequently falling off in the middle of the night causing a few minutes of mayhem! Bless him he def is not 'quite right' definitely a daft bird! Laughing

On the hunt for some brush wood stuff for the back wall, unfortunately so far I have only been able to source complete rolls at silly money especially as I need so little - will keep searching for that.

I'll carry on upload photo's to the gallery until things have calmed down your end and you have time to create a folder.

Take care