Tweaty and Pip

plamenh wrote:

Do they make pigeon helmets too? I know that diapers are on the market.
Boots will also be handy.

Hope they come right with food soon.

There ya go! Waterproofed (with a warm lining) pijjie booties.

How's Pip's head today?

It's no worse, thankfully. The gel seems to be working now. I saw her scratching it yesterday so I guess that's where most of the inflammation is coming from. It's not spreading or looking any more inflamed, although it doesn't look much better, but that's because she's got to regrow her feathers there.

It's so difficult at the moment and they are getting a bit grumpy with each other I think. Neither will go onto the ground to feed and the shelf I've set up is ruled by Pip, so poor Tweaty doesn't get a look in. I've set up the second shelf lower down with some more food and showed him where to go, but then she goes on the upper shelf and proceeds to shower him with seed which she flicks out of the tray. It's like having two squabbling children!

So I've hand-fed them both just now and they have full bellies. He's now sat out in the snow and seems to be fine. I've never known weather like this - well not since I was a child. It's not stopped snowing here for nearly two weeks now and has been white over with temps as low as minus 10 at night. Trying to keep their water from freezing over is a nightmare. I even got a fan heater (behind secure wire) and set it on really low so it blowed occasionally on the water bowl. That did work, because otherwise it was freezing over within half an hour.

Here, we can buy birdbath heaters. They work great and keep the water from freezing. I would be lost without mine. You might check if you have any out door bird shops to see if you can find one. It would make life easier for all of you.

What a great idea - I never knew they existed. I've just looked and they are about £10 which isn't bad for the trouble they save. We never get such continual cold here, but this year is breaking all records. Apparently it's our worst winter for 100 years! At least it's giving the newspapers something to report about!

Did you know that there are even out door heating pads?

Appreciate the update, Wendy.
I'm glad to hear Pippy's wound is no worse.
Keep us posted.
I sure hope your bad weather lifts soon.

Ah! It's good to know you lot are as daft as me. I can admit to something now I've had a fan heater going very low in their roost during the night just to keep them at about freezing level or just above. Well, I felt sorry for them being cold..... Yes, I know they are wood pigeons and are used to it and probably don't even notice, but it makes me feel better

It started with a heat lamp but that wasn't strong enough in the end to keep them from going down to minus 10 at night. I make sure they are gradually acclimatised when I let them out in the mornings so it's not a made rush of air and they seem fine.

I've got one of those fab weather stations that my brother gave me a couple of years ago. I've put the receiver in the roost and the main unit sits upstairs so I know what temp it is in there at any one time.

Gawd, talk about being pampered

Here they both are on the camera - roosting. I'll need to go down and pop them to bed in a minute. Tweaty is facing the camera.

Little Fledgling wrote:

Ah! It's good to know you lot are as daft as me. I can admit to something now I've had a fan heater going very low in their roost during the night just to keep them at about freezing level or just above. Well, I felt sorry for them being cold..... Yes, I know they are wood pigeons and are used to it and probably don't even notice, but it makes me feel better

It started with a heat lamp but that wasn't strong enough in the end to keep them from going down to minus 10 at night. I make sure they are gradually acclimatised when I let them out in the mornings so it's not a made rush of air and they seem fine.

I've got one of those fab weather stations that my brother gave me a couple of years ago. I've put the receiver in the roost and the main unit sits upstairs so I know what temp it is in there at any one time.

Gawd, talk about being pampered

Here they both are on the camera - roosting. I'll need to go down and pop them to bed in a minute. Tweaty is facing the camera.

Now that's a great set up. Pretty brother you've got there.

I got the camera cheap on ebay. It's infra red and works through the wireless router so it can be viewed remotely too. It's got a few yellow marks on it from where it's been out in the sun, but it works fine. It's great for checking on them and it's also fab for learning about their natural habits which obviously they don't show me when I'm with them. That's how I knew Pip wasn't letting Tweaty have any food! Ha! Big Brother is watching them!!

Little Fledgling wrote:

I got the camera cheap on ebay. It's infra red and works through the wireless router so it can be viewed remotely too. It's got a few yellow marks on it from where it's been out in the sun, but it works fine. It's great for checking on them and it's also fab for learning about their natural habits which obviously they don't show me when I'm with them. That's how I knew Pip wasn't letting Tweaty have any food! Ha! Big Brother is watching them!!

Hi Wendy,

It's amazing what they get up to when they think you're not looking, you've got them fooled there !

Yesterday after I'd fed my lot and had scraped off all the ice from the windows and bowls etc, I hid in the bushes and watched them through the windows.

The sun was out but there was only a small area where it was shining through the window onto the shelf where their food is. They were all trying to get to lie in this spot to get warm. It turned out to be the two new youngsters that held their ground and won the right to sit in this hallowed spot, and I thought they were timid !!
Never would have thought it if I hadn't seen it.

This weather is really getting bad, Will have to hire a snow plough soon to get to the bird house !

At least you know where to go to keep warm, in with Tweaty and Pip !

Janet

Janet

The little monkeys - fancy the two babies taking over like that. Just goes to show you don't know what goes on until you spy on them. I love watching my two - how they interact with the wild ones, and each other and their antics in the rain and snow. Pippy is an absolute gymnast on the swing now - she flys at it so that it swings back and forth wildly when she lands on it, but she manages to stay on board until it slows down a bit and then goes for it again. Tweaty just looks at her in his snobbish way down his beak!

(I think I'm going a bit mad, don't you?.... )

We've had a bit more snow, but nothing too bad. Apparently it's going to be awful down south overnight tonight. Up to 14" in some parts. I wish we'd not had quite such a bad winter for the new babies to endure - it's their first time in the cold and it would have been nice to break them in gradually. Never mind, I think we're winning with it.

Why not get a little heater for your aviary? Or I've a heat lamp going if you want it!! I'm getting on much better with the little fan heater set just past defrost setting. I'm seriously thinking of investing in a water bath heater too - but just mulling over where to plug it in.

I love having a place to go and tell everyone about my birdies - nobody else seems to understand about how much I love them!

Could you run an extension cord form your house for the heater?

How is the weather now? Everyone holding up OK?

Here in the Midlands we're down to -14 degrees tonight. It's just not what we're used to at all. More snow due over the weekend. Supposed to carry on like this for another couple of weeks. :eek:
I'm not sure what it's doing up in Wendy's part of the country.

It's surprising me how the birds seem to be coping although my lot don't look overjoyed when I open them up in the morning. I have to scrape all the ice off the windows so as to try and let any glimpse of sun in side to warm them up. Reminds me of when I was young and there was no central heating !!

We might all have to move into Tweaty and Pip's luxury condo until this cold spell dies down.

:Yes:

Janet

WOW. It sounds like winter here last year. It's difficult to cope with when one is not accustomed to it. Every task is so much harder. I feel for you.

I'm sorry to hear about your unusual weather, Janet.
I hope you and the pijjies get some relief real soon.

Hi everyone - hope you're all OK.

Well, we survived the really cold weather - what a nightmare. In the end I got a doggy heat pad and put the water on that - found it in the garage after forgetting I'd got it and it worked. Also felt like ramming it into the bird bath, but then thought I may electocute the poor things, so gave up on that idea

They are both doing well although Pip's head is still taking time to heal up. She keeps scratching it and if I miss a day without putting on the aloe vera, it seems to flare up a bit. The aloe vera is really working well and her new feathers are starting to come through. I guess it's a bit itchy for her. She's a lovely little bird though and regularly flies onto my shoulder if I'm in the aviary. She hates this bad weather though and seems to spend a lot of time in the roost area.

Tweaty, though, is a little devil when it comes to bad weather - he loves it! It's raining again today ( :Rolling eyes: ) and he's sat out there fluffing himself up and getting nice and wet. He's getting a right attitude on him and he seems to settle himself on a perch just inside the roost area at night. But then I can't get the door closed so have to move him up one, and he dobs me like mad on my hand to show his annoyance!

I'm getting them a 6ft extension as they've not got enough space to fly around properly. That should be here in a week or so. I've also got problems with rats burrowing underneath the wire I put down underneath the aviary - thank goodness I did. We need to get some rat poison down but scared to do it as I have doggies too.

Apparently the neighbour saw a fox outside the aviary twice this week, funnily enough when I go down to them first thing, and I've not seen anything (or smelt it!). He doesn't like the aviary much as he says it attracts rats, which it does, so now comes out with stories of sparrow hawks and other wildlife he's seen bothering the birds. I sit at the back of the house working, and I've never seen anything at all - miserable old devil.

Anyway, not much else to report. Hope all your babies are OK.

Wend
x

Hi Wendy,
It's great to hear from you.

I'm glad all is well in your neck of the woods.
I'm sure the new feathers coming in on top of Pip's head do itch and are probably driving her nuts.

I can just see Tweaty sitting out in the rain taking it all in. :That\\\'s so f They do love the water. :Yes:
You take care and do stop in whenever time permits.
We so enjoy your updates.

Hi Wendy,

I enjoy your updates, too :) Glad that you've gotten through the cold and that Pip's head is getting better. I imagine pinfeathers have to be itchy, yes! Tweaty sounds like a character and Pip a sweetheart.

I use fox pee to keep rats away but that kind wouldn't do for you because it would attract (more) foxes. If interested, you might want to try using the coyote pee. This company ships internationally:
http://www.predatorpee.com/

Best wishes,

That's very interesting information, Carol. :Yes:
Thanks for sharing it with us.

Thanks for the update on Tweaty and Pip, Wendy, it's lovely to know they're getting on well and the worst of the snow is over.
Hope Pip's head wound continues to improve and that you manage to find a way to keep the rats away. I didn't know about the predator pee, it sounds like a very good idea. I've heard about devices that emit a low-frequency noise that rats and moles don't like, but I have no first-hand experience of using them, nor do I know if the noise would bother the pigeons too.

Those low frequency noise devices are a waste of money.

The poison is very dangerous. The pee idea sounds great.

Fancy being able to order pee by post I wonder what the customs people in the UK would think. I guess the smell would be so awful they wouldn't bother to charge a customs fee, just to get it out of their warehouse!

In never thought about the feathers itching - shows how naive I am at all this. We seem to be going round in circles with her - she just looks like she's healing up and the new feathers are coming through, then between me sorting them out first thing and nipping down at lunchtime to check on them, she's made it red raw again. So even though it's healing up she still gets a dob of aloe gel on it now - I think we're winning. She sees me take the lid off the pot and flies into the roost to hide! They aren't daft.

I absolutely adore having them as pets. I was telling a friend about them on Saturday night and she looked at me as if I was slightly losing the plot

Little Fledgling wrote:

* Fancy being able to order pee by post
I wonder what the customs people in the UK would think.
** I guess the smell would be so awful they wouldn't bother to charge a customs fee, just to get it out of their warehouse!

In never thought about the feathers itching - shows how naive I am at all this. We seem to be going round in circles with her - she just looks like she's healing up and the new feathers are coming through, then between me sorting them out first thing and nipping down at lunchtime to check on them, she's made it red raw again. So even though it's healing up she still gets a dob of aloe gel on it now - I think we're winning. She sees me take the lid off the pot and flies into the roost to hide! They aren't daft.

I absolutely adore having them as pets. I was telling a friend about them on Saturday night and she looked at me as if I was slightly losing the plot

* That would be an unusual package, for sure.

**
They would probably even run it out to your car for you.

Do you think a dab of Neosporin cream might help the spot on Pip's head?