Helpful hints and tips

Jeneka, I like that plastic container with the seed in it wired to the side of the cage. I might try that one with Scooter, as he's terrible about throwing his food around. Thanks.

Terrific ideas!
Thanks, everybody!

Here is my best achievement:

No-spill feeder for sliding-door fittings:

The spill-guard was made from an empty tub of butter with one side cut off, which was then attached to the inside of the cage above the feeder.







It stays permanently in place, and the feeder can be taken out and replaced any time. See how easy it is:

https://s333.photobucket.com/albums/m381/Skbllz/Pigeons/Accessories/?action=view&current=DSCNB3142.flv

Lawrence was fascinated...

Free-standing deep feeder for PMVs/clumsy pigeons:

This feeder is made from a plastic, bulbous yoghurt pot, and a polistyrene block with a hole cut in it. It's important to make the hole a tight fit.
This one was the prototype -- before I started using it in Sammy's cage, I covered it in plastic instead of Xmas wrapping paper!

I would suggest making the block bigger (if there is room in the cage) or heavier, because this one is very light and it could, just about, be tipped. I got around the problem by using a skewer to make a hole through the edge of the block (see the black line in the second image), putting some string through it, and tying it to the side of the cage.
The feeder can be removed easily.

And this one, made for Hercules, was inspired by Jen and Jenn's ideas!

Hook-on feeder:

Made from an empty vitamin tub with a hole cut on the side, and a bit of plastic-coated wire.





And here it is, fitted to the door of Hercules's basket:

Food guard for slot-on feeders:

Piper's cage has a different system, quite awkward, really. The feeders fit into open spaces, then a wire is clipped over the back of them to secure them.

For this one, I used the lid of the afore-mentioned butter tub. (I'm becoming an ecofriendly mastermind! )
The lid has two holes cut in it for the clip wire to pass through (highlighted in red), and it is attached directly to the feeder with plastic-covered wire tie-ons. The two holes in the feeder were made with a hot skewer.



This is what it looks like when it's in place:



It's not nearly as effective as the others, but it does help cut down the mess. And, more importantly, it stops ferals that may land on her landing board from getting at, and contaminating, her food.

And finally...

Pigeon macrame

Got a perfectly good carrier or basket, but the openings on the mesh are too big, and pigeons can get their heads through them?
Despair not! Get yourselves a ball of string and unleash your artistic skills!

Here is the work in progress:



And the finished effect can be seen two posts before this one!

Et voilà! And now I'm all out of ideas!

That's beautiful, Teresa.

I love all your 'handy' inventions, Teresa.
I especially like Hercules' seed container.

And the macrame work is wonderful and beautiful.
Love the basket.
Thanks for sharing them all with us.

These are all great feeder ideas. I copied the pics. Could come in handy. Thanks everyone for sharing all these great ideas!
Here's one I use for applying permethrin powder to my birds. It's very handy to keep a small can of the powder in the loft, and inside the can I keep a small powder puff to apply it with. It's really easy to powder the birds this way, and neat as it doesn't go all over the place, and you can put it where you want it, without getting it in their faces. Works great for me. And the birds don't seem to mind being powdered in this way.

idea, Jay.

Very cool idea!
But I can't help noticing the irony of the situation: you use a little pad humans use to powder their face so you can powder a pigeon without getting it on their face! Ain't life crazy?!

:That\\\'s so f

Teresa wrote:

Very cool idea!
But I can't help noticing the irony of the situation: you use a little pad humans use to powder their face so you can powder a pigeon without getting it on their face! Ain't life crazy?!

Teresa, you are tooo much!

One bigger cage out of two:

This is especially useful where you are trying to gradually introduce a mating pair.

I had two separate cages for Sammy and Pippin, but they always wanted to hang around together, so I...

• removed the adjacent walls from the cages (not hard to do, as they are the flat-folding type)

• made a 'bridge' the same height of the cage floors (it's actually a cardboard box covered in self-sticking plastic) -- this was to avoid Sammy tripping over on the gap when she's stargazing

• kept one of the removed walls to hand, so I can restrict them to their individual sides if needed.

Here are the pics:



Sammy is on the left, in Pippin's nest and Pippin is on the right, looking disenchanted with Sammy's (less snuggly! ) On a more sober note, both cages now have PMV-safe water containers.



Sammy standing on the 'bridge' between the cages. You can see that her nest is very low, with soft edges (plastic-covered cardboard) and there are ramps on the front and sides, so she doesn't fall over getting in or out of it; she can even walk backwards into it, when she's stargazing, with no problems.

Love the color of the cages.

Yes, they are pretty aren't they? I had thought of doing that very thing when I put Cricket and Virgil together, but then didn't do it.

Ya know...they may each enjoy a brick to perch on too. My birds just love them. :Yes:

I cut a 2X4 about the size of a brick. Or I use a couple and run a 8 inch board in between them. Gives them a little shelf to perch on.

Great setup and idea, Teresa.
Thanks for sharing it with us.

NiteOwl wrote:

I cut a 2X4 about the size of a brick.
Or I use a couple and run a 8 inch board in between them. Gives them a little shelf to perch on.

That's a good idea too, Jay. :Yes:

Matilda wrote:

Ya know...they may each enjoy a brick to perch on too.
My birds just love them. :Yes:

My guys do as well.

Beautiful is a riot. He will stand on his brick then literally jump off of it as far as he can.
Too funny!! :That\\\'s so f

Matilda wrote:

Ya know...they may each enjoy a brick to perch on too. My birds just love them. :Yes:

I think I'll try that, for them and for Hercules. Or NiteOwl's idea, or a cardboard box the size of a brick (with stones inside, to weigh it down) like George has.
I'd only hesitated so far because Pippin is very attached to her nest (had it since she was a baby) and I was worried that Sammy would hurt herself. The 2x4 cut the size of a brick might be best for Sammy, as there's less height to fall off.

Thank you for your suggestions!

Matilda wrote:

Love the color of the cages.

That's the only colour they come in... :That\\\'s so f
They come with a picture of a dog but they're perfect for 'hospital' cages with their large door, and they fold flat when not in use. I got 4 of them. I've been covering one with a finer mesh (very hard work!!!) for smaller patients, as I can't get a fine-mesh cage with a convenient opening -- they all have tiny doors high up the sides.

I meant to add that I like the way the cages just fit into that space. Using the two cages that way is a great idea, instead of a larger cage that would also be higher and wouldn't fit there. It's like you built the shelving to fit the cages. Looks nice. Where did you get cages in that color?

NiteOwl wrote:

I meant to add that I like the way the cages just fit into that space. Using the two cages that way is a great idea, instead of a larger cage that would also be higher and wouldn't fit there. It's like you built the shelving to fit the cages. Looks nice. Where did you get cages in that color?

I found the first two in a local Chinese shop, and got them to order two more later. There is no brand name, but I can try and ask them where they get them from.
I've never seen them in pet shops or their catalogues.