New to forum - First bird plus cats?

[snake_girl85]

Hello! I'm currently parrot-proofing my home in preparation for our newest addition, a super-lovable green cheek. He came in a couple weeks ago to the animal shelter I work at, and he has adopted me. I am really the only one who gives him time out of his cage, and while he can fly, he doesn't seem to want to at this point. The only times I've seen him fly is if I leave his line of sight too quickly or too long, in which case he makes a beeline for my shoulder.

I have experience with bird care (at the shelter, former pet store employee, former zoo volunteer), but this is our first bird at home, so I am a little paranoid. We own a small-town downtown building, so we keep our (numerous) reptiles on the first floor and live upstairs in a studio apartment with our 2 cats. I obviously want the bird (we will probably call him Rio) upstairs with us, but worry about the cats. We are converting a closet to a bird hangout with a screen door (right by our couches with us facing him, so he will be near all the action). I figure that this way, he can have a larger play area while we are home, and when he is in his cage within the "aviary" at night or while we are gone, there is an extra cat barrier. He will still get some full apartment access a little while each day, with the cats put up in the bathroom.

Does this sound like a good setup? Any tips for bird-proofing the closet? Should I worry about him chewing the paint on the walls? I was thinking about covering the walls with vinyl tile for easy cleaning, but wasn't sure if he would pick them off. I will make a cover for the closet light as well. Any tips would be greatly appreciated

 

[Rio Mom]

Welcome to the forum! That closet idea sounds awesome! I would have never thought of something like that. It sounds like you have everything planned out well. My GCC (who was also named Rio) was sadly killed by my cat a couple weeks ago due to a terrible accident.

 

[suebee]

aww bird closet?? excellent idea as for the walls?? he may or may not, nut went through a stage for chewing the wall paper off the bathroom walls, at the joins, an the front room she chewed of a huge area of plaster!!! but since we've filled it, an made it smooth, she has not bothered with chewing the plaster, even thought it her fav perch spot?/ so i'd say deal with these things if they come along

and welcome to the forum, looks like you've thought of everything

 

[BanalityBob]

I'd do something with the walls. Penelope, my Quaker chewed off a bunch of paint and drywall behind her cage a few weeks ago through her cage bars (her cage now sits about 6 inches away from the wall). Also, don't go with screen. He'll probably rip through that if he gets chewey, and the cats will rip it if they climb it. My parents have barn cats they feed, and the cats shred their screens by climbing them. Go for some (bird safe) wire mesh so he can climb on it and be nearer to you.

What are you planning on using on the floor? He will poop everywhere within at least a foot of his cage (from in the cage), and you really can't have that just lying around and it's awful to clean off carpet and from the cracks in wood floors. My suggestion would be to get a piece of plastic or plexiglass and cut it to the size of the closet and then make a rim on it (like a giant tray) so that you can pull the cage out and then hose it off. You could also plexiglass the walls then use suction cups to attach perches like the shower perches you can buy for birds.

Make sure the closet is well ventilated too, because, even though the front is open, it can get hot and stuffy.

 

[Garnet]

I have to keep my green cheeks away from painted walls and baseboards. They have attempted to chew anything within their reach.
I put plastic tablecothes under all of my birds cages, each bird has two tablecoths, one to put down when the other is picked up. I shake them out in the backyard and throw them in the washer, hang them to dry and they are ready for the next change. I have now put shower curtains behind their cages to keep them away from any painted or stained surfaces, it is also easy to clean up. I attached them to the wall with hooks, used the holes in the curtains to hang them and it is easy to take them down and wash them. Birds are good for throwing not only poop, but food and water on walls.

I agree about the screen, cats are really good at climbing and destroying screens. I do love the closet idea though, sounds like you have really taken the time to think this out and come up with a solution for housing your new bird with your existing animals.

 

[MikeyTN]

The plexiglass on the walls sounds like a wonderful idea, but a pain to clean....Years ago when I built one of my aviary by using white laminate wood boards like what they use for shelvings, on the back wall and the flooring, I buy them in large sheets at the local hardware store and I buy the long stainless steel L shaped corner brackets to cover the edges so they can't chew on the wood or laminate and I used plexiglass for the front and the doors. I walk in there to clean the walls which is very easy to clean, plexiglass was a pain...lol....Then I hang swinging perches from the ceiling.