So you think your house is ‘Bird Safe’? Think again….

Aussie Ben

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So you think your house is ‘Bird Safe’? Think again….

So this morning I had one of the most frightening, adrenalin pumping, outright scary moments that I have ever experienced.

I have had Buddy my tiel for 7 years, 6 of which she has been fully flighted. I had ‘bird proofed’ my house (at least I thought I did) to the point where I was comfortable with her flying in any room. Sharps were out of reach, toxic chemicals were placed away in cupboards and breakable items removed from shelves etc. I have never had a problem with here getting into trouble with flying all these years until today…

So let me just explain the layout of our kitchen. Firstly, we have a fairly open living area where kitchen, lounge and games are all one big area. Both my birds live in this area and do their flying in it. We have inbuilt wooden cupboards that extend from the floor to about a foot short of the roof. The have spaces left where the oven, microwave and fridge all slide in and sit flush with the front of the cupboard. A few years ago when I first got Eddie (my Ekkie) he flew over the top of this cupboard and fell down a ventilation gap behind the oven. He fell about 2-3 feet and landed on the top of where the oven was. Luckily this gap didn’t extend all the way to the floor, so I was able to jump up on the bench and reach down to him. So this was one gap and danger that I had been made aware of. HOWEVER I never realised there was another gap on the other side of the kitchen where the fridge was. This gap is not very wide and is hard to see, so I never noticed it. It extends all the way down to the fridge and then there is a gap behind the fridge, so effectively you have a small gap that extends all the way to the floor.

So this is what happened. I was giving Buddy her morning exercise by encouraging her to do laps of the room like usual. She did 2 laps, came back to me, did another 2 laps came back to me. Then she got real excited and did a really fast lap and got a bit spooked and came off her usual flight path and flew over and landed on the cupboard top. There is a rim around the top so you can’t see. Me thinking there was no gap there, I just hopped up on a chair to go and pick her up – no worries right? But when I look over the top of the cupboard WHERE IS MY BIRD! I look over and there is a long skinny gap that I assume she must have fallen down. The cupboard is too deep to lean over and see down, so now I am starting to panic. I ask my sister to stay near the cupboard while I went to the shed to get the ladder so I could get high enough to see over. We could hear Buddy chirping for help. I bring the ladder in and set it up, climb up (btw I am moving so fast at this point I doubt you would have been able to see me) I lean over expecting the layout of this cabinet to be the same as the gap behind the oven, and I would just be able to reach down and pick her up. BUT to my horror I see that this gap falls all the way down behind the fridge to the floor. OMG OMG, there is my little Buddy wedged in a 3-4 inch wide gap behind the fridge that extends all the way from roof to floor. And of course behind the fridge is a very warm place so I am worried not only for her being stuck, but I also know I have limited time to get her out before she over heats or hurts herself. My only option is to pull the fully loaded fridge out from the wall. So in my rush to pull the fridge out I manage to tilt the whole thing forward to the point where it hits the cupboard that sits over top. NOW I can’t put the fridge back down as I fear I will crush her if she has moved underneath. The fridge is very heavy and I can’t get a good grip on it so I swing the door open so I can use it for leverage. So I continued to use all my might to pull this fridge out, trying not to crush my baby. Quite a few bottles and containers are falling out while I am doing this, It is hot behind the fridge so I had no time to empty everything out, I just had to pull as hard as I could, they only thing I cared about was getting her out of there. FINALLY the fridge came clear of the cupboard and Buddy flew out at lighting speed and came and landed on me. I gave her the biggest and longest cuddle ever, I was shaking so much I couldn’t stand up. You really don’t realise how much you love something until it is put at risk.

The point of telling you all this, is that you just never know what dangers lurk in your house. It was my own stupidity and ignorance that nearly ended my birds life today, she could have overheated, broken bones from her fall or been crushed to death when I was pulling out the fridge. SO PLEASE PLEASE check your house again to make sure it is safe, and then when you are 100% sure CHECK AGAIN! I don’t care if you have had flighted birds for 50 minutes or 50 years, anything can happen. I had Buddy flighted for 6 years and never had a problem until now, you just never know.

I think Buddy is okay, she was a little frazzled, but she ate her breakfast (Which of course after this morning was all her favourite foods) and is now chirping away. My biggest concern is the dust she may have inhaled as it is very dusty behind the fridge. I will be keeping a close eye.

I am currently making a grate that goes over the top of this gap so this never happens again.
 
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antoinette

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I got goosebumps reading your terrible encounter. That was a close call. :eek:
Thank goodness you were there and re-acted quick enough.
I can imagine how spooked out you were, and poor Buddy.

Another safety tip, this is just me, never ever leave a bird alone in a room, no matter how bird proof if may seem, the unexpected things to happen.


You are so correct saying You really don’t realise how much you love something until it is put at risk.

I often mention each and every moment with your bird is a moment to be treasured, enjoy it. ;)
 

wildheart

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That was like reading something out of a horror book - my heart was in my throat. I am just glad that he did not get hurt and it all turned out ok.

I know they get themselves into places that we think is impossible and especially into places that we did not even know existed! My iguana LOVES finding places like that and I know exactly how you felt!
 

caliopi

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I am so sorry you both had to go through such an awful experience. I know how terrified we were when Puffin got himself stuck in the bird food holder his food bowl sits in and it really is a dreadful thing.

On a funnier note ( we can laugh about it now but not when it happend) years ago my brother had a budgie that was a real houdini and was forever getting out of his cage. We had a few close calls when we thought he had flown away but he always turned up. This one day we noticed the cage was empty again and we looked everywhere for him but couldn't find him anywhere. We finally assumed that as mum was doing the clothes washing he must have flown out the laundry door as she was taking the washing to peg on the line. About an hour later my mum went back to the laundry to get the last load of washing out. She lifted the lid of the washing machine and there was Billy sitting on top of the spinner! He looked rather dazed but aside from that he was no worse for wear and we thanked our lucky stars it was the washer and not the dryer!
 
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Aussie Ben

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Thanks everyone.

Buddy seems okay, she did a clicker training session earlier and had no worries. She has just had her dinner and all seems normal. I'm still a little shaky and feel totally guilty about overlooking the danger, but relieved she is okay.

We spent the afternoon covering up the gap with chicken wire so it wont happen again

You are so correct saying You really don’t realise how much you love something until it is put at risk.[/COLOR][/B]

yea, I think the birds are the only things that can get me moving so fast, I remember when Eddie got stuck, I ran across the room and scaled the cupboard in about 3 seconds lol

My iguana LOVES finding places like that and I know exactly how you felt!

It is an awful sickening feeling. I told Buddy she was never to do that again or I'll have a heart-attack. Although, its not her fault.

Puffin got himself stuck in the bird food holder his food bowl sits in and it really is a dreadful thing.

Ekkies are such eager explorers, they get themselves into the worst places though. Eddie had one of these spiral acrylic toys http://www.superparrots.com/images/ACRYLIC SPIRAL WITH BELL & CHEWIES.jpg and he thought it would be fun to climb through the middle of it. Long story short, wings out one side, legs out the other, head somewhere in between and a lot of loud bird screeches.

we thanked our lucky stars it was the washer and not the dryer!

Oh my, he went through the washer?!?! at least he would have been clean.
 

caliopi

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Yep he sure did. We think that the agitator saved him although he looked rather dizzy !


My husband had to knock all the holders in puffins cage with a hammer as after two close calls with him climbing in and getting stuck when the bowls were out one which required him being rushed to the vet and gas to calm him so they could untanlge him he would still try to lift the bowls out and go back so now hubby belted the top rim so he can't lift them out and they can only be removed through the hatch doors.
 
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Aussie Ben

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My husband had to knock all the holders in puffins cage with a hammer as after two close calls with him climbing in and getting stuck when the bowls were out one which required him being rushed to the vet and gas to calm him so they could untanlge him he would still try to lift the bowls out and go back so now hubby belted the top rim so he can't lift them out and they can only be removed through the hatch doors.

Oh my gosh, poor Puffin. Poor things don't learn sometimes.
 

Spiritbird

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AB I can just imagine the stress you felt during this episode. So glad it tuned out ok. I guess we can never be all bird proof. What spooked your bird do you know??
 
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Aussie Ben

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What spooked your bird do you know??

Pretty sure it was just excitement. When I get her to exercise I place her on top of her cage and speak in a very energetic voice telling her to fly, sometimes I even flap my hands up and down lol. This usually gets her pumped up for a fly, her crest comes up, she starts leaning forward over the edge and then I take a step away from the cage and off she goes. She usually does 2-3 laps and then returns. I do this a couple of times to help keep her weight down and her muscles strong. Anyway she had just landed from her second run and she was so excited that she didn't even stop to take a breath and off she went again but this time at three times the pace (this is VERY fast). I think she just lost control and then went into panic mode, as she has never flown near those cupboards before. She was all over the shop, very messy flying compared to her usual perfection lol.
 

bogo1

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Wow.
Okay. I am going today to do another walk through the house and this time will be trying to think more like a bird. Thanks for sharing this experience. I am glad Buddy is OK but how are you? During your adrenaline surge you basically picked up a refrigerator. Are you not sore today?
 

bogo1

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Wow.
Okay. I am going today to do another walk through the house and this time will be trying to think more like a bird. Thanks for sharing this experience. I am glad Buddy is OK but how are you? During your adrenaline surge you basically picked up a refrigerator. Are you not sore today?
 
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Aussie Ben

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Wow.
Okay. I am going today to do another walk through the house and this time will be trying to think more like a bird. Thanks for sharing this experience. I am glad Buddy is OK but how are you? During your adrenaline surge you basically picked up a refrigerator. Are you not sore today?

Good idea, I just hope people can learn from my mistake so they don't have to go through what I went through.

LOL moving the fridge was the easy part (adrenalin is the weirdest thing), catching some of the things as they were falling was the tricky bit hehe. I managed to start moving it by myself, but when I got it jammed on a tilt, I had to get my little sis to come and help guide the base so it didn't fall back and squish Buddy, that is the part that keeps coming back to haunt me - what if I had let go?:eek:
 

boabab95

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I know How you feel! one day when kiwi was flying, he got distracted, hit the wall, nd laned behind the piano, so i ran over, moved the piano, and there he was. not moving, laying on the ground. i think i was seconds away from a heart attack, when kiwi stood up and said "hi kiwi" and started dancing!!! LOL its was the scariest funny moment of my life!
 

Birdamor

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Glad to hear everything turned out OK. It must have been terribly scary for both you and poor Buddy. And you are 100% correct that, even when we are super-duper careful, there are always dangers in a house that would escape us, that's the number one reason why I always recommend birdrooms. That way, they are always safe.
 

Mrspy

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Have you ever considered quiting your work and begin writing action novels?!!!

That's was a freaky story and I read it like I would read my favorite novel!


Poor Buddy, i'm SO happy it turned out ok.

Lemme tell you I've had experiences with my birds being lost and then found and the time in-between is freaky.

Glad it turned out!
 

Mel

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Ben MY adrenaline was pumping just reading that. I can't imagine how you were feeling when you were holding the fridge up. Glad everything turned out OK and hope you've recovered
 

charlotte

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SOOOOOOO very glad all turned out well,just can't imagine the outcome if you weren't there, Your baby ahd his own guardian angel that day
Charlotte
 

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