Boomer in 2015

[Allee]

Thank you for this fantastic Boomer update. It always makes me smile to see photos of Boomer having so much fun with his best friends.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

They really do 'associate' certain things with certain places. I'm gonna save up to get one of those pak'o'birds. I just hope he takes to it. I would imagine he would. It's much 'roomier' than his current travel cage.

 

[ruffledfeathers]

Great pics. I love seeing Boomer on his adventures. Love the carrier. It also reminds me so much of Georgie because she had a similar one and would also excitedly get in by herself because she knew she was going somewhere fun. Does Boomer squawk (a happy, inquisitive, excited squawk) when he is out? Georgie used to.
I forget--is Boomer harness trained but hates it?

 

[Newbsi]

he is beautiful and a lucky little bird!

 

[BoomBoom]

Great pics. I love seeing Boomer on his adventures. Love the carrier. It also reminds me so much of Georgie because she had a similar one and would also excitedly get in by herself because she knew she was going somewhere fun. Does Boomer squawk (a happy, inquisitive, excited squawk) when he is out? Georgie used to.
I forget--is Boomer harness trained but hates it?

Boomer is not harness trained. I could not complete the training because he really, really hated it. I kind of just gave up :/ It's my dream to one day have him harness trained though.

Yes he does this inquisitive screech when we're outdoors. It almost sounds like it ends in a question mark. Like he's saying "huhhhh, whaaa???" Sometimes he just screeches to warn me of hawks, bikes and planes.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

@BoomBoom

Is there any way you could take some 'detailed' pics of that Pak-O-bird and highlight what the 'inside' is made of. I'd GREATLY appreciate it!

Reason being, I emailed my vet to get her take on it and this was her reply:

("It looks like a reasonable option, but I would be concerned that a bird might chew its way out of it. I haven't seen anyone come in with one. It doesn't look secure enough to prevent a bust out if you're not watching closely. The "Wingabago" acrylic bird carriers are very secure, several of our clients use them happily.
We have had a lot of owners take birds out with a "FlightSuit"(TM) on a tether. Again, making sure that it fits comfortably and the bird is safe and tolerant INSIDE before you go outside is always important.

Hope that this is helpful. I'll be out of the office 'til Monday if you have more questions.")

I'm not sure she understood what I was trying to say. I want a 'hands-free' method of taking Skittles out. I won't harness train him. He's five years old and I've no doubt it would just freak him out. Plus I would worry he would go after someone if they got too close to me or that a predator bird would swoop down at him.

Those 'wing-a-bagos' are not hands free and not much different than what I use now for travel.

I don't see the danger since he would only be in it when he was with me and I could supervise him. They show pictures of hyacinths in them, so they have to be pretty rugged.

Given that, he wouldn't be in it long enough to destroy it enough to be able to escape. We are talking just a few hours at a time.

I just know that I would go out a LOT more if I could take him with me and I'd love to be able to go on long-distance trips with him. He REALLY loves to travel. I don't know why, but he does. He is just calm, quiet and content whenever we go out. If he was unhappy, I've no doubt he'd let me know.

 

[BoomBoom]

I'll be more than happy to take photos for you tomorrow. Boomer is a major chewer. He will reduce my house shirt to rags in one day if I let him. The pak o bird withstands his assaults. Like you said, the bird wouldn't be in it for too long to cause damage. I've had Boomer in it for 5 straight hours and he didn't have the opportunity to do severe damage because we were always moving and he was preoccupied by the sights.

 

[TacoNTiki]

I agree with boom boom. We couldn't be happier with ours. Kyoto has one too, and I read she likes hers as well. I don't know if you travel by plane, but just thought I point out that I read its airline approved as carryon ( but don't quote me because I don't know for sure)

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Thanks BoomBoom!

I GREATLY appreciate it.

When it comes to my tshirts that's how Skittles is as well. I do know that my vet tends to be rather 'over-protective' in her advice to me, but I've been going to see her or her husband (its a practice) for nearly fifteen years, so they know what my birds mean to me.

I honestly think that if Boomer hasn't been given enough opportunity to destroy his Pak-o-bird, then Skittles wouldn't either. If Boomer was NOT a sunny, I might be a bit more cautious, but given that he and Skittles are the same species and their behaviors are so similar, I think I'll be okay. I just want to be 'sure', since I'd be ordering it online.

@tacoNtiki I think you may be right. If it isn't the actual Pak-o-bird, then it's another carrier by the same company because I recall seeing something along those lines on their website.

I've never traveled by plane, but I hope to someday. I've never even been away from Skittles for one entire night, and I've had him for over four years, I just can't imagine traveling without him. But I want to go different places and I actually would rather be able to enjoy those trips with him, rather than worry about how he is doing in someone elses care. (Something I do not think he'd take too well, anyways).

 

[BoomBoom]

As promised, here are the pak-o-bird close ups. The zipper is protected from within by plastic panels - as long as the bird is inside the pack. Don't let Skittles mess with the zippers when he is outside of the pack because like your clothing zippers, it will be vulnerable to chewing. Also make sure when you order, to upgrade to stainless steel mesh, instead of the standard mesh. Protects from chewers better.

Here are two CONS:

1. The food dish holders are not stable. They rotate around because there's no way to hold them still. So if youre not careful, the dishes will fall out of the holders. Not sure if TacoNTiki has the same problem.

2. The main window's stainless steel mesh is 'wavy' or sunken in some places. It's not a big deal but I would have preferred it to be more even in surface.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Thanks for the pics BoomBoom!

I'm actually surprised, based on the inner frame that Boomer hasn't found a way to destroy it. It looks easy enough to destroy - if perhaps left around the house. But I would assume Boomer is probably too distracted by his surroundings when outside to really have enough time to do serious damage to the carrier. That's what I'm thinking. Is that how Boomer is?

I know with Skittles, he is usually too focused on what is going on around him to 'focus' his energy on chewing his way out.

What is the inside made of? In that, I mean, what material makes up the inside frame.

 

[BoomBoom]

I know with Skittles, he is usually too focused on what is going on around him to 'focus' his energy on chewing his way out.

Exactly. This is how Boomer is. He's just preoccupied by everything around him. Also with the backpack, I am constantly moving. When I move, so does Boomer. He's going to focus less on chewing and more on balancing himself on the perch. These things protect the pack more than the material it's made of. I can guarantee that if I leave Boomer there unsupervised and without any stimulation for 1 hour, he will do severe damage.

Regarding the material, the interior is mostly this tough polyester/canvass fabric. There are strips of the soft side of Velcro, then the stainless steel mesh. Bottom is also polyester/canvass but it's protected by a flexible black plastic mat. The same plastic covers the corners of the front window where there are stitchings. Keeps the bird from chewing through it.

That said, this pack is not indestructible. I expect mine to last for maybe 2-3 years, maybe less. It's just the nature of the carrier. It's not eternal like a good stainless steel bar carrier, but it's so much more flexible. I get to walk/hike/bike all over the pace.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Thanks for the info.

I think that's what the vet's main concern was - that if Skittles were left unsupervised, he'd easily manage to chew his way out. Which he would, if I left him in the Pak-o-bird while in the house.

Suns aren't just major destroyers, but fast ones at that. I've seen Skittles shred through a toy twice his size in one afternoon. Even around the house, it only takes him a few seconds to do a little damage to something. He managed to take a sizable bite out of a lamp cord a while back. Luckily, it wasn't plugged in. After that incident, I now have all cords "hidden away" where he can't see them.

I am going to look into getting that Pak-o-bird - but I won't be getting it til next spring anyways. That'll also give me time to shop around in case I find something else. But I've yet to find another carrier that allows you to be hands free.

I remember when I used to have to put Skittles in time-outs. He managed to escape from his time-out cage and I still don't know how he did it.