susans@cfi.COM (susans) (09/20/90)
I hope like heck that I won't be living alone with my birds in an
apartment for the rest of my life--but finding a man who thinks it's
just peachy that I have five birds is proving harder than I thought!
Anyhow, I am wondering how I could convert a basement into a liveable
place for my cockatiels and budgies. My current heart throb has a very
large house, but has a thing about bird turds on his oriental rugs.
He has a large, unused basement. This is New England, and it gets cold,
but basements can be heated, full-spectrum lights can be used, etc.
Anyone have any practical tips on what is needed??
Also, from time-to-time I can't take the demands these fellas put
upon me. Has anyone ever bought a mature talking cockatiel? About
how much would you say the market value of a tame and talking male
is?
Thanks! Oh, I feel guilty enough just thinking about it, so keep the
"How could yous" to yourselves.
--
Susan S. (susans@cfi.com)
Another Friend of Bill's ooblick@intercon.com (Mikki Barry) (09/21/90)
Converting a basement can be a wonderful way to keep "living" areas separate from "bird" areas. Just be aware that the birds will want to interact with you at more or less "set" times each day. That way, their life will be consistant, and they won't be so upset at being separated from the house activity. We just finished converting a garage. The things you have to worry about are mildew, vermin, bugs, and having a place that is easy to clean. First, you will have to seal the floor so that when you wash it down, the water won't run into cracks and start causing damage. Find a good waterproofing agent for concrete. You may also want to seal up the walls with it. ON the walls, you can also put that laminated paneling found in hardware stores for bathrooms. White will help to reflect the full spectrum lighting. Then use some of that vinyl type stuff at the bottom. I don't know exactly what it's called, but it is about 3 inches wide and sticky on one side. That will keep water from running into the cracks. You may also want to put some tile or something on the floors to make them easier to clean. Some nice bird proof plants (in case they escape and chew) will help with oxygen supply. You may also wish to purchase an air purifier. We use the portable smokemaster units. They are electrostatic cleaners that are easy to clean. With cockatiels and/or cockatoos, the powder created can be considerable. It can cause MAJOR respiratory problems. You will also want a dehumidifier to keep the basement dry. Re: going price for an adult talking male....well, most people give them away. Many of my breeder birds were once pets that people wanted to "exchange" for bigger birds and/or baby cockatiels. They seem much happier with a mate and little chicks to care for. Mikki Barry Natural Intelligence Aviaries
gamble@seawolf.rice.edu (Ben Gamble) (09/22/90)
In article <26FA40F8.23F2@intercon.com> ooblick@intercon.com (Mikki Barry) writes: |case they escape and chew) will help with oxygen supply. You may also wish |to purchase an air purifier. We use the portable smokemaster units. They |are electrostatic cleaners that are easy to clean. With cockatiels and/or |cockatoos, the powder created can be considerable. It can cause MAJOR |respiratory problems. You will also want a dehumidifier to keep the |basement dry. I was just going to post a question about air filters, and here it comes up in conversation. So much the better. My girlfriend likes my cockatiel very much, but is unfortunately allergic to him. (She gets terrible headaches anytime she sleeps in the same room with him.) An avian-vet-student friend of ours has fingered cockatiel powder as the culprit, and we are now looking for some sort of filtration scheme. The state of my information on the subject is this: 1. Air filters work passably well but will eventually burn out on cockat{oo|iel} powder. 2. Electrostatic dust precipitators are very effective and durable, but also quite expensive (~$500 is too much). I would very much appreciate any and all information anyone can give me on this subject (specs, models, prices, likely sources), especially information that points to something that a college student can afford and is reasonably effective for one cockatiel. I will summarize any interesting material I receive by email, but I have been reading news long enough to know that people are much more likely to post, no matter what I ask for. So let your conscience be your guide. TIA. -- Ben Gamble | "It is unworthy of great men to lose hours gamble@owlnet.rice.edu | like slaves in the labor of calculation." Malcolm@someMuds | -- Leibniz? Babbage? Who? Disclaimer: This posting opinion-free. All opinions may be reached