geez, i am exhausted....

well, ivy is home and i am in love, of course! she is so beautiful, and i know she is going to be a real sweetheart. it's been a long day for her, and she is in bed for the night. i need to figure out a better way to cover her cage. we tossed 3 different sheets on top, need to stitch some together or something. what do YOU use for a cage cover?

i think this evening went pretty well, considering. i still keep worrying about doing the wrong things, but i know it will ease in time. i am trying to be super happy around ivy, i know she has to be a lot more nervous than i am.

she LOVES nuts! she had a little pasta tonight, and some water. i tried to show her where her bowls are in her cage but she hasn't eaten out of them yet. i hope she will learn this quickly. any tips/experiences/suggestions here?

she is very curious and has been quick to check out everything i've shown her/given her. nothing seems to have phased her yet, even our barking dogs which i had worried about. she let out a few squawks, but they seemed to be happy and playful so it made me smile

my husband took a lot of video and photos which i will be posting later.

i am SOOOOO tired, gonna sleep well tonight! i really am more excited than i sound, i REALLY need a good night's sleep.

I am sure you must be tired as is Ivy. Sleep will help you both. I personally do not put a cover over our cages, but I know others do. Can't wait to see her video!

congratulations on getting ivy home .. everything will come naturally... what i saw for a cage cover was dark cloth in a circle at the top and hooked to the cieling like in the old days to prevent bugs at night.. and when bed time is here you just move the number of sheets that you used snd spread them around the cage..

I use a CozzyCover for Ollie, and Dakota has a fitted cover that my mom crocheted. The CozzyCovers are nice, but expensive, especially for a cage the size of Ivy's. I think I'd just cut and sew some dark sheets together. Save your money to spoil her with more toys or something.

She probably hasn't been into her bowls simply because she's in a new place and she's probably a little nervous. In the morning just make sure to show her where they are again, and make sure they are all easily accessible with perches.

Good that she wasn't phased by your doggies! Can't wait to see the pics and videos!! Hope the first night and first morning go well!!

HI Emily! Congrats on finally getting Ivy home. Happy to hear things are going well. I am sure she'll be settled in no time flat. It took Maple quite a while being an older bird...but I was amazed at how quickly Harley made himself at home.

I don't really have any good advice for you on a cover simply because we don't use them. There is a reason for this however...BOTH of our birds get "scared/spooked" in the dark if there is ANY noise. So actually...they have a night light in the room, and it's helped A LOT. Maple just used to get nervous, now she's great since the light. And apparently Harley used to thrash about his cage at his previous home when they covered it, but we've not had that issue at all here. So I would not even begin to know how to cover a huge macaw cage effectively.

As for Ivy finding her dishes...just show her a few times, every so often and she'll get the hang of it in no time. Just a lot to take in all at once...and lots of new and interesting surroundings to distract a curious baby.

Can't wait to see some pictures and videos!!! Enjoy her...they grow up fast....OH WAIT...she's a MACAW...that's right ...they NEVER grow up!! LOL......

Have fun.....get some sleep...you'll need it!

I'm glad everything worked out ok and she sounds like she'll adjust great. It all depends on why you're covering. What I do in bringing a new bird in is to make sure the cage is in a corner since they feel safer there not fully exposed on four sides. I put a cover on any new birds' cage over the back and partial top and sides even during the day so they feel more secure. Until they feel more comfortable. Then I get rid of it.

I dont use cage covers at night but if I did I'd use a heavy one made for birds cages to make sure they dont get caught up in the strings of material inadvertantly. Like the one Camille mentioned.

For night time a dark room without any artificial lighting exposed to full dusk and dawn is better for them to be exposed to a more natural waking up and going to sleep and that sets the stage for everything their bodies do because of light, daily, monthly and yearly.

I do throw a small sheet over half my budgies cage because I want to block the Parrotlets vision because they sleep together in the same room and it causes mate aggression in Parrotlets but not for any other reason. Usually people will mostly cover to block light if the bird has to live and sleep in a human area and be disturbed by the humans all night. But this is really only a last resort imo and doesnt really give them a peaceful sleep anyway. Some people cover to give security but I never did that my birds just seem to go to the part of the cage they themselves designate for sleep. Now with a Hy who I never lived with it may be different since they're so big if the cage isnt so big there's really no place to go to "roost". I'm sure it'll all come together for you quickly.

I bet you are ecstatic with Ivy home. I can't cover my cages because the Grey's chew the covers.

i always thought covering helped them feel more secure. i might try that idea for during the day you mentioned. she has a few perches up high for "roosting".

the room she is currently in is only temporary, as far as the sleeping arrangements go. it is located near the back door, where we let the dogs out. but we are keeping the lights out once she goes to bed and only letting the dogs out a few times afterwards. once our roommate moves out in january, ivy and artemis will have a sleep room with a window.

i hope it comes together ok, i think i worry too much!

Well, I"m looking forward to hearing more about Ivy. The Gabriel Foundation has 5 Hys. They are so omuch fun. They have a huge, outdoor flight area there to fly around in, and lots of toys. Quite a differnce from my mini macaws!