# Sugar and Spice (Ongoing thread)



## immorgan

As promised, I'm going to make an ongoing thread for my latest flock additions  Every time my dog makes a noise downstairs, they start shrieking. I hope they'll settle down once they get more used to their new home  
They don't have much in their cage yet, but I'm going to the store today to buy more perches and toys. I wanted to put only familiar items in their cage at first, to help the transition.
















After about an hour of being nervous, the girls started to warm up to their new home! I was surprised at how quickly they came around  both already ate and drank. It took Stormy 2 days to move an inch!
I took a little video of Spice exploring the cage. You can hear Sugar talking away in the background.


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## StarlingWings

Morgan, they are beautiful!  And their names suit them very well, for sure :thumbsup: 

I'm glad that Sugar and Spice are warming up well to their new home  I look forward to hearing lots more about these little cuties!


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## Jonah

Awesome....I will keep an eye on your ongoing thread....


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## lbeckman

Love the video! Spice is showing early signs of wanting to dismantle her cage.:laughing1: Working on dismantling his cage is something else that Simon takes very seriously, but fortunately he's not as successful at that as he is at destroying shredder toys.


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## immorgan

I put their perches in and Spice was so excited she jumped on one when I was still attaching it  Sugar seems a bit more nervous, but it's understandable after the trauma of losing her leg. After an hour or so she decided the new perches weren't too bad 
I didn't put all of their toys in yet because I didn't want to overwhelm them with new stuff. What else should I add (other than toys of course)? Or is this a good amount of perches? I was thinking of adding a swing but I don't want Sugar to try and jump on it and fall. 








I tried to keep everything pretty close together so it's easier for Sugar to navigate. 
Bonus: Spice looking proud on her new perch


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## aluz

I have just finished reading your other thread and it's great that you have managed to adopt these beautiful cockatiels, congratulations! arty:

I would suggest you to place at least one flat platform perch onto the cage for your differently-able cockatiel to rest her good foot when needed.

As for the swing, I have also a pet bird (lovebird) with the same type of disability and she still uses her swing and is able to balance quite well on it, she also loves to climb on her cage's ceiling and will at times make a pit stop on the swing.


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## immorgan

aluz said:


> As for the swing, I have also a pet bird (lovebird) with the same type of disability and she still uses her swing and is able to balance quite well on it, she also loves to climb on her cage's ceiling and will at times make a pit stop on the swing.


What kind of swing do you have? Should I put it close to another perch so she can step to it easier? Stormy is able to just jump on to his perch but I'm worried Sugar can't do the same.


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## FaeryBee

*Morgan,

It sounds like Sugar and Spice are settling in well.
I'm glad you've started an on-going thread for them. :thumbsup:

You might want to consider an actual flat platform (perhaps made of wood) for Sugar.

Prevue Wooden Platform Perch

I believe it would be more comfortable for her than trying to perch on the small wires of the little platform. 

What size cage are Sugar and Spice in right now?

I'm thinking perhaps it would be nice to give them a lovely Christmas gift of a new home like the one below:

Critter Nation Cage - 1/2" horizontal bar spacing

And, you can even get covers to make the ramps easier for Sugar to negotiate her way around. :wow:

Critter Nation Ramp Covers*


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## immorgan

They had their first vet visit today. I thought I heard Spice sneezing so I took them to my avian vet ASAP. Turns out she was just "huffing" to tell me to leave her alone  I guess I have a lot more to learn about cockatiels!
My vet said they look healthy and they're the perfect weight. The only issue was a sore on Sugar's only foot  and she suggested a rope perch and a perch that varies in thickness. I have a picture of the sore. Any other ideas to help?
Bonus: Sugar's face in this photo is priceless!


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## FaeryBee

*You can soak Sugar's foot in room temperature chamomile tea which is an anti-inflammatory. 
You can also give her room temperature chamomile tea to drink as it will have anti-inflammatory properties that work within the body as well as a calming effect.

My concern about the pressure sore is that it appears it would hit right on the bars of the wire platform perch.
Providing her with a flat wooden perch would be advisable.
A grapevine perch varies in thickness and may be a good option for her as well.

Pressure sores can sometimes be alleviated by wrapping wooden perches with vet wrap.

http://talkbudgies.com/articles-budgie-disease-illness/340418-pressure-sores.html*


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## immorgan

FaeryBee said:


> *You can soak Sugar's foot in room temperature chamomile tea which is an anti-inflammatory.
> You can also give her room temperature chamomile tea to drink as it will have anti-inflammatory properties that work within the body as well as a calming effect.
> 
> My concern about the pressure sore is that it appears it would hit right on the bars of the wire platform perch.
> Providing her with a flat wooden perch would be advisable.
> A grapevine perch varies in thickness and may be a good option for her as well.
> 
> Pressure sores can sometimes be alleviated by wrapping wooden perches with vet wrap.
> 
> http://talkbudgies.com/articles-budgie-disease-illness/340418-pressure-sores.html*


Thank you for the info about the chamomile! 
I've removed the wire platform perch, I originally had it because she slept on the pink perch and I didn't want to risk her falling off at night. But that's just me being paranoid; she has no issues sleeping 
I'll look into a grapevine perch.


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## immorgan

I have ordered a platform perch online because I couldn't find any in stores. I added a rope perch to make things a bit more interesting for them.
Spice is such a brave girl. She's already playing with her toys, dancing around on the rope perch and letting me pet her! I'm so proud of her.
Sugar is still as nervous as can be, but she eats millet from my hand so I'm sure she'll come around after a while 
























I've set the cage up so the other perches are above the two lower ones because Sugar isn't confident enough to walk across them without something to balance with. The vet suggested doing this so she can grab onto the perches overhead should she need to 
It's hard to tell, but the wooden perches are all different diameters so I'm hoping that helps with Sugar's foot.
Edit: I'm looking for a bigger cage for them


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## lbeckman

Did you discuss their diet with the vet? I just wanted to warn you that their metabolism isn't as fast as a budgie's--or so I was told by an avian vet. Thus, they don't need as much calorie rich food for their weight as a budgie does.


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## aluz

immorgan said:


> What kind of swing do you have? Should I put it close to another perch so she can step to it easier? Stormy is able to just jump on to his perch but I'm worried Sugar can't do the same.


It's a wooden one with wood blocks going all around the swing's arch, so that she is able to have a better grasp.


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## immorgan

I think Sugar may have had a night fright  I woke up to violent flapping so I jumped out of bed and checked on them. 
Sugar was on the bottom of the cage and visibly shaken. Two feathers were on the ground, and both their food and water dish was tipped over. Thankfully there was no blood or signs of injury.







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## RavensGryf

Sugar and Spice are perfect names for your new girls! I wish you all the best with them as they settle into their new home .


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## aluz

I'm sorry to hear of the night fright.  Maybe it would be a good idea for you to cushion the cage's bottom with a soft towel till your girls are more settled in.
Partially covering the cage at night and keeping a night light on would hopefully be effective in minimizing the chances of another fright.


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## Cody

Your new girls are beautiful, I love their colors. I have several wire platform perches sold by Prevue called sun decks. I don't like the bar spacing on them as I feel the bars are too far apart for a budgie, so I decided to make a cover for them. I wrapped them in one layer of quilt batting and then made a cotton canvas slipcover for them so now they are soft solid surface, maybe something like that would work for you. Here is a picture of the deck before covering.


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## immorgan

Exciting update! 
I've been feeding millet from my hand to get them more comfortable around me. At first they were terrified when I even opened the cage, but now they both eat happily from my hand and, here's the best part!
Spice stepped up onto my hand for the first time! :woot: I totally wasn't expecting it. I wasn't even urging her too, she just stepped one foot up onto my finger and stayed there for a few minutes, munching away on the millet. 
It was only one foot, but I'm still ecstatic. It's only been a few days and Spice already trusts me this much :biggrin1:
Hopefully she'll trust me even more soon, and tell Sugar I'm not so scary 








Here they are, sharing the millet  I love how Spice looks like she's smiling








And you can see Spice's foot on my finger (and the mess she made all over my hand)
Edit: a few hours after I wrote this, Spice jumped up on my hand  both feet! she let me take her out of the cage and carry her around for a few minutes


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## immorgan

Updates  
Both of them are slowly coming around, Spice a bit more quickly. She enjoys coming out of her cage and standing on top to goof around, but Sugar gets a little nervous whenever she's out of sight.
Their new, bigger cage should get here in a couple days  I'm hoping to add some platforms (their current cage doesn't have room) and branches from my apple trees to help with Sugar's pressure sore.
In the meantime, I took a video of Spice being stubborn (like usual). She's adamant about not getting on my hand, and then when I want to put her back in the cage she's just as adamant about not letting go  usually I have to put her on top of the cage and let her go back inside on her own.


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## immorgan

I realized I never posted an update on their cage in this thread  I ordered this one and I love it! It was pretty difficult to set up but once it was complete, it's wonderful! It's double the size of their old cage, and they can stretch their wings and fly in it! 
There are a lot of little doors on the sides that a bird could easily open and slip out of  so I zip-tied them shut because I'm not using them anyways. 
I added apple branches from my orchard and a ladder to make it easier for Sugar to navigate. She hasn't used it so far, but she's learned she can fly to the top rather than struggle to climb 








This is before I added the ladder and a swing, and a few toys So far they love the rope perch!


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## fatmaguler

Their new cage is fabulous! I really like how its set up! I hope to see more of them :001_tongue:


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## FaeryBee

*The cage looks great. :thumbsup:

I'm glad you've zip-tied the side spring-loaded doors.
They are not safe and if not always zip-tied they will need to be clamped shut for Sugar and Spice's safety.

http://talkbudgies.com/housing-budgies/336737-clips-spring-load-side-door-security.html*


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## StarlingWings

That looks like a wonderful set up, it's like a 'tiel mansion!  :cockatiel:

I'm glad they they are settling in well


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## immorgan

This post is a bit long, but we have an exciting update today!

Sugar stepped up for the first time!! I was feeding her millet like I do every day, and she let me touch her for the first time ever. She let me pet her stomach and she seemed pretty happy about it, and to my surprise, she hopped right up onto my finger!

I was so excited I started to cry! :lol: I honestly never expected her to step up (partially because of her bad balance with one leg, and because she's so timid) so it just took me by surprise. I'm so incredibly proud of her, I feel like a proud mom when her kid gets on the honor roll or something 

I took a few pictures but didn't get any video because I was crying, and didn't want that on tape :lol: I'm so emotional! My family laughed at me for crying but I don't care! Look at how cute my baby is 

















Of course, Spice got jealous of all the attention and millet her sister was getting so she hopped up too.









They've both come such a long way in the short amount of time I've had them, and I'm extremely proud of them and I'm so excited to make even more progress


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## Therm

Aww, I'm so happy for you, Morgan. 

It shows what patience love and compassion can do for birds and the trust they give to us in return.


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## FaeryBee

*Morgan,

That is absolutely wonderful news! :hug: :happy4:
I would have been crying too.

Sugar is just as cute as can be and the fact that she's trusting you this much already says a great deal.
I'm sure with your time, love and compassion, Sugar and Spice will continue to surprise and delight you.

Best wishes!*


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## StarlingWings

Morgan, that is such a sweet story. Sugar and Spice really have made great progress! 

I would have been in tears as well  There's something magical and humbling about a little bird trusting you.


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## immorgan

Well I had Sugar and Spice on my hand today, like usual, when Spice surprised me!  she flew right out of the cage and onto my shoulder!
I didnt get many photos because I was in my PJs with my hair a mess and no makeup on lol, you can tell I wasnt prepared for a photoshoot!
But I thought I'd share anyways since I'm so excited 









Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## FaeryBee

*What a great surprise! :jumping: 
Definitely exciting and very worthy of celebration. 
:smiley-talk017:

Spice is obviously becoming more trusting of you.
You're doing a great job with the two of them!! :hug:*


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## StarlingWings

Aw, how lovely! I'm so happy for you that Spice has decided to trust you further. I can see that you already have a great bond with the two ladies!


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