The new cage-suitable for hanging

This is a picture of the new cage. As you can see, it is the perfect shape for hanging from the ceiling. I hope to hang it in a room that will be closed off to the kitty (yet to be adopted) by day, and then, opened when we all hang out as a family. I will train the kitty then to not antagonize the birds. We'll see if that is possible. Additionally, I'd like to hang the cage outside, on the front porch, on some weekend days when I am working in the yard. I suspect they will enjoy it. There is a squirrel around who seems pretty feisty, and also, the neighbors cat "Mr. Cajones" (this is what I have nicknamed him, because he isn't neutered...I don't know his real name).

The other day, I heard the distinctive "cheEEEP" "cheeEEEP" and "brawk, brawk brawk" of budgies emanating from next door. I can't see the back yard of my next door neighbors, but I was sure; they have budgies, and they were outside! I asked my neighbor (Frankie, the owner of Mr. Cajones) if he had budgies, and indeed, he does. He said they put them outside during the day, in at night. Every day, every night. I asked him how he kept Mr. Cajones away from them (Mr. Cajones is pretty wild from what I have seen). He said "oh I gave him a bonk and after that he stayed away". The basics of classic conditioning reduced to its elemental terms, I suppose.

Bills and...Kitties?

It has come to the point where we want to get a kitty. The reasons are various, the simplest being, K has always had a cat (more or less) and really wants one. J as usual indulges her. So the questions are:

1. How to train the cat to not antagonize (or harm) the birds? (sub-question-is a kitten best?)

2. What cage is best?

I have been researching Q#2 this evening and think an acrylic cage might be just the thing. Of course, Mary ann, and the offspring (Boo and Magoo) were essentially free, and Sutcliffe cost $20. But pets are the gifts that keep on giving. These cages aren't cheap! (aren't cheep, hahaha).

Here are two options:

http://www.acrylic-bird-cages.com/samples.htm . This isn't a very good website, but it might be a good habitat.

and

http://www.kingsolomoncages.com/specials.asp (scroll down to see the side klean version...simple design...).

The sub-issue/question for the acrylic cage is: now that the birds are so happy climbing around on the side of the cage, will they be bummed out by an acrylic sided cage? this could be dealt with by a ladder/climbing system along the sides (have C and B and their kitty Lily inspired this ladder thinking?...gee the puns are bad tonight!

Downsizing

In this economy, most of us have had to cut back in some way or another, some of us, in significant ways.  This is also true for the budgies.  As you can see, their large palace is gone, and the smaller cage is back.  Why?  We have to move, our landlords won't extend our lease to month to month, (so evil!) while we shop for a house to buy, so, we have to prepare for K to move to corporate housing and J has a job in another state.  Where does this leave the budgies? It's not clear; but K is going to try to bring them to corporate housing with her.  If they won't allow four then, she'll bring two to work and try to have two stay at corporate housing.  In the meantime, it is pretty clear we can't move the whole palace to corporate housing, so, its time to downsize and get rid of the larger birdcage in preparation for the next steps.  The budgies seem perfectly happy, actually, in the smaller cage.  They really mostly used the upper half of the large cage, anyway, so it was probably more space then they needed.   They aren't fighting any more than before, and they seem able to maintain their 1 and 1/2 budgie length distance or greater from each other, which seems to be important.  They are happily eating, including greens.  The only major loss is that their favorite toy doesn't really fit in the cage anymore.  Still, it seems a bit sad to me that they have had to downsize.  Perhaps I am projecting my own sadness at the inconvenience of having to move and my concerns and fears regarding how it is all going to work out during this period for the budgies, and for us.

Chicago is Like Lasagna is Like Our Aviary

K is visiting Chicago. She realized that Chicago has a river, streets, bridges, more streets, then buildings, layered on top of each other, before the buildings start shooting up into the sky, is something like our aviary.  That is, there are perches at many different levels, food at several different levels, and lots of criss-crossing. It reminds me of how you make lasagna.