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Ladies and Gents,

I'm curious of how much time you all spend with your kids. I know I spend *way* too much time with them, (but I'm home all day) and probably as far as an hourly count, it'd have to be maybe 8-9 hours, with a few short breaks. Since they don't stay up past sunset, all I have is daylight hours. Come longer days, I guess I'll be putting in more time.

way to much. LOL

I live on my own so my kids are my family. could not be without them now. however having 2 is great at least when i'm not around they have each other

Both my husband and I work, so during the week, poor Casper has to "suffer" and be in the cage all day. At night, she comes out right at 4:30 and does not go back in until bedtime, about 10. On weekends, she is NEVER in her cage. She is always with one of us. Funny thing is, she will go back into her cage at about 11:30 every weekend day. Reason...to sit in the sun coming through the big windows. She loves it. We try to get her to come out and she squawks at us! For about an hour, she is off limits.

My bird loves the sun shining bright too. His cage is in the corner between two windows. One window's in the back and his cage is covered on the back, but the other window is perfect because the sunlight is not direct, it's just perfect, even in the summer. I spend quite a bit of time with my bird, although most of it is through his cage bars because he is still scared of coming out. We have our little conversations between us every day when he sings and whistles, I immitate him back and sometimes he'll immitate me, and if he gets on my finger, I give him a treat-----his favorite----millet! His time spent outside his cage is not really a happy time for him yet-----he is ok about it, for the most part, but sometimes he yells to go back, or sounds like he is whining for the first five minutes or so. We both work full time here, but sometimes different shifts so someone is always here, and when we both work at the same time, it is late evening, and night time so he doesn't spend much day time alone.

I work a full day as well so the only time he comes out on weekdays is from 5:00 to 10:00pm. Weekends are free run and he loves it!! A few of you mentioned your fids going back in the cage to get some sunshine......do they ever let you know they're tired and ready for sleep? Mine crawls back in his cage (on weekends) around 10:30 if he's still out and heads to his sleeping corner for the night. Of course he's out all day so he's probably had enough!

Yea, Noel, Casper does that too. Sometimes, she just goes in for a quick nap. And in the evening, even before I put her cover on, she will climb in and perch. Then I know she is ready for bed. She had a busy day yesterday and I could see that she was getting tired. Cute little kid!

I made a couple of ladders that go from the cage door to the floor, and when the kids are out playing, anytime anybody wants to go back in, they just climb up the ladder. I see this also when they want water. My cage doors are about 26" off the floor, so the ladders work out great. Both my cages are in front of our patio door, in full sun right now, but the angle is pretty low, so there isn't much heat.

Sam

That does make it great that they can go back in on their own. We have Casper's cage right next to the couch. So her cage door opens to the arm of the couch, same level. She can go back in anytime. We were going to make a cage stand, but it has been so convenient for her, we left it on the end table. Only thing is, that side of the couch is now the "bird area". There is a towel on the cushion with her toy box and all of her toys out. We lost that seat!!!

Oh, that is funny, she took over that part of the couch, huh? I hope mine does that someday!

Sherwin's cage is right next to the couch as well and he can get to his cage from the arm of the couch. It's so funny to see him waddle over to the cage door and climb right on in. It's so true about them taking over! Mine loves an oversized chair and has all of his toys sitting in the chair....chew toys, a teddy bear, a donkey pinata and a blanket.

The waddle, I love it!! It is the cutest, isn't it?

Wait until Casper follows you down a hallway or through a room at top speed. You will die laughing at her....but in a good way! When I first adopted Sherwin, he could barely hold himself up much less waddle. Now the little guy can haul fanny across the floor. Love the waddle!

She does follow me down the hallways now. Poor baby switches direction every time I do. Her leggies must be so tired. Everytime I walk by her, she looks up like she wants to be picked up. If she was more of a shoulder bird, I would take her with me. Diego rode on the shoulder all day. Casper does not like the shoulder.

Her new thing now, sitting under the table in the living room tucked up against the legs. I was making out Christmas cards at that table and she was hiding under there taking a nap. When I went to pick her up, she didn't want to. Completely satisfied under there!

Sherwin loves to get underneath furniture as well....and under blankets too, which suprises me. I'm always worried when he's on the floor, I like him to be on my shoulder.

Gizmo, Chibi, Ginger Pixie and sometimes, Missy, will venture away from their cage area and playgym to the kitchen, especially if we're sitting there at the table drinking coffee in the afternoons. What a sight.. all the kids waddling towards us, but the really funny part is, checking to see if the kitchen floor is either water, or wet, where the vinyl joins the den carpet. You'd think they were fixing to dive into a huge swimming pool from their actions! Once they discover it's not water, they waddle over to us, and usually climb up on the back of my socks or legs under the chair and from that point, it's either "take me, take me" or they start singing (Gizmo/Chibi) or hollering. I gotta get some video of their antics..