 Now for Brando, Brando has little footsies. They're very delicate. So you would want one small perch. This looks like, and how they weren't professionals, like something eight, seven inches. Vinnie? Vinnie, what's going on? Did you make this mess? See, let me drink a Brando. It sounds like Vinnie's having fun. That's what it sounds like to me. You know what Auntie Nora says? She said, you're naughty. My fellow Snippers, Flaters, and Hatchlings. My name is Marlene McCohen. Welcome to my channel. This right here is Tracy, and this right here is Brando. If you have been following my cage setup series, and you're just generally wondering how to set up a cage, there is something in each one of these episodes. But today, we're going to set up Brando's cage. For those of you who don't know, Brando is a mustache parakeet, and Brando's cage is gonna be a real fun setup today because Brando loves toys. And also, today, Brando is getting a cage upgrade. So, let's check it out. I already know which toys he picked out. You know how I know? Let me show you how I know. This one is eaten. Oh, you like it. Cookie, you were trying to get to the toy store. I know you like this one. Oh, yeah. I want one. What? You want this? Oh, he's a little scared. Okay, so. I thought we had a moment. Bye. Bye. You're like a spoiled auntie, okay? Oh, sorry. She's gonna yell at you now. I'm sorry, listen. Move it. Sorry. You want one? Which one? I offered you one earlier. So first of all, before we go on, the first setup that we did was Leo, my Amazon. And what's special about his cage setup is that he's very timid, and he doesn't really like to play with toys. So if you're looking for a simple setup, I would go check out that video, or just watch it at the end of this video. All of these cage setup videos have completely different elements. There will be some things that might be the same, but a lot of little things will be different. So I get this question a lot, and we went over it already in Leo's video, but the answer is different here. What is the right size cage for my bird? So the first answer to that is obviously the biggest cage that you could probably afford. And hopefully you'll also have a tree stand where your bird can hang out all day. But thank you, Tracy. This is going very well with my assistant here. And best friend. Vanna White, that's right. Also Vanna White. We're gonna measure the bars to be very precise so that I can show you what the bars are in this cage. So this is seven eighths of an inch. And again, we went over this before. You wanna make sure that the bars are not big enough for the bird's head to go through. Now, let's move on. We're gonna quickly graze over. Glaze over? Graze? Glaze. Glaze, right? This is like a fascinating thing. This is like, we're just not smart together. Cirque birds to lay. First things first. What do I use for the bottom of the cage? Because before you put the bird in, you definitely want to make sure that you have a proper bottom setup. Okay, Tracy, that's perfect. So as I was explaining in the previous video, this is paper. We happen to get a lot of this donated to us from Parrots First, which just has been amazing because I haven't had to buy anything for the bottom of their cages. It was donated to them by a paper company, so it's recyclable. But I'm not gonna use this now because this is the frame for another cage. So for the purpose of this video, we're gonna use incontinence pads. It's a little easier. These are the things that you can buy in CVS. You can buy them in Sam's Club. I don't think Costco has them. They are not doggy pee pads. Doggy pee pads are treated with chemicals that you do not want your bird to be around. If you get them in Amazon, you could also check my Amazon store online of recommended items. I'll put that below. And again, you guys can cut them to size. Depending on the size that you get, sometimes cutting one and a half can be perfect for two different bird cages because there are really extra large ones of these. Now, as you'll notice, Tracy put it on top of the bars. I like to put them on top of the bars, but if your bird chews stuff that's at the bottom, don't even bother. Just put it on the bottom tray, which is right here. And we do have one in there. If you're cleaning the cage, I recommend cleaning both. Vinnie? Vinnie? What are you doing? Vinnie? This is a new cage for Brando. Brando's getting an upgrade. It's not a brand new cage. It's a cage we had. It took me a minute to figure out who was in it because when all these cages got switched around and we brought in new ones and all this stuff, I was like, who's cage is this? I soon discovered that it was Nellie's cage. Nellie's sort of getting a downgrade, but Monty's getting an upgrade and now they have the same cage. So it's kind of cool for them to have twin cages, but also they are out all day long and never in the cage, so that's good. And then one can't be jealous of the other because they have a bigger house than them. Exactly, you can see. Level the playing field. The first thing I notice about these bars is some things that I do not like. One, this bar is overlapping this one, which leaves a lot of room for a mess, right? As you could see here, this was missed in the pressure washing. This is not a recommended position. Now, although this bar is a very nice bar, it also leaves some room depending on how the bar bird likes to sit for droppings on the bar. So what we're gonna do is take out all the bars and reposition them. All right, just clean this bar. You will remember to wash your hands before you eat anything. Try it off. Always want to clean things with non-toxic. You wanna clean these bars and anything in the cage with items that are not toxic. You can use baking soda, lemon, pressure washing, simple water, or a very gentle dish soap is okay as well. Tracy's gonna put this in the cage. This is gonna be utilized for the bird to step from here to the other side. So Tracy had it far away. So that's good though that you guys are learning what to do. So the reason we wanna keep this close is so that the bird can step down and eat from here. This cage also has these locks so that the bird can't pull the bowl out. Some of you with angry birds that like to stand their own nose. This kind of cage might be beneficial for. Look at Auntie spoiling this bird right here. Now mustache parakeets guys are very strong. This is yucca, so it's not a very hard piece of wood, but these kind of birds, they can fly with pieces like this. It's pretty impressive. We were gonna wait and put all the toys in here, but our auntie is spoiling her granddaughter, so. Yeah, did you just throw this down here? Now let's get into some other perches and some other perch sizes. For smaller birds, it's okay to use a perch that is a little bit bigger than their feet because you want to use a lot of different sizes. As you could see, we had this perch in the cage. I feel like this double perch where it was is not the best option to keep the cage clean. The way it's spread out, it kind of went over the other perch and we want to keep things as clean as possible. So let's look at some other options for perches. Again, these are ribbonwood perches that you could get at. Where could you get these Tracy? Parentstation.com. That's right Tracy. We do offer these perches on our website if you guys are interested. We also have packs of perches that we put together. Now for Brando, Brando has little footsies. They're very delicate, so you would want one small perch. This looks like, now that we're professionals, like something eighths of an inch. I want to give you guys an idea. I'm proud to be a perch expert as far as the sizes after this. We're literally looking at half an inch. It looks so small, but there are parts of this that are larger than half an inch, which is what's great. And this is also why we utilize real wood that comes from trees and just to really simulate and make sure they have healthy feet. So Tracy's going to help us put that on. Brando loves these kind of toys. The toy that Brando's playing with right now is called Beach Bag. Oh, Jesus, this guy is. Came in the last feather fun box. Yes, I did. This came in the last feather fun box. The anniversary box. It was an anniversary box. You guys don't even know how hard my friends work as volunteers to help us pack these boxes. Is that getting paid for this? Brando loved this box. It was all about a pool party, so obviously you take your bag to your pool party and there was also a hat. Is this the right branch? Well, it kind of is a little too long to go this way because as you could see, there would be droppings right there. Why don't you put it like long ways so then we can paint toys for Brando? Exactly, but- But that one should fall down. Why is that not a good spot? It's like points down. Well, you could point it anyway, but why is because, how tall is Brando? You want to make sure the bird has enough space that his head is not bent down. This is another thing that I want you to look to when you're setting up the cage that the bird isn't bent a little bit when they're utilizing all the- But Brando stands tall or something. On a proud day. You want to make sure that the bird is not crouching or slouching in any way on their tallest moment. So that's very important. A lot of birds I find like to sleep up in that smaller perch in the corner. Brando does and Vinny does and Jersey does. Some birds, as we're going to get into their cage setups, like to have like a storefront where they like to sit in the front of their cage and look at everything. So some things that we see about this perch right now, it's not overlapping this. Is it too flimsy for Brando's? Wait, let's tighten it. Let's just check it out and see how it bounces. We want to make sure like the way this is right now, is the bird going to be comfortable or is it too easy for the bird to, you know, push it down? Do you mind Brando? We're just testing something. We'll get your toys in a second. That is nothing for Brando. The height of the head is perfect and Brando is happy and Brando could reach a toy that's right about here. So that's a good perch. I think it might be really nice to put something a little shorter over here. So let's explore that, Brando. Thank you. You can come out and play with your toy right now. Okay, let's see what Tracy is doing. So hold this. Brando can go from this perch to this perch. And this is a little bit thicker, which is great. And then down here with ease. So Brando can make a circle. This is the fun part. Tracy's excited. Brando. Brando, you're going to like to dine on this. Brando's so busy with this toy. Brando's the type of bird that loves these kind of toys with like these bells and jewels. Now, odd thing. My cockatoo, Jersey, who you guys will meet, also loves these kind of small toys, which is why I love small toys like this that come on a very strong chain because some people don't know that larger cockatoos, she's actually a small cockatoos. She's not supposed to be, but she is also like those kind of little toys and she does. Let me just show you what Brando's done in the time that we've set this up. All of this, all of that, all of that. Brando's been able to go for toys that are all over the place. Brando likes almost everything. How are you, baby? Look at the beautiful eyes on this bird. It's insane. You're beautiful. What's good about this toy for Brando? This thing. What is that? Yucca wood. Good job, yucca. Brando doesn't think it's yucca. We're faced with a little bit of a dilemma, but that's good because I can show you guys something. So we didn't have a big enough D-ring. You can totally use this knot and hang it on the cage. That's a little too much for me right now. I don't wanna break a nail and with this piece up, try not to use things like this. This is a big D-ring, but with birds like these that get into everything, there's a chance they could try to open it and get their foot or something stuck in here. That's why it's always better to use these safer D-rings that if they open, they're just open and they do come larger. So just keep that in mind. I think that's a good lesson. You always gotta be aware of what they could get stuck in or closed on and things like that. So we're not gonna use this toy right now, but that's okay because we have an array of toys that Brando is obsessed with. So the thing about Brando is Brando is not into swings. I can tell you that right now. Maybe one day I'll find the right swing for Brando. We have a lot of variations of swings. Since I know Brando and you guys are following the setup for each bird, we're not gonna try to put a swing in, but I do have birds that love swings, so I want you to stay tuned for those setups and check out those other videos. So first thing we're gonna do is we know that Brando loves this toy. Oh, you're really excited. I'm gonna have Tracy do this such a nice stuff and I'll tell you why, because she doesn't really set up bird cages often. Guys, this whole time we've been filming, Brando has been so busy with this. Oh yeah, you're good for you. There's an example of a bigger D-ring. Oh. Can you see that? Bigger ring. Okay, so. I call them D-rings, but I don't even know if that's what they're called. Daring. But let's look at what Tracy did here and why it's good or not. I like when they're hooked here on in between the bars where they can't go anywhere. I'm always paranoid about an earth quake, so I'm like, oh, at least they can't just go slam their head. Some breaking news just into the Fox 4 newsroom. A 4.2 magnitude earthquake struck in California. Rocky, okay? Is everybody okay? Okay, baby. Ooh, sturdy stand, huh? Now, as you guys will notice, this toy is in the middle of the bar. A lot of times it's good to put them kind of at the end of the bar so that the bird doesn't have to walk past it, but absolutely, and Brando has no fear and no problem walking past the toy. She can get to it from both purchase. Exactly. Double the fun. Oh, can I see that? How cool is this toy? This is called fish pond. I am, is Brando coming to play with it? I have never- This one, put this one in. Oh my God, I haven't gotten to see Brando with this toy ever. What's that fish doing? This is such, this is a novelty toy. I thought it was just a novelty toy, like in terms of like I'm obsessed, but Brando really loves it. And Megan told me that her friend gave it to his finches and the finches loved it, which is very interesting to me. Brando shares the sentiment. Like, who wouldn't want this toy? You like it, then we put it in the cage for you. We're gonna get this toy off of this thing. Oh! Has all these toys you'll ever need, could dream of or may not know you need until you see. Those of you that have mustache parakeets and are ever wondering about our feathery fun box, you could go either way, you could go the large box or you could go the small box. This is a toy from our small box. That's a toy from our small box. This, when it's a little bigger, is from the large box, but also we've had a smaller version in the small box. So they could go either way. They're strong, they're great at chewing wood. That goes for ring necks as well. I am so excited that she loves that toy. If you guys have a bird that like clings to get out of the cage, Brando hates being in the cage. It's a really good idea to have a lot of toys in there. I love testing toys on Brando. We also test the toys for our small box on Iluca, the cockatiel, I love to see what she loves. Brando, do you like this toy? Should we go be entertained on this perch? And it's more than just a dining perch? Yeah, a dining perch. Absolutely Tracy, I think that's a wonderful idea. And another thing you can do sometimes is attach a toy like this to the wall. If it's here, then she can turn here. No, I like that. And it won't be over what you said about the water and stuff. Absolutely learning. For those of you guys not part of the last video, you always wanna make sure toys are not over the water where they're getting little pieces into the food or water. You gotta be strategic with that kind of stuff. Now there are some birds that you don't wanna overload them with toys too much. Like for example, when Brando was a baby, you don't overload them with toys during the first few days for bonding with you. Wanna yell at it? Brando has another toy there. How many toys do we have in here? One, two, three, four, five. What is a foraging toy, Tracy? Like if she's going camping? Forage, her nuts and berries, like a bear. Right, so what kind of toys would make you search for things within them? This thing. You could, you could totally put. Cause I don't even know what's in here. Yeah, you can put things in there for the bird to find. That's why I love this toy. On our site, this is called Small Fry and has a totally different box. And if you wanna share toys with your bird, it makes an excellent ring. They gave my ring, Brando, do you like? No, Brando likes almonds, so show us how to put an almond in there for them. And nuts with shells are really good for foraging because they also have to utilize their beak to open it. You found it, good work, Sluice. I love to have at least one toy for foraging in there. And also the thing about certain nuts that are in their shell, it also sharpens their beak. So sometimes a lot of you will be like, hey, Leo's beak is long, but when he's busy eating his nuts and stuff, they just naturally kind of shave down the beak. So that's always very helpful. Brando can't get to this part though, right? I think. You have to hang it upside down. I think this toy is nice against this wall because it's not gonna fall in any food or water. And when Brando's over there, maybe in the back wall, yeah, that's cool, and a little lower so that if, yeah, I like that. Here, you would wanna do it here because this is where it can stay on the level you want. And now we can put things in there. I just love where it goes, guys. Brando's gonna be so excited about this. I wanna show you guys some other examples of foraging toys which we do have in our store. This is called Cheers. And what you do with cheers is you hide in here, whatever it is you want your birds to find. If you put anything that, you know, rods or anything like that, you gotta make sure to clean these things out. That's why it's a little bit better. And these kind of things maybe to put certain nuts that your bird will like. This is pretty strong. Brando's gonna go through this stuff and find it. No, I want you to experience the joy we've displayed for you. I know. You wanna see if you can find it? Yeah, go in there. Sometimes it's getting them to step back as easier when they're feisty. Look at this. What do you think, Brando? So it looks like Brando's overloaded, but I can assure you Brando is not. I think what's gonna happen is, Brando, besides for yelling at her toys, that's normal, is going to sleep over here. That's what I think is gonna happen. I wanna show you one of Brando's favorite toys, which you guys might think is very large for a mustache parakeet, but it's not because she likes wood and she can chew wood, is this? Brando loves this toy and she stands on top of it and chews it. So the more she chews down, the just different layer she stands on. So some birds can stand on top of their larger toys. It looks like Brando's very busy. She didn't even come out of the cage. She's just kind of sitting there playing with all of her toys. Looks like she's very happy. If you guys are concerned about birds that don't play with toys, Yucca mixed with wood is a very good start. We have this toy on our site. It's called Sidewinder. It's the season for Yucca, so I would suggest checking it out. Everything you've seen in the cage today, we do have on the site from the purchase to the Sidewinder to beach bag, to small fry and this toy, we had it in our circus box. And then if you guys want to add some toys on top, Trance is getting the balls out. Of course, that's another great spot to keep them busy and happy in their area. For those of you that are new to birds, I would always recommend you having a stand, any kind of stand for your birds to play on. We have some larger stands like this that are made out of manzanita. We have a smaller stand here. I wonder, should we put this toy for Brando? Because Brando is obsessed with this toy. It's my favorite toy. This one is called Water Drop. I have to put this in because it's my favorite toy. See, I told you guys Brando climbed the toys. Oh, look, she's going for something new now. She's really into toys. What's going on out here? What are you doing? Oh, you're behaving. So the great thing about that toy, I know we're talking a lot about toys, is that Jersey likes this toy not even hung. For her, this could be a foot toy. It's called Water Drop. You see, she's a large bird. You would, she's large in terms of, she's not big for a cockatoo bird, that you would imagine this is for smaller birds. Brando is still busy. Brando has turned over the fry and Brando is in a very happy position. If you see your bird is going through toys very fast, maybe you want to upgrade maybe these toys that are considered like, for example, part of our small bird box, they're really kind of for meeting on small birds. Maybe you'd want to upgrade a little bit to some bigger toys to see what they can handle. Some of these more sturdy toys that are plastic foraging or some thicker wood because Brando is able to get through this as well. So that concludes our cage setup for Brando, who is now on the bag. When I got Brando, I was so in love with Brando because you guys know my heart was broken from losing my previous mustache parakeet. I was scared that I was gonna make Brando dependent on my love, but I really worked hard to create an independent bird that loves toys. It's healthier for them, it's better for them. Keeps them more occupied and keeps them busy. It's better for foraging. It's better on so many levels. If you guys want to know how to create an independent bird, I did make a video on that. You can go look for it or I'll put the link right here. But if you want an updated video on how to create maybe a bird that loves to play with toys, whether it is a rescue or a baby, let me know if it's a rescue bird. Check out my Amazon video on setting up Leo the Amazon's cage. I really appreciate you guys being here and staying through the whole video. Thank you guys so much. Don't forget to subscribe, show me love in that way. I love you guys so much. Show Tracy some love, follow her on Instagram. That results with Tracy. She's helped me tremendously and hopefully she can help you. Bye. Do you guys see how I have my hand over her beak and then I'm petting her? It's just a little bit of a technique to prevent her from being nippy. I see they're all having fun. Hey, what are you doing? All right, this is like, my birds just clearly know how to forage because somebody got a cracker out of the Mary's cracker herself.