u/BunHeadOnPointe

Not asking for medical advice, Mods!

I’m quite concerned about my two rescue budgies, M and F, both about 5 years old. We rescued them from a bad situation a little under a week ago. They don’t seem to be making progress as far as mental enrichment is concerned. I clipped a toy specifically for budgies in their cage, and they were petrified so I immediately took it out once I’d noticed a minute or two later that my girl was clutching onto the back bars, splayed out in fright, and my boy was hiding.

Today, I changed out the soiled paper at the bottom of the cage, and I clipped two toilet paper tubes to the side of the cage, underneath their water dish. I also placed another perch close by and a little ladder to make it more accessible for them. Considering the abuse and neglect they experienced in the past, they don’t like hands in their cage and usually react with terror, but then calm down a little. They still keep their distance, but they’re not thrilled. Their obvious stress indicators like being puffed up, lifting their wings and grabbing onto the bars subside after a while. I never reach for them or place my hand in their vicinity because I want to respect their boundaries, but housekeeping dictates I need to put my hands in at some point, and today was attempt two at enrichment. They’re very codependent so the tubes are next to one another. Inside I placed torn brown, untreated paper, a budgie ball in the middle of each, and sprinkled some seeds in. They’re not moving from their swing perch and my boy, who’s usually very food-motivated, is not going to eat. This concerns me, because the first time I gave their cage a proper cleaning, they were terrified but recovered far quicker than now. They even allowed my hand to come close to them to capture a short video (which I never usually do because I don’t want to startle them for the sake of just taking a picture or a video). And once I was done, my boy came to eat as soon as I replaced their food, and didn’t mind me standing right next to the cage, filming him as he ate with gusto. I know that prey animals won’t eat if they feel threatened, so I felt I made progress. This time, after MUCH less of an upheaval than the cleanup (just changing out the paper at the bottom and placing the ladder, perch and makeshift toys in the cage) they’re still on their perch, and my boy has not gone to eat, which is very unlike him as he usually rushes to eat when I replenish their food every day. They’re also not eating the fresh veggies and sometimes fruits we leave for them (as treats, not as their main food source), but they did before. I’m not sure what we’re doing wrong. I’m currently playing them budgie sounds on my phone, and they gradually started “making out” (they’ve been mating in the last three weeks) but they’re not going to their food or water. They have started chirping quietly, so I’m taking that as a sign they’re gradually calming down even more? But they’re not leaving the perch, which I’ve come to notice is their comfort spot when they want to feel safe. My little boy is the bolder of the two, and if he makes a move towards the toys, I’m sure my little girl would see they’re harmless and join him. But it’s worrying that he seems just as stressed about these toys as my girl, who’s a bit more timid. They simply can’t just live to eat, drink water, and sit together in a cage with no enrichment. LIVE UPDATE: my boy is now nibbling his cuttlefish bone.

Any advice is very welcome. We eventually want them to move into their new, improved cage with enrichment (not too much so as to not overwhelm them), more space and better utilities for their mental, physical and emotional health/support. It’s been almost a month and they’re still not comfortable with us, but I understand their trust issues and I’m taking things at their pace. Another live update: My boy is now eating and my girl is chirping loudly. Another live update: baby girl is now at food dish. I don’t want to watch her eat in case it intimidates her so I’m watching from the corner of my eye.

She was young and mentioned (on Instagram, I’m not sure about other socials) that she worked in an ER at one point. She’d always give advice about how to avoid bad juju/experiences with the supernatural. Stuff like, “don’t make figurines point at you, especially when you’re asleep” or “never have an empty chair in your room because you’re inviting spirits to sit in them.” Stuff like that. I think she was Latina (going off her accent and features). Does anyone know who I’m talking about? Any help much appreciated!

*I mention Latina simply as a means to narrow down the search.

We live in an area with a relatively large animal population, and a little mouse got in. If it were up to me, I’d put out some water and food for the mouse everyday since it’s winter and he/she might die from exposure outside. However, my parents live with me and they’re adamant we get rid of the mouse in case he/she breeds or spreads disease.

I set up the paper tube/bait/bucket trap, but to no effect. Mickey or Minnie ain’t having it. I’m not sure what else to do. I was going to buy a clear plastic mouse trap, the ones that allow the mouse to climb inside but prevent them from being able to leave until a human opens the trap. Problem is, someone said they used that trap, and the next morning the mouse was dead (likely from stress).

Poisoning/killing the mouse is NOT an option. Any suggestions for humanely catching and relocating the mouse will be greatly appreciated.

This isn’t a particularly riveting post, just a personal recommendation. I’ve been watching GG for the better part of my life, and I decided to watch it with my mom. I just thought it would be a really special bonding experience, watching one of my ultimate favourite/comfort shows with her, and it was! Hearing her opinions has been hilarious (eg. when Jess tells Rory he loves her, my mom said, “Aww, how sweet! 🥰🥰🥰” And then within seconds of the next episode, Dean phones Rory and my mother’s mood just pivoted and she exclaimed, “Oh for f*** sake!!!!” because she detests Dean 😆 Though by the end of the show we both agreed we’re Team Logan) Anyway, now when I watch the show again, I’ll have all her commentary in my head, which is priceless. If there’s one thing GG taught me, which Richard says when Trix passes away, “You only have one set of parents, Lorelai, remember that.” I didn’t want to have the same regret he had. I didn’t want to watch the show when my mom’s not around anymore and know that it would have been amazing to experience it with her but not having done it when I had the chance. Seeing Lorelai’s strained relationship with her mother, and having a very close relationship with my own mother which is more akin to Lorelai and Rory’s dynamic, I loved bonding with my mom over a show about mothers and daughters, and I think most mothers and daughters reading this will have the same experience.

I've had my S2 for under a year (will be a year end of July) and the dock's light is flashing. I checked to see if it's my TV's HDMI ports but they're both fully functioning with other gadgets. I checked to see if it's my charging cable or plug, and it isn't. So now I'm left to wonder if it's my S2 HDMI cable, or the dock itself. I checked Google and it said to unplug everything for 30-60 seconds and then start it up again, but that didn't work. The console is in perfect shape, no issues there.

I’m sorry to ask here but I don’t currently have the time to go looking. Does anyone else remember the DMD music video that had clips of girls making calls on a public phone in the 90s (or maybe 80s), a white car against a purple background, JonBenét Ramsey (RIP ❤️‍🩹), and, in particular, a woman sitting at a table showing off her gold rings? All the footage was very grainy and archival. I really loved that video, I think the woman with the rings is such a vibe. If anyone can drop a link I’ll be forever grateful! 🫶🏼🏹🤍 Also, not sure if I heard the right flair.

I’m sorry to ask here but I don’t currently have the time to go looking. Does anyone else remember the DMD music video that had clips of girls making calls on a public phone in the 90s (or maybe 80s), a white car against a purple background, JonBenét Ramsey (RIP ❤️‍🩹), and, in particular, a woman sitting at a table showing off her gold rings? All the footage was very grainy and archival. I really loved that video, I think the woman with the rings is such a vibe. If anyone can drop a link I’ll be forever grateful! 🫶🏼🏹🤍

I’m losing it. I’m using my Mac that doesn’t have Microsoft word on it so I’m using the free Microsoft online. Except it saves all my documents as html files. Only Page Source, Web Archive and PNG are formats from which to choose, and exporting to PDF only screencaps my screen, it doesn’t save the actual file. I’m using word.cloud.microsoft for my resume and I like the layout, but I CAN’T SAVE THE FILE and it’s really killing me. Can anyone help me figure out how to save a Word file?