u/indigopony

Hi everyone! I have a 25-year-old African Grey who's extremely particular about his cage. He's basically a minimalist - he only tolerates his swing, one chew toy that we continually refill with wood blocks, and a couple of plastic rings he's had since he was a baby. That's it. Any new toy inside the cage is an immediate "no," even after trying all the usual desensitization methods (outside the cage, hanging nearby, on the outside of the cage, etc.).

He's perfectly happy to play with toys on his play stand. It's only the inside of his cage that he's protective about.

He's getting a new cage this fall. It's almost identical in size and layout to his current one, but it's stainless steel instead of powder-coated. Our plan is to put the cages side by side for a while, let him explore it at his own pace, and slowly move his familiar items over one at a time.

My question is, since the new cage won't feel like "his" territory yet, do you think this would be a good opportunity to introduce new toys and perches before he fully moves in? Has anyone had success using a cage change as a fresh start with a bird that's very set in its ways?

I'd love to hear your experiences!

I need a gift idea for a niece who is turning 24. I only learned of her existence a couple of years ago (found us via dna) so dont know her well, but want to send something thoughtful. Ideas?

I'm hoping this is the right place to ask and someone has run into this before because we're stumped.

I'm setting up a new TV for my 91-year-old mother.

Equipment

TV

Samsung 55" M70HB Series Mini LED (2026)

Model: UN55M70HBFXZA

Cable Box

Xfinity X1

Hearing system

ReSound rechargeable hearing aids (likely LiNX Quattro family)

ReSound TV Streamer 2

TV Streamer model: SAS-3

Hearing aid charger model: C1

Connection

The Samsung only has HDMI eARC, so we bought an HDMI eARC Audio Extractor.

Current wiring:

Samsung HDMI eARC → HDMI ARC audio extractor → RCA (red/white) → ReSound TV Streamer 2 → hearing aids

Everything is using PCM audio.

Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) is ON.

eARC Mode is Auto.

Digital Output Format is PCM.

Problem #1

The ARC connection isn't reliable.

Sometimes everything works perfectly.

Other times the TV changes the sound output back to TV Speaker by itself.

The green ARC light on the extractor goes out.

I've also noticed something else:

If the TV is turned off and then back on, sometimes the ARC connection never comes back. The green light on the extractor stays off and the hearing aids receive no audio.

The only thing that fixes it is unplugging power from the HDMI ARC extractor and plugging it back in. As soon as I do that, the green ARC light comes back on and audio starts working again.

Has anyone seen Samsung TVs fail to re-establish the HDMI ARC handshake after powering back on?

Problem #2

When the ReSound streamer is working:

✔ My mother hears perfectly through her hearing aids.

❌ The TV speakers are completely silent.

If I switch back to TV Speakers:

✔ TV speakers work.

❌ Hearing aids immediately stop receiving audio.

On her old Vizio TV, both worked at the same time.

I also paired Bluetooth earbuds to the Samsung as a test.

They pair successfully, but they never receive audio while the hearing aids are active.

So it appears this TV only outputs audio to one destination at a time.

Is there any Samsung setting that allows:

TV speakers + HDMI ARC simultaneously?

HDMI ARC + Bluetooth simultaneously?

TV speakers + Bluetooth simultaneously?

Or is this simply how newer Samsung TVs work?

I'm trying to let my mother hear through her hearing aids while everyone else can still hear the TV normally.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I'm hoping this is the right place to ask and someone has run into this before because we're stumped.

I'm setting up a new TV for my 91-year-old mother.

Equipment

TV

Samsung 55" M70HB Series Mini LED (2026)

Model: UN55M70HBFXZA

Cable Box

Xfinity X1

Hearing system

ReSound rechargeable hearing aids (likely LiNX Quattro family)

ReSound TV Streamer 2

TV Streamer model: SAS-3

Hearing aid charger model: C1

Connection

The Samsung only has HDMI eARC, so we bought an HDMI eARC Audio Extractor.

Current wiring:

Samsung HDMI eARC → HDMI ARC audio extractor → RCA (red/white) → ReSound TV Streamer 2 → hearing aids

Everything is using PCM audio.

Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) is ON.

eARC Mode is Auto.

Digital Output Format is PCM.

Problem #1

The ARC connection isn't reliable.

Sometimes everything works perfectly.

Other times the TV changes the sound output back to TV Speaker by itself.

The green ARC light on the extractor goes out.

I've also noticed something else:

If the TV is turned off and then back on, sometimes the ARC connection never comes back. The green light on the extractor stays off and the hearing aids receive no audio.

The only thing that fixes it is unplugging power from the HDMI ARC extractor and plugging it back in. As soon as I do that, the green ARC light comes back on and audio starts working again.

Has anyone seen Samsung TVs fail to re-establish the HDMI ARC handshake after powering back on?

Problem #2

When the ReSound streamer is working:

✔ My mother hears perfectly through her hearing aids.

❌ The TV speakers are completely silent.

If I switch back to TV Speakers:

✔ TV speakers work.

❌ Hearing aids immediately stop receiving audio.

On her old Vizio TV, both worked at the same time.

I also paired Bluetooth earbuds to the Samsung as a test.

They pair successfully, but they never receive audio while the hearing aids are active.

So it appears this TV only outputs audio to one destination at a time.

Is there any Samsung setting that allows:

TV speakers + HDMI ARC simultaneously?

HDMI ARC + Bluetooth simultaneously?

TV speakers + Bluetooth simultaneously?

Or is this simply how newer Samsung TVs work?

I'm trying to let my mother hear through her hearing aids while everyone else can still hear the TV normally.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.