Tomcat

Haha, no! Toast and lots of butter is Om Nom Nom, not peanut butter

Hi All, Having had Ollie sinse January, he came in his cage already and all i have done is added toys etc. I should hopefully be moving house soon, leaving me more room for a bigger cage for him. His cage now certainly isnt too small, however i feel i would prefer a larger one for more toys and so he can still have room to have fun. He comes out everyday for afew hours at a time etc. Basically, what i want to know is this. Ollie isnt trusting enough with me yet to allow me to handle him, apart from when he allows me to scratch his head and neck. So, should i wait for him to trust me in all of this and then upgrade his cage, as it then allows me to actually put him into it, as i wouldnt stand a chance of getting him in a new cage, its difficult enough getting him in the cage he has lived in for months lol. Also, do you think a house move although stressfull, would help a little with bonding as i will be there to comfort him? Thanks, Tom.

Thank you, ill keep everyone updated. However i do feel that i loose abit of trust everytime i put him back into his cage, as its a bit of a struggle.

Haha, strangely enough, i dont like peanut butter. Its the texture of the nuts you see, i love the taste of salted peanutes etc, however i cant stand the texture when you bite them lol

Also, how often can he have toast?

Thank you, I shall go and give him and piece now

Hi All, When i give Ollie toast, how much of a slice can he actually have, im presuming i dont put anything on it all though i have been told by someone that i can put a peanut butter on it with low salt i think he said? Thanks, Tom.

Ah brilliant! Thanks

Hi All, I got Ollie when he was 10-11 Months old, on january 16th 2010, and i baught him as a handtame grey. Well, he has never as much as sat on my hand, or any body part for that matter, however i put that down to stress & obviously bonding with me. However, he does let me scratch his head and tickle his neck when he is out on the cage, and sometimes through the bars or if i put my hand in, however not always. He is also very flighty when i approach him ooutside of the cage, even with me talking softly and reasuringly to him. Today, when he was sat on top of his cage i put my hand out, said 'Touch' and he, as expected, touched my finger with his beak. He did this over and over again, and every so often went to bite me, however i said 'No' and pulled my hand away, and the next time he would do it nicely. Now, to me, this sounds like he is getting better and starting to trust me more etc, however he is still not ready to step up onto me or anything, which i know is a patience thing and im not trying to rush him, however this does sound good surely? Last night, he was sat on my bed and was gently taking his treats from my hand, eating them and then coming for another one, however he never aproached me for one. However, he did the night before walk right up to me, while i was sat on my bed using my laptop, and not only let me scratch his head, but tried to steal my 'enter' key haha. So, basically, although thats a bit of a long thread, i just wanted to reasure myself that he is slowly getting better. Thanks, Tom.

Yeah i do think its usually a bluff tbh, however i really dont want to experince a nasty bite from Ollie. I guess im going to get one at somepoint

Ah, thats good. Well, when he goes to bite or mouth, he tends to have you finger in his mouth, and it can sometimes apply quite a bit of pressure, im not exactly scared of bites, i keep Boa Constrictors etc so im not a whimp, but something about his big scary beak makes me think i dont want my finger in it lol. Tom

Hello Mate (Sorry, i dont know your name?) Thats brilliant, gives me some hope! I just need to get round his handling issue tbh, ive had him 7 months now, and thought it would have happened abit quicker but hey ho, he is deffinately getting better! Can i also ask, is Diego your grey, or your Amazon? Also guys, can someone tell me what to expact should Ollie bite me please? Thanks, Tom.

Hiya Yeah i did want to go for the rope etc, as i like the look and Ollie likes breaking rope haha. Im waiting for him to get a new, larger cage once ive moved house as i will have alot more room to do it for him, and hopefully once he will accept sitting on my hand.

Hi All, Ollie has been spending alot of time out of his cage now, and although he wont sit on me or my hand etc, he will alllow me to scratch his head and take food out of my hands etc. Ive just put him back into his cage now, and like usual trying to usher him in means him screaming and 'croaking' at me. However, after afew minutes, he stepped up onto my small stick, around 12 inch long and allowed me to put him back into his cage. Letting him out is starting to be an issue, as although i love him to come out and feel he needs to come out etc, i cant always get him back into his cage, and like today, i had to get him back in as i needed to do other things around the house, it was a hassle. Can anybody help me in this Thanks, Tom.

Hi Judy. Ive done it now, untreated wood dowel and its sorted. He has sat on the larger one already, and am just waiting for him to climb up onto the one on top to test it out haha

Hiya Hoping for a quick reply as i dont always have access to a car, im a biker you see However, the perch Ollie currently has is pretty chewed to death, and i need to get a new one to go inbetween the top as it opens up and didnt come with a perch! What is best to use? Im guessing something such as a broom handle? Thanks, Tom.

Hi Guys Thanks for all the advice I managed to get him back in last night, without to much fuss and let him out again this morning, and he went back in a with a little hassle but nothing too bad.

Hiya. Yeah ive been thinking about that and came to the same dicision, now is the hard part haha. Ill keep trying though.

Hi All, Havent been on here for a while Ollie is getting alot more confortable with being out of his cage now, not that he was ever bad! He happily stands next to me now and lets me scratch his head etc, usually while he trys to pull the 'enter' key off my laptop! However, he has been out now for 2 hours, and he is happily sat on his cage door. He isnt always easy to get back into his cage, and he is half asleep, he is in my bedroom. Can i just leave him there for the night do you think? Cheers, Tom.

Hello Everyone. This is a picture of Ollies cage and toys, pretty much how it is now. Ive added new toys etc and he plays with them straight away, and doesnt seem to be too wary of them which is great. Do you think i should put more toys in or take some out or is it perfect regarding amount of toys? I change which toys are in his cage every so often so he doesnt get bored of them. Thanks, Tom.

Hello guys Sorry for the late reply with a picture. Here is Ollie

hiya yeah, i think that too! I know that he was well handled and loved in his previous home, so maybe that adds to it? As soon as i open his cage door, he flies straight out, so cant mind me that much

he is currently sat infront of me, and will let me stroke his head and doesnt mind touching his beak. Everytime i go down to his feet to step up, he lowers his beak as if to bite, im scared it will hurt lol

Im a bloke, who likes Play fighting with mates, not being bitten by a parrot I bet he is stronger than me anyway lol

Hello He has alot of toys in his cage, wooden ones and rope to chew etc. When he bit my jeans, i think it was just a 'is it safe to stand on' bite, nothing nasty. Im just nervouse of letting him bite to test my hand though.