hammco

I live in South Carolina and have many wild bird feeders in the yard and garden. Anybody know of a good book with pics to identify some of the wild birds I see?

Everytime I see the scars on the knuckles I remember to keep my hands safe! HAHAHAHA, SAD BUT TRUE! I was hard-headed early on and got the scars to prove it!

Oh yeah, his cage is always open till bedtime and he comes and goes as he wants, but if he is in there...HE IS IN THERE!!! Aint no taking him out if he dont want to now! haha Maybe thats how its gonna be for now with him (till he realizes I am ignoring it!!!) hahaLOL These jokers are tooooo freaking smart! Its hard to figure out a new trick they are doing....

:rolleyes: Well...not really but he has trained me and I need to reverse it! Heres the deal: Lately when I approach his cage he jumps to the top and hangs like a bat. No big deal right! WRONG! His beak is precise and fast as a cobra when he us upsidedown, and yes, he has given me the BITE! I know he dont want me to mess with him and he is letting me know, but if I say the word "treat, grape, or peanut" he comes down and lets me step him up and take him wherever (most of the time). If he is out of the cage on his own free will I can pick him up EASILY! Anybody got an idea on what he is trying to tell me, since this is a fairly new behavior?

u are on the right track now...SLOW AND EASY! just chill out and take it day by day! birds change often...as in who and what they like so u will have a turn most likely haha! Its gonna be a FUN ride, so just hang on and enjoy it! you wont realize it, but ur bird is training you just as hard as u are training him!!!!!!!!

sounds like these guys are pointing u in the right direction. Dont act scared and just man-up to the bird and yall will both gain respect for each other, and just chill out and take your time...time is the key I think! Good luck!

I wil keep yall posted no doubt! Yall know I like to post pics when I can get a good one and a video here and there so Ill keep em coming!

Timmy somehow gets to the newspaper and chews it, even the color ink pages. The bird knows its not food so they wont ingest it, so Ill let him chew his heart out! If the ink was toxic a bird would probably have to eat 35 pages to get sick, and that just dont happen....I wouldnt worry too much about it!

speaking of MacGuyver....I need to post pics of some contraptions I have made for my birds! its amazing how a simple piece(s) of wood and plastic will make a bird curious and happy..........

Thats an awesone looking bird!!!! send more pics our way!

Im with Dave, Dan, and Judy...Dont buy a bird cause it MIGHT talk. I have 2 dogs that have never said a word but I love them to death and love their individual personalities too! Just look for a grey and get the first one you think you like (TAG/CAG, whatever). If you spend time with it you wont be let down wether he talks or not, just like my dogs! If you want a talker I will give you my wife for CHEAP!!!!! JUST KIDDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (she does talk alot tho!) just kidding again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Go get you a bird and make it happen...you wont regret it!

Well, ole Timmy has been here for over 3 months now, and for a rehomed 4yr old that was mean and a non-speaker and deprived of attention from previous owners, I feel that we have made GREYT progress! Timmy is my first bigger sized parrot and I have really put in the time with him he needs to be happy, and with the other keets/tiel/dogs in the same room (100% sunlight vs the dark corner he was in at past home) he really likes his new home! Im amazed at how we have made it this far, and he amazes us every day, learning new words and tricks on a whim! Timmy was really a "Diamond in the rough" as yall remember from eariler on but he is polishing up like crazy! I now realize that he is a bird that likes to be held, sit on shoulder, and talked to...I ALSO realize he does NOT kiss, cuddle, or EVER want to be petted...thats the bottom line, but he will not bite unless I force him to do something he dont want to, haha. His vocab and Cognition and language abilities are growing by the day! He says about 20 words, a dozen phrases (mixes them up too!), and over a dozen household sounds (beeps, phones...etc), and if he likes what he hears he will master it in a couple days. He knows that "want a grape" means come out of the cage and sit on top or he aint getting it. I know that when he is hanging upsidedown in the cage means "back the hell off" or I WILL BITE HARD!! To sum it up, Timmy is (excuse my language) "Bad A$$" and I thank all of yall for the help and information over the past 3 months. I hope my posts will help at least one person who went thru what I did at first!!!!

Tommy- I got the same book when I got Timmy! Pretty good information, but take it each day at a time and it will all work out just fine!!! BE PATIENT and spend ALL THE TIME you can with your Grey. Browse these forums and ask away! congrats on ACE! "ACES WILD BABY"!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahahah

good idea, thanks!

Sherrie and Pittman, Im in Aiken, pretty close to yall both! I have family in Summerville and Char. It is a small world huh!

Im with Dave...the more you talk to him, the more he will want to say and relate the noises (words in this case) to what you want him to say. My wife talks more than any human should be allowed to, so Timmy hears plenty! hahaha

good idea for the foraging!! gonna do right now!

I read somewhere that standing on 1 foot is a sign of a healthy bird with good balance and all....who knows? all my birds do it and they are healthy as far as i know!

just a few close up shots that came out OK!

Tonight my wife gave Timmy a couple of the kids paper cups to destroy and it was a hit! Timmy really got into it!!! We have a computer keyboard that died, so this weekend Ill set it on the floor with Timmy and let him go to town, Ill be sure to take pics! Enjoy the pics while I clean up the mess!

It is really amazing how much attention to detail they notice.....I dont know who is worse, Timmy or my wife! haha

Well, this week Timmy actually let me put him on my 5 year old son's (Jacob) shoulder and didnt remove his ear! Jacob walked around (YES, he looks scared but he did OK!) and Timmy was pretty cool with him, but Jake got nervous and I had to remove him and put him on me and all was good!! Timmy is becoming part of the family more and more every day, I just love it!!

OK, here's a pic of me...I keep this haircut thru summer then let it grow back, done it for years....I'm trying a moustache this year too but its kinda thin...I have blonde hair and it just wont grow thick!! LOLOLOLOL HAHAHAHAHHAHA!!!!!!!

from what I understand its impossible to tell age, even with a DNA test, but at 3 months I would think the eyes would still be solid black...I may be wrong tho, someone will respond that knows for sure......just google it and do some research!