kave70

Thanks, he's finally adjusting to it and is loving climbing all over it.

Thanks, Kim Kim, It is in a GREAT spot, I think. He gets so much light, he's in the midst of all the chaos in the house and he's next to my little tiel. He's been weary, but has started to explore more of the cage, rather than sit clinging to the bars.

Thanks for the kind replies. What sort of balls do you all use for the cages? He's still afraid, and spent the night glued to the side, but this morning I gave him an almond on a perch. I'm sure he'll settle down in time. On a side note, my tiel's cage had to move to fit this new home, and he's loving the company near him.... while poor Sam is screeching, the tiel is whistling away, happy as can be.

Finally got Sam's cage together, washed and set up. I want to buy him some rope perches too, but this is it for now:

I live in a very rural area and LOVE sitting outside watching the birds. I have hummingbird feeders on a few windows and it's so cool to sit and watch these little guys so closely. We have such a variety of birds here- their colors are stunning. We have chickens and ducks too, so I guess I'm a bird girl, all the way. It's a gift to watch/hear them, don't ya think? Karen

The delivery company couldn't make it up our road yesterday, so they have rescheduled for Monday- will post photos as soon as it's together and we move Sam over. On another note, he took an almond from me this morning. I feel like a little kid- so excited :-) Karen and Sam

I can't thank you enough for your insight. Slow and steady wins the race........ I'm looking forward to this journey with him. I hope he gets to relax a little and have fun.

Thank you so much for your response. We have no clue how old Sam is. The vet gave him a clean bill of health, and he arrived missing alot of feathers, but all have grown in, beautifully. I wish I knew more about his background, but he was dropped off, at night to an empty parking lot with some other animals. We had him dna sexed and he's a he, for sure. I think you gave me some excellent advice about not getting disappointed if "everything I hope to happen doesn't happen." We may have to remind ourselves of that several times. Our intentions are good- I see all these active birds and toys and want to offer him everything, but knowing he's terrified, we've been keeping it simple. Right now he will play with only one toy but there are a few in his cage. We borrowed a cage from someone and have been reluctant to switch him to a new one, knowing how scared he is of change. I hope the corner one works out- it seemed to be the best fit for the space we have to work with, here in our main living area. I wish I had written before we actually bought the cage- it's due to be delivered tomorrow. Would you transition him all at once? Or leave it empty for several days letting him see it first? He has a play tree that he is terrified of, so for now we just keep it around for him to look at and hopefully he'll have the urge to play on it sometime. When he first arrived here he would only pick the dried corn out of a seed mix and eat nothing else. He has slowly come around to eating pellets and we're really working on veggies and fruits- baby carrots and grapes are his favorites. I am glad you thought we should hold off on overwhelming him. We try and do the right thing by him and I just feel for him. He shakes alot, but his only aggression has been preceded by very clear body language saying he's frightened. I am home all day caring for a sick family member, so he has plenty of company, even if he prefers it from a distance. He does seem to love music and joins my tiel in singing (whistling) to the songs in the early morning. His vocabulary is mostly of sounds, but when he first arrived he had quite the potty mouth. Now, he doesn't say many words, but has introduced us all to a variety of sounds I never knew existed. Sam and I appreciate any advice you have for us. I've learned so much by reading these boards, but know we have a long way to go. Thanks for any thoughts. Karen (and Sam) I'm sure I'll have loads more questions, but what do you think about

Thanks for the advice. Do you have thoughts about the new cage? I really don't want to add any undo stress to his little world. He mostly just sits on his perch and looks around cautiously.

Hi, I've been lurking here for the past few months. Sam (CAG) came to us as a rehome just over two months ago. He's making progress as far as diet and being handled (only by my husband, he still won't let me pick him up, but will let me help him if he glides down and needs to be picked up), but I need advice. He is afraid of every single change- if anyone new comes in, if he even sees a new toy(I've been putting them on the counter near his cage for him to see), if his perch is moved at all, if a toy moves, the ifs could go on and on. My question is do I keep exposing him to new things or is this torturing him? Also, we have just ordered a new, really large corner cage. When I introduce that, do I just move all his stuff over at once, or leave it empty for a few days, letting him look at it? He just seems so scared of everything, I don't want to make it worse. Any thoughts on how to best help him? Karen