Timbersmom

Hello and welcome What an interesting flock you have! I'll bet there is never a dull moment at your house.

LOL what a little tyrant! You shouldn't have been playing with his toy I suspect... Sympathies on the bite though!

Seems like there was a recent thread about spoiled birds Ray... Why should she fly when her taxi service is right at hand? Smart if you ask me!

What great pics! He's a little beauty. Also breaking you in right with the pepper spray and beak wiping. Get used to it

Glad you are safe. We (and our church) are already praying for those affected by this. God bless!

Timber is also much more prone to cuddle at bedtime.

Great pics! Yes, "surveying the kingdom" indeed!

I am interested too. Meat is one of Timber's favorite things. I've always limited the amount I feed him, but have often wondered if I should let him have more.

Good one! I love reading Felix's stuff.

Good luck with that VoHooman! I keep telling myself not to be paranoid, but every time he looks at my cross-eyed I'm looking at poop patterns and watching him like a "hawk." I suspect he thinks I'm insane Seriously, I'd rather ask than wonder or let something go that needed attention.

No cage expert here. Isn't that second one a little short (height wise I mean)? I know the width is probably the most important but "32" Inside Height from Grill to Inside Top of Cage" doesn't seem very tall?

Hello and welcome Robin, Chris and CJ! As the others have said, you need to slow down and lower your expectations. It takes a long time (think months or years) for a rehome/rescue to trust you. That first week is what we call the "honeymoon" period. Then it seems like everything is moving backwards for awhile, just like you noticed. That is very common and is what happened to me. After the honeymoon week, for the first 2-3 months, I thought I had made a horrible mistake and Timber was doomed to be a "cage bird" with no interaction with us. I kept trying the suggestions given here, like speaking sofly to him, telling him what I was doing, whistling to him, opening his cage door and letting him come out on his own, sitting quietly by his cage and talking to him. touching his beak gently through the cage bars, and slowly he began coming around. It has been almost a year now, and we have developed a pretty good relationship. He will step up if he is out of the cage, and he looks forward to some head scratching at the end of the day as he sits on my arm. If you had told me we we get to this point in those first three months I had him, I wouldn't have believed it. Hopefully someone with more experience will give you suggestions for getting him to the vet. If he seems healthy, you might want to give him more time to adjust before you stuff him in a carrier and take him somewhere he doesn't want to go. If you suspect any illness, that's another story. Timber still stays "mad" for a couple of weeks after a vet visit for nail trimming.

LOL Ray, Probably not very well if she is slow like me! How frustrating for the birds... Wingy, Timber out thinks me most of the time I'm thinking...

I also remember from another post on a different thread (maybe from Dave but not sure) that breeders and sellers can put any band they want on a bird, which makes it difficult to know if the information you may track down is valid or not.

I'm all for new beginnings myself. I totally agree with you Jeff, disagreements should be reserved for PM's. Dan, Timber is happy a a clam today. He has a corrugated forage box (his favorite) and an artichoke (also his favorite veggie) so lifeis good in Timberland! At least for the moment

Loved the videos you posted! I have to say the videos of everyone's bird are my favorite. Thanks for sharing

Hello and welcome Niikki! What a beautiful baby Thanks for sharing!

I have nothing to add to Greywings post. However, I just wanted to say that you have made good progress for only 3 months!

That sounds like a great plan Fifi, and you already have experience with cockatiels. Good luck and God bless

I got Timber when my youngest went to college. They kidded me about trying to fill my "empty nest." Yes, it did work! Timber gives me someone to nuture and "do for." As to you question about Alexanrines, I have no idea. Hopefully one of the experienced members will chime in!

Hello and welcome Mema! Good luck and God bless

Nice pics, thanks for sharing! Good going on the harness success there too.

Wise choice I think. I got my bird from one who had to rehome him due to her 5 year old daughter. Some make it work, but I wouldn't take the risk at this point in your life and I think you have made the right decision. African greys require a lot of time and attention (as well as money). When my children were young, I wouldn't have had the time to devote to a grey.

Well, Timber has finally made the move into the larger cage I had for him. I'm so happy to get him out of the rust bucket he was so attached to! He seems OK with it, though not thrilled. I'm not much of a photographer and he had a recent bath and is preening, but here's a pic...

Their attachments and decisions birds make regarding people really fascinate me. I've been trying to figure out for the whole time I've had Timber why his "favorite" is my son Dakota, who is seldom here and doesn't spend much time trying to win him over when he is. Someone in his past? Chemistry? The way he looks? Guess we'll never know, but I continue to wonder.