Timbersmom

I feel your pain Ray. If I dawdle too much on the weekend mornings, Timber runs through his whole repertoire of words and sounds I think. Fortunately, I'm on another level of the house so he doesn't actually wake me up. Once my feet hit the floor though, he hears me and starts. I swear he knows exactly when I should be downstairs at his beck and call from the time it takes work-day mornings. If I go past that, he lets loose!

I could see it this time as well! I guess it is a grey thing... Timber will get pretty wet, go all over his cage and flap around a bit, then dive right back in. He often does that several times. I always wonder "did he miss a spot?"

Timber's favorite HEALTHY thing is probably artichoke. On the other hand, I'd say his real favorite is sharp cheddar cheese. I must give that okra a try.

What a good looking grey! Thanks for posting

Hello and welcome Jonathan and Zoey Henry!

That was so cool! Like Dan said, those other mutterings will soon be words/phrases you can understand. I think Escher is going to be a chatterbox

I will be praying for Luigi's quick return.

He looks right at home in the kitchen

I got my sprouter from http://sproutpeople.org/ That is where I get my seeds too. They all sprout every time. I was complaining on another thread about the cost and was given some ideas about that. I'm still using sprout people at this time.

Sounds like you have a good plan there!

I am not a pro at it but I do sprout. I do pretty much what you did. I soak for 12 hours, then rinse and let set a room temp for 12 hours. I usually rinse again and let them sit for another 12 hours. I let them go until the sprouts are about 1/8 inch. So, I'd try another 12 hours of sitting at room temp. It's possible that the seed is "bad" meaning it won't sprout. You may just need to give them a little more time though. Whatever you are using to sprout, make sure the seeds are drained VERY well before you let them sit or store them.

LOL Of course he knows what you want when you say step up, and of course he knows what a good bird he is! Humility is not the strong suit of any grey I know...

Timber has a couple of "purchased" forage items in his cage. He has a forage ball that hangs from the cage top and has a bell on the bottom. I have a couple of others I rotate out. You can search "forage" on a site like http://www.birdsafestore.com or http://www.drsfostersmith.com for that type. He also loves boxes. I take a box (like an empty poptart box) and stuff it with shredded paper, pieces of straw or other safe filler. Then I take a peanut (human grade, roasted, unsalted) and wrap it in a piece of coffee filter and put it in there. I'll also put an almond in the shell in that way and whatever else I have to use. Close the box back up and put it in the bottom of the cage. His favorite type of box is a small shipping box (the corrugated cardboard). He will chew on those for hours. Another favorite is a grocery sack (paper). I cut a few inches off the top to make it manageable in the bottom of the cage then put a couple things in it like foot toys and a few pumpkin seeds. He will play in the sack for a good while too. He hides in it and we play "find the bird." He will chew peep holes in strategic places. The possibilities are endless. You just have to make sure that the items you use are safe for birds to chew and eat. Wingy just mentioned using whiffle balls for forage balls on another thread, which I'm going to try next time I get to Walmart. They just need something to give them a bit of a challenge and keep their minds occupied! There a lot of ideas contained in the forum if you read the threads.

A lot of us on the forum and are gone 8 hours or more. It may not be ideal, but what in life is? I leave forage stuff for Timber and toys he enjoys, and he seems to be fine with it. I think the key is that like children, they expect your attention when you ARE there. I find myself staying home more in the evenings and scheduling my weekend activities differently so that I can spend more time with Timber. Good luck and God bless

Yeah, same here, can't view. Thanks for trying!

Beautiful pic!

Timber stays mad for about four days after he goes to the vet. I can almost clock it! He will get over it. Glad to hear he is eating well and interacting with you all. That's a blessing!

Argh, that is frustrating

Did you check Amazon.com? I often find better deals there. Also, Walmart online often has stuff they don't have in stores and you don't pay shipping if you do site to store.

Haaaa I know what you mean! I got that same foraging toy for Timber. It took me longer to figure out that he had opened the lock to get to the treats than it took him to do it! They are scary smart...

LOL Probably not! Smart little buggers they are...

It is exciting!

The one I have is from Dr. Foster & smith. It is a hard plastic for many reuses. It has slots cut for him to pull things out of. Yes, it is probably like softball size.

I haven't attached it because he already has one hanging which he uses all the time. I was hoping to give him something a little more challenging, hence the rolling around. The other problem is, the ball is pretty big. He is a small TAG, and the ball is probably larger than he needs. I'll pick up some wiffle balls and try that, they may be a better size for him.

Neat pics, thanks for sharing!