Timbersmom

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!

Wow, what an interesting story! As the others said, it sounds like it was meant to be. Glad to have you here and looking forward to hearing how it goes!

Awesome indeed! A start of what I'm betting will be a string of vocalizations

Truth there! Timber turns into a grey, stone statue when I get the camera out. I believe he would cross his eyes if he could. Same with the video, dead silence. I have gotten several clips of him jabbering away on the spycam. Video quality is bad on the recordings, but I can pick up a lot of what he says. Haaaa to the image of you and your husband making fools of yourselves! All of us other grey owners feel your pain. Been there, done that!

Hi Rick and welcome to you and Cosmo! Love the pics, what a beautiful boy Haaaa to Cosmo's response to your difficulties. Gotta love those greys!

Great idea! I have one I bought that is simlar. It is one that rolls about freely. Timber gets frustrated with it in a very short time. There is a similar one that hangs in his cage (with a little bell on the bottom) that he loves. I am going to try letting some stuff stick out of the rolling one like you mentioned though. That might encourage him to keep working at it.

So good to hear from you and so glad Gilbert is doing well! I miss my Gilbert updates... So funny about the "quiet!" too. Sounds just like a grey!

Yes, that is a very good idea. You would at least know if you had a severe allergy by visiting a grey and spending some time in the area.

I don't think you can tell if you will be allergic to bird dander because you know what your other allergies are. I.e. being allergic to cat dander doesn't mean you will or won't be allergic to bird dander. I have allergies too, but Timber's dander apparently isn't one of them.

I have no idea where he learned that and I certainly don't want to hear it! Fortunately, he has only said it twice. Once to me and once to my husband. He also says "want peanut" and a few other phrases he didn't get at our house. Except for "dammit bird" the other words and phrases he came knowing are "clean." Thank God for small favors!

LOL! Horrible boy is still better than "asshole" which is what we get if we displease Timber too much.

Cute pics! Practicing for the new orange gear??

I don't think any of us thought you were trying to steal anyone's bird or deceive anyone. As bird owners, the thought of our birds getting away from us or having harm come to them strikes terror in our hearts. That's why the responses were so passionate. I think I can speak for most of the forum when I say thank you very much for taking such good care of this bird!