Timbersmom

What good news that he is initiating contact.

Wouldn't you love to know what he is associating that with? Timber loves paper towel rolls. I got him some little wicker balls to stuff treats in and he is afraid of them. Wish they could explain!

Hello and welcome What Dan said ^^. Teflon isn't a risk any bird owner should be willing to take in my opinion. I switched to stainless steel. You can find it cheap if you look and aren't brand conscious. I plan on buying a "good" set one of these days, but the cheap ones are working for now. A lot of us struggle with hectic work schedules. As with children, quality trumps quantity I think. You will still have three days free to spend with your bird if you are on a 4-day a week schedule, which I would love to do! They are pretty adaptable to your schedule. I'd say consistency is most important. I've had to stay up past my normal bedtime several times to make sure Timber has his out of cage and "me" time. That is the kind of sacrifice you can expect to make, along with spending part of your three days off cooking for him/her to cover the days when you work. That said, I've found it to be worth it, and I think most here would agree. Good luck and God bless

Glad to hear last night was better! Kind of reminds me of bringing an infant home from the hospital. Sometimes they cry all night, sometimes they are little angels. Timber gets up at 6 AM when I come downstairs. He isn't all that lively initially so I think it is a bit early for him. He gets a lot more motivated when his avian light comes on at 7. I don't know if it is because of the "sunlight" affect or just because that's "his" time to wake up. Sterling, when you manage the regurg we want to see video

Pretty!

Timber can be cuddly, but always on his terms. Most nights right before bed he wants to sit on my arm, lean his head on me and be scratched. Most of the rest of the day, I can touch his beak when I'm close but he doesn't encourage anything else. Every bird is different. I think the a good point of this conversation was that new grey owner's shouldn't have expectations about "cuddliness" because it doesn't always happen, and interactions change with time and maturity.

That is interesting. I have to say I've never heard that before, others here may be familiar with that kind of training. If you are in the room with him most of the time, I suppose the thing to do would be to take him out of the cage and have him step on to the exterior of the cage for part of his out of cage time. Timber spends a good part of his out of cage time on the outside of his cage. He hangs from the door (bat style), hangs on the back and flaps his wings, explores the bottom (of the exterior) and plays with toys from the outside (things hanging on the inside). There is a perch on top of his cage but he doesn't use it that much. He is more inclined to perch on the door when he wants to take a break. I've hung a bell and rotate a couple other toys on the outside of the cage. Oddly though, toys that don't interest him inside the cage become fascinating to him when he can reach them from the outside. I'm guessing Tyson will have another "word" for you as time goes by. Timber calls me "Jamie" (not my name) and others have similar stories with rehomed birds. It is a great adventure

Good thought about the walls making him feel protected. What a difficult situation for you and the bird! Not knowing what environment he came from, what he is used to, his preferences etc. would make it tough for you and him. Bless you for taking care of him/her. Timber (TAG) has several indirect light sources and I don't cover him at night. It doesn't seem to disturb his sleep. My thought is, if your bird is more comfortable and sleeps OK with a light on, leave it on.

LOL Don't take it to heart Sterling! Timber lets me know pretty quickly that a lot of things I think will work are "bad ideas." Keep brainstorming, that's how we come up with good ideas!

Sounds like you are making progress. Hang in there

Neat video, thanks for posting Greycie was really "into" her breakfast prep.

How exciting! Like bringing home an infant, even if you don't have everything just right things will work themselves out. Love the name Sterling!

I'm not that experienced but I can tell you what I do. I keep a playstand in the living room and have one in the basement. What I try to do is keep Timber with me, which is what he seems to want. When I go to the living room, he steps up and I take him with me and he steps off on the playstand. When I go to the basement, he steps up and goes with me to the perch I have down there. My goal with step up is to take him with me. He likes being wherever I am in the house. When I'm in the kitchen (my laptop is on the counter and I spend a lot of time here) I will let him sit on my arm while I am sitting at the counter. If we are in the dining room, I roll the playstand in there, get Timber, and put him on the stand in there. In my experience, they just want to share your life and wherever it takes you in the house. They like being in the center of things unless you have something hectic going on.

LOL funny! He must be really fast.

Thanks for checking in! I think we were all getting concerned about your absence. Glad to hear Gilbert (and everyone) is adapting so well to the temporary changes, and sorry to hear you have a family member who is ill! God bless.

What a sweet video! Thanks for sharing Good luck and God bless

Thanks, that's advice I need. I will give it a try!

I have allergies myself. A lot of people are allergic to the dust mites in dust and to certain types. There is a good chance the "dust" from your bird won't affect your brother-in-law.

So sorry to hear about DJ! My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Yikes Wingy! 19 Here when we got up and I thought it was hideous. 47 now though so I'll stop complaining. So ready for summer!

Following up on what Dan said, when I first brought Timber home (like the first two days) he would step up. After that, he wouldn't step up for a couple of months. That is referred to as the "honeymoon" period. Don't be discouraged if he starts refusing to step up. He'll come around in time. As Dan said, slower is better and patience wins the day!

We were just having a discussion yesterday about "biting." I'm assuming there are times when they don't realize how painful their bites are for us? It is pretty obvious when they bite in fear or anger (I've received both). But when we are interacting, Timber likes to put my finger in his beak and run it back and forth. Then he will rub his beak around on my hand and "nibble" for lack of a better word. A couple of times, he has bitten me (not bad but uncomfortable) and I'm assuming it was not intended to hurt me, but was unintentionally hard. Maybe I'm just giving him the benefit of the doubt, but his body language and actions just weren't the same as when he is really "trying" to bite me. Is that correct?

Fortunately, we live in a big old house and noise levels aren't a concern. I'm grateful for that because he will continue to vocalize until I get downstairs. After I respond, he changes to other whistle patterns and words that I assume are his "well hurry up I'm waiting" repertoire.

Hello and welcome to you and Tyson Good luck and God bless!

You could see him smiling!