Timbersmom

I hope he does! Inquiring minds want to know... who can shake their tail feathers best, you or one of the birds??

LOL What a joy it is to watch I'm learn and grow I'll bet! I'd love to have a baby sometime, but I don't really expect to, so I get to live vicariously through others here.

Beautiful baby! Thanks for sharing

I thought I had an escapee today... I was in the kitchen and had put a paper grocery bag in the bottom of Timber's cage. I was doing dishes etc. and things really got quiet. I looked and didn't see Timber anywhere. Turned out he was standing inside the paper bag. The funny thing was, he stayed in there for about 10 minutes, silent, and seemingly with no motion. I still don't know what he was doing, but he seemed pleased! He's pretty skittish, and I was amazed that he would go totally in the bag and stay that long.

What a beautiful story and picture! Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy Timber and I just had cuddle time, and I look forward to it all day. I end up with dander on the front of my shirt, but a smile on my face!

Once Timber gets on the scale perch he is fine. Getting him there is where the cheese came in

I steam sweet potatoes for him and offer them every day. He will eat a bit if I hold it on a spoon. I put raw carrots, raw broccoli in his bowl, and alternate with lightly steamed carrot and broccoli. Those are the veggies he will eat (if I hold it for him). He eats the Higgins Mondo Brazil (sp) from a spoon (a little bit). I've tried bean mixes, chop etc. with no luck. I give him a piece of corn on the cob when I can get it. He will eat it the first day then doesn't want it the next day (or two or three). I give him a quarter slice of toast with peanut butter most mornings, and he eats maybe 20% of that before it hits the bottom of the cage. He doesn't like fruit (except for a bite of banana or apple once in awhile) which I supposed is just as well since too much isn't good for him. I give him homemade birdie bread every day, which has all kinds of good stuff in it. I have to hand feed that to him too to get him to eat it.He doesn't eat seed very well, unless it is stuck to a nutriberry! Pickier than my kids! All suggestions are appreciated though. All I can say is he is one spoiled bird...

Ordered! Timber is a straw lover...

LOL I'm just guessing he'll wear a glove, but what do I know??

If I were in your shoes, I think I'd have to look at the girls themselves. Are they stressed? Are they adjusting? Are they healthy? Are they eating well? Are they having any health and/or behavior problems? I'd have to weigh that against the potential advantages/problems/pitfalls of rehoming them. It certainly seems like you are putting their welfare first, and that's the important thing. My rehomed TAG seems pretty adaptable that way. He has about an hour "out" in the morning, then is caged all day until about 5 PM when I get home. Then he has another 3 hours or so "out." There are days though, when he doesn't have that much time out of the cage. On most weekends, he has more out time, but life happens. He seems to take it pretty much in stride as long as I give him my full attention when I'm with him. Most of us don't have "ideal" but have to hit some kind of balance. Good luck and God bless!

What good news! They always seem more "cuddly" at bedtime. Sounds like a plan to me

It just something new with them every day isn't it? God bless you for your patience!

Funny stories! Thanks for the laugh. I'm going to delete this post so Timber doesn't see it...

LOL Did you use the scales to be sure??

Timber hasn't made a hole in any clothing yet. He did decide a rhinestone on my shirt would be a good target the other night when I was sitting with him on my arm. I just touched his beak to distract him and started petting him. He will take my shirt in his beak a bit when he's cuddling (for security I'm assuming) but doesn't chew or make a hole. He's about five. Maybe it will slow down with age. Then again, it may be a personality thing, what do I know!

Wow, I'm surprised he wasn't terrified of the shadow. Of course, their reactions often surprise me. Gilbert has came a long way from the fearful bird he was when you brought him home. Good going!

Timber is always trying to get on the floor, and with four cats mine is off limits too. It's so frustrating because I can't leave his cage open while I even go in the bathroom because he makes straight for the floor as soon as my back is turned! Not sure what the fascination is, but that's his choice. The cats really don't show that much interest in him (he is more interested in them), but I'm not willing to take any chances. All I can figure is, he is a ground forager by nature and thinks there might be food there? He likes to throw his food out of the bowl then go down to the floor of the cage and eat it. Foraging toys on the floor of his cage are his favorites as well. I wouldn't give up on the talking yet! He may take off one day and never stop...

That's a neat trick with the bowls! The vet said on our initial visit (the day after I got Timber) that he was a little underweight, which has always worried me. Unfortunately, she didn't weigh him. He was so wild at that point that they had to restrain him with a towel to do anything, so maybe it wasn't possible. So, I don't have a baseline. Her comment was based on the fact that his breastbone (wrong word I know) was too prominent. And she did say that he was a small bird even for a TAG. Now, his "breastbone" isn't as obvious so I know he's picked up some weight. I really wish I had a baseline so I would know how much he has gained. He is a very picky eater, and though it shames me to say this his primary diet is nutriberries and avicakes. I tried many brands of pellets, and he just doesn't eat them. Fresh food (the kind that is good for him) is a no go unless I feed them with a spoon. He doesn't seem to like anything hard (except nuts and some seeds) which I suspect is why he won't eat pellets. I've tried soaking them, but he doesn't want them that way either. I don't have a problem with him being "small" but I do want to make sure he is a good weight for his size!

LOL I can hear him yodeling away now!

LOL The things we do for them.

That's a good point Greywings. I guess if I have bought any I would have to be prepared to eat a piece of it in front of him! Not gonna stand on one foot though...

He's a pretty bird! You are doing great! Sara, enjoyed the video! I've been thinking about doing a little "training" with Timber but can't decide what to do. I'm trying to come up with something he would enjoy doing that would keep him thinking, like a ring toss of some kind.

It's also possible that our birds are just spoiled rotten! Foraging in the wild would be a lot different than eating for pleasure, which most of our well-fed birds do. Good luck in AZ (with the palm tree and all else).

That's a good video. Sara, interesting link! Let us know how it turns out if you order.

That was my thought exactly. I want to progress in my relationship with Timber, and I don't see that happening if he sees me coming at him with vaseline and a glove! Much better to let those who don't have to live with him handle that kind of detail... Of all the stuff I've tried to get Timber to listen to, his favorite thing is for me to whistle the song that goes something like "there was a farmer had a dog and Bingo was his name." When I get to the spelling B-I-N-G-O I spell Timber and say his name instead. He makes a little chirp/click sound when I'm spelling. If he is excited or nervous, he'll usually calm right down when I whistle that song. Weird, but true Another nail in my "crazy bird woman" coffin...