Timbersmom

Unbelievable! Oh well, as you say, certainly not worth another trip and trauma.

I've never seen Timber with his eyes pinned. I have seen him do the fluff and bob!

I am not even to the point that I think I could handle more than one bird, regardless of the species. Some days I'm not sure I can handle one! I would think finding a bird sitter or someone to take care of the aracaris in particular would be difficult. That's a huge commitment you have made, and I sure respect you for it!

Good deal! Thanks for letting us now

I think we were typing at the same time Sara! I didn't know about the bobbing possibly meaning backoff. That is good info.

I went through that "drop the head then try to bite" for a few weeks with Timber. What worked for me was petting him through the cage bars. Actually, the first thing I did was just touch his beak and feet when I could reach him so he would get used to my hands and know I wasn't going to hurt him. When he was close to the bars, I would try to scratch at the top of his beak. He got better and better about letting me do it as he began to trust me, especially at night. He would sometimes lean toward the bars and let me scratch his head. I think they feel safer when the bars are between you. After that step, I started touching his beak when he was sitting out of the cage. He would drop his head sometimes, but when I would try to scratch his head he would draw back and give me a half-hearted lunge. The day finally came when he let me actually scratch his head while he was outside the cage. Now we are up to all around his head and beck, including the underside which he seems to particularly like. Everyone here on the forum was right when they told me it was just a trust issue. Timber isn't as receptive to petting when I stick my hand in the cage door. Sometimes I can pet him, other times he lets me know with his body language he isn't having any. I think he still feels threatened when my hand comes in the cage (his territory). One more thing though, most here say that some birds just aren't into being touched and show their affection and bonding in other ways. It's really too early to say with Virgil. You really have to give them plenty of time, and it can be frustrating. I have a standard spray bottle that I use to spray him. I put purified, chemical-free water in it and he loves it. Some do and some don't from what I've read here. You will probably be able to tell if Virgil likes it from his body language. Timber half closes his eyes and opens his beak like he's trying to catch water. He rubs his face on the area around him that is wet. He doesn't run when he sees the spray bottle, he climbs on the cactus perch he likes to be on when I spray him (easier to grip when wet I'm guessing) and looks excited. A real bath is something else. When I spray Timber with the bottle, he doesn't open his feathers. In other words, the water is shedding off. When he decides he wants a real bath, he starts throwing water from his bowl over his shoulder on himself. When I see him doing that, I have a shallow pan I fill and put in the bottom of his cage. He makes a beeline for it and does everything but roll around in it (it is actually kind of funny to watch). When he gets good and wet, he will get on top of the cage where he has freedom of movement and flap his wings and such. I don't have a good way to bathe him yet, partly because I'm just getting to the point of being able to get him to step up (he still won't step down unless there is a cage or perch there). I'm a newbie myself and there are others here who can give you lots of good advice. I thought I'd share my experience since I'm just getting started too! Any corrections or suggestions to what I've said by those with more experience are welcomed. It is a learning experience for me too.

That IS amazing! Thanks for sharing.

Wow, interesting! That is a lot of preparation (not to mention being the fruit vendor's best friend). LOL to the poop. I've been waiting for days for the pic... ;0 Considering the size of their cage (saw that pic too) you also have a lot of area of just cage to clean, not to mention the walls, floors, etc. Have you considered putting the formica type stuff they make for bathrooms on the walls? I don't know if that is feasible, but it doesn't look like drywall, plaster and paint would survive!

What a beautiful boy (or girl as the case may be)! I can commiserate with the gender problem. Timber (TAG) came to me as his/her 3rd (that we know of) rehoming and the comment was "we think Timber is a boy." OK. I'm planning on DNA myself on my next visit to the vet. I'm so happy for you! After a couple of months, I'm wondering what I did with all my time before Timber came home to us It sounds like Virgil is settling in well. That's a nice looking cage too. The talking is so entertaining, and it's such a joy to hear them interacting with you that way when you first bring them home. It's as if they are really anxious to establish a relationship, just like you are. It took us a few weeks of "hands off," but now Timber is becoming the original cuddlebird, wanting scratches and beak rubs all the time. You are right about the trust, it takes them awhile to get there, but with time he will. It has taken my husband quite a bit longer. Timber still doesn't want him touching him yet, but he has stopped the fear behavior like fluffing up or moving to the other side of the cage when he is around. Hubby can touch his beak without Timber lunging or hurrying back in the cage now. Slow and steady wins the day. Good luck and God bless

I am just at a loss for words. So sorry for your pain and for your poor baby.

That was great! Thanks for sharing. What a chatterbox! Endless entertainment though I'll bet

LOL, my guinea pig did! I had one years ago when the kids were small. He lived to the ripe old age of almost nine, which was pretty good for those times at least. He made an eee eee eee squeak that I could imagine Timber doing with gusto. You heard it any time it was time to feed him, or any time you were eating something and he didn't have any.

LOL Well, Timber thinks he needs a bite of anything I'm eating, so why wouldn't they want a drink of anything they see you with too?

I've been freezing my birdie bread, but hadn't tried freezing chop and the Mundo Brazil mix I fix. With just the one bird, I don't spend all my time in the kitchen, but I could make bigger batches and save myself a little time. I don't have to travel much, but I would definitely need to do that if I had to be gone. Thanks!

Do you refrigerate the leftovers and serve them during the following days?

Yes indeed. From what everyone says they are like toddlers that way. Say something you don't want them learning one time and they have instant pick up and recall on it.

Good to know Dan, thanks. Timber only does it on occasion, almost like a stretch, wiggle and yawn at the same time. Sounds normal at any rate!

Good video! Love watching them, thanks for sharing

Sounds like a great start!

Enjoyed it, thank you!

Yikes! Again, thanks for the info. When I first got Timber I took him to the vet the first day. She trimmed his feet with a dremel (his nails where so long they impaired his mobility a bit) and blunted the needle sharp point on his beak. Not much mind you, but she did that at my request. That was when his goal in life was to stick that beak in my flesh and it was razor sharp. I didn't know that you shouldn't do that until I read this post. She did say she was just going to blunt the tip a little so hopefully no harm done. I have a concrete perch in his cage that he usually sleeps on now, so hopefully the nails will take care of themselves (no noticeable growth so far). Now that he is used to us, the beak shouldn't be an issue either.

Yes, my cats just don't seem that interested in Timber. He is the one most likely to start trouble. When he is out, he will hang from the bottom of the cage and try to get the cats to come over. No problem at all when he is in the cage. They do their thing and he does his.

Timber won't eat Harrison's, so I'd say you are lucky your baby will! The consensus seems to be that it is the best.

I can't express how bad I feel for you. What a shock and what a horrible thing.

Great pics and a beautiful bird! Thanks for sharing