Timbersmom

Love the pics! You can see so much of his feather pattern in them. Nice!

Pepper is beautiful! So glad to hear she is adjusting so well. Don't be discouraged if she withdraws a bit after the first day or two. That is what Timber did, but now he's back in the thick of things. Good luck!

Wet wipes are a wonderful thing...

I sure feel for you on those vet bills! So glad you and your husband are in agreement on the issue though. Funny what you said about marriage counseling. I remember a long time ago my mom (now 88) said, "back when people had less time and extra income on their hands, they seemed to get along better." I've found out that is true for me. When you have real stuff to worry about like health issues or bills (yours or the "kids") you don't have the time and energy to pick at all the little stuff!

No. I took Timber, my rehomed TAG to the vet the day after I got him for a check up. The previous owner said he had never flown (she had him for 6 months). The vet asked if he flew, and I told her the previous owner said he didn't. About that time, he took off flying and landed in the corner of her office. Ha. At any rate, her advice was to clip him since I was a new bird owner, wasn't able to handle him at that point, had four cats and other hazards around the house, etc. I'm going to see how it plays out as the feathers grow back. If I'm comfortable in being able to get him to come to me etc. as they grow in, I won't have them clipped again. If I'm not sure I can handle whatever situation occurs I will. His safety comes before anything else to me.

That's a good point. I'll have to see if Illinois has any requirements. I was planning to ask the vet to remove it on Timber's next visit.

What a little beauty! Thanks for sharing the pics and his first adventures with us Good questions about the mirror. Since Timber is stepping up now I've been walking around the house with him. When we come to a mirror I let him look. He doesn't seem attracted or repelled, just stares. I always point and say "there's Timber in the mirror" but I never know what he thinks.

My TAG is a bit underweight too Nancy, so I understand how troubling it is. Like Sunny, there are several things he will eat from my hand or a spoon but won't touch if I don't stand there and hold it. Ha. So, I stand there and hold it! He must think I'm a real sucker (I should say knows it), and anyone watching would think I'm nuts. Oh well. On the other hand, I'd think it might be a mistake to take a groomer's word over the vet's. If the vet says Sunny is healthy and isn't concerned about the weight, maybe it isn't a problem?

I am clueless too. Unless it is the food, I can't imagine what it could be. The only odor I notice with Timber is a not unpleasant smell when I'm up close petting him. I assume this is the normal "grey" smell others have mentioned, but as I say it isn't a bad smell, just his unique fragrance. I was really surprised that his droppings don't seem to have any particular odor. I'm used to cats and that is a different story!

That's great! When I saw Timber blushing I had to go to the internet to find out what that was and was so excited to see it was a good thing. Marvelous progress

Can't wait to see them!

Hello and welcome! I've only had my rehomed TAG since the first week of June, and I can tell you that just reading through the forum posts will give you a lot of help. I read all the stickies and the rescue bird haven threads first, then the health room and bird food threads. Now I've read pretty much all of them and just hit the "new posts" link. My personal advice is just to go slowly and let Shelly set the pace. Grey's are cautious by nature, so give Shelly plenty of time to get used to his new home and the other people/animals in it. If you have a specific question, just ask and several people will give you their suggestions. Good luck!

I love hearing about Gilbert! Just reading your posts he has come such a long way. It reminds me of Christian life... sometimes you have to stop and look at where you came from to appreciate where you are. He's so lucky to have you. You know that he's scared, not mean and that he's afraid to trust, not aggressive. Reading his story gave me a lot of help in dealing with Timber. If not for Gilbert's story and the other forum members' suggestions and stories, I'm afraid I might have given up and viewed Timber as just a mean bird in a cage. Sounds horrible, but it happens a lot to rehomed birds I'm guessing.

Just a few thoughts from a newbie here. Someone with more experience will come along and add more info or correct any errors I make... From my personal experience, Timber (TAG) is very cuddly at bedtime. Birds run on a sunup to sundown schedule, so when I say bedtime I'm talking about sundown. I think you are right about her flying from you because she doesn't want to go in. Timber wants to be out as much as possible and tries to avoid going back in his cage. I haven't found a really good way to get him in quickly. I have to coax and cajole him. I am just now getting him to step up, and as the folks here told me, I'm trying to make the step up a good thing for him, not the negative of being put back in his cage. My schedule with work and bedtime is pretty rigid, so I just leave extra time to get him back in the cage. Hopefully someone will come along with an idea that will help us both!

So pretty, and so peaceful! Thanks for sharing

Interesting to see the other side of things! Timber goes anytime, anywhere, whenever and wherever he feels like it. No manners at all! I've looked at the training type things but I can't imagine trying to paper train him and add more stress. On top of that, wet wipes do the trick every time.

I hear step up (wanna step up), hi baby (thought I heard bye baby once), very possibly barkley or something much like it. Of course, the whistling, clicking and kissing. Not a great ear here and not much volume either!

That's interesting about the bands. Makes you wonder if the braces are a lot of the problem. It will be interesting to see how he reacts when they come off. I've noticed that they are scared of the strangest things, then Timber won't be afraid at all with something I assume he will be terrified of. You have to wonder if in his past he has had a really terrible experience with someone wearing braces?

Yes! Corn on the cob is an interesting one. I give Timber (TAG) a piece about 3 inches long. He will strip each kernel off individually. Sometimes he sucks the juice out and spits out the kernel, others times he just methodically strips each kernel off and drops it through the grate. He seems to enjoy it, whichever way he goes!

Casper is a looker and that's a great pic

LOL Good point Ray! I hadn't thought of it that way.

I'm going to respond to bump this up on the posting list. There are several people here who can answer your questions, but I'm a newbie myself. I can tell you that African greys do not have physical characteristics that tell you if they are male or female. You have to have that done by a DNA test. Sorry I can't be of more help, but your other questions require more expertise than I have (now at any rate). Good luck! ahhh, thanks Sarasota. Your post didn't show up until after I hit reply!

Or just go straight for Harley or Norton

Wow, that looks so painful! On the positive side, Tango is looking healthy and happy in the video you posted, so he has came a long way!

It sounds like she likes being out there with you at any rate! I know what you mean about the porch not being the priority. I have a long wish list including an outdoor aviary of some sort, but I also know that probably isn't going to happen! Timber doesn't seem to be that comfortable on the porch (I thought he'd love it). He doesn't protest, but his body language tells me he isn't thrilled to be there either. I take him out for short stretches hoping he will come to enjoy it. It sure has been a learning experience. What I've found is that he is just like my kids. All the stuff marketed for parrots is directed at the bird owners. I'm always ordering stuff I think he will "love" and he has no interest. Just like my kids enjoyed playing with the boxes more than the toys, Timber enjoys little things like paper towel rolls and junk mail. The $20 hanging toy wonder I purchased just hangs there unused... When will I learn?