Timbersmom

Well, we had another scratch session last night so it wasn't a fluke! I knew from reading that some birds never want scratches so didn't want to get my hopes up. I'm sure we aren't out of the woods yet with trust. I haven't made any attempt to get Timber to step up since the first few days (he knows what step up means but doesn't want to do it). But, woohoo!

I have actually read many of your posts about Spencer (and other threads about rehomed birds) and appreciate them. They give me an idea of what to expect. I have to say I'll be disappointed if Timber doesn't let me pet him again soon, but not really surprised after reading everyone's experiences. I watch him scratching his neck with toys, peanut shells, etc. and think "I could do that for you!" It's funny how secure their cages seem to make them feel though. I actually got a much larger, nicer cage for Timber, but he has no interest in it at all. In fact, when I put it beside his current cage, he won't even come out of his cage, much less try it out. Fortunately, the one he is in is large enough for him so if he never makes the switch to the new one that's OK.

Thanks for the responses. It's so nice to be able to share with people who understand!

I'm so excited! I've had Timber (rehomed TAG) for about 5 weeks now. He has let me scratch around his head a bit with the bars between us, but not when he was out of the cage. Today he was sitting in his doorway. He seems to like that since he can dart back into the cage if he feels the need to. I touched his beak, which I've been doing most of the time he's been with me, and he didn't jerk away or act like he was going to bite. So, I decided to try touching the side of his neck. He let me scratch around his head for a solid two minutes! Doesn't sound like much, but it's a big leap for us

Timber's favorite thing in his cage is a plastic forage ball that hangs from the ceiling of his cage and has a bell on the bottom. It was in his cage for a week and he ignored it. I put his favorite treat in the ball with him watching and about an hour later he was hanging upside down on the ball working it out. Now he will go ring the bell when he wants a treat put in it. Not much of a challenge for him now, but it is still exercise and something for him to do while I'm at work. I think the key for him was watching me put it in there so he knew it was there somewhere and would look for it. Previously, I had taken the ball down, put something in it then hung it back up. That time, I did it where he could see exactly what I was doing.

That's great! I'm glad to hear when someone makes progress with a rehomed bird, since it gives me hope. Timber is warming up to me a little, but still won't step up. He isn't lunging or biting like he did when I first got him home though. He will let me touch his beak and scratch his head (sometimes) a bit. The down side is that he (or she) seems to really be attaching to my youngest son. The problem with that is that he is a college student and isn't here all that much. Timber gets so excited when he comes in. He goes to whatever side of the cage is closest to Dakota, and starts vocalizing to get his attention. Not jealous exactly, but I sure wish it was me!

I have a spray bottle with nursery water (the kind with no chemicals added). Timber gets excited when he sees the bottle. The previous owner told me he loved being sprayed. The first time I sprayed him he immediately went to his water bowl and started throwing water over his shoulder. The next time I knew he wanted to be sprayed until he was dripping wet!

LOL Not stepping in this one!

I do give Timber corn on the cob (just a small piece) because it is one of the only things I've found that he will eat. At least it is unprocessed and unsalted! It is so funny to watch him eat. I never realized how birds ate until observing him. He pulls off the individual kernel, sucks out the juice then spits the husk out.

Timber is Timbird, the Timster and silly bird

Yikes! Thanks for the input. Guess I will avoid the hominy. I'm still trying to find things this picky bird will eat, and the last thing he needs is "filler!"

Just a quickie, is hominy OK for TAG's? Can't see why not but wanted to check...

Dan, she didn't weigh him. I live in a rural area. When I got Timber, I wanted to have him checked out and establish a relationship with a vet in case it was needed. I just started calling the clinics within driving distance and asking if they had an avian vet. When I found one that said they did I made an appointment and took him. She seemed OK and pretty knowledgeable, but I expected her to weigh him. She said his breastbone was a little too prominent when she had him on his back, hence he was a bit underweight.

Thanks Dusty He's still a little standoffish but we will get there. I don't think anyone has worked with him/her much in the past.

Thanks Ray

Here is a picture of Timber. He's a pretty bird! Or so I tell him all the time... Judy, thanks for the link! That was very interesting. I have a scale, but I'm not sure how to get him on it. He is just to the point of letting me touch him a bit and scratch the top of his head. He does NOT want to step up and lets me know it. I'm trying to let him get more comfortable with us before I push the step up behavior. Monax - Thanks for the very specific information. I don't feel so bad now. Timber probably eats that much, but I expected him to eat much more. I thought that might be the problem (my expectations) so that makes me feel better.

I'm a new bird owner and I'm glad I found this forum. My bird's name is Timber and I am the third owner, or so I've been told. Timber is supposed to be 4-5 years old. We are making progress, but he's still biting pretty frequently and I'm still trying to figure out his body language to prevent it. The biggest problem we have is his diet. In two weeks, I've gone through about $100 of food trying to find a pellet he will eat. He picks at all of them but doesn't seem to like any of them very well. He will eat a few vegetables I've found (cooked sweet potato, raw carrots, corn on the cob and asparagus), but not much of any of them. He loves any kind of nut, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, cheese, cheerios and pasta. According to the previous owner, he was eating Zupreem fruit blend pellets well, but that hasn't been my experience. To compound the problem, the vet said he was a little underweight. So, I've probably been feeding him more nuts than I should just to keep him from losing more! One thing I am unsure of though is how much your normal Timneh African Grey eats. Maybe he's eating enough but I'm trying to judge him by human or cat standards? Any help would be appreciated!

I'll have to go read up on molting. I'm not sure what it looks like! I will check it out though.

I'm joining. I actually have a question. I am a new bird owner and have a Timneh African Grey named Timber. I am his third owner (that I know of) and his age (according to the first owner) is 4-5 years. I've had him a couple of weeks and we have made a lot of progress, but we still have biting issues. I've been going really slowly with him so he has time to adjust to us and his new environment. Here's my question (finally). He will now let me scratch the top of this head (when he is in the mood). Last night, I was gently scratching his head. Out of nowhere, he turned his head and bit me (not horrible but drew blood), then he immediately dropped his head for me to continue scratching. What does this mean and what should I do? Thanks!