Timbersmom

Interesting you would say that about the greys and the outdoors. I have screened porches front and back. I often take Timber out on the porches, either on my arm or on his playstand. He tolerates it, but doesn't seem to enjoy it! I was hoping that after enough time passed, he would start liking to be out there. I guess only time will tell.

Kudos on getting him to stop ripping them off. Some of our birds suffer "fatal attraction" syndrome when it comes to those keys. Irresistible!

Hello and welcome to you and Hero! What a good bird he is if you managed to video for over two minutes without him going for the keys on that keyboard or the stack of paper in the corner...

Yes, very nice!

LOL It's a conspiracy!

They will step up a lot easier if they are out of the cage. A lot of birds (including mine) have a bit of cage aggression and don't like you sticking body parts in there. They are somewhat territorial about their cages. When I rehomed Timber, he would only step up from outside the cage (when he was on the playstand, top of cage, or floor). Now, I think he would step up from inside the cage but I wouldn't even try it unless it was an emergency. That said, it took several weeks before he trusted me enough to step on my arm. He is afraid of sticks and towels, and will only step on my forearm (never my hand) even now. The problem with a rehomed bird is you often have no idea of their history. They never forget, and if they had a bad experience you will have the consequences of it without even knowing what happened. With Timber, the "step up" command had a negative connotation for him. When I would say "step up" he would head for the inside of the cage. I learned that if I said "wanna go?" and offered my forearm he would step on. You are going to have to take it really slow. When you see "grey time" on the forum, that is what it means. Give your bird more time to make the adjustment. It's worth it!

LOL Loved it! I can identify with it too. Timber is a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde. I haven't had a blood drawing bite in a few months, but I never let my guard down!

LOL And Talon emerges victorious! They are so proud of themselves...

Someone will give you advice on the cage, I don't have enough experience. I do know that the best thing for you to do is leave the door open and let him come out on his own. He needs time to adjust to his new environment and feel safe. His cage is his safety zone. Let him set the pace. He'll come out when he is ready. Good luck and God bless

I haven't found a pepper of any kind Timber will eat, and I like them all!

Looks beautiful Chris!

Hello and welcome to you and Zeke! We would love to see some pics.

I see them! Mama Mia looks great!

I like the "Gracie Mae Meadows"

I've also read here that if they are grinding their beak they are content. This is actually a question I've asked myself. I mean your question, is Timber (in my case) really happy? I can tell he is content at times, I can tell he is excited at times, I can tell when he is upset or angry. But happy? I wish I knew.

oooooo love the baby pictures! What a glorious adventure you have ahead of you!

Well I did eggs, mashed sweet potato and a banana. I didn't get a total rejection, but he wasn't as excited as I hoped. I may have to try another mixup.

Yes, as the others have pointed out, not being the "chosen one" doesn't mean you can't have a good relationship. It takes time and patience though.

I'm not giving up, thanks for the encouragement! That's why I enjoy reading about Miss Gilbert so much. She is an encouragement to us all. I really don't think Timber every fledged. He always looks so surprised when he flies, and doesn't seem to know he should be flying. I still hope that with time he will figure it out

Wow, what a find! Lots of good info there.

Sully's looking good as usual! He seems to be liking the perch.

Hello and welcome to you and Mama Mia! I also hope you will post pics. I am lousy with photography, but like a proud parent I post them anyway

Looks to me like it would work. Would you concrete the poles in I assume? Considering all the navigating they have to do to fly around inside a house, I wouldn't think the beams would be much of a risk either.

She is making great progress! I've been hoping Timber would take flight again, but so far he hasn't.

Hope you can figure out how to get a picture up, we all like to see aviaries! Most of us are looking for ideas we can make work if we don't already have one.