The Continuing Capers of Companion-ing Cotton

Cottonoid said:
About to murder some cork! 😁 When he stands there he has to lean straight out with SuperGripToes and abdominal strength worthy of a TikTok gone viral!
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Cotton is definitely a crowd pleaser even through a screen! Such a unique and upbeat personality through such a little soul. I can't get enough! The hype is so real in this thread! 😂
 
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I think he's so dang cute right now with his one tail feather and one shredded wing feather 😄

.....I may have created a Millet Monster

Cotton Cam view

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My view
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Cotton and his True Love

 

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So Mr Millet Man is maaaaaaybeeeee starting to regain trust the teeniest bit today.

Last night we had a big thunderstorm with hail and a lot of rain, and I have a metal patio roof. I checked the Cotton Cam when I heard the first hard drops and he was wide eyed and very much awake, so I went into the living room with a blanket and pillow and talked to him for a while until I fell asleep on the couch.

Around 2am Maynard (min pin) woke me up from the other side of the baby gate because she was scared too, and Cotton was comfy on his sleeping boing, so I went back to bed.

This evening after work I made his usual blend-of-foods with seeds mixed in - today's was carrot, spinach, and pellets ground up - and changed his food bowl, then ate my own food while talking to him. He just stared at me like I'm nuts. I went away and played with Maynard for a while, and worked on her "place" training and "touch" and "come" and "paw".

Came back to the living room with a little spray of millet in my hand covered by my sleeve. Sat about 5 feet from Cotton holding it out and talked. Then moved closer. He moved to a different perch, I waited for him to be calm and fluffy-face then moved my body away but kept my arm/millet the same distance from him. Talked. Moved closer. Then closer, hand right at the cage. He took one step away and paused. I waited. He waited. He relaxed ever so slightly and I said "yes, good bird" and placed the millet balanced between the cage bars and his boing and walked away.

Maynard was whining at the baby gate (she looooves training and also loves seed scraps according to my dog walker's poop report today 😶 so she was quite perturbed she wasn't part of this session!) so I went to say hello, a mere 10-12 steps around the couch but within 5 feet of Cotton, and he'd already grabbed the millet by the time I got to the doorway 😄

I really do not want him to only eat millet! He does still taste all the chopped up fine bits I mix with his seeds. But maybe this will be the bridge to trust and better foods? 🤞🏻

From the doorway in a rush because I was SHOCKED he'd already grabbed it while I was in the room:

(Also we are down to ZERO tail feathers ! Little nakey birdie butt!)

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HeatherG said:
I think Cotton is just a nudist. He feels more “free” without those feathers covering up his natural (nekkid) beauty. Let him be himself! Bare and beautiful…. I’m glad you have a heater.
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Cottonoid said:
So Mr Millet Man is maaaaaaybeeeee starting to regain trust the teeniest bit today.

Last night we had a big thunderstorm with hail and a lot of rain, and I have a metal patio roof. I checked the Cotton Cam when I heard the first hard drops and he was wide eyed and very much awake, so I went into the living room with a blanket and pillow and talked to him for a while until I fell asleep on the couch.

Around 2am Maynard (min pin) woke me up from the other side of the baby gate because she was scared too, and Cotton was comfy on his sleeping boing, so I went back to bed.

This evening after work I made his usual blend-of-foods with seeds mixed in - today's was carrot, spinach, and pellets ground up - and changed his food bowl, then ate my own food while talking to him. He just stared at me like I'm nuts. I went away and played with Maynard for a while, and worked on her "place" training and "touch" and "come" and "paw".

Came back to the living room with a little spray of millet in my hand covered by my sleeve. Sat about 5 feet from Cotton holding it out and talked. Then moved closer. He moved to a different perch, I waited for him to be calm and fluffy-face then moved my body away but kept my arm/millet the same distance from him. Talked. Moved closer. Then closer, hand right at the cage. He took one step away and paused. I waited. He waited. He relaxed ever so slightly and I said "yes, good bird" and placed the millet balanced between the cage bars and his boing and walked away.

Maynard was whining at the baby gate (she looooves training and also loves seed scraps according to my dog walker's poop report today 😶 so she was quite perturbed she wasn't part of this session!) so I went to say hello, a mere 10-12 steps around the couch but within 5 feet of Cotton, and he'd already grabbed the millet by the time I got to the doorway 😄

I really do not want him to only eat millet! He does still taste all the chopped up fine bits I mix with his seeds. But maybe this will be the bridge to trust and better foods? 🤞🏻

From the doorway in a rush because I was SHOCKED he'd already grabbed it while I was in the room:

(Also we are down to ZERO tail feathers ! Little nakey birdie butt!)

View attachment 38609
Click to expand...
It seems to me that Cotton must be very uncomfortable to pull out those bone-anchored wing and tail feathers. He must really not feel good in some way either mental or physical. Poor boy.
 
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HeatherG said:
It seems to me that Cotton must be very uncomfortable to pull out those bone-anchored wing and tail feathers. He must really not feel good in some way either mental or physical. Poor boy.
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So far this round he's snipped them off, then seems to chew the remaining bits, but I can still see the stumps of the shafts. The rescue said he did in fact pluck the central tail feathers but it looked like he'd left the shafts of the outer feathers when he first was there.

He's definitely still ill even though he hasn't had further discharge around his nares, and he's visibly gaining weight back, but he's also been moved to a new home then taken to the vet then back home and is not trusting of humans yet at all - I've been shocked he's showing any signs of emotional comfort, honestly!

I spy on him a lot during the day and have been so relieved he's more and more playful and chatty every day. He's started stretching when my dog walker comes ;) (EVERYONE in my neighborhood loves my dog walker; he's the nicest man ever)

In general observing him and talking to him lots, I totally agree that Cotton's not comfortable. I can tell he's not as anxious as he was in the rescue, and I think his illness is slowly improving, but we have quite a ways to go yet in all areas.
 
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