The Continuing Capers of Companion-ing Cotton

[HeatherG]

Clearly you need to buy more bell peppers! But they’ll never be as good as the ones that ripen in your garden.

My garden gave some beans and lettuce and kale already but now it’s finally time for tomatoes! Which are most delicious still warm from the sunshine.

 

[Cottonoid]

 

[Cottonoid]

(he's looking at a blackberry I just put in his bowl, heh)

 

[Laurasea]

Such a lovely spot for him to hangout and watch the neighbors!

 

[LaManuka]

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He looks so very proud of that magnificent feathery sartorial splendour, and so he should be!

 

[Cottonoid]

On Friday I was late to my volunteer shift because 30 minutes before I was supposed to leave, Cotton took a walnut from my fingers through the cage bars! And then again!!

He was very pleased about this.

He has not, however, repeated the event and in fact got really frustrated with me about it yesterday, lunging and then crying for 10 seconds which felt like forever. So we backed up to rewarding for making clear movement toward my hand.

Overall his body language in the past week has been SO relaxed and happy and he talks a lot - he's definitely not scared of me any more.

Yesterday he was at the window chatting the the morning birds, and beating his wings, and somehow launched himself off his perch and landed on the floor. He very nonchalantly walked right past me to the ladder at his cage and climbed up.

Which makes me wonder if this has happened before and makes me nervous about leaving Cotton out when I'm not home! He really loves his window time.

He's also been pretending to bite the brand new window trim then turns and leans against it while watching to see what I'll do

He has SO much personality now!

My neighbor said this morning he heard Cotton talking for the first time, not just his little contact call or alarm calls, and was totally amazed at all the sounds he makes. He said at first he thought it was a squirrel then R2D2 then realized it must be Cotton

 

[saxguy64]

Yay, Cotton! More personality showing through every day. I can't even begin to tell you how much I adore him! I do have a soft spot for the pluckers. He looks so good with all that fluff and feathers!

 

[Cottonoid]

I do think his down vest is cute

It's still so odd seeing a tail on him! Like a costume! He's figured out how to maneuver it around objects now, and today he was wagging it while doing his morning chat

~~ My yard has turned into a weed jungle in the last month so I spent all weekend and today digging up weeds and trees and raspberries. This evening I finally sat down with my dog and just relaxed. Every evening a male Northern Cardinal visits (Cotton contact calls to him more than to me, since he's always peeping in the morning and the evening). Tonight the female showed up right in front of me in my plum tree!

I was so excited about this and texted my friend, and while I was texting her a catbird showed up at my bird bath! It's the first one I've seen in my yard even though I hear them occasionally.

 

[LaManuka]

I do think his down vest is cute

It's still so odd seeing a tail on him! Like a costume! He's figured out how to maneuver it around objects now, and today he was wagging it while doing his morning chat

~~ My yard has turned into a weed jungle in the last month so I spent all weekend and today digging up weeds and trees and raspberries. This evening I finally sat down with my dog and just relaxed. Every evening a male Northern Cardinal visits (Cotton contact calls to him more than to me, since he's always peeping in the morning and the evening). Tonight the female showed up right in front of me in my plum tree!

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I was so excited about this and texted my friend, and while I was texting her a catbird showed up at my bird bath! It's the first one I've seen in my yard even though I hear them occasionally.

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Cotton's new tail feathers took me by surprise too, I'd become so accustomed to his little naked butt that I did a double take when I first saw them. And now he's learning to shake those tail feathers as well - that's just toooooooo cute!!

 

[Cottonoid]

Cotton has been sleeping by the window every night. He LOVES IT. He loves talking to the birds outside at dinnertime. I think he likes the fresh air coming in the top of the window.

The problem with this new habit is that he goes back to his cage around 8am. I leave for work at 6am :/

So today I put his dinner in his cage instead of by the window, and he went inside and went straight for a foraging wheel he's figured out. I shut the door and explained we're going to practice cage time again because it's safer for both of us.

He came up to the front and looked confused at the closed door. Then took a walnut from my fingers.

I went to change my laundry, and when I came back upstairs he came to the front and keeps saying "hello?" over and over and looking at the latch

I wish I worked from home!!

 

[Cottonoid]

He just yesterday started taking walnuts from me repeatedly! Six times yesterday and so far 3 today!

I hope cage time doesn't set us back - I would like to skip to the part where I can ask him to go inside and he does, just for my workday, but we aren't quiiiite there yet.

 

[Cottonoid]

Cotton found all the foraging seeds I hid all over and there's evidence he touched every single toy

An hour ago I checked the camera before I left work and he was singing and chattering like usual.

Sometime between then and now he did this . Wings and his perfect, so far untouched tail

 

[Cottonoid]

Needless to say, NO walnut-taking from me this evening, heh.

 

[LaManuka]

Cotton found all the foraging seeds I hid all over and there's evidence he touched every single toy

An hour ago I checked the camera before I left work and he was singing and chattering like usual.

Sometime between then and now he did this . Wings and his perfect, so far untouched tail

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Oh Cotton, you dear sweet darling little man. Please don't pull any more of your feathers out, it must hurt when you do that

 

[Cottonoid]

Oh Cotton, you dear sweet darling little man. Please don't pull any more of your feathers out, it must hurt when you do that

He's made some really big steps forward in the last week too so it was a bit disheartening

 

[kme3388]

I’m so sorry to hear about Cotton. I’ll keep him in my thoughts.

 

[Cottonoid]

I’m so sorry to hear about Cotton. I’ll keep him in my thoughts.

Thank you

We'll get there - he seems much less bothered about it today than I am, at least!

 

[Cottonoid]

Cotton has continued his walnut strike and also removal of feathers. Just now I caught him with his favorite lolly, the tailfeather kind just holding it and chewing the end and turning it over and chewing some more

 

[Cottonoid]

I took him a couple previously removed tail feathers so hopefully he leaves his remaining two in place; they're still growing and have a blood supply

BUT! When I walked over, I offered him a walnut at the play stand, and he took it!!! And a second one after that! It's the first time he's taken a walnut from me "in the open"

....The timing of his vet appointment in 2 weeks is probably not the best with trust building....

But at least we just had this little setback with cage time and he's coming back around already; plus he's already removing feathers, so if he goes full baldy again after the vet as I expect after being touched, it won't be quite as many out at once.

 

[kme3388]

I hope Cotton is doing better. Nico has set backs every time he molts (which he currently is). He has about 8 tail feathers growing in. So far he hasn't plucked them out. He probably will pluck them out in the next week as they are starting to really grow in. Nico just likes to be in the nude. I don't know what else to say about that.