Whisper let me rub his head.

[Dopey]

I wish I lived closer to you. I'd come over and help...

Me too!

Should I use the towel time with Patches?

What more could I be doing with Whisper? Please get specific with me. Thanks!

 

[Birdman666]

Its hard to give advice without actually seeing the bird, and his reaction to stuff. It's just so much easier to be there in the room...

 

[jthorntonwillis]

you know,I read all the stories on here about Zons biting,screaming ,taking years to learn to trust...I feel like the luckiest guy alive.I rescued the Mackster from a home where the original caregiver left for college,Parents worked 9-10 hours a day.Never out of his cage,NO TOYS!!! Poor guy was just a sad parrot.I took one look,bought him n the spot.We went home,bought about 40$ worth of toys,filled his dish with fruit and veggies... He looked at me and I swear he knew I was his bud.Well,long story short,it has not been without bumps(or stitches) He nailed me quite a few times. Fast forward only 9 months and I cannot get the thing off me.He only goes in his house to get a drink or to eat. What a great friend! I sometimes think I am more lucky to have him than he is to have me!!!

 

[Dopey]

Thank you for letting me know that. 9 months doesn't seem like an awfully long time to let him trust me. He doesn't have to be a cuddle bug...I have that with my Severe but to just be able to step up to the cage and touch him without the fear of getting bit or to pet him when he is on his Java tree...that would be awesome. We are slowly working on it.

 

[Amanda_Bennett]

You will get there! I know it will happen for you and all your fids!

 

[Dopey]

Thanks!

I finally figured out today that Whisper loves to chew wood and hard plastic. So, I'm going to have to make some new toys for him or switch some around from the other cages. He chews the paper bagels and he loves foot toys. Zons are so much fun to have and watch...once they stop the biting.

 

[Dopey]

Things continue to improve. Whisper let me scratch him the other day while he was sitting on the Java tree. I mean really scratch him. I got in a good minute and more.

He now shows off his handy work to me of...destroying his foot toys. Sometime during the day he takes most (if not all) of his foot toys out of the crock and brings them to the left front corner of the cage. Then when I come up to the cage he immediately comes to the corner and plays with his foot toys.

He is such a show off.

 

[Dopey]

Whisper is so soft. No, seriously, his feathers on the top of his head are so soft.

Today, I came up to the cage and Whisper bowed his head, didn't give me any beak, for me to scritch him. It was such a moment I caught myself doing "the" dance afterwards.

 

[Birdman666]

you know,I read all the stories on here about Zons biting,screaming ,taking years to learn to trust...I feel like the luckiest guy alive.I rescued the Mackster from a home where the original caregiver left for college,Parents worked 9-10 hours a day.Never out of his cage,NO TOYS!!! Poor guy was just a sad parrot.I took one look,bought him n the spot.We went home,bought about 40$ worth of toys,filled his dish with fruit and veggies... He looked at me and I swear he knew I was his bud.Well,long story short,it has not been without bumps(or stitches) He nailed me quite a few times. Fast forward only 9 months and I cannot get the thing off me.He only goes in his house to get a drink or to eat. What a great friend! I sometimes think I am more lucky to have him than he is to have me!!!

Pecker was VERY MUCH the same way... Also a BFA. That bird was neglected and left to die, when I got her. I nursed her back to health, and she became an instant velcro bird... Never once did she ever apply bite pressure to anything or anyone.

One of the most loving creatures you will ever encounter...

 

[Dopey]

I am just so happy right now. She has even started licking me again. And if my dog did that I would say "oooo - yuk"!

 

[miloslave]

The bad thing is that when I'm at work I just want to go home and play with my birds.

I thought that was just me!! I would much rather be at home with the babies than wasting time at work, Lol. Problem is my boss does not see things the same way! [emoji16]

 

[Dopey]

Yeah - what a bummer that bosses don't see things that way. If I were boss I would do so much to have people work from home.

 

[Taw5106]

Ohhh you are wearing Whisper down, those head scritches are going to be demanded in no time. Buddy has started pushing the top of his head to my cheek and makes his feathers stand up on his neck waiting for a scritch when he's on my shoulder. He can't get enough. Just wait, he'll be in that tree trying to slide close enough to offer his head, lol.

 

[Dopey]

Yep - he runs to the front of the cage now and puts his beak and head between the bars and bats his eyes at me now.

 

[Birdman666]

Ohhh you are wearing Whisper down, those head scritches are going to be demanded in no time. Buddy has started pushing the top of his head to my cheek and makes his feathers stand up on his neck waiting for a scritch when he's on my shoulder. He can't get enough. Just wait, he'll be in that tree trying to slide close enough to offer his head, lol.

That's my Sally... head upside down, pressed against my cheek.

Pecker used to stretch her neck out, and stick her head in my eye socket with her feathers up... that was part of my "welcome home" greeting ritual...

 

[Dopey]

I hope to someday get there.

 

[Birdman666]

You will.

Sounds like he wants that, to me...

 

[Taw5106]

I agree with Birdman. The more scritches the better. A great relationship builder too.

 

[Dopey]

If I wasn't afraid of his bite he'd have a lot more scritches. I'm just super cautious right now. I know my day is coming again. This time though I have acrylic nails and the bite reflects and goes down to the side of the nail. I'm not sure which is worse (the Severe got me the other day that's how I know).

He does let me closer to him on the tree now though.

Ok - Monday - after the super bowl I will towel my arm and work on getting him to step up on my arm...from the tree not the cage.

 

[Taw5106]

Keep working on it. I got extremely lucky with Buddy, and I'm learning I got extremely lucky with Venus. She keeps trying to chew on my acrylic nails so I get a sense of that, it hurts!!! I tell her "Ow that's not very nice!" when she grabs a nail. So far, so good though. You have and are doing an excellent job with you babies. Don't forget that.