Well Tinker is home. (Sad update post #865)

[BertAllen]

Dam it all, today he flew over to the chair I was sitting in and sliced my knuckle open a 1/4" and took right off.
I'm calling KFC tomorrow.

As for the covering on the garden doors I only needed two pieces of black plastic 24"x70" but have to buy a 1000 sq ft roll for 69 bucks. I made them out of industrial garbage bags instead but I don't think they will be dark enough.
I'll try them tomorrow, in the meantime I will need to search out some black plastic that stops all the light and will need to get a room darkening blind for that big stained glass window above the front hall door.

It never ends!

 

[Kodigirl210]

I’m glad I have a girl. Boys sound like way way way too much trouble

 

[BertAllen]

I’m glad I have a girl. Boys sound like way way way too much trouble

Well he certainly is a PITA at times.
I'm sure we are going through the terrible twos right now and things will improve with time and patience.

But I'm still going to call KFC and see how many buckets he's worth.

 

[BertAllen]

KFC says he's worth a bucket of chicken for 12 months. I told Tinker that today and he flew to the fridge and laughed at me.

I finally got the area dark so I can pick him up during the day. $150 bucks later I got a room darkening blind at Home Depot and a 8mil black 8'x10' tarp to cut the garden door pieces out of.

So a little bit of duct tape and some super button magnets for the garden doors did it.

Here is how I held the magnets on the tarp. i put the magnet about a 1/2" from the edge of the tape then folded it over the tarp.

 

[Kodigirl210]

Glad to see you got it done and it only cost about 7-8 buckets of chicken and it appears Tinker is worth way, way more! Here’s to the little grey hornet, may his wings always be shiny and eyes always filled with stars (or mischief- but stars sound much more romantic LOL )

 

[BertAllen]

Tinkers new word for the week is "come on".

When I got up today and he saw I was finished cooking breakfast he started.

"Come on, come on, come on Tinker".

 

[BertAllen]

Tinker asked for a bath today.
This is the aftermath.

 

[zoo mom]

What a cute wet birdy.

 

[BertAllen]

Tinker is such a moody bird for only being 11 months old.
The last two days he has been regurgitating his breakfast and offering it to my hand in the morning. He has also been letting me hold his foot and play with it.
He's been very friendly as well.

Here is a video of him on the side table while I watched TV tonight. He didn't attack the phone but he was thinking about it.

 

[greys4u]

I'm so glad he doesn't like you

 

[zoo mom]

He is so handsome.

 

[BertAllen]

Well a week later and Tinker has been a good boy. No bites at all. I have only used the blinds and door covering twice to pick him up and put him in his cage during the morning. It sure beats having to chase him down as I hated to do that. The other times he was in the wrong place at the right time for me to pick up and no bites.

I installed a platform in front of his door and he loves it.



I made this three weeks ago and he refused to come near till today. It's a hexagon cement paver and I drilled 1" holes, 1" deep for him to forage for his treats. I'm hoping it helps trim his nails and pointy beak, or at least make them duller.

 

[KatelynDeanne]

Well a week later and Tinker has been a good boy. No bites at all. I have only used the blinds and door covering twice to pick him up and put him in his cage during the morning. It sure beats having to chase him down as I hated to do that. The other times he was in the wrong place at the right time for me to pick up and no bites.

I installed a platform in front of his door and he loves it.

View attachment 301201

I made this three weeks ago and he refused to come near till today. It's a hexagon cement paver and I drilled 1" holes, 1" deep for him to forage for his treats. I'm hoping it helps trim his nails and pointy beak, or at least make them duller.

View attachment 301202

You're quite the handy man! GREAT idea with the cement paver. I like the idea of filing the nails down. Lucy isnt quite fond of the electric nail file I use on her. Yeah, I started doing her nails and beak myself. Shes not fond of it but she always seems to forgive me afterwords and I give her a special treat. Tinker looks great! Good that hes behaving himself

 

[BertAllen]

You're quite the handy man! GREAT idea with the cement paver. I like the idea of filing the nails down. Lucy isnt quite fond of the electric nail file I use on her. Yeah, I started doing her nails and beak myself. Shes not fond of it but she always seems to forgive me afterwords and I give her a special treat. Tinker looks great! Good that hes behaving himself

I have to towel him to file them down as he goes berserk on me otherwise. No idea why either as he was letting me use the file on two at a time. But he was younger then as well.
He's one year old May 3rd so I'll get the vet to do them all while he is in for his yearly check up.

 

[KatelynDeanne]

I have to towel him to file them down as he goes berserk on me otherwise. No idea why either as he was letting me use the file on two at a time. But he was younger then as well.
He's one year old May 3rd so I'll get the vet to do them all while he is in for his yearly check up.

Yeah I prefer the vet to do Lucys too if possible but I just couldnt afford it this past month. They wanna charge me 60 bucks just to trim the nails. So I do them when I can

 

[Begone]

I have to towel him to file them down as he goes berserk on me otherwise. N

Don't feel bad for that.
I towel mine too if I need to.
Compared to taking them to the vet (2hrs drive one way) and also consider how stressful it is and some things can go wrong I don't feel bad for doing it myself.
I talk to mine, are calm and tell them they are good girls while doing it. They don't like it, but they accept it. After they got their favorite and love, so their is nothing to forgive.

 

[Imogena]

Oh, thank you for this thread. Edgar is 10 month old TAG and is moody as well. I wasn't sure why. There are days when he is sweet little birdie, cooperative and all. And there are the days that I seriously suspect someone has stolen my bird and put a little devil in his place. He is beaky, doesn't want to step up, doesn't let me to take him to the cage. I think the reason for this behaviour are spring (even though he is not displaying typical hormonal behaviour. No regurgitating, no atempting to mate, he is too young for that, I think), molting and young age all together.
When I have to file his nails, I use a normal file for finger nails and put a pile of sunflower seeds in front of Edgar. He is so busy with seeds that he lets me do whatever I want with his nails.
I also tried a file on his beak. This was more tricky. I was talking to Edgar very calmly and softly (almost like a trans), holding his beak in one hand and going with a file on the tip of his beak. I could make two moves, than had to stop, give Edgar sunflower seed, praize him, and again: calm voice, not let Edgar grab the file, make a move, stop, seed, praize. Again. Took about half an hour, but I did it. I already did it twice.
When I want to take him to his cage, I also use sunflower seeds. I put them on one hand, second hand I hold for step up for Edgar. Usually, when he sees seeds, he steps up and starts to eat them. Then I put him to his cage and give him rest of the seeds inside. Mostly it works, except those days, when someone exchanged Edgar for this devil thing. Edgar steals one seed and flies away, tries to bite my hand when I ask him to step up and refuses to cooperate.

 

[Odin]

Having had a cockatoo, and now a grey, it's amazing the thought processes. My old girl Kismet makes me smile every day, but she sure ain't no Boo the Too... LOL

 

[BertAllen]

Oh, thank you for this thread.

No thank you, for reading it.
This is why I started it so I could post about the good, bad and ugly with my CAG hoping it would help someone with their trials and tribulations.
I have also received much information and support from the members of AA while doing it.

 

[BertAllen]

Well would you believe this! Tinker sitting on Teresa's leg completely sound asleep.
He has never done this with either of us before. Tonight at bed time he allowed her to just pick him up and go to bed.

He has been so much fun the last 48 hours it's like he's not Tinker anymore.

Good Boy Tinker.