Ticked off!!!! Also first vet visit.

So Timneh seems overly aggressive toward paper towel roles when they are whole. She gave herself a little paper cut one day striking it too hard when I went to hand it to her. Didn't think too much of it but now trying to get Timneh to get onto a small wooden dowel from her travel cage I'm wondering. She would rather pinch me and get put down than step onto this rod and she basically attacked it. I did get her to step onto it for a very brief moment a couple of times. I'm wondering if this doesn't sound like the previous owners were using wooden rods to try and make her step up because they said she wasn't friendly and bit. Timneh is so sweet and awesome but I know her better now and can see a change come over her with certain objects, like anger and fear. Ticks me off to think anyone was messing with her in a bad way. On a lighter not I made our first vet appointment for Monday excited but nervous cause I can't get her in the carrier yet. When I was giving them our info Timneh wanted to be picked up and started screeching like Gotcha the Cockatoo (Cause we love their videos.) She asked me if I had a cockatoo in the house also LOL. Nope just my Timneh annoyed I'm on the phone talking and not talking too her. Thanks for listening everyone. Timenh definitely seemed a little worn out after this little training session with the wooden rod and is sitting quietly for the first time today. Over the years she will hopefully learn I love her very much and I am not those people. (Pretty sure she actually already knows that but still....)

Timneh saying Hi Timenh

Very happy to hear that she is settling in and feeling more comfortable.

I agree that having a 'reset' button (not one of those political ones that do nothing) to take back the pain, abuse and lack of caring caused by people that 'want,' but as soon as it requires any effort, rush-off to something new.

Then there is the joy of seeing that first threads of trust build and then one day, they have opened themselves to trust another Human. And the really great part is that it is YOU!

Some Parrots make the transition quickly, others take a very long time. Our average turning point is about three years. Having experienced it multiple times, its a true joy when (with Amazons) you come to realize that you are Owned and Loved by an Amazon!

It will come I'm sure of it. I'm staying tuned to read those first breakthrough threads!

Hopefully she wasn't abused by her previous guardians, but then again, failing to properly socialize one's companion animals can be considered abuse, as any novel item or situation can cause them intess fear and stress. The best thing to do to encourage her to stay calm around objects that agitate her would be habituation at first. Sit the dowel perch across the room where she can see it, but still feel safe. Each day, move it a bit closer, but never move it closer than she's comfortable with. Once she's comfortable with it within a few feet of her cage, you can start having counter-conditioning sessions. I don't feel like explaining counter-conditioning, so just look it up. Noah used to attack my mom, so I'd have her crinkle a plastic baggie (parrotlets love the sound of crinkling plastic) and give him sunflower seeds. By giving him positive things when the object of his anger was near (i.e., my mom), he learned to associate my mom with good things. That's an example of counter-conditioning.

Noah was quite intense when he came to live with me last summer, as he hadn't been socialized or cared for properly. He had a violent temper and sudden mood swings. Now he's quite calm and is very gentle.

We ARE Team Timneh!

As far as the paper towel/toilet paper tube goes,Smokes also attacked it with a vengeance! Almost rip it from my hand and tear it to shreds in minutes
I never got her to step up on any perch/stick,like Amy does,and only occasionly on my hand ( she was a wild caught and I'm betting she was stolen from her nest by some bum with gloves )

When it was vet time, I just threw a towel over her. Oh sure she protested big time,but after nearly 28 years,she calmed down a lot when I did that (stopped growling like a pack of mad dogs) She'd just chew the crap out of the towel and give me the hairy eyeball lol.

Sighhhhhh..Smokey...:02:


Jim