Another Hannibal Update

[darkling]

I have good news, bad news and news that I'm not so sure about at this point.

The Bad News: that wonderful couple that was supposed to come and adopt Hannibal flaked out on me. Now that I'm over the initial shock and dismay over how things turned out, I feel like there's a silver lining here which I will get to after I share my ...

Good News: I don't have to move in with my mother after all. I worked my butt off this past month and its payed off. I'm staying in my own place. Things are tight. REALLY tight. But not as bad as I'd initially feared.

Now for the news I'm not so sure about ...

Hannibal hasn't bitten me in several weeks now. He's not predictable by any means though and I've gotten over the shame of admitting I am scared to death of his beak. He can be just fine one moment and then lunge at me the next. He's never made contact when he lunges and I think he could if he really wanted to. I think he just likes scaring the everloving snot out of me on occasion.

He wants attention. He wants to bond. This poor bird is desperate for someone who will interact with him more than I do. Its not enough for me to just sit and talk to him or sing to him. He wants to play with someone. He goes crazy with his toys and I know he wants to play with me but I'm scared. I'm scared of his beak. I'm scared of the inevitable bite. So I keep myself out of reach and I feel terrible for him because I can just see the longing in his eyes. He wants more.

So I'm going to continue searching for a home for him and I'm going to keep working with him myself. Either I'll find the perfect home or I'll get over my fear. Because right now this is all me.

Please don't think he spends all his time in his cage being ignored. He doesn't. After breakfast I'll wheel his cage into the middle of the living room and let him out. He climbs all over the cage and I'll give him treats or talk to him as much as I can throughout the day. I work from home so he pretty much always sees what I'm doing.

I still want to try and get him a playstand but that's going to have to wait until I get more money coming in. My biggest hurdle with keeping him RIGHT NOW is the cost of food and toys. cannon farms is sending me a few toys for him (which I know Hannibal will love because he plays with his toys ALL the time) and hopefully the food I've got will last until my next paycheck.

I'm not sure how to get over my fear of his beak. I've been doing target training with him and I can see how he's improving as a result. He mimics the clicking sound sometimes. Its really cute. He also adores my 6 yr old baby sister. Whenever she comes over he'll come down to the bottom of his cage and dance for her. He's also learned to giggle so when she laughs, he laughs and they get each other going and its hilarious.

So that's it for now. I'm still looking for a home for him but its not as urgent as it was. I'd like to get over my fear and just keep him myself but I don't know how I'm going to do that. Ultimately I want what's best for Hannibal. That's what I've always wanted.

 

[Rio Mom]

I wish you the best of luck whether you find Hannibal a new home, or keeping him with you. Can you pm me your address? I would love to send hannibal some presents. What type of food/treats does he like? What kind of toys?

 

[andrea.faerie]

me too me too! I understand things being tight... I'm on quite a budget myself, but I'm sure mama jean (the lady i'm getting my little conure from) wouldn't mind cutting me a deal to help a birdie in need

 

[darkling]

Rio Mom, I'm so glad to see you still around.

Andrea, I love your pic. Welcome to the forums! (I know I'm a little late there, sorry.)

Hannibal loves toys he can use to make noise. His favorite right now is a bell with several pieces of acrylic blocks and a piece of knotted rope tied to it. He rings that bell all day and makes the blocks spin around. He'll grab the rope and shake it like a puppy as well.

He's curious about everything. I've made him toys to tear up by taking old jeans and tearing them into strips. I tie the strips together or tie them to his cage and he likes to untie them or just shred the strips into threads.

Right now he's eating a large parrot mix that was given to me by a friend. Its mostly seeds with bits of dried fruit and colorful pellets that look like fruit loops without the sugar. Hannibal picks out the fruit first and then the pellets. He leaves the seeds until last and there are always some left in the bowl when I change his food in the morning. I supplement that with raw nuts and fresh fruit and veggies. I know that some people give people food to their birds but I'm afraid of giving him the wrong thing.

I love him to bits. I just wish I weren't so scared of him.

 

[kitt]

wow, you have really had a rollercoaster ride haven't you....big hugs...
All you can do to get over your fear is to continue to work with him.
After a vicious bite from my caique a couple of years ago, I was scared to death of him and I had to overcome it to provide him with the forever home I promised him...It wasn't easy but one day I just decided enough was enough and that I was the one in charge and that I could find it within me to calmly work with him....with each passing day it got easier and easier.....your little guy or shall I say big guy can sense your fear and that has to get under control or you will have a monster on your hands....
I had read once that greenwings are suppose to be big teddy bears...I hope some day you can get to that point with your guy.....good luck.

 

[Rio Mom]

Yeah, I'm still here, I think my friends are right when they have called me "bird obsessed".

 

[suebee]

Yeah, I'm still here, I think my friends are right when they have called me "bird obsessed".

lol i'm on a parrot talk ban at work an with most of my friends!! :09:

an darkling aww i still fear nuts beak, and hers is prob tiny compared to hannibals an yes the budget is never over flowing, grrr
but by read of things you are doin such a great job with caring for this bird, i went through a long period when i had very little to do with askin nut to step up, its only recently that i have tried, an she's not bit me yet, so fingers crossed

i do hope it all turns out ok for you both X

 

[darkling]

Everyone who knows Hanni's back story can just ignore this next bit. This is for all the PMs I'm getting regarding himself.

Hannibal is still up for adoption by the right home. I am asking for $700 and he comes with his cage, toys and food so you don't have to spend a ton on getting him set up.

He's not a vicious bird. He's still a baby, as a matter of fact. He's is about 10-11 months old. On April 13 I got him from a girl who had hand raised him but due to having an unexpected newborn she hadn't been able to spend time with him for 2 months before finally decided to find a new home for him.

I didn't get much of a chance to interact with Hannibal before I brought him home. I stepped into the bathroom and when I came back out, she'd put him into a travel carrier. I actually first joined this forum looking for advice on how to get him to go into his cage that first day.

He wasn't using to being handled and he doesn't know how to step up. We were making progress but then the tornadoes came on April 27 and Hannibal was traumatized by the noise and wanted nothing to do with me whatsoever.

He's gotten better since then. The target training has helped a lot as far as drawing him out of his shell. I'm going to keep working with him but I still think he'd do better with someone who isn't afraid of his beak and knows how to handle a large parrot.

 

[Sabbath]

Just don't let the poor bird associate humans with something bad, by how the girl seemed she wanted him OUT, which I can understand but that can be dramatizing for anything(Imagine that being YOU).

I do hope you find the bird a good home and the bird does sound adorable, even with the faults and I understand your reason to wanting to find a new home, but hannibal does seem to have a lot of potential to be an amazing bird.

 

[Tammy]

I may be a newbie to the bird world, but I've worked with animals since I was 12 & spent 5 years as a veterinary technician. I can say I've been bitten by just about every animal possible. Spiders, ferrets, lizards, Great Danes, Snakes, Horses, Geese, Ducks, Cats, Goats, Hamsters, Gerbils, Mice, Rats, etc.... Once you get a good bite you realize it's not nearly as bad as you had feared & then you're not scared anymore. My Amazon will only push when he thinks you're afraid. I initially presented my forearm because I was afraid of a finger bite. Since I'm not scared he doesn't even bother with lunges mostly. If I offer him fruit & he doesn't want it so he lunges I tell him. "That's fine if you don't want it. All you had to do was say No. There's no reason to be mean about it" So then he repeats "No"

 

[Sabbath]

I may be a newbie to the bird world, but I've worked with animals since I was 12 & spent 5 years as a veterinary technician. I can say I've been bitten by just about every animal possible. Spiders, ferrets, lizards, Great Danes, Snakes, Horses, Geese, Ducks, Cats, Goats, Hamsters, Gerbils, Mice, Rats, etc.... Once you get a good bite you realize it's not nearly as bad as you had feared & then you're not scared anymore. My Amazon will only push when he thinks you're afraid. I initially presented my forearm because I was afraid of a finger bite. Since I'm not scared he doesn't even bother with lunges mostly. If I offer him fruit & he doesn't want it so he lunges I tell him. "That's fine if you don't want it. All you had to do was say No. There's no reason to be mean about it" So then he repeats "No"

Spiders ! I hate spiders!

 

[darkling]

I wasn't scared until I got bitten. ^^

 

[Sabbath]

What spider bit you? I've never been bitten before but I've watched to many videos(8 legged freaks ) that pushed me away.

 

[darkling]

Oh not a spider. I avoid those like the plague. I meant that I wasn't afraid of being bitten by Hannibal until he actually bit me.

 

[Tammy]

Spiders sense that I'm terrified & literally drop from the ceiling right in front of me. I got bitten by a very large Wolf Spider when I was about 10 & I was bitten by an unknown spider on my neck in my late 20's. The 1 time I tried to take out the trash I scanned the bushes with a flashlight for 10 minutes before I went near the bushes & trees & still a large spider dropped from a tree & bit me in the neck. I went inside & asked if there was a mark on my neck & my stepson tried to whack the spider off of me. The damn thing was still there waiting to attack again! I ran around the house screaming for a half hour until they found the squished spider to prove to me he was gone. lol I'm a wus.