Hi all,
I adopted my 29 year old TAG this February. His name is Fenix Earl a.k.a. Mister Feeny. I am his third home. He is settling in well and I am slowly gaining his trust. We’ve settled into a really good daily routine that I think helps.
He’s slowly getting more used to my hand near him and doesn’t draw blood when he bites anymore. It’s more of a warning nip now. I respect his boundaries in his cage and don’t force close interactions or attempts to step up. I have been pushing his boundary a little more the past month since he is warming up to me. He allows my hand to get much closer to him before he squawks his warning to back off. He is also able to gently take safflower seeds from my fingers.
He is getting braver and has started coming out of his cage to hang out on a perch just beside the door. He has flown a few times and will kindly step up for a lift back to his cage but I don’t expect him to ever step up from inside his cage. Maybe one day, but it’s okay if he never does.
I was told from the rescue that his previous owner developed health problems and couldn’t care for him so the responsibility fell to the spouse who was afraid of him, so he was stuck in his cage the last six years. He now has a cage that is almost 3x the size of his previous cage so he has a lot more room for exercise and play. He is quite spoiled. I’ve been leaning into my creative side and making him toys and am working on a PVC play stand for him. It’s quite fun figuring out what he likes.
We’ve had a few breakthroughs this past month. He has stepped up on my hand a few times from outside of the cage and made his way to my shoulder. The first time was quite the trust exercise for me, as I was a bit worried he might bite my ear. He only has three full toes with nails so I think he feels more secure on the larger surface of my shoulder rather than my arm or finger. His lack of toes doesn’t seem to limit his ability to perch or navigate his cage. He’s started talking more when we are in the room and making his favorite sounds. He’s quite responsive when we mimic back and forth.
His previous owner unfortunately did not share any history about him with the rescue so I am still figuring out all of his likes and dislikes. He has good taste in music and loves to dance. He adores his misting showers that we do at least twice a day.
Fenix has been the most wonderful addition to our home. He is an instant mood boost if you’re feeling down. He’s done wonders for my depression. I’d love to eventually take him out of the house with me. He seemed to really enjoy the car ride to the vet. He hung upside down and danced to the radio. He has been outside in his travel cage with me on the porch as well and seemed happy to experience the outdoors.
I could talk about him forever. I’m quite obsessed! I look forward to getting to know some of you and utilizing this forum for questions and happy updates. Hopefully one day I’ll update you all that he allowed head scritches. I’m dying to scratch that little head!
-Madelon
I adopted my 29 year old TAG this February. His name is Fenix Earl a.k.a. Mister Feeny. I am his third home. He is settling in well and I am slowly gaining his trust. We’ve settled into a really good daily routine that I think helps.
He’s slowly getting more used to my hand near him and doesn’t draw blood when he bites anymore. It’s more of a warning nip now. I respect his boundaries in his cage and don’t force close interactions or attempts to step up. I have been pushing his boundary a little more the past month since he is warming up to me. He allows my hand to get much closer to him before he squawks his warning to back off. He is also able to gently take safflower seeds from my fingers.
He is getting braver and has started coming out of his cage to hang out on a perch just beside the door. He has flown a few times and will kindly step up for a lift back to his cage but I don’t expect him to ever step up from inside his cage. Maybe one day, but it’s okay if he never does.
I was told from the rescue that his previous owner developed health problems and couldn’t care for him so the responsibility fell to the spouse who was afraid of him, so he was stuck in his cage the last six years. He now has a cage that is almost 3x the size of his previous cage so he has a lot more room for exercise and play. He is quite spoiled. I’ve been leaning into my creative side and making him toys and am working on a PVC play stand for him. It’s quite fun figuring out what he likes.
We’ve had a few breakthroughs this past month. He has stepped up on my hand a few times from outside of the cage and made his way to my shoulder. The first time was quite the trust exercise for me, as I was a bit worried he might bite my ear. He only has three full toes with nails so I think he feels more secure on the larger surface of my shoulder rather than my arm or finger. His lack of toes doesn’t seem to limit his ability to perch or navigate his cage. He’s started talking more when we are in the room and making his favorite sounds. He’s quite responsive when we mimic back and forth.
His previous owner unfortunately did not share any history about him with the rescue so I am still figuring out all of his likes and dislikes. He has good taste in music and loves to dance. He adores his misting showers that we do at least twice a day.
Fenix has been the most wonderful addition to our home. He is an instant mood boost if you’re feeling down. He’s done wonders for my depression. I’d love to eventually take him out of the house with me. He seemed to really enjoy the car ride to the vet. He hung upside down and danced to the radio. He has been outside in his travel cage with me on the porch as well and seemed happy to experience the outdoors.
I could talk about him forever. I’m quite obsessed! I look forward to getting to know some of you and utilizing this forum for questions and happy updates. Hopefully one day I’ll update you all that he allowed head scritches. I’m dying to scratch that little head!
-Madelon
I'm so glad to have the two of you aboard!
