I wish I could figure out the pattern to Timothy's plucking behavior. With each new feather emergence, Timothy lets his feathers grow a little longer....albeit a fraction more at a time, but at this rate I will take any improvement. Then, when they reach some "magical" length, he can stand it no longer and then he goes at it like there is no tomorrow. For example, when I first adopted him, he wouldn't let his tail feathers grow but just a wee bit before biting them off. Dare I say this last growth he let them mature to about 1" in length before attacking them like some foreign alien. Since he is letting them grow longer each time, there is obviously no set length that freaks him out or he would chew them off at the same point each time.
Overall, as can be seen from the picture above, his confidence level has increased quite a bit. He is coming out onto his deck regularly now and going back in when I ask him to "go to perch." I have added a skewer to his cage to hold some of his favorite veggies. He loves it. The journey with Timothy is a slow one, but not void of constant joy and accomplishments. Slow does not mean boring or uneventful. Quite the contrary. Life with Timothy is one I wouldn't want trade with anyone. I love my little man!
