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You have had a real breakthrough, all in grey time. Love it! Precious isn't motivated with food either, except maybe for walnuts.

I often think of Sukie , like boxing match, we just completed round 1 through 6. Were still standing, thanks to alot of the advice I got here. NOW it's time to finish the fight. You guys will probably giggle when I tell, you, but I got an idea from thanksgiving, and the Turkey Pardon. I figure my Department Of Defense Clearance should be worth more then just working for the very entity that has caused this much pain in the A&* So I used some of my contacts, and have an open dialog with the White House. Probably not worth the paper it is written on, however, will make a GREAT conversation piece. Ill probably have to do the high dollar lawyer route to get this finished. NOW that got me thinking, are there any Grey issues you guys have that you want to get into the public light? No need to waste a good chance, and some possible free news coverage, if it goes that far. Also understand, Im not doing this because I want to, but because I am forced to. The more the merrier, if you guys have issues...

A big forward step for them both, nice!

Happy Fourteen, Dorian!

It is always hard to say good by.

Greys in general are not over eaters as they will eat to fill their needs. They eat to live. Now Amazons are another story as they live to eat and if you are not carful they can end up obese.

Alfie isn't overly food motivated. He likes his food but will mostly just eat out of his bowls. He doesn't tend to steal anything I'm eating. He might have a look and a quick poke at it but generally he's not interested and will just throw it to one side. It means I can't really use food as a motivator or a reward because he's not really interested... even when it's a favourite food. Generally he prefers praise and head scratches over food as a reward/motivator.

A need to support the end of removing parrots from the wild in all countries if we can work together on that issue.

Alfie has known my current housemate for several years now. My housemate was never particularly keen on Alfie and gave him a wide berth. However over time they have slowly built up a relationship. My housemate would give him the odd treat and Alfie would watch and listen and has picked up a couple of sounds and sayings from my housemate. After a long while, Alfie started putting his head down for scratches through the cage bars. My housemate started obliging... with the end of a teaspoon at first... then eventually he was brave enough to use his fingers. This has been going on for some time. I keep joking that they have a 'secret bromance' going on. When Alfie was out of his cage my housemate would stay clear. I said he was welcome to come into or walk through the room to the kitchen but for the longest time he didn't. More recently my housemate has been 'brave' enough to walk through when Alfie is out of his cage (I have to keep the door to the upstairs of the house shut due to the cats). He even changed a lightbulb for me in the room when Alfie was out. Yesterday we had a major breakthrough. Alfie was out and my housemate came home. He came through the front door and the noise spooked Alfie. He flew off his shelf, around the room and landed on the floor. Alfie doesn't normally stay on the floor- he normally flies straight up to a higher spot. My housemate wandered in to say hello and watched Alfie for a while. Alfie wandered across the room on the floor and was checking everything out on the way, exploring and poking at things. My housemate then crouched on the floor and waited for Alfie to come over. Alfie slowly made his way over (checking out everything else on the way) and poked at my housemates shoe and knee. Well I thought that was a major breakthrough in itself... Later on- dinner was ready and Alfie was still out. My housemate would normally opt to stay upstairs with his dinner than join me and Alfie. Yesterday he decided to be even braver than earlier and came and sat in the room with us. He sat in the armchair and ate his dinner. Alfie wandered over to take a look and sat on the table next to the armchair then he worked his way on to the arm of the chair. My housemate was very patient and calm and offered him some food, which Alfie wasn't interested in. After some time, Alfie started dozing on the arm of the chair. This went on for about half an hour before Alfie decided to go and sit on my housemates knee. This is the first time they have ever had actual contact with each other without cage bars being in the way. Alfie dozed for another half an hour or so and every so often edged towards my housemates hands. I instructed my housemate to wait until Alfie asked for head scratches- which he normally does by nudging my hands or arm. I could see that Alfie wanted to ask for scratches but might have been a little out of his own comfort zone at that point. I watched and waited (as did my housemate) and Alfie kept dozing off for a little while before thinking about asking for scratches. After a while he suddenly lunged forward and half tapped/half scratched at my housemate's hand with his beak. He then immediately backed off and puffed up. My housemate did try to gently scratch his head but Alfie slicked his feathers back. At this point I decided to intervene and removed Alfie from my housemates lap as I felt Alfie was changing his mind about whether or not he wanted scratches and might have ended up nipping my housemate- something I didn't want to happen. All in all, this was a massive breakthrough for both Alfie and my housemate. Alfie isn't really used to being in close contact with anyone other than me because everyone we've lived with has been too wary of being bitten so would keep out of his way when he was out of the cage. My housemate has needed as much 'grey time' as Alfie has to get to this point and I'm really happy that yesterday played out as it did.

We all love our little angels with red tails. We speak kindly of them and love them with all our hearts, but when they are bad we come up with new names for them to vent our frustration. So what do you call your red tailed darling when they are less than perfect ?? Well around here when Corky falls of her pedestal It`s Corky Monster.!!!! So when your sweet thing is less than stellar what kind of name do you call them OH, don`t tell me that your red tailed sweetie is never bad because I won`t believe you so come on, fill us in.

I don't have to they correct each other by name including the cats and dogs. I only clean and feed interact when they ask, Yes I know they run the house.

Having no seizures is a BIG thing; I'm very glad. Now for the falls. You will deal with the PT. It is the time all of this takes. Oh, for a little magic!

Our 20 month old grandson is apparently Gilbert's number one nemesis. He was getting out of the bath and getting dressed on my bed when he pointed at the bird cage and said "The bird". Gil responded with "Shut up you idiot!"(That little piece of baggage has been long kept in storage... LOL) The baby gave her a little finger wagging hand gesture admonishment and said "No BIRD No!" I thought it was delightful. Miss Gilbert found no humor in it whatsoever. She grumbled for a half hour. My son-in-law has a great relationship with Gil. He can reach his hand into he cage and she will step up and let him carry her around the house. I have a fantasy of handing over the parrot along with the Ducati when the time comes for me to part with them. LOL Seriously though, my goal is for my grandson to become friends with Gilbert. The good news is I have had no seizures in weeks but I still fall. I have been relegated to staying inside and will get a treadmill with a tether so I can exercise a little at a time every day. My surgical repair of my AC joint went well, but now my ball and socket joint have an issue the doctor called a "frozen shoulder". I am in the "hot" phase of pain which will decrease ROM until the frozen stage and then a thaw. Each part of the process will take months. I am doing all my stretches every day and hope the duration is limited. The surgeon says six months minimum to two years is expected but with the shoulder trauma, I can expect to have surgery to unlock scar tissue and then start all over again with physical therapy. It just doesn't seem real and I am fighting it every inch of the way. I just seem to have hit a snowball rolling downhill for a short time and then I will be back on my feet. Gil is the recipient of my extra time being "fragile". She is much happier in my room where I am spending most of the day. She has had some feather barbering with changes and extra people in the house... I kind of feel the same. I am going to move her cage right up close to where I spend the most time and maybe she will start coming out of her cage for me again. She gets really interested in Java being out and she is very interested in my touch on her head, but still through the bars.

I usually put "like" or "thanks" on posts I have read. I was readying the unread content today and after a point, when I hit "like" a message popped saying "you can't put any more reactions today." That isn't the exact wording, but something like that. Is there are limit on likes or thanks or is that a bug?

Yes indeed! It's just a habit of mine. I use it to acknowledge that I have seen and read the post. I'm a little OCD Something I have in common with many greys!

We say "JOE"! in a curt voice, Joe replys "What"? "SALSA STOP" and clap hands.. Salsa looks at you like your dumb... '!

Congrats on the breakthrough!

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Did I read that right? Alfie was offered some dinner and was not interested? Are you SURE you have an African Grey? A parrot even? I have never known a parrot to not be interested in dinner

It some times it takes time , but when it happens it`s like a dam breaking and the flood waters come flowing in. It has to be nice to watch a relationship develop into something good and it`s all in grey time.

Haha I can see you're putting them to good use!!!

I'm not sure I have a nickname for Alfie when he's getting into mischief. I can't recall any... normally it's just his name followed by 'no' or 'no biting' (when he's about to chew on something he shouldn't). He knows what both mean... and usually just waits for me to stop paying attention before trying again.

Thanks so much!

I call Dorian DohDoh, as is "DohDoh stop that" Right now Mr. 'won't chew a wooden toy' is determined to turn my wooden filing cabinet into so many toothpicks. Why is it that he won't ever chew one of the many toys I've tried to put in his cage, wood of all soft and hard textures, all thicknesses, all colours, but he's only interested in chewing the filing cabinet and the desk?! Sigh

They always inhabit a portion of our hearts and souls.

I found it, you should have unlimited reactions now.

There might be, ill have to find it. I dont think its a bug. This software has very few to no issues, you just have to find the back end setting.

The Meaning of Rescue ======================== Now that I'm home, bathed, settled and fed, All nicely tucked in my warm new bed. I'd like to open my baggage, lest I forget. There's so much to carry, so much to regret. Yes, there it is, right on the top, Let's upack loneliness, heartache and loss. And there by my perch hides fear and shame. As I look on these things I tried hard to leave, I still have to unpack my baggage called pain. I loved them, the others, the one's who left me, But I wasn't good enough, for they didn't want me. Will you add to my baggage, or help me unpack? Will you look at my things and take me right back? Do you have the time to help me unpack? To put away my baggage, to never repack? I pray that you do, I'm so tired you see, but I do come with baggage. So please tell me now, I really need to know... Will you still want me?