Inara

What a labor (and lots of it!) of love. Looking so great, and I love the idea of having living plants/trees/shrubs inside of it.

OK, yes I admit to being really judgemental about people dumping their birds simply because they no longer have time for them. I am also one who repeatedly says that birds and kids are a lot more adaptable and resilient than we give them credit for. Inara never looked back for an instant when she came to live with us, and you have made a good point that Jazzy will likely be just fine ...providing he gets a home with someone who won't just redump him and on and on. The "forever home" is often a lovely myth because yes humans age, we get catastophic illnesses, but I will always stand firm on "I just don't have the time any more," or "Now we have a baby," etc type of excuses are irksome and they should proably not have had the bird in the first place and often are simply code for ,I really was clueless about what it takes to live with an animal that is not domesticated." Traveling a lot for a job could have an effect both economically as well as on care being available, but I can' t help but think if it was her kid that she'd find another solution. I'm judgy.

I know, right? Inara's "rehoming" fee was $1200.00 which included a beat up cage. We gladly paid it, as I fell in love with her, and had we bought a baby from the same breeder that the people got her from we would have paid 1k+ and then a new cage on top of that, plus DNA sexing. But then we followed up by getting her a new stainless steel cage a couple months after we got her, as well as a trip to the avian vet for a full check up. The people were just selling her, plain and simple. We could have picked up one of any 4 CAGS that were on CL at the time, and/or one of 3 that were being rehomed at the bird store, all for about $600 each, but Inara chose me and I chose her and that was that. Plus, I wasn't looking for a 'bargain' bird. Wanted to adopt one, and was willing and prepared to pay a full retail price if necessary. So many people, just shop for the least expensive bird on CL or in the newspaper ads, and give little thought to whether or not the bird is a good match for them, etc. To this day, I'm still so relieved. I can't imagine what might have happened to her if an inexperienced or unethical person had picked her up. My thought is that her price stopped most people cold. To me, she's priceless. A week rarely goes by when there is not at least 1 Grey or more on the various CO CLs.

Sounds like Echo is one smart little cookie! Your description of Echo's energy level just cracked me up, I can just visualize it. Busy, busy, B U S Y ! HRH Inara is out of her cage for about 1-2 hours in the morning. She comes out, helps me fix her breakfast and make coffee. Then we sit together at the table, and she eats her breakfast while on my arm with me sharing bites of it (good social eating time). Then she likes to look out each window to search for The Squirrel, and we talk about the trees and the day's weather. Then, we do some flying time (well, obviously she flies, I stand), then she sits on my lap for awhile and plays, then she gets a shower, and by that time she is ready to go home. She is nice and wet, well fed, has burned off energy by flying and playing with plenty of my attention and interaction, and is more than ready to be home in her cage where she forages around for hidden nutriberries. Her evening routine is very similar, and at times she will come out for short period during the day if she asks to come out. She is not much for playing with toys, despite my having tried numerous types. She does love her string of birdie cardboard rings, a couple of foraging toys, her little wooden dutch shoes that I hide nutriberries in, and she does have a wooden block toy with various knots that she will chew. She is more interested in what is happening around her, and what is going on outside. We live in the mountains and out each window are various trees and different wild life throughout the day. As for destroying things -- that is the nature of birds, kids, puppies, and all young and curious animals. You can work with Echo on what you'd like to have be safe. If you have leather furniture, for now, put some thick blankets over it, so that Echo can't chew it. Wires are always a danger, so either move them, or run them through PVC pipes so that Echo can't get to them. If Echo goes for the buttons on your shirts, pull an old T-shirt on over your good shirt when you are holding Echo. If you're messy, well, then it's your problem if Echo chews things as Echo doesn't know the difference between something important and something that isn't So pick up and put away things that you don't want damaged, or that could be dangerous to Echo. Echo can learn self entertainment. Put him on a basic schedule/routine that is pretty predictable. Parrots are creatures of habit so having a basic daily rhythm is important. Inara's morning routine is an example. Find out what works for you. Always make sure that when you put Echo back in his cage that you give him a wonderful little treat. Try laying out several different little things on a table or plate in front of Echo, and see which one he goes for first -- then let that be his yummy treat. Only give it to him for training, never at any other times. He will soon associate it with something good happening. It may take you a bit to find it, but once you do, it's priceless if you are consistent. Look for books, and/or videos by Barbara Heidenreich. She is excellent in her training methods, and very well respected. It is worth the effort now, to have a long and relaxed relationship with Echo for the next 30 or so years. Young birds learn from their parents and flock members in the wild. All they have is us in their current situations and it is our responsibility and duty to teach them how to live with us, not just let them try to figure it out on their own. Young animals don't raise themselves, and it's not fair to expect them to. That's why your questions are such important ones, and show that you are really on the ball about wanting to be a good companion for Echo. Use specific training techniques and keep the times of your sessions predictable and regular, and Echo will soon be looking forward to them. Don't try to just wing it, I'm serious on the Barbara vids/books. It takes a lot of patience, and dedication on your end, but again it will be so worth it in the end. It is normal for Echo to want to climb all over and try to get out of his cage when he sees you. You are his flock mate. he wants to hang with you. Find one place in the house for his cage and leave it there. Don't move it around. He needs to know that home is home and that it is not going to change. If he sees you, stop and give him some attention, then walk off and ignore him until he settles down. It could be awhile before he does, but he will. The instant he settles down, walk over to him and give him attention and a little treat. Find a word or two that you use consistently such as, " OK going to work now." Then go do whatever it is you need to do. When you come back to his cage say something like, "I am back." Then eventually you can string these together into, "OK, I'm going to work now. I will be back." Again, read or watch some excellent training methods. It's much too complex to put into one forum post. Time, patience, and consistency are your best friends. Echo is off to a great start, and you can make it even better

Loved hearing about Isaac clucking for his chicken dinner. What a character he is!!

Yesterday, HRH gave me a heart pounding moment. She was in her cage, while I was in the kitchen preparing a large pot of homemade soup so she was not allowed to help me cook. Joe was in the study and out of line of sight. I heard an unusual amount of flapping, and a loud, "Come here, you!" from Inara. My brain registered from all the flapping that she must be taking a bath, but the "Come here, you!" didn't fit the picture. It does fit the picture when I am cooking and Inara can't come into the kitchen with me, but did not fit with her taking a bath. So I walked into the big room, and could see her leaning and reaching for one of her perches at a really awkward angle. I hurried over to her cage just as she started flapping again, and I could see that one of her little feet had somehow gotten all the way through two of her cage bars, but between a side of one of her foraging toys and the perpendicular cage bar, and she was unable to pull it back into her cage and was stuck, and beginning to panic. I braced myself and expected to get bitten out of fear/panic. I spoke softly to her, opened her cage door, and said quietly, "I will help you." She immediately calmed down and stayed perfectly still, while I reached around her to hold onto the foraging toy inside the cage with one hand, and unscrewed the knob that was on the outside of the cage with the other, then was able to carefully remove the toy, thus giving her foot enough room to move easily back into the cage as she fluttered to the closest perch. She then hopped onto my arm, up to my shoulder and came in close and said, "Whewwwh!!!" a couple of times. I agreed wholeheartedly!! Not one nip nor even a beak thump. I, and Joe also, have used "I will help you," from the first day she arrived. If she was on the floor after one of her initial clumsy attempts to fly, or if she was frightened, or if she was up too high and didn't know how to get down, etc. She learned early on that "I will help you," always meant help and help only (never a trick to take her back to her cage, etc). She will say things like, "I will help you cook in there," or "I will help you get the cookies." She does know what help means. I believe this is what "helped" the situation and saved me from a panic bite. It also illustrates the importance of using proper language with our companions no matter what form that language takes, as long as it has meaning. (Preaching to the choir here, I know.) Also, the importance of having one ear tuned in to our birds/kids/furkids etc. and trusting our instinct when something just doesn't sound right. Because she loves to have me smooch her feet, it was easy to examine for any damage, which luckily there was none. The only after effect was that she wanted to be close to us most of the evening, which of course was great. By close to bed time, however, she was ready to be back home and was looking around for her favorite but now offending foraging toy. It was not the toy's fault, it was a freak accident that likely will never happen again. However, I'm not ready to put it back into her cage yet. All's well that ends well --- but if our hearts truly are programmed to beat for a finite number of beats throughout our lives, well my days have definitely been shortened by a few..... WHeeeewHHH !!

Breaks my heart. Jazzy is going to be so sad and confused. Yes, jobs change, life changes, but I am going to be blunt. If people have time to watch TV, or play video games, or whatthefrak ever, they still have time for the companions that they originally committed to. I've been there. I was a true single mother (no husband, no shared custody, no child support, no weekend visits, no nada). I had my kid and my birds, and my dog. I rented, and always found places that would accept all of us. I worked full time, and then went to school full time on top of it all. Not that I'm a martyr, I'm saying this because we *make* time for the things in our lives that are important to us and the "I just don't have the time [insert animal type here] deserves is a cop-out and a way to simply make one's life easier. Children and animals are very resilient, more so that we give them credit for. Despite full time school, raising a kid, and sometimes working more than one job because call me crazy, I prefer to live indoors and eat regularly, I still had time to walk my dog, do homework with, cook for, watch baseball games and hockey with my kid, *and* spend plenty of time with my birds who outlived two long lived dogs. I rant at this kind of thing because there is a pervasive attitude these days that the slightest effort or inconvenience means "downsize the non-humans" in the house. Imagine the outcry if someone advertised their human kids on Craigslist or in the paper? 10 year old kid to good home. Housebroken, does eat a lot, not too noisy but does whine a few times a day. Gets good grades in school, fenced yard not required. We only want a good home for him. He's been with us for 10 years, and doesn't bite. We're asking a rehoming fee because want to make sure he goes to a good new home. It breaks our heart to let him go, but we just don't have the time that he deserves and the neighbors have complained about the screeching (mine, when he refuses to do what I say). Only seriously interested people respond.

Dee, your sweet GG reminds me so much of my Lestat. No easy road, and not a holiday destination, but the discoveries along the way were priceless. You are filling the fissures in Miss GG with your own heart of gold, and helping her repair herself in a beautiful way. There was an old Ann Landers column about a mother who gave birth to a special needs child, and she equated the experience to one having thought they were on a plane to Paris, and then hearing the flight attendant say, "We are now landing in Holland." But after awhile, she began to see that Holland has it's own beauty and master painters, etc. I know that you see the beauty in GG's heart, spirit, and even her little chewed feathers. I would not trade the years I had with Lestat for anything, and I promise one day I'll write his story here in the rescue forum. HRH Inara has indeed been a cakewalk, and I'm so grateful every day that she landed with us, and not with someone who would have been harsh with her, or who would have broken her independent spirit. Your GG is so very very fortunate that she landed with you and David. We all know that you would not trade her for the world. She is progressing in leaps and bounds, and over the course of her lifetime, as you are aware, three to five years will be a drop in a bucket. It is so heartwarming whenever I tune in here to catch up, and I see just how far she has come over a week, or a few days, or sometimes even within the course of one day. Sometimes I wish it was easier for you both, but trust us -- those days will come, and you're already catching some great views of what they will be like. Big hearts and hugs to you both!

When HRH first came to live with us, she talked in sort of a lower pitched gruff voice -- like an old. smoker lounge singer voice. Now she talks in her own voice. It's neither mine nor Joe's. She has a very sweet little voice and when she talks to me while upon my shoulder she whispers very softly. She at times however, does this "Exorcist" type mumble voice that we think must be how the TV sounds to her from the other room through the wall. My Lestat (CAG) used to imitate The Count from Sesame Street, and would talk in a mid-range voice, then began imitating my voice to a T.

wheeoh weehoh wheeoh 911 ! Dayo apparently thinks it's an emergency when you leave him. (at about 1:56 - 2:00) What a treat to see Dayo this morning! You both have been missed. Sending good thoughts to your and your wife for a smooth recovery with her hip surgeries.

Have spent the last several weeks putting down new cork flooring in the main part of the house. HRH has come through it all unfazed, although the first time we rolled her home into our master bedroom to keep her out of the dust and noise, she immediately said to me, "I want to go back there." I replied, "Joe is working out there and you need to stay in here with me." to which she said, "I want to go back *out* there." (her emphasis). She did eventually settle, and got used to the weekend routine of being rolled into the bedroom with me for a few hours. What does this have to do with flying? Well, very fun! We have a large, high ceiling, open floor plan and now that the new floors are done, I've rearranged furniture. I completely got rid of the formal dining room area, and turned it into a very cozy reading area, using furniture from the living room. Well that has left the large living room nearly empty as we are looking for an area rug. I just have two comfy chairs in there for now so it is a huge open space. Last evening, Inara was on my shoulder as we were walking from the kitchen toward the big open room and she took flight from my shoulder, and just spun a lap around the big empty room and then alighted upon the floor, finishing with a laugh and a major tail wag. It was as if she just had to try out all that space. So cool! This morning, I set up two of her perches at various heights and big distances apart with the chair in which I sit with my morning coffee sort of making the apex of a triangle. I put Inara onto one of her perches instead of going directly to the coffee chair as is our routine right after breakfast (flying usually comes later after my brain turns on). She said, "I want to go up there!" and took off to fly past the other perch, made an attempt to land on the railing that looks over into the downstairs, it was too slick to land on so she made a beautiful correction with a super steep bank and came back to alight perfectly upon the other perch. She took a few seconds to do about three flips around the perch (we call this "circus bird") and then flew from that perch over to my lap. One happy girl. It's not even as if the room was that hard to maneuver before, I just think she loves the super open feel now. Which, I do too actually and so will be really choosy about what I put back in there. I also think I will rig a perch between two of the posts on the railing that she tried to land upon so that she can get a good grip there. Fly often.

Could she be loving going to her outdoor cage? If so, then it makes sense that she'd start in and keep it going until you take her there. You can always go back to square one, and try giving her her favorite treats when she is *not* doing it and give her lots of attention then too -- this could take a lot of daily treats and attention, and just completely ignore her and/or leave to another room where she can't be with you when she is doing it. GreycieMae is one smart cookie and it won't take her long to catch on that it is not going to get her what she's looking for. You are also one smart cookie and you know that it will take some major effort on your part too Those kinds of sounds really can make a human's nerves get on edge. So remember when she starts, that she's looking for something from you. Take a deeeep breath. Calm your body, and walk off without so much as a glance in her direction. The instant she stops it, make sure you give her lots of attention and a good treat. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Oh oh oh what a cutie!! Albert knows that he is safe and in great hands. I am so thrilled for him and for you also.He will be a super love.

Luxury digs for sure! How wonderful for your flock, and such a great idea to have it right off their window. Love this.

Welcome Michael and Woody! I currenently am bossed around by a very funny and talkative three year old TAG, Inara aka HerRoyalHighness or HRH for short. She is my 2nd Grey. My first, CAG named Lestat is long deceased. Inara is my 2nd half of life bird and since she is so much smaller than was my CAG, I call her my sports model. Can't wait to hear more about Woody and to see photos and or vids. Glad you found us!

Congratulations, Muse, on becoming the first Honorary Members! Agreed. You and your husband have such wonderful hearts. I thought the earlier batch of photos were fantastic, and just now caught the ones from the 11th. The joy and confidence that emanate from them is just priceless. One life at a time...... couldn't send you more good karma because the forum is telling me I need to spread it around, but if I could, I'd click it a baker's dozen

I just love your and Wilbur's interaction. He is just one beeuuudiful guy. Another great way to give Wilbur some flying exercise is to set up two T perches facing each other a little ways apart -- just enough so that he can step from one to the other, then over time gradually move them further and further apart. HRH Inara loved that and still does as the perches give her a great place to land. If you purchase them online they can be spendy -- but you can make them really easily yourself with a couple of old microphone stands a fitting to go into the top of the mic pipe, and then a branch/dowel to form the T part. You're an artist, you can figure out some good ones After she got good at flying between them, then I started varying their height and/or holding out my arm for her to land on. (There's several youtube vids out there that teach how to do this) She didn't fly at all except when she was startled and then she was like a brick that someone flung to the ground. So I started her off by having her hang onto a thick cotton rope, and I would gently swing it back and forth, then speed it up a bit and give it a little drop which stimulated her wings to flap. The first time she figured out that she could flap her wings and "push" the rope through the air the "I can fly light bulb went off." She now loves to fly through the house and is great at corners, etc. Sounds like Wilbur is, too, and just needs a bit of a refresher. I always wanted Inara to see/feel my arms and hands something secure and safe for her, so we didn't try the toss method. I do know, though, that that one works well for many people. I hear you on getting choked up if you feel you've done something that wasn't quite right. There's not a person here who hasn't had a bird that they haven't made some kind of mistake with at some point - so as Katana said, know better, do better Wilbur is one lucky guy! Can't wait for more vids and more pics.

Thanks everyone for the great wishes. HRH really *is* a super sweetie -- although she can be quite imperious. When she looks down at me, makes a fart noise and tells me, "Good work!" while I'm cleaning out her cage, you can see why I call her HRH. Dave, as long as you bring spaghetti with a bit of red sauce, topped off with an almond in the shell -- I'm sure she'd knight you. Geez, that means we'd all have to call you Sir Dave after that. As for your 17 year old TAG, as long as he doesn't fly drunk, gets her home before 10, and is great at kissing her feet -- I'm sure she'd be delighted. smart@ss Speaking of smartypantz -- Sterling -- hahhaa. hoominforum

Not a thought at all about breeding her. I'll leave that to the reputable experts. Jst wondering at what point in life to keep a closer eye, in case on a fluke her body decides to produce an egg. Don't need to sit around watching paint dry for another 2-3 years if not necessary -- Thanks, Dave.

Bigwick, invite your Auntie to join our forum, and read up on the posts to get in a little up to speed time while waiting for a bird. Craigslist almost always has greys pop up (depending on your area) but she should ask many questions about why they are being rehomed, and should take her time in finding just the right pal for her. It's so tempting to want to pick up the first available bird, but personality matches are very important and even more so with first timers even with a lot of love in the mix It's wonderful that she wants to adopt, and so also check for rescue organizations in her area. I love the photos of your own menagerie, and can tell that you and your auntie have a lot in common

Note: Long, and for those familiar with myself and HRH just recapping. For those newer to the forums, a peek into the joys of choosing a rehomed Grey. Wow. On the 17th of this month it will have been a year since HRH Inara, the bird formerly known as __________, came to live with us. Having planned on adopting/rehoming a CAG, I was totally taken aback when this beautiful little TAG captured my heart. When I had my first CAG (in the Jurassic Era), I didn't even know that TAGs existed. She seems so small compared to my departed CAG and 'zon. I call her my little bird. For members of the forum who are newer here, in the past year, Inara has gone from having just turned two when we got her, to just recently turning three. She is the youngest parrot I have ever lived with. As is typical of many parrots at or near two years old when they begin to become independent and are no longer those little fluff filled balls of joy (to some), she was put on Craigs List by her first humans. They purchased her from a breeder, excitedly drove back and forth to help hand feed her until she was ready to come home, and started her off with a lot of love and attention. Until the shiny wore off, and they realized that she demanded a lot of time, money, and energy, was becoming independent -- and could bite, hard! When the ideal hit up against the real, she paid the price by being put up for sale. To their credit, her first humans gave her a very good and well intentioned start. Fortunately for me, it could not have worked out better! Their frustration in banging up against the reality of living with a Grey, has become my greatest joy. Inara has been a complete sweetheart from day 1. She did give my Joe a few solid nips here and there until he became used to her and more adept at reading her subtle body language. Those days are now long in the past. She has learned to fly, and is a very skilled navigator; she loves to practice recalls twice a day inside of our large, open floor-plan home. She has given up her Southern comfort food diet in favor of fresh fruits, veggies, flax seeds, cooked grains/legumes, all supplemented with nutriberries to munch on and forage around for. Her feathers have gone from overly preened and scraped scraggly in places, to shiny and beautiful. She enjoys having me buff her beak and talons lightly daily with a small emery board, and now loves her daily showers and will ask for them. She bathes herself on her own weekly. Her language use went from a few words to talking like crazy, with very appropriate usage. Inara knows the difference between in and out, here and there, you and I and me, come and go, quiet and loud, up and down, warm and cold -- and uses them all correctly. For example: "I want to go out there with you," "You come here to get me." "Dezi go in the kitchen." "You will go and then come back?" She has some words that are specifically of her own making: While she can say grape and carrot she calls grapes "tickle cookies," she calls carrots "good cookies," and she calls her birdie cookies "O-cookies." She calls anything eaten at the table "breakfast," and her nutriberries "cookies." She calls Joe, "Joe" Dezi "Dezi" and still calls me "Woo." She is in love with her chopstick that we (and now she) call "Precious" like gollum and the ring. Inara loves, loves, loves to sit on my arm snuggled up by my chest and have me oh so lightly stroke her little cheeks, eyes, and ears with the chopstick. She coos, and turns her head to stargaze with her eyes nearly shut until she is so relaxed that she begins to yawn. She does not however enjoy finger scritches on her neck anymore and is not otherwise much of a snuggler. She is too busy busy. She will even say at times when she is ready to go home to her cage, "I will get to work now." Makes me laugh every time. Another thing she enjoys doing in the mornings is to fly from her perch down to a bundled up sheet on my lap, that has small sprigs of different types of flowers on it. She beaks gently the different flowers and forages around for a hidden grape and baby carrot until she finds them. She then wraps one of them up in part of the sheet with her foot, leaving just part of it peeking out, and then eats it like an ice cream cone or simply just "wood chips" it down to tiny particles. While she can nail a hole in my shirt shoulder with one little snip of her beak, she has never left so much as a teeeensy rent in her sheet, she is so gentle with foraging in it. Our days are spent chatting back and forth. She prefers her alone time in her cage for various parts of the day, but will call out to me if things are very quiet for too long of a stretch. This morning, she was playing "radio free Inara" which is when she sticks her head inside of her water dish surround and chats up a storm just to hear her voice echo in there. I said from the bedroom -- "What are you doing in there, Inara?" which received the curt reply, "Be quiet, you." Well, excuuuse me, for interrupting your broadcast. She loves to play "Give me that beak, give me those toes!" Where I gently grab her beak and kiss it, and the same with her toes. She can play that for a solid five minutes, pushing her beak into my hand and nibbling gently at my fingers and holding her toes up for kisses. But again, is not one to hold still for scritches. She's young, she's B U S Y. She is very generous with kisses, though, and rather than hanging out on my shoulder, she prefers to hang out on my bicep where she can maintain easy eye contact and chat. We have a deep understanding of one another's body language, rhythm, and human as well as bird language. If she is not wanting me to move her off of my arm, or take her out of her cage she simply nudges my hand with her beak and will make a kiss sound letting me know that this is not on her agenda. I respect that 100% of the time, and hence we have no confrontations. If it is necessary that she be moved, I always give her a moment or two to change her mind, and she does. Inara has reaped the benefit of my having lived well over 20+ years with wild caught, abused and terrified/violent birds who later became super sweethearts and survived any and all of my well-intentioned blunders and naivete. They were wonderful teachers. I call HRH my midlife sports model. She is the joy of my life, makes me laugh my arse off daily, and makes my heart melt several times a day. This past year has literally and figuratively flow by. Thank you Craigs List.

Oh what a very sweet, sweet video, Dee. What a look of bliss on Miss GG's face as her eyes close. She is just such a wonderful little creature, and I love her from afar.

Thanks Dave. At what age are the females first capable of egg production?

Hahaha! What a cutie, and he does a great chicken impersonation!

One thing to be aware of is that if and when you take your grey to get its talons trimmed, make sure to tell the groomer to just buff off the very tips. If done too short, it will impede your bird's grip ability and can contribute to a sense of imbalance both on the perch and upon your arm.