Inara

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How exciting!! You are going to have even more fun than ever. Can't wait to hear all about Phoenix' chatter as he continues to explore his 2nd language. PS - Sterling, I think a survey thread would be great.

Just another thought, if Bandit is in the kitchen, how busy of a place is that? If it is a busy hub, is it possible that Bandit is not getting enough sleep and rest? Greys also do well when they can have quiet solitary time at some point during the day, as well as about 10-12 hours of sleep at night. If he is mot getting enough sleep, and/or rest, combined with what Dan said about him feeling his oats, that is a recipe for a cranky bird. Also, if his cage is in the kitchen, that is not good for his health. When we are cooking, there are micro particles of grease and other contaminants that over time can affect respiratory health. On the beavioral side, there really are some good resources out there on positive training. Barbara Heidenreich (hope I spelled that correctly) has a good website that you might find helpful. There are mixed opinions on training our companions. Find a method that works for you and your bird. It is well worth the time and energy spent as it contributes to us living better together. In the wild, the paents and flock members would be teaching and modeling behavior so that the flock remains harmonious. We also must do the same, so that both our and our bird's frustraion levels are reduced. Wishing you and Bandit success, as often it is around this age that people get frustrated and rehome their birds. Hang in there we are all here to help.

What a nice update. Django is really learning a lot. Your post left me with a chuckle and a smile.

Thank you so much Ray! I can't help but think that all of our beloved departed 'zons are out there somewhere among the stars, chatting about us all on a "people forum."

Happy hatch day, Maalik! May this next year bring you treats, toys, scritches, and all the love your little wings can hold.

So great to have such a good update on Marco! Love your tattoo and also how you are taking Marco entering into the more independent twos in stride.

Furley, I make a lot of fresh juices (veggies mixed with berries usually) and Inara loves a few drops of those. In the wild, some species will eat a lot of fruit, but they need the fruit sugars to replenish the glycogen stores in their muscles for flying energy. Short burst flying in birds rapidly depletes the muscle glycogen stores. Long flights draws more from the liver stores which come more from fats. (Much more complex than this but this is the condensed version). If your bird isn't flighted, and doesn't get a lot of exercise then fruits, sugars, juices, and simple grains like white flour bread, white rice, etc. are not going to be good in large quantities. (I don't give my bird rice because of the arsenic levels in most rice, and white bread is useless). Fruit juices are like feeding them a lot of whole fruit at one time if you've juiced it yourself -- (not the stuff in the bottle, which is like giving them pure sugar water). If your bird is flighted and you exercise your bird with flight training in the house, for example, your bird is doing mostly short burst flights compared to what they would be doing in the wild, and so to feed a little fruit before and/or after will be OK and can be helpful. Just remember, bird quantity not in human quantity. A person who long flies their bird (perhaps outside like those who free-fly their birds) would also want to give some fruit and ensure their birds are getting enough of the proper kinds of fats and proteins. Fruits are high in moisture, and like Dave said will quickly go through your bird. This also ensures that they are not bogged down for flight. Most birds will drop a poo before beginning a flight, or in the event of a startled flight, will drop one during or immediately after. Sort of like dumping cargo So to answer your question more directly with regard to juice, (just my opinion), if it's unsweetened (no sugar, no fructose, dextrose, corn syrup, etc) pure fruit juice -- then a few little drops off the tip of your finger is fine to have with you to share when you make your juice. If it is bottled juice and is loaded with sugar, just skip and give your bird a little bite of fresh fruit instead.

The more "no big deal," and nonchalant you are about it and around, the faster Timmy will relax about it.

Yepskis, that solved the problem slickity slick.

Sounds like a case of greydenfreude

Just spewed my coffee on the screen!! HAHAHAHA!

Ooohhhhh, pretty pretty pretty! Welcome McKenzy and Opi !

Outstanding! So glad that things are running along smoothly. A happy reunion is a delight to see!

What a stunning piece of art, made all the more special knowing your love for Mars and now his legacy in the Ark. Love this!!

Hey thanks. Ray, I never check the "remember me" button, so will try that for sure. Dee, sounds like we have the same posting style when mobile rather than laptop. Thanks to you, I just did a search on how to copy and paste using my tablet, and wheeeee I have learned a great feature. Just goes to show that an old bird can indeed learn new tricks.

Fantastic!!! That is great news and now you can rock and roll in the fund raising department. Have you given though to online fund raising sites, like http://www.gofundme.com/tour/ or some of the others? I've had friends with good success with those when starting a 501©3. Also, be sure to check out Amazon.com's Amazon Smile program, where people who order from Amazon can choose you as their charity and you will get a small donation each time someone orders who names you as their organization. You might already know all of this stuff from researching, but just thought I'd mention it just in case So excited for you!

Hi Furley. I think I see now. I thought that this was only happening when you were going to put her back into her cage, and I must have misread your original post. So what you are saying is that your normally sweet girl, has taken to giving you some major chomps lately that have come as a complete surprise. Is she doing this after you have been holding her for awhile, or is it happening more when you go to pick her up? Has it happened near the same time of day, or near a certain place? Or does it just seem random to you? When Inara first came to live with us, she would happily go over to my husband's hand, give him a whistle, fluff up and tail wag and then a few seconds later nip his thumb hard! (not to the degree you are describing -- yikes!). We figured out that she was OK and secure saying Hi to him for just a very short time and then she wanted to be put either back down, or passed over to me and the only way she knew how to say that was by nipping. We, too, were worried that this would keep up, but we managed to help her and Joe by limiting the time he holds her on his hand and we also noticed that she would glance around a bit right before she would nip. The glancing around seemed to be her way of saying -- OK I am looking for a way out of here now. Now she can just fly off if she wants to, but back then she didn't know how to fly. I wish I could be more helpful. If she's already on you when she does it, watch for a bit of restlessness or glancing around. Also are you sitting, standing, or moving when she does it? Try to look back at each of the incidents and recall what you were doing right before it happened. Sometimes with Inara if I move too quickly, because I'm so relaxed with her on me and I forget that this can startle her, she will give me a squawk and a beak thump. It is fantastic that you and Sako are bonding so easily, and I'm sure you will get to the bottom of this. Try to think: time of day, where it has happened, where was she on my body, was I wearing a hat, or something different than usual, was i moving toward a specific place, what was I doing at the time, was she giving me any signals like glancing around, shifting her weight, narrowing her eyes a little bit? l? (I'm not talking about her pupils --sometimes that can mean "watch out" sometimes that can mean just excitement) A relaxed grey's eye shape is usually nice and round and open -- when stressed or frightened or wary they tense up their eye muscles and the shape of they will become more narrowed. We as humans, need to keep our own eyes open and relaxed (without staring) with our birds, and from time to time cock our heads a bit when looking at them for longer periods of time. By looking back at each incident and examining the above questions, it may help you find a pattern to the bites. If there is no pattern, then it could be that she is simply tired or just having an off day, as we humans do also, or she may be starting a molt and has pin feathers that are irritating to her and you may have inadvertently made it worse by holding her a certain way. I do know how frustrating it must be for you to have your sweet girl responding in such an out of character way.

Furley, how troubling for you, for sure. It seems like you read her very well, and that she is great at letting you know at other times when she is not wanting something to happen, and you've said that you respect that. Since she's really chomping down when you are taking her back to her cage, she's saying, "Hey, I tried to let you know the usual way that I don't want this to happen, and you're not getting it - so I will just clamp down harder!" From your post, this looks like it's just happening when you take her to her cage, correct? Make going back to her cage something that she will want to do and that is pleasant. Do you give her a nice treat when you put her back at her cage? It might take a bit of work on your part to help Sako understand that going back to her cage is not a bad thing. Some people have an open cage policy that works really good for them and their birds. Is there a reason that you need to put her back, or can she just be left out to go back on her own when she is hungry, etc? Just this evening Inara wasn't ready to go home to her cage at her usual time. We had had a guest for dinner and Inara didn't get her usual one on one time with me before bedtime. So as I was walking her back to her cage and went to move her off of my shoulder, she nudged my hand several times and so I respected that and told her that I understood, then walked around with her for a bit gave her a little more attention and then moved her into her cage for the night. Sometimes when just given a little more time, they will change their minds. She also gets either a little bite of grape or a teeensy piece of cheese when she goes back into her home. Tonight what she wanted more than that, was just some extra time with me. Are you spending as much time with Sako as usual? Has her routine changed? Every time you pick her up does it mean she is going to be put in her cage? What is she doing right before you take her to her cage? Has anything in or near the cage recently changed? There are a lot great brains here, and lots of collective experience to help you brainstorm a solution. If you can give as much information as possible, it makes it easier to help.

My heart just aches for Miss GG, the swearin' little ragin' cajun guru that she is. Your "exercise to exorcise," is a great philosophy and you already know that each time GG acts out (OK, I have to admit I grinned at her use of "LuLu" as an expletive for 1/2 the day) and does not get terrorized by her humans in response, you keep passing her tests one at a time. It really would, as you've said be tempting to focus on a more compliant newcomer. The long and short of it is that Miss GG is meant to be yours, and you are meant to be hers -- "you be the bird, I'll be the feather." With each post, each reader feels that we are right there with you and cheering you both on. I'd love to know, if you're willing to share, what you feel are some of the lessons you've learned about yourself since the arrival of guru GilGirl. Perhaps you've posted those somewhere else in this thread, and could point me to the post. But if you haven't, it could be very helpful for others who have a rehomed companion with complex issues. With each successive post, I find myself more and more fascinated with her, and with the coming together of the two of you. (I will refrain from mentioning you writing a book, because we've all made it pretty clear that we'd be the first in line to buy it, and how helpful it would be to so many!) (oops, I guess I did mention it )

Dee, I frequently joke about all of my birds having or having had ESP, but I do believe that there is a lot of merit to it. Birds use cryptochrome in order to read the geomagnetic fields in order to help them navigate and migrate. It's not such a far stretch at all to posit that they may also be able to read the electromagetic impulses given off by our brain waves and neuro systems, much like an MRI or PET scan would do. When we think about what close proximity we are to our fids, physically, it is quite possible. My thoughts are that they sense/see (via the cryptochrome) certain patterns given off by us, and then start filing those away in their phenomenal brains, eventually making sense of what we are doing/saying/feeling. Coupled with their advanced empathy centers in their brains (more advanced than ours, actually) that is a very powerful combination for sub-language communication on an extraordinary level. So for example, often I can be in a completely different room and be thinking about being thirsty and then start reaching for my glass and I will hear Inara say "waaaahter," at that very moment, in spite of the fact that she could not see me, nor would she have known where my water glass was positioned. Or I will be thinking about going into the kitchen to get something, and she will sing "walllk," (like and Egyptian) which is what she sings whenever I get up and walk to the kitchen. Those are just two small but uncanny examples. I have no doubt whatsoever, that we "beam" things to our companions, they receive and that they do get frustrated when they "beam" things back to us and we don't respond with the electromagnetic pattern that they are searching for. I'm very inspired to start reading more scientific articles on the functions of cryptochrome and perhaps do a metastudy on the literature and put together an article. It fascinates me, as I do believe that its use goes beyond just reading the earth's magnetic fields. Whew! That was a pretty dry response to your post, but it is very interesting, I think. Also, it's my understanding that cryptocrhome works best in the blue light spectrum and when not interfered with by other electronic devices, etc. Maybe it is the interference in our home environments now by so many electronic devices that cause our fids to misread some of the signals that we are giving out. Now, off to adjust my tinfoil hat (grin) and perhaps put together a survey post in the Grey Lounge about this very topic. In the meantime, I just can't think that Miss GG could ever find a better brain, better heart, or better hands to be her companion, than yours, Dee. She is such a complex little soul, who does sound like she suffers from PTSD, (I just want to smack whoever chased her with a broom and vacuum!! and lawd knows what else) and you are her safety and rock, even when she gets the message scrambled. It's hard to find the words to say to you that I so wish you could also have along with Miss GG a little gal like my Inara who could pour back into you so much of the love that you give out. I don't say this as an indication at all that Miss GG is not her own reward (I've been there!), but now having a companion who is not a daily challenge in this second half of my life is so peaceful, and I just wish that someone with the abundance of love and patience (that makes you perfect for GG) could get your own well replenished on a daily basis in spades. Your love for GG comes shining through even when you're having a bit of a low day, and Ray's vision of you and Miss GG sitting together in a chair laughing about the "old days," is one that I too hold in my heart for you both.

This is because the forum times us out when we take too long to write a post. It auto signs you off, so when you click to send your post, while it may look as if you are still signed in, you are not . So you get the message that you are not allowed to post, please refesh your browser and sign in. It can be frustrating because your post is then gone. Admins, can the time out limit be increased? This happens to me all the time (you know how freakishly wordy I am) Not to mention that I am old, naturally blonde, and tablet keyboard challenged........ PS: A workaround is to always highlight and copy your entire post before hitting the post button. That way if you have been auto logged out, you can sign back in, then paste your response. Although some mobile device keyboards do not have a way to do that.

How nice it must feel to get your braces off, I'm so thrilled for you. I must agree with Ray (who could possibly disagree with that gentleman?) that there are a lot of positive tick marks in the good Gil column with many more to come. When HRH first came to live with us, she would try to preen my hair, much in the way that you described what GG was doing. She was very rough, and she was also very rough when preening herself. I had been used to my wild caught birds being verrrrrry gentle (after the long road to get them where we could have physical contact) preeners. I'm wondering if GG was trying to preen you, or do you think it was more of a hair pull situation? She's such a little scallywag that it could be a toss up. It really is so encouraging that she landed upon you, no fright bite, and continued on her way albeit in a flurry. She continues to flourish as the two of you do your lovely chacha. Add another pearl to GG's necklace.

Nancy, your Sophie is a little dream girl and you know it. She's entitled to have one thing that she can turn her little beak up at. But I'd take her for a week any time!

Just dropping in to see how things are going this week? Are Radar and Echo settling down a bit?

Awwww, this is so cool. :cool: Understand about you not wanting to jinx it. Your beloved Isaac is SO loved. If love could fix it, he would be one of the fluffiest guys out there, that's for sure. It does sound as if the improved nutrition, the light, the feather spray, with an extra dash of love is doing the trick. You're probably already giving him a bit more fat and protein to ensure that there is enough to go around for all of the new feathers coming in. You are such a great parront, and I truly love it when you post an update on your wonderful guy!