Acappella

Y'know, when people with new rescues join here upset because their relationship with their new fid isn't progressing, we should copy and past your first post in this thread, then this post. Then tell them there's 56 pages between the two. Might help them take a deep breath. Do me a favour? When Gilbert is allowing one of his scritching sessions, tell him this one is a long-distance one from his auntie Marguerite and his brother Dorian.

I'm happy for Gilbert of course, but I'm so happy for you Dee. Your joy at his expanding confidence makes me smile. Gilbert may end up surpassing Dorian as he continues to grow and change. Love love love to you all.

What a self-less bird you have. He is not, after all, asking for himself . . .

Here is a short video I took shortly after I moved in July. Enjoy. http://s226.beta.photobucket.com/user/Schemda/media/HelpingUnpack_zpsa55e21b4.mp4.html

With Dorian it's key to provide many opportunities and wait until the mood strikes. When I think it's time for a bath I change his water dish more than usual, always filling with ice cold water from the fridge. Then I just wait for him to jump in. Once he's decided it's time to get wet he'll let me help by spraying him, but if I start without his invitation he shreaks like he is being killed. lol

His nibs decided this was a good day for a bath.

If ever there was a time when I wished someone was videotaping...

Happy birthday Talon. Don't let Nilah or Rikki steal any of your birthday treats.

Please don't get discouraged. Romeo is a re-home from a neglectful and abusive situation. He was on good behaviour for the first few days. That's common. We call it the honeymoon period. Now he's letting you see the baggage he's brought with him. Try to think of to from his point of view. He's been in a bad and lonely situation for at least a year, but it's still the only home he knew. All of a sudden a person he doesn't know picks him up and takes him to an entirely new place. He would be scared and unsure of himself and might be inclined to do whatever this new person wants him to do because his is scared. Now perhaps the fear is a little less and he's behaving more like he did every day in his new home. Now it's your job to prove to him that he's safe and loved and not going to be uprooted again. This can be a long process. That's why the word patience is used so often here. Also the phrase "grey time". Try to erase the memory of him stepping up for you and being more pliable, since he may have been doing those things out of fear. Now you have to earn his trust. Make sure his cage is where he can observe your household. Let him hang out in his cage if that's where he feels safe. Sit by his cage, as close as you can before he shows signs of fear or of becoming cage defensive. When you feed him watch for what he goes for first and try to save that favoured food item for a treat. Use that treat to let him begin to associate interacting with you with a positive thing. Eg. If he doesn't like you changing his dishes you out the treat in a dish on the other side of the cage before you start. Hopefully he'll start associating you approaching his cage with the treat. It can be a long road with an abused re-home but we're here to cheer you on. It's so rewarding when they do start to open up and trust, it is worth all the work and frustration, I promise.

Thank you for giving Bobbie a new home. There's tons of info here for people with re homed birds. Do a search on "body language", and do some reading in the rescue room forum. What is Bobbie's cage like? Where is it located? Does she get a full 10 hours dark sleep time? Does she have toys? Knowing this stuff will help us guide you while you work to provide an awesome new home and life for Bobbie.

If he'll let you, keep your thumb over his talons when he's on your hand. It will help him keep his balance as you move around.

Gabby, sorry you got yelled at by your birdy brother. Jac the cat does a lot of yelling around here but it's mostly at momma. She says Jac isn't coping with the move well. On the bright side I've gotten to listen to his meowing sounds a lot and I'm getting better at sounding like him. I don't think momma's happy about that though. She says we're driving her crazy! Where's crazy? Is that where the birdy Toronto lives?

Yeah, focus on building trust and getting some healthy food into Romeo to help grow those new feathers!

Good decision. If MBS rears it's predictable little head lots of people here have more than one grey, or another breed. Just remember they may not get along and it may mean changes in Spartans routine if you add to your flock.

I think it's smart to back off a little. Let his nerves catch up to his curiosity and desire to expand his world. You're such a great parront, watching him for clues and putting what's he's comfortable with ahead of what you want for him. If you get frustrated just remind yourself that pace-wise you're still ahead of where I was with Dorian at this point. It was more than two years before he ventured off his cage to investigate a hanging toy, and almost four before he let me carry him on my hand to another room. The biggest difference between Dorian and Gilbert is that Dorian has never plucked (knock wood). Given his extremely nervous disposition, that's a small miracle. I hope this little plucking set back is short lived. Have you considered setting up Skype calls with Rachel so that Gilbert can see and hear her. You can watch closely to see whether it's helping or hurting. Love to you and your whole flock, feathered and not. <3

Whoever did that clip should never be allowed around another bird. Poor little guy. As for the potty mouth, don't react to it at all if you want to extinguish it. Glad he's settling in.

Congrats on your new addition. You're right, that looks like a really severe clip. Be careful when he's out of the cage to keep things quiet, no sudden movements or noise that might starle him off his perch. With that clip he'll land hard. You'll know pretty quickly how jumpy/nervous he is. My Dorian was also a re-home that had always been clipped and was extremely likely to startle (he's still a bit of a nervous nelly, but much more confident.). Check out the Rescue forum room. You can read the stories of others like me with re-homed birds and it will give you some good ideas on making him comfortable. As for him choosing your husband, that seems to be common with these little goofs. It's like they look around, figure out who wants them most, and then go out of their way to choose someone else as "their" person. Dorian had no choice in the matter. It was me or the cat. Lol. Have fun getting to know your new family member.

Hi Kiki. I'm weak too. Momma went away for three days and left a Clarissa girl to take care of me and Jac the cat. She got back really late Monday night and we went straight to night nights. The next morning, I forgot I was mad at her!!!!! When I remembered and tossed the almond she put in my dish she just laughed and said I'd regret that!! Momma was in a good mood. I think she's cheating on me with another bird named Toronto. I don't know who this Toronto is, but I don't like him one bit.

Well, I've been trying to get away for a weekend for almost a year, since my dad died. I finally had the perfect excuse, as a friend and his band were in Toronto from Kamloops for some gigs. I was worried because we're in a new house in a new town and my old trusted (by me, hated by Dorian) pet sitter doesn't travel this far. So I had to find someone new. I asked a friend's daughter to give it a try. She's 15 and always looking for jobs to keep up with three older brothers. So I showed her everything, left her my cell phone# and took off. I resisted the temptation to call and when I got home both animals were fine (physically, both ticked off though). Clarissa said Dorian wasn't even cage aggressive with her the way he was with the last sitter, and that she'd do it again. So it looks as though I have a new pet sitter.

Unless you really enjoy R2D2 sounds I do not reccoment Star Wars. Trust me. Voice of experience speaking here! Lol

Dorian here. There's a bunch to tell you. First, we're in "new house" mom kept talking about. My cage house is exactly the same but none of my hanging toys and swings are up yet. Mom says she has to think carefully about where to put them 'cause this new ceiling is drywall and she doesn't want to make lots of holes. That's ok though 'cause I like being inside cage home right now. I don't even go walkers on the outside. My play stand is in the living room. That room has a really really high ceiling. One time something scared me and I took off flying. I just kept going up and up and up. I've never been that high before and it was a little scary. I landed on the ground and boy was I pooped! So I did! hee hee! There's lots of scary noise here during the day. Mom says they're 'big truck' and that they won't hurt me but it still scares me. They drive right by the big window door in my room so Mom keeps the curtains closed when they're around. Jac the cat doesn't like them either. One neat thing. They make this "beep beep beep" sound. Now I can make it to! Mom says they start too early. One morning I heard mom tell an Owen person that 7:00am was too early for bulldozers in the back yard and that they woke me up. That confused me 'cause I was already awake - it was mom who was still sleepies. I'd better go night nights because big truck will be here early. Goodnight birdie buddies.

You are amazing Parronts. I just marvel at the flock you've taken on and how well you manage their various "issues". Your house is one I'd love to visit one day, if only to learn how to appreciate my relatively quiet one. Also sounds like you're lucky to have an amazing vet. Bubba and the rest of your flock truly won the birdy lottery. Who needs retirement savings anyway? Lol

Dorian here. Lots happening. I don't know if i can tell it all before mom comes back in. The biggest news is that I'm typing from a different room in a different house. I guess this is the "new house" mom kept telling me about the last couple of months. We've been here a couple of weeks. I'm in my house most of the time because it's the same as it was before, but mom's let me onto my playstand a few times in what she calls the "living" room. The day we came here mom put me in my small cage that we go outside in but instead of going to the back patio she put me in the loud car thing. I was scared, but mom sat beside me and Jac the cat and let someone else drive the car thingy. Mom kept telling me what a good big brave boy I was so I had to act cool. Better than Jac anyway. He howled the whole time in the car. It made mom and the driving lady laugh. I spent some time trying to make those sounds so mama would laugh at me, but he stopped as soon as we got here so I'm kind of forgetting what they sounded like. The first night here I was scared and I didn't like mama to go out of the room where I couldn't see her. One time when she left the room I fell off my perch and broke a feather. Mom sat next to me a talked to me and I finally got some sleep, but I made mom leave the light on. Now I know it's safe at night and mama puts me to bed the same way as in the old house. The biggest difference is that it's really noisy around here in the mornings. Mom says it's construction noise and that we won't be sleeping in during the week for the next few months. Sometimes big machines drive right by the window in my room and they scare me. At first mom left the curtains over the windows, but I got more scared when I couldn't see what was making the noise so now she leaves them open. I think it'll be ok here but it sure is different. I don't have my boing or outside swing yet. I can see them on the floor in my room but I'll give mama a break and not make her put them up right away. Mama has been sleeping a lot here so Jac and I keep quiet and let her. She tells us what good boys we are and gives us lots of loves. I know I'm a better boy than Jac the cat because I don't crawl all over her when she's sleeping like he does. Gee, I haven't even pooped on her once since we got here.

Your group is beautiful. I hope, if you ever have to move, you have a good carpenter around to replace your sills lol!

Forgot one, Turkeyfeather.