katana600

Look at that baby all curled up and relaxed. I just love seeing the pictures and imagining years ago when Gilbert was being welcomed into the world with such sweetness and innocence. It helps to look at these pictures and realize this is still who he is deep inside and we just have to get past the battle scars of his world to allow the sweet baby to find his way back. You don't know how much it means to me to watch the new babies coming into our forum to people who are committed to hanging in there from beginning to end with their grey companion. Your baby is just exquisite and enchanting.

That was a breath of fresh air. Both the boy and his dog were taught to be gentle and kind. It had to take a lot of patience to film them together. Thanks for the link.

What a scary ordeal. I am glad Gracie wasn't hurt in the crisis and sorry your finger took the brunt of her fear. I get the lack of remorse though. At first when Gilbert would bite me, he would gently say sorry over and over again. The hardest bite yet was completely calculated and without remorse. It is almost like "I didn't bite you, you inserted your finger in the vicinity of my closing beak". In all seriousness though, Gracie was so caught up, literally, that she probably doesn't even realize she bit you nor connect the bloodied finger with her struggle.

That's funny, it reminds me of the old show Alf where he ordered things online with Willie's credit card all the time. That also reminds me, I should be more careful reading my credit card number over the phone. I am quite sure they can read my thoughts and I suspect they can control my thoughts too. I know they certainly control part of my day running around and cooking what they like and turning the lights on and off for them and such. I am a willing subject so I can't blame it all on the parrots.

Sorry about your sad news and loss. This little chick coming into your life now will have even more of a special meaning to you. It is going to be a wonderful journey of discovery when you finally get to meet your little one and watch it grow. It seems like such a long wait from the time you meet the little one until you get to bring it home. The nice thing is you will have plenty of time to prepare your home to greet the day with a happy little parrot wrapping your heart around a little grey talon. Congratulations on your baby getting closer to home.

Thanks Dan, I guess when I was thinking that they would solve our little life problems, I was thinking it would be to our benefit. Likely though, it would be to their benefit and they would take over the world. LOL. When I watched Gilbert play with toys on the cage top this morning, I am beginning to realize just how far he has come. It is the tiniest changes every day that add up to a more secure and active parrot. Sometimes the change is so imperceptible it is like watching paint dry but we have to look at the big picture to see the improvement. One thing I have been wanting to tell you is that sometimes when Gilbert talks, he sounds so much like you and Dayo that he must be picking it up from me watching all the videos. I love that we are connected through the care and affection for our little housemates.

Oh my goodness, congratulations! It is going to be a lot of fun to watch your baby grow. I love being able to see what Gilbert looked like as he was coming into this world. What a cute face... and a cute little red booty too.

We just never know where our journey with these little characters will take us. When I watched the video of you showing us how to make the stand for Dorian, I was amazed that he was so gentle touching your fingers and getting on his stand. I would never have guessed he had struggled with some of the same issues we have had with Gilbert. If not for this forum, I would never have found Gilbert, but above that, I would have not realized that stepping back and waiting patiently was going to be the key to overcoming the tension and fear he brings with him. There is just no amount of appreciation I could show to all the supporters and advisors we have here. Just think, if our greys could read, we would have all our problems solved. LOL. I love this little guy with all my heart and he is going to be okay.

I am so sorry for your heartbreak. Filbert had already worked his magic from afar into our hearts and homes. It is so hard to deal with this kind of loss, I hope you get some answers and find peace.

Gilbert is too clever. He has a good vocabulary. When he says good night, sweet dreams and bye bye, see ya later, come back soon, all the girls were just melting with oohs and aahs and how sweet he is. All the boys were secretly wishing for him to cuss just once, but they were respectful of not encouraging him. None of them have ever heard a bird talk and it surprised them how he was spot on with calling the dogs and asking if they want to go outside and saying goodnight, good morning and bye bye at the appropriate times. He was reminded of his naughty word just one time and for a few weeks now he has been doing what sounds like George Carlin routines serving it up with many tones, voices and situations. If it were on television, we would all be laughing because of the context, tone and delivery. We rarely use that kind of language and I am sure it will fall by the wayside in much the same way as "idiot" and a few other things he said at first. It is very much like a young child quietly taking everything in and then piping up with something at the most embarrassing time. It was nice to have the entire extended family here to meet Gilbert and Java in their own environment and to come to an understanding of how much they mean to us. It is hard to understand the depths of their intelligence and emotions until you see them interact naturally in their own home. When we have traveled with him, he is uncertain and edgy and very very quiet. This was a good visit all around for him to have people in his space where he feels safe and it was interesting to see him take it all in stride. I was half afraid he would take a liking to someone and be a totally different guy and I would have to admit he doesn't like me much. He is a bird with issues and there really is no magic wand, just time and patience and it isn't personal. Phew.

I love those bright little baby faces, so curious and full of trust. Simply adorable. I love watching you get your baby.

The best thing of all is that he didn't drop any big naughty word on our two year old niece. Phew. I loved that he was happy with relative strangers in the house. He has been delightful and I see the small changes adding up to him being more relaxed than ever. I also discovered something much worse than a parrot bite, I got stung on the toe by a scorpion. It was inside on the dark carpet and I never even saw it until after I was trying to find what cut my toe. I didn't even know there were scorpions in Georgia. We have been here six years and never saw one or heard of anyone in the neighborhood seeing them. It was horrid. No lasting damage, just very painful and shocking.

What a weekend. Our daughter's wedding was cancelled so our entire extended family still came for the weekend for support and we celebrated her graduation from college instead. We had a house full of people from Wednesday until last night. Gilbert took it all in stride. We did spend the night at the lodge about an hour away and came back twice a day to visit with him and clean cages etc. He loved talking to everyone even when the house was crowded. He did wolf whistles to all the girls when they went upstairs in front of his cage but made nary a peep at the guys when they walked upstairs. They were all laughing about that. He really made a name for himself. I let him on the cage top while we were all in the living room and you wouldn't have known he was a shy little fellow. He took almonds, pine nuts and other tidbits from anyone who was brave enough to come close. Conversely, he was ticked off at me the whole time. He would fling an almond to the ground and reject every offer I made him. When everyone left, he took pine nuts from my hands and he was calm for me but he is now preferring my husband over me. That is all well and good, it just makes me have goosebumps to watch him being trustful of anyone else. He is a fickle little character and he changes with the wind. Today he is talking a lot and being energetic and climbing all over. We have had some huge changes and brought in a new kitten along with my daughter moving home for a little while to get a new start, new job, grad school etc. We also moved in another dog and everyone seems to be getting along just fine. Go Gilbert!

Your baby doesn't need a name when he comes home. Once you see him play and get to know him better, you will try out a name or two and one day just find out the one you like sticks. We named our first CAG Juno because I was planning a once in a lifetime big birthday cruise to Alaska and the day I saw him, all my savings went to the birds. LOL. So, I decided if I wasn't going to Alaska, I would have Juno with me every day. Another of my parrots is Java because I was moving into a new house and the kitchen had a coffee theme. When I brought home the baby bird there was a sign that said "Java House" and I really really liked Sun Microsystems Java platform at the time. It is just what interests you, what makes a good connection and your baby will show you who he is and the name will come to your tongue. Good luck. Have fun with it.

Hi and welcome to you. It takes a while to find your way around and read some really good threads. Thanks for stopping in and I'll look forward to your next post when you tell us about your grey experiences. Glad you found us.

How many birds does it take to confirm this MBS? I am still at two but I can't help myself from looking. Those little tiels were so cute, I stopped the frame to try to count but then she turned to walk away and I saw some more on the back of her neck. They were cute cute cute.

Great news that you had a vacation and Roscoe is happily back with you and has beautifully adjusted to your return home. Congratulations on creating a safe and loving home for him and helping him build trust even in your absence. This is such an uplifting post, thanks.

Who did that? Oh my goodness, he is so funny. I love all his little chats. We had friends and family in this weekend, Gilbert was talking some and they were laughing so I showed them the video of Biscotti. I heard a lot of "kiss on the beak" and "mama's got your back sugar" and of course the red booty jungle chicken. Biscotti is a unique and entertaining little soul. I love to hear you in the background responding to him. He is surely the light of your life. You are great together. Thank you for posting the videos. You just never know the lift of laughter you send out to us to find at a rough patch to help bring back smiles.

Kudos to you and your zoo. You are going to have to have two lines of photos in your signature to keep up with the new additions. It is nice to know there are caring people like you out there. Every creature is a precious part of our life.

There will be no convincing anyone that a parrot isn't cussing when you hear it, there is no doubt about the accuracy of their repetition. We have heard a lot less of the naughty word around here, but with company coming and bringing a small impressionable child, my stomach is a little clenched thinking about our little feathered angel giving us a surprise after we have worked so hard not to encourage his outburts.

Thank you for sharing the news about Kirby. Greyhounds are particularly sweet, loving, regal dogs. I hope it gives you a measure of joy to know she was cherished and loved and she knew that. The closer you draw to an emotional bond with your pets is a blessing while they are here with us but a lot harder to let go. You had the grace and courage to love her deeply and let her go. I am so sorry you lost both Duke and Kirby so close together. As you grieve, slowly the memories of joy will be greater than the pain of the loss you are feeling now. I am grateful that Chickie is with you and being such a comfort to you.

This is a lot to absorb. The thing is, you will be able to handle whatever comes your way. If you find someone and they care for Maggie and she is doing well with them, you will come back and see whether she is willing to accept you back. You will leave knowing she is in good hands regardless if you say it is a rehome or foster home. If your heart is prepared to accept what is best for Maggie you will know that when you see it. I do agree somewhat with what each person has observed and every grey, every family and every situation is unique. At this age, Maggie will mature and change somewhat regardless of whether you stay in the same home with her and never leave. I have never transitioned a baby bird to a juvenile to an adult. Dave and others commenting are all respected and have a broad range of knowlege and all their points are valid observations on many years of combined experience. My perspective is that Maggie will evolve and change and you will know the right thing to do and do what is best for her. I can tell you are conflicted and that you have a compassionate heart and love Maggie. Find the best solution you can and be prepared to make new decisions based on what is right at that time.

Please send me a PM.

We are here for you and have a place for you in our heart. You are not alone in your suffering and there will be better days that will make you glad to be here sharing with us. Moving is traumatic in the best of conditions. We have had to move fifteen times in corporate transfers and even when it was for a promise of a secure future and it was for the best at the time, it was still disruptive and difficult. I will pray for your brother, he certainly needs it. I am thankful for the joy you have in Dorian.

Our older rehomed guy Gilbert is now going back and forth between my husband and me. There are days he is grouchy to me and elicits scratches from my husband lately and there are moments when he agrees to let me be the one to give him a scratch. I believe we will reach a day when he is equally tolerant of both of us. Our first parrot Java is not a grey, but she tolerates the whole family even though she is most sweet and cuddly for me. I would guess if they were not so scared of her quick beak she would be more welcoming to them too.