katana600

For now, I am compromising. Her new cage fits through the doorway, so I can roll it into my room in the evening and she can roll back out in the morning. She has the best of both worlds and we can make a slow transition to leaving the safety of her cage. What I will try once she gets adjusted to this change, is to make her warm bean mix in the morning and see if I can entice her to a rolling stand perch and get her away from her cage while still having it in sight. If she can accept that, I will move her stand toward the kitchen with me a few feet at a time. It hasn't been that long since she agreed to stay outside her cage to sit on the play top for extended periods. It doesn't take much for her to scramble for her safety zone. We haven't had much luck getting her to stay outside the comfort zone of her cage bars, but every little step in that direction has been a celebration. I just can't tell you how excited I feel inside when she will offer me her foot to come to me from the inside of her cage. She still wants to go back immediately, but I have been able to distract her by showing her something new in a different room. She has a tour until she gets wide-eyed and on the edge of panic. If it is 30 seconds longer each time, we are making progress.

I also think it is long and wouldn't want to start at the beginning and read it all :-) I think the value that it serves is for someone considering adoption to look at the good traits and possibilities as well as the potential to take a long time and a lot of work. Multiple home changes have been detrimental to Gilbert, so my hope is that anyone considering it understands it could take a long time, the rewards are great and the little character is always ahead of me. Val, you make a good point about the roost cage. We tried it early on before she gained trust and it wasn't beneficial. This might be the perfect time to revisit that setup especially since she is most receptive to me at bed time when the lights are dim.

Yesterday, I had the occasion to learn the difference between a steam room and a sauna. The steam room was tile lined with a glass door and I certainly wouldn't take a parrot in there. The steam is activated every five minutes and it was so hot it hurt to take a breath. The sauna was lined in cedar and the purpose of being in there was to sweat, there was no steam, dry heat only. Since birds don't sweat, I can't imagine the benefit of taking one in there either. Cedar (cedar oil) are on the list of wood to avoid for our birds. So, based on this, I wouldn't understand the benefit to outweigh the risk.

Every time we return from a trip, Miss Gilbert will move forward and try new things. Last night after I went to bed, she called out to me "Hey" like she does when she wants me to come back and give her a scratch. This time, she wanted to step up to me from inside her cage which is a rare treat. I thought she might like to come sit on my knee while I read in bed. I went to get a towel from the bathroom and she dropped a bomb. As I cleaned it she forgot to be nervous about being in a different room. Usually, if I step into the bathroom she gets real nervous and asks to go back to her cage. There have been times I have shown her the mirror and she has never cared about her reflection she has always been in a big hurry to get out of there. This time was different. I showed her the mirror and she eyed herself up and down and just like I say to her she said "Pretty girl". Then she canoodled with her reflection, touching the mirror, rubbing her head on it and trying to put her foot on it. When we returned to our room, she didn't want a head scratch as usual but she was making the sweetest little clicking and whooshing sounds. Tiny tiny little steps she takes toward me. It seems so difficult but all I have to do is "nothing" and wait for those little steps. Perhaps she is beginning to think I am trainable after all.

Apparently from Miss Gilbert's perspective I am a slow learner and haven't gotten it right yet. She will make a contact call, I answer back and it stops. She just wants to know where I am. Also, it is interesting to me that she and Java do not do contact calls back and forth between them. Java will play the game with me, but I am never allowed to make up any calls. She makes a contact call, I answer. She will add a note and I answer. But if I miss the order of calls or hit a wrong note, she will make a gong show buzzer and then repeat the call until I get it right. When she gets tired of it, she will make a series of notes that I can't possibly keep up and then after a moment of silence she laughs a wicked little laugh.

Thank you Ray. Way back in the beginning when I read the first thread that Gilbert needed a home, I was in a place where I was lost and reeling from the loss of two baby greys and I just didn't think I had it in me to try again with a bird "with issues". Months later when I decided I was going to bring her home, I knew it was going to be a long road. Little did I know where that road was going to take me, but I was committed to see it through. From the moment I saw her plucked, wide eyed with fear, I knew we were going to be learning grey time. Last night was another happy moment with her. David came home after weeks of travel on both parts. He sat on the sofa and a puff of fluff wafted up. He said "Who put all these feathers here? Gilbert, do you know anything about that?" First she made her usual "Hmmmm?" and piped up "Marilyn". She hasn't seen my sister Marilyn in months. We both laughed and then she said "Jim?" and she hasn't seen her beloved Jim in years. It makes me wonder what memories are in her mind. There have been some troubling times with her, some heartbreaking problems and lingering distrust but every day is an adventure. I have learned more about the incredible intelligence and free will of a tiny little being in a bedraggled coat of fluff and damaged feathers than I would have learned in my lifetime without her. She has changed my life.

Dayo is so completely relaxed with her. He is a beautiful boy. Glad you were assigned to be the camera man, great job getting that pose in a snapshot! I would suspect that is the only reason Dayo hasn't removed your finger before now... he knows it is useful to him. With those neck pinches I have seen that inexplicitly send me into fits of laughter... I think Dayo decided he could keep you around from the neck down. Hahahaha... You are such a good sport and loving papa, he has probably decided you are okay from the neck up too.

Thank you, it could have been a lot worse but since I was cleaning, I had pushed all the furniture together and it didn't leave room for the big dog to hurt him any worse than it was. I am counting my blessings that I was standing close and didn't get bitten in the process of grabbing Dante's collar and forcing him to release our little guy. Baxter is healing nicely. For Miss Gilbert, although it was a stressful trip, she is so grateful to be home again that she is making progress and showing me a lot of love and appreciation. Interestingly enough, she has not cussed since the incident. Every day I am seeing the slightest changes in her and watching her become more self-soothing. To have her reach out and ask to come to me is wonderful. It may still take us plenty of grey time to see her true personality but every step forward is met with such high enthusiasm. It has been a hard won relationship, but she is getting ever more receptive and sweet. Go Miss Gilbert!

Another positive outlook I have seen since this travel nightmare is how quickly Miss Gilbert settles herself now. She reacted to stress, but calmed herself after a short time. There was no cussing and she returned to "normal" much faster than she would have done in the past. Also, since we have been home, she is singing her praises to me in songs and cute behavior. She is always happy to get back home. Perhaps this time she saw where she "might" be living in the future should anything happen to me. What a difference in her outlook in the past year or so. She will come toward me now when she is on her cagetop and lift a foot for a ride around the room. She still gets very nervous away from her cage and asks to go back in just a few minutes. But at night she will ask for a head scratch, then reach out to pull gently on my finger and then lift her foot for a step up. As I turn the lights to dim, she will come to my room and sit on my leg in my bed and when she is ready she gets closer and closer to my hand, then bends her head to let me know she is ready for a session of head scratching. This is new to her to be outside of her cage and to allow me to touch her without bars between us to protect her. She is showing me more and more trust, asking for things she wants and becoming a more relaxed happy parrot.

Sorry, I am unfamiliar with an infrared sauna. It would depend upon how warm it gets in there. If there is a thermometer in there, I would look up the natural environment for our greys and not exceed the heat they would regularly be exposed to in the wild. Also, is the sauna inside or outside. It would be shocking to go from the heated sauna to an outside freezing temperature. On the other hand, if the temperatures were within the tolerance range, it would be similar to bringing them into our bathrooms while we shower. The steam which might be beneficial for moisture. I really can't answer your question except to have more questions. A call to his vet would be the most reliable way to ensure the safety of his grey. I just don't know enough about it.

Since Gilbert came to live with us, she has been my sidekick and traveled extensively. I have never been so happy to get home again in my life. Of all the places we have stayed, even with other animals, everyone has been very careful with her and this time was an exception. My girls are young, one just getting married, the other preparing for her first child. At the first daughter's home, there is a cat staying temporarily while her owner moves. Somehow it snuck into our bedroom and even though I was in there too it scared Gil enough she pulled a couple of flight feathers. We sorted that but because of the cat, we had to keep her in a bedroom upstairs with the door closed. That works fine with my sister's house to keep her safe from dogs. The difference is though, we have a gate up and she can hear us all the time and we all go up to visit all day long. At the second daughter's house we stayed for pre-wedding prep and after the wedding I looked after her 2 dogs and 2 cats while they went on their honeymoon. I was able to put Gil and Java up high on a bookcase. I barricaded and booby trapped a set up so the cats couldn't get up there. Her very large dog was ever so sweet... until he wasn't. All four dogs came inside and her dog attacked our dachshund. It was sudden, unprovoked and brutal. Baxter's ear and throat were punctured and I was standing nearby and was able to wrestle Dante off him but it was traumatic for all of us. Poor Gilbert witnessed the whole thing and she has plucked her chest, neck, back to the bare skin which she has never done before. Now that we are home, she is completely back to normal. She is singing, whistling and best of all she wants me to hold her. On a more positive note, we used a van that has "laptop" tables that are perfect for securing travel cages. It made a wonderful place where both parrots had a high perch to see everything and they were in easy reach to give them water, food and attention. Unfortunately, I wasn't thinking about the mess below. My husband went to work the next morning after a 14 hour trip and when he opened his briefcase in a meeting out wafted fluffs of down and "seed graffiti" and as he dug around getting his laptop out almond shells came tumbling out as well.

Greycie has a perfect "spinner" already... daddy's hand. She is so confident up there while it is moving she even stands on one leg to get a scratch. You have an awesome friend to play with you like that. For when you are not willing to stand under her to be pooped upon, would something like this http://www.onlinesciencemall.com/hanging-battery-operated-rotating-motor-for-11-inch-large-cinespinner-suncatchers.html work? I don't know how much weight it would hold, but it wouldn't have any wires or other parrot attractions. I will keep on the lookout.

Thanks for posting Zoe's video, I so enjoyed watching a happy baby Timneh. I thought it was way too cute at the end as she was in her own little happy world and appears as though she hears you coming. There as an "uh oh, he will hear me" moment, or Hoo boy, Daddy's coming. Either way, she is adorable and made me smile this morning.

I'm traveling, just came in late to the thread. Awesome way to handle a problem from you, Echo and your friend after the fact to our forum members support and advice. Wow. Everyone in our lives need a little training. You have invested time in your friend and have reached an agreement. I still can't imagine what she was thinking to post the video and whether she still has a copy and if she is showing it to anyone. That would be a violation to me unless it was prefaced with "I thought I was smart until I traumatized my friends beloved companion and now I realize I was being really stupid and unkind". Glad you are working things out with her just the same, training a new friend is really hard. :-) I am so pleased that Echo is returning to her routine with you and is getting over her trauma. Poor baby. ... Kudos to the way you handled it and to our forum for the support.

I see your post if that's what you mean.

I'm out of town and a little late to the discussion. You may have already bought the aviary. My two cents is this, he is happy in a smaller cage all of his life, I would also want to go a little bigger. The question I would want to answer for myself is "where will we be in another 15 years?" For me, it will mean downsizing as my husband retires. I don't know where you are in your life. If you have room for the giant aviary and feel confident that you won't be changing your own habitat do what makes you and Bubba happy. Of course I have to qualify this because my rehomed grey did not like a bigger cage and it is sitting empty at home when I discovered after four years that a smaller cage changed her disposition for the better.

Little Miss Gilbert had another blast from the past last night. She was high on a bookcase in the living room watching the Halloween trick-or-treaters from her lofty perch. As I closed the door, turned off the light to shut it down she piped up "Trick or Treat"! It was the sweetest little girl voice and just darling. In our neighborhood at home we gather outside with a fire pit on the culdesac so she hasn't seen the kids in costume. Next year I will have to take her out in her backpack.

Congratulations on bringing home your new friend. It sounds like she is well loved and your time with her prior to moving her to your home made this a positive experience for all of you. You must have an innate way with greys because your are very intuitive and a natural friend to her. Thank you for joining us on grey forums.

Great job Val (Birdhouse), we are on yet another 1,000 mile jaunt with two parrots and you have more ideas than I can come up with while even in the middle of my month long journey. The suggestion of the perch that crosses is priceless. Moving vehicles and the direction the carrier fits in the seat is different for every vehicle and every parrot. My thoughts are to the accommodations at your parents. When we visit my sister she is very much a collaborator. We will have six dogs in the house, so the parrots need to be protected with dog gates to keep a degree of separation while still being in the same area to view family members and be a part of the celebrations. Luckily she has space for me to leave two large cages and then travel in small ones. My daughters have cats. They are each in their new homes and this is our first visit. The parrots are managing in small cages and even prefer them, but being secluded, behind closed doors and a close call with a cat that hid behind a dresser in my room on the first night has been harrowing. For you, this is a first visit where you will be on commercial transport so having a high table to place a smaller travel cage upon or to prearrange shipping for a larger cage depends on how often you will be returning. Our parrots are great travelers, Miss Gilbert has logged about 20,000 miles in the 4 1/2 years with us. Good luck and safe travels, its worth it.

You have had your girls a long time and are obviously caring and working to find a good solution. It would obviously be ideal to find someone close where you could have a home visit. Visits in your home would also help to make a smooth transition. If that doesn't seem promising, I would like to reassure you that the right home is out there. I made an 18 hour round trip to get Miss Gilbert and although Sara and I could not have the ideal scenario, it worked out well. If you have any prospects with a need to have some help with transport, please let us know. I can't make any promises, but we have a vast network of grey loving people here who may know someone or have resources to help. We also have a few dedicate rescues that may be able to help with guidelines of vetting out those with an interest in the novelty and those willing to invest time and energy to give your girls the best home. Best of luck to you.

Hi TamiL, welcome to the forum. Hope you and your little one are getting along fine after a rough start. When our baby came home we had been having regular meetings, hand feeding lessons and expert advice from a breeder of three decades. It still scared me to be on my own. You have a good source of experience and caring here. I am a little late to the game with being out of state for an extended period. What have you named your baby?

It's an incredibly difficulty decision for you to part with your companions. I would like to extend my appreciation to you for finding an experienced, dedicated home through our forum. I adopted my girl Gilbert over four years ago and have never regretted bringing her home. Best of luck to you, Gabby and Toby.

Welcome to the forum and thank you for joining us. Your grey will be a lifelong companion and you will learn a lot from her. What is her name?

That is beautiful. The relationship between them is just adorable. I love the fanning of the tail and the interactions as much as the whistling, singing and pure enjoyment of their time together.

I should rethink all this fervent wishing for Miss Gilbert to be more like Dorian and try new things with us. She still likes her own cage and play top best and although I have been able to coax her down to the family room, she won't stay for fifteen minutes. If only she knew how much fun the computer is she might change her mind. I won't be reading to her from Dorian's memoirs. Good luck with the little snot. Hahahahaha. When I read the title on your post, I thought that and then you said the same thing.