katana600

Omigoodness what a cute little thing, no wonder you fell in love. It looks like a little punk rocker. I am happy for you to add to your family. Looking forward to seeing this one grow up. How precious.

Thanks Ray, it means a lot for me to have your support and cheers for Gilbert. He came downstairs today to join the quilt group. He was on a table top perch and was very quiet, watching, taking it all in. His little chest feathers were quivering and I asked if he wanted to go back. Usually he will jump at the offer because he really likes the comfort zone of his own cage. Then he was talking a little. After about a half hour, I took him upstairs and he was whistling to us and telling us "come on" and then "quiet" and admonishing the dogs... or us. Hahaha. He was so exhausted from his little adventure that he curled up and napped the rest of the afternoon. He would shout to us and we would answer and laugh, then he would laugh back at us.. or mock us maybe. I was happy that he was willing to come out of the living room for a while.

Last night after weeks of pulling back, Gilbert offered me a step up just out of the blue. I brought him over to the sofa and he offered me his head to scratch and then he did that thing again where he "felt" all over my face and hands, just gently touching. Then when he went to his cage at bedtime he was all sweet with offering more scratches and then again this morning. I am going to take those happy moments and his overtures and not read too much into it, just accept what he is willing to give and not have expectations of him that he can't sustain. But let me tell you, I am on the top of the world, he asked me to pick him up! He does step up when he is on the cage top when I ask him. He also will step up when he goes to the floor and wants up in a hurry, he comes running for my offer then. But for him to offer a step up from a perch inside his cage with no request is just enthralling. It was also fraught with uncertainty on my part, is he just luring me closer to get a chomp on me? Have to say that wasn't my first thought because I just accepted his offer without even thinking. My hands were steady and calm and he came through on his gentle offer of closeness. We have had lots of closeness before, but only on his terms when I ask and he accepts. This one was special because he just offered on his own. It was just for a few minutes before I asked if he wanted to go back and he hopped right on my hand so we ended on a positive beat. He is just such an awesome, complicated, exquisite little character and today moreso than most, I am feeling somewhat successful in understanding him better and meeting his needs.

You are doing everything under the sun to help your girl. What is her name? I am sorry for you going through the panic and uncertainty that comes when a loved one is having a crisis. I am not experienced enough to have any advice for you, it is hard to know what the cause was and the rest of the things you are doing are common for all of us protecting our greys from known issues. The only tip I can pass on came from this forum and it is to put a magnet on your stainless steel. If it has a stong tight bond, it is a higher quality steel. I don't know about welds or coatings so I am adamant to buy my links and kabobs etc. from the bird store where they make assurances it is food grade stainless steel.

I watched her over and over again. She is just precious and beautiful. I definitely believe she is talking. They have to develop muscle coordination to work out practicing before it becomes more clear. Right before she did the monkey sounds, I thought I heard "what you doing" and it sounded a lot like doggie to me. If she says something you think you heard and then you repeat it to her, does she get real excited? I just think she is wonderful.

Thanks. I gave it a lot of thought before deciding I could handle anything he brings to our lives. We have seen change come so slowly but I am seeing the signs that his true personality is about to come forward. For everyone out there thinking about bringing home a parrot with issues, there are hard times to overcome, but every little bit of subtle progress are cause for celebration. i don't think they every stop learning and Gilbert definitely is a comedian and he knows what he is doing. On the very first day when he cussed, my husband and daughter were chastised right out of the room. Now when he is home all day with me, he doesn't say it but if my husband is here he says it and looks at him intently and repeats it up to six times trying to get a reaction. Even when my daughter called on the phone last week, he was trying to draw her in. He has just started taking pine nuts gently from my fingers and over the weekend, for the first time ever, he allowed my husband to feed him pine nuts out of his hand too. This is monumental. Gilbert enjoys almonds but for the better part of a year, if David hands him and almond, he flings it to the floor. If David is standing in the room when I hand him an almond, he flings the almond. So, to watch my dear husband just keep trying and coming back for rejection after rejection and then to hear the pleasure of the exchange when Gilbert asked him for a treat and was sweet about taking it was the highlight of my year with Gilbert.

We are having fewer outbursts of the naughty word and Gilbert suddenly has taken to want to have more scratches. He still likes it best when he is inside the cage, but he has asked "want a tickle" and when I say "Sure" he runs quick to get off the cage top, swings into the cage to his favorite spot and tucks his head and waits for a scratch. I think it has to do with the pine nuts. He is wild for them. I am giving him a few at a time, mostly at bedtime and he is so gentle and tender taking them from my fingers. In fact, the realization just hit me that he takes them from me on the cage top with nothing "guarding" him from being too close to me. When he first came, anything he wanted to eat was a cracker. Now he asks "wanna treat?' He was quite funny tonight while my husband and I were sitting on the screen porch. Gilbert was in the house barking and calling the dogs. I guess he thought if the dogs came in, we would come with them. Maybe he is getting closer to wanting to come out there with us. His forays from the comfort zone of his cage top are few and far between. I came into this knowing he had issues and believing I would love him no matter what. Lately I have seen some hopeful signs that he will eventually relax and trust and play and have a much more fulfilling life. I am grateful to Sarah for trusting us to take care of him when she couldn't do it any longer. I am blessed with the companionship of a little comedian.

When the right bird comes along, you will know. It is wonderful to get out and about and read and ask questions. It is a big commitment and it is good to be just a little scared, you know you are taking it seriously. Before we got our first baby, I read a book called "The Problem Parrot". It is an excellent way to learn what may happen inadvertently and how to avoid getting into habits that are cute when they are little and compliant, but get more troublesome when they hit the terrible twos and beyond. Have you ever tried Half-Price Books? I miss them from when we lived in Texas. They have a revolving selection for excellent prices, often less than half price.

I didn't know I could get addicted to cuteness. My favorite is also of her cupped in your hand. You can still type with one hand, great job. I can see why your wife is objecting to the tall playstand, she knows you have a tendency to keep adding and building it bigger. LOL. Elllie is just gorgeous on that stand though. She is a natural subject for your photography. I love the little red highlights on her legs. She is just precious. I keep trying to picture Gilbert as a little tyke and your pictures of Ellie help give me that vision of him.

Aww, what a little cutie. It is just the best that you can visit weekly and pick up tips from the breeder about handling your baby. By the time you get this adorable little bundle home, you will be a pro. The last week is the hardest, get some sleep now because you will be too exited to sleep once you get the word that the time is coming. Waiting and waiting was hard but the homecoming is worth it. You are starting an incredible journey, congrats.

I noticed the change to the photos in your signature when I was reading another thread. I think of Twix every day and how you were so full of courage to bring DJ home. It took me longer, but I am also blessed with another grey. To see the closeness you have with DJ is such a treat. His feathers are perfect, he is such a handsome boy. Thanks for all the work getting pictures loaded and bringing him to see us.

Hopefully as soon as your procedure was finished, you are getting some relief. My sister in law went through it and she said the lithotripsy wasn't so bad, but I haven't known anyone to get a stent. Hope that remedies the problem and you are good as gold from now on.

I am so sorry for you loss. You had a relationship established with Nova and had hopes and dreams. Hopefully the store reported it to the police and they will check with local vets and cage vendors to keep communications open. It is heartbreaking for you and I am sorry you are going through this.

You have such a good relationship with Ellie. She just gets more beautiful and self confident every day. I look forward to the day when I can give Gilbert a shower unscathed. You work so much with her that it is great to hear how you are doing together.

It is so good to listen to Dayo. I love to hear him talk, but I like all his punctuations with beeps and tweets too. I love that you talk with him so much while you go about your day. He is a real jewel.

That is a happy little surprise for you that Ozzy is modeling crow behavior that he only saw one time. It never ceases to amaze me that once our parrots see something that makes us laugh, they go to all lengths to make us laugh again and again. I love that about them.

There is a lot of thought being put into this. I am one who goes through talking through my thoughts in order to come to a viable solution and that is what I think you are doing, you sound like a future engineer. One question I have about the size of the cage relates to the way many parrots utilize the space. Is it 4 feet wide, 4 feet deep and 8 feet tall that you are thinking? The reason I am asking is if that is the case, your parrot may only use the top fourth of the cage, I don't know about everyone else's but many seem to be reluctant to use the lower regions. Another question, what is your parrot's name?

We seldom cuss either, this reminds me of when my kids were little and heard a word on television and learned the power of saying it. That's probably why it is so funny because it is shocking, and he knows it. Gilbert is definitely opening up in many ways in just the past couple of weeks. He is playing with a toy that hangs on his cage play top. There is a tall metal pole in a loop up there to hang toys. Several times now he has managed to flap and propel himself to the top. I have only heard him and by the time I come in to see him, he is up there. I think he climbs part way then flaps hard to get the "oomph" to get up there and perch. He seems so pleased with himself. Tonight I watched him come back down and he flips and swings round and round on his way back to the ladder. Then he pulls at the leather laces and other acrylic toys. It amazes me that all this has been there for a year and he has acted like he thought it might eat him if he touches it. He is still very jumpy and cautious, but I am seeing little spurts of real playfulness. It is just awesome to see him opening up. He is apparently just now getting comfortable in his surroundings. Not that long ago, he acted like the pine nuts were poison, but now he has decided to not only accept them, but he takes them gently from my fingers. I can feel the warmth of his breath on my fingers and it seems like the beginnings of trust and bonding are taking place. He is saying some new things, it sounds like he is singing. He is saying a long drawn out "hello" in a sing song female voice that I have never heard before. I am just enthralled with his new outlook on life.

I enjoy reading about your progress with Oliver and Stewart. I love the outdoor playstand where they can get some sunshine. The pictures are awesome, I find Oliver to be a handsome boy, he is just full of himself. You must have the most interesting household on the block. Congratulations on the progress you have already made. It is quite a commitment to have one rehomed parrot and to have two at a time is way more than twice the fun.

This is a good thread to bring us smiles. I like the part about throwing away a perfectly good parrot. You all are just too funny. Cute cute cute pictures... even the mess. It looks like home.

I second the "way to go Gilbert!" and he is a well-practiced comedian. The little pinch didn't get me too rattled, although he has totally stopped saying he is sorry afterward. LOL. There is an added dimension to the new love of pine nuts and that is that now that he has shown such a preference for them, it is possible that his mood is darker when he would like to have one and I didn't read his mind and give it to him before he asks. I have to say that his newfound cuss word is getting a workout. My kids did the same thing when they were about four and I am handling him the same way. I just divert his attention and don't reward that kind of thing. But I go to the basement behind closed doors and laugh myself silly. What is going through his mind? Today he rummaged in his pellets and didn't find his favorite one, so I hear a long drawn out disgusted tone and he says sheee-it. He jumped off the door of his cage, scampered to a hiding place under the sofa and said it three times, short and terse with much passion and very loud. More like a "how am I going to get out of this one". Just like when he asks "what are you doing" in many inflections, he has found his power word and he is using it until he grows tired of it. Cussing must give him some confidence because I am seeing some remarkable strides of him moving out of his tiny little comfort zone and trying some new things. Small price to pay to see him open up a little. But I promise, I am not giving him encouragement to have a naughty repertoire.

What a beautiful picture and happy celebration for you. I love that toy.

Congrats to the happy new papa of a sweet little girl. I am so happy with your flock addition and also with the caring way you have approached this gift and opened your heart and home. I am definitely going to the Amazon room more than I ever planned to do and I love the boisterous personality of these gregarious little darlings. We learn something new from every parrot, regardless of their species. Every one of them is unique and wonderful in his or her own way. I am thinking Paloma is going to add her own little flair to your flock and keep things interesting for you in the years to come.

Ah, and I forgot to mention when I got the lip pinch, I just moved him away from my face and told him, don't bite and walked toward his cage. When we were six feet away he launched himself off my hand and flapped furiously and managed to make it to the side of his cage. I know it isn't really flying, but it isn't dropping like a stone any more either. It was only a few feet and he was losing altitude the whole time, but he is getting to manage greater distances as he thrusts himself off the top of his cage. He has been a regular comedian lately. He has been mocking the sound of my husband blowing his nose when he gets out of the shower every morning. From the bathroom, I heard David say "that's not funny Gilbert" to which Gilbert regaled him with laughter and many more renditions of nose blowing and as Dean Koontz once phrased it "the flatulent squawk of a butt trumpet". Now THAT was funny.

This is something I have never seen either. It is all laughs and smiles though when it is someone else's parrot. LOL. They have such a mind of their own, don't they? I love that they sound so playful with this, but getting carried away and chomping puts and end to the laughs and play. Floppy grey syndrome, LOL, I thought someone had seen my hair lately.