katana600

He is definitely in need of some TLC but he has a beautiful face and those eyes seem all-knowing. I am also grateful that you are the person who will step up and bring them both home to have a fresh start and a new outlook. This is definitely a thread to watch as Oliver settles in and makes himself at home.

He is just precious in your avatar picture and the recent pictures as he getting ready to come home with you. The waiting is hard, but worth it.

We have a bit of an older, grumpy, rehomed bird and are slowly making progress. Sometimes there is something that either "clicks" or doesn't with a rehome. I am grateful for the intermediate caretaker of Gilbert to realize he was not thriving in her home when she make the wrenching decision to give him an opportunity with someone else. I agree that it does take someone with a lot of time and patience but I am also a believer that a change of scenery and new home can turn into something wonderful and special. My heartfelt best wishes are with you as you make the decision to seek a home for Cedrick, I am hoping you get a response soon and find the solution that will bring positive changes to all involved.

You have been through the wringer, I am glad that the news is getting better. Anya is a beautiful little girl. You did a great job choosing your wife who supports you through a rough time. It reminds me to be grateful to my own husband for the support he has given. We we vowed "through sickness and health" little did we know that would extend to our beloved parrots and other pets. Thanks for sharing your ordeal with us. I am so happy you are smiling with your little angel on your shoulder.

I do believe the loss of my boys was preparing me to be here and ready when Gilbert was in need. I know I wouldn't have been ready or nearly as patient nor as capable of handling him had it not been for the trials and the full experience of loving and letting go. I still am touched by the wonderful moments that brought me to where I am today. I couldn't have made this journey alone and embraced the best parts of living with Gilbert without the support and encouragement of wonderful people I met through this forum. You are all part of my heart and I am grateful to be in the company of others who hold their companions to such high esteem.

It is always a good sign when someone is researching through forums before bringing home a parrot. It is a tremendous commitment, so Kudos to you, I don't think you are doing anything backwards! I happened in to find my baby before I found the forum, but in the months of waiting for weaning, I was ready when he was. This forum is more than just a bunch of people sharing, it has been like family to me. The rewards of having a grey in my life is often surpassed by the joy of the support of our forum members. It is a win-win!

Phew, good thing I read this. When I started looking at the pictures first, I thought you had not only potty trained your birds but they were wiping themselves as well. Hahahaha, LOL. I love what you did with your swing, awesome toys you have created. Your house is a fun place to hang out.

I am glad you got bored because this thread gave me such enjoyment. I am still laughing at your daughter's wit. My husband has had a moustache since we met. Once, I was joking and put my hand on his lip and was "wondering" what he would look like without it. The next morning he came down cleanshaven and it was a shock I would not want repeated. He looked like his mother! I was referring to him as "Mrs. Confer" and he grew it back quick and has had it for three decades. I cover the top of his head and "wonder" what he would look like without his hair too, but thankfully he hasn't shaved his head. Thanks for sharing your sense of humor with us. I love that Ellie has taken it in stride, she barely seems to care how you shape your beard.

A year has made a difference in my life. Just a month after posting to this thread, Gilbert came into our lives. The tribute quilt did go national and I have never had the heart to ask the monetary value that was placed on it. What I do know is the lady who was drawn for the raffle had put upwards of four hundred dollars into her tickets and I am pleased to know it is in the home of someone who cherishes it. I saw something today that touched my soul and reminded me of my lost boys and what they meant to my life. My favorite art quilt magazine is called Quilting Arts Magazine. My subscription ran out last month and I wondered if I should renew. I couldn't stand not looking at the newest issue and have been watching the bookstore for a month. When I found the cover of the new magazine, I know I have to renew my subscription. http://www.interweavestore.com/Quilting/Magazines/Quilting-Arts-February-March-2012.html?SessionThemeID=7 You can click on the smaller picture of the magazine cover and it will enlarge to show you some of the detail. This quilt is not mine, but it speaks to my heart. Then, as I read the article, the story was compelling. The artist Susan Brubaker Knapp was inspired by the poem of Emily Dickenson from "Part One: Life, XXXII" http://www.bartleby.com/113/1032.html I am held in awe at this combination. I miss my sweet boys, but they meant something in life and they are part of my soul forever.

It is time for an update. Sometimes things just flow along as usual and I forget to check in. We are approaching our one year anniversary with Gilbert. Some changes happen so gradually, I almost don't take notice. Gilbert has changed some of his language so slowly and gradually that it is like he has been here forever. He used to shout at the dogs to "shut up" or call them "idiot". At first I couldn't understand it completely but he has gotten more clear, or I have learned his ways. When he would shout "idiot", I would say "Elliot" and then he picked up on me telling the dogs, "Quiet". Now he says quiet in the same derogatory drawn out tone as he used to say idiot. It is kind of funny, but gradually he has been telling them "quiet" and "stop that". The other change he has made is from saying "cracker" for any kind of food, he now calls almonds a "treat". When he wants one, he asks the dogs to go outside and whistles to them. When they come back in, I give them a little morsel of dry dog food and ask if they want a treat and tell them they are good boys. Now Gilbert will say "Gilbert's a good boy, want a treat?" I love that he makes that connection. He has also developed his own night time routine and when I turn off a lamp in the living room and tell him it is time to go night night, he actually runs to get to the door of his cage and hop inside to the perch in front of his favorite dish and ask for his treat. He still does the thing where he touches the almond with the outside curve of his beak back and forth several times and then he takes it gently from my fingers. Recently, he reached out and put his beak on my finger instead of the almond. He felt my finger gently and didn't even pinch it. I was a little taken aback and was expecting less of a gentle touch. I think it means he is getting more and more acclimated and relaxed. So slow and gradual have been our changes that it still surprises me a little when his new behaviors become "natural" and slowly he becomes more predictable. He probably thinks the same thing about me. His morning chats are my favorite. He would still like me to get up at six so that is when he starts encouraging me and asking if it is time to get up. I usually answer and tell him not yet. This week he called out and said "What are you doing out there?" It sounded very much like the same tone as telling the dogs to be quiet. LOL. He is getting several new flight feathers on his left wing but still not enough to slow his descent to the floor when he jumps off the cage top. I put some foam mats around the cage on the floor so he has a somewhat softer landing, but is still a little disturbing to go backward in the flight department. That just means as his feathers grow, and I am confident they will, it will be all the more joyous when he is able to fly. I believe! Thanks for bearing with the long thread, getting to know an older bird really is a journey, a process and sometimes it is full speed ahead and sometimes it is a regression to a less desired spot in our time line. What I do notice is that when he does get a little grumpy and withdrawn, he isn't plucking and he bounces back just a little quicker than the previous time. Just when I think my heart couldn't hold any more love for this disheveled little bundle of nerves and feathers, he melts my heart with a soft kind word and I know we are making progress.

I like that you made a decision and it worked out so well for you and Roscoe and Charlie. Way to go! I think Gilbert has learned a lot from traveling as well as being left behind and trusting that I leave and come back. Remember when we were learning about grey time? I think the same applies to us when we come and go, what seems like a really long time for us is just a blip in the scheme of things for Roscoe and Gilbert and they learn so much with each way we do things. Sometimes Gilbert travels with me and it works out just fine and sometimes he stays home and I leave and come back. It will all be okay and I think that is because they have learned to trust while we are with them and it might be harder on us to be away than on them. If you get a chance to take him to visit with you at your daughter's before you leave for three weeks, he will have that added to his emotional tools and trust that you come and go from there as well as from your own home. Isn't it great to watch them become independent and trust the other important people in your life too? It is all part of a day for us to learn together. I am glad you had such a positive outcome.

What a lovely new home for Simon, I am glad he went right in and made it his own. Not only am I not able to give any advice on the placement of your perches and toys.... I may copy some of yours! It just looks like a delightful place to spend time playing. Our cage is similar and in the beginning I put the ladders and boings all the way to the bottom but Gilbert was a little overwhelmed with it all, this seems like a perfect time to try it again. Thanks for the pictures, it is going to be my catalyst for some changes.

This is one of my favorite threads and illustrates the change in your life from accepting Buddy and sharing your journey with us. It may be that you had this undiscovered joy within you that Buddy is bringing out, but I think the way you both have embraced him and the way he is responding to you is marvelous. He may have been cagebound, but he was obviously loved and tenderly cared for and your progress is an inspiration. Our rehomed little fellow is still reluctant to step up, still wary after almost a year. But he does clamor inside his cage at bedtime when I start turning down the lights and tell him it is time because he wants an almond. He has stopped calling every food item a cracker, he has taken a hint from the interactions with the dogs to call almonds a treat. I give him almonds in the shell and we started, I would use needle nosed pliers to break off just the tip so he could get started. Now he just cracks them himself but he had to be taught how. You will find just the right motivation for Buddy to step up and for him to be willing to be taken back to his cage when it is bedtime. It also helped us a lot to put a short rope perch on the inside of the door to his cage in a loop shape. Now that is where he goes when he wants to come out and it is easy for him to step back down onto it when he wants to go inside. It is low enough I can open and close the door without his head getting in the way. It has been really helpful in getting him in and out of his cage. You will find what works best for Buddy and for your family. It just takes tiny little changes to make big differences in our interactions. You are always such a heart warming presence in our lives, thank you.

Thanks for joining us. Every story has much to offer the rest of us as we sort through, make sense of behaviors and celebrate the joy these characters bring to our home. What is your macaw's name? I love the name Stewart. I am very much looking forward to learning more about both of your new buddies.

Ziva Diva, I have been there with a ruptured spinal membrane after a "three level discogram", your little angels were seeing you through. For my defining moment, it was after we traveled this summer and Gilbert had taken a little backward slide and was totally standoffish. He jumped off his cage which was the only time he would allow me near him. Instead of helping him back to his cage, I put him on his favorite fleece on the back of the sofa. We were home alone and it was late at night. I just sat down and ignored him and he came closer and closer until suddenly I felt him at the side of my head and neck. He sat a while and I just held my breath wondering what he might do next when he nudged the side of my cheek and said "hey" ever so softly. When I turned toward him he bowed his head for his first real scratch session. Since then, he has been much more open and trusting and I have been much more hand's on with him. Reading your accounts and remembering that touching moment made me a little teary. It is so hard for him to sit close or to tolerate touch for more than a brief moment, but he really wants to get closer. I see more willingness for interaction every day. Neither of us is in a hurry, but the day I see him flap and play and get out of his shell will be a wonderous joy for both of us.

My gut wrenches at the thought of what you are going through with your little one. I am also inspired by your dedication and searching for answers. I have full confidence you will find something that works for you and Stevie. I am getting some ideas but don't know if it will work. I am thinking PVC vertical bars wrapped with vet wrap, but if you could get bamboo in a smaller size than the smallest diameter of pvc, that wouldn't need vet wrap. If you have someone who could make a frame using 2X2 wood, with holes drilled to hold the bamboo, the only place she could get a foot caught would be the corners and you could modify that with vet wrap. I will see if I can find some supplies here and if I could make something that would work, I will send you emails and would mail you a "kit" to assemble if we could find a solution for her. I will send you my email at home by PM.

Oh goodness, where would I start? I have learned loss and learned to cry and everything is still okay. I have learned to sort the joy from the sadness and move forward and get another little soul in my life just for the sake of enjoying his company no matter how it turns out. I have learned to eat leftover veggies after they have been in the drawer too long to trust for the parrots. I have lost thirty pounds in the meantime because as I shop for groceries, I make sure the parrots have fresh healthy grains and then I eat the same ones. I have learned that courage doesn't mean lack of fear. I am still afraid of a bite, it hurts, but I still put my hand out and seldom get bitten. I have learned to laugh and talk and sing when I am home "alone". I have learned that parrots are intelligent and the best company I could consider. I love when family and friends visit, but I also like when they leave and it is quiet. I learned to wake with a smile to hear a little voice asking me for a cracker. I learned parrot poop washes off and food flung on the floor is not going to make my home roach infested, LOL. Still have to clean it up, but I have learned not to stand by the cage with a whisk broom. I have learned that wings are more than just a gift, and can be taken away whether I like it or not. I have learned the value of earning trust and being trustworthy to a little soul who has known his own traumas and to know how one home for one parrot for her whole lifetime makes a world of difference. Some day soon, I may even learn to be light hearted and play.

I wonder if Oboe is wiping his beak to rid the taste of his meds. When I had to medicate my kids, dogs and parrots, I have something nice right at hand, give the meds, then quickly give the treat or better tasting stuff. Works with husbands too. LOL. I think you are seeing signs of Oboe getting stronger too, when they have enough energy to complain about the food or service, that is a good sign. He is in my thoughts and prayers as well as you for the pressure it puts on you. While you are at work, he will probably be sleeping all day, so don't worry too much about him. When I go visit my daughter, I take pictures of her cat and dog sleeping so she knows they aren't just staring at the door awaiting her return. Come to think about it, a nap while my hubby is at work is kind of nice for me too, hope nobody is in the house taking pictures to send to him though.

I am so sorry you all have been going through this. Being home with you will be Oboe's best medicine. Glad he is stabilizing. He is such a tiny little thing. Bless you all for the love and care you are giving him.

That is so sweet. I can't think of anything I would rather hear than for Roscoe to be sharing his heart and returning to you the gentle words he has learned from you. Bless his little heart.

Congrats on your ready made grey family. In six weeks you are doing exceptionally well to get Charlie to eat healthy food. We have a rehomed older Timneh, maybe close to ten years of age. He has been with us a year in March and we still have trouble getting him to try veggies. Gilbert is only just now permitting a scratch on the head, when it is his idea, preferably when he has ready access to an escape plan. Lucy will be a good role model since she is so young and she will be more accepting of your touch. Maybe Charlie will see that and want to enjoy more of the same. If that works for you, I may have to get a friend for Gilbert. Welcome to the forum, there are a lot of people here with answers for all sorts of situations. Thanks for joining us so we can learn from your experiences as well.

Thanks, when Gilbert came he had been plucking through two homes that we were sure of, but he mostly would barber his chest and back. He looked like he was walking around in fluffy underwear. He only pulled flight feathers under extreme duress and I haven't seen any of that. His chest feathers were never down to baldness and he will grow them for a while, then get a little nervous and pull off a handful, then we get him calmed down a little. It helps to hear that most of Beaker's chest feathers regrew. The barbered feathers that were chewed off grow back nicely. The ones I saw originally on Gilbert definitely were plucked with chunks of flesh. Those are the ones I wonder about. The good news is that he is learning other expressions and not resorting to pulling off his own feathers as a first course when nervous about something. For instance, he was deathly frightened of thunderstorms and we had one this week late at night. I left a light on and stayed in the room to keep him from being startled and he kept telling me "Gilbert okay" and I would repeat it to him and we had no feathers at the bottom of the cage in the morning. Yay! He still has a lot of baggage to unpack but he seems to be making progress. He is starting to hold his foot toys but he doesn't really play with them as much as just keeping them under surveilance.

The more I read about Amazons on this forum, the more certain I am that in a previous life, I was an Amazon. The bird, not the statuesque matriarchs. LOL. Well, maybe that fits too. I saw only one Amazon in my life and I almost took her home, but couldn't until we got back the necropsy to discover the illness that had taken our baby grey. By that time, I knew the second one in the same clutch needed care, and then along came Gilbert when I needed him and I just live vicariously through the other amazons in this forum. Thanks so much for educating us on the joys and challenges of your Amazons.

At first I didn't realize that was a video, so I went back to check again after reading comments. I can not tell you the feeling that welled up in me when I saw his tentative start, then a step up. I know how long you have wanted this for Louie and as much of an emotional joy that it gave me has to be magnified by thousands for you to reach this moment with your boy! Here I was thinking how hard it would be to learn Hindi at this point in my life but you and Louie are bridging the language barrier. Amazing Amazon!

Oh have mercy, I had to go back and watch it five more times. Nilah is perfectly calm in her body language and she doesn't seem frightened or distressed into flight or anything but she sure is letting her opinion of the situation be known. I am telling you, I laughed so hard, I have my new braces caught in my lip and yet I couldn't help myself from hitting the replay button just one more time.