katana600

Thanks so much for the update. It was during a very rough time in my life that Dorian singing along with you helped me catch my own breath and put one foot in front of another until we walked through our grief. Last March we brought home our little Gilbert at 7-10 years of age and started the long road of building trust with an older bird. I hadn't realized Dorian was rehomed until this post. It is so good to have you with us to learn more from you. I am so sorry for your loss. It is hard to come back after such an intense caring period, but you and Dorian have been through a lot together and it has been good for him. I am also wishing you a better year coming with lots of singing and joy.

If there is a thread already here regarding general information on molting, could someone please point me to it? Otherwise, the question I have is this: Do adult parrots molt just one or two replacement feathers at a time or do they have annual molts over a shorter time period? I have read that older parrots will have bilateral feathers drop off one at a time and new ones replace them and that makes sense so they wouldn't lose flight ability or balance. But, do they also have seasonal molts or annual molts? I guess I am asking because I am looking at the calendar to our first year anniversary with an older rehomed TAG. I have hopes that he might molt his tattered little coat now that he seems better about not having stress plucks. I do understand that some of his flight feathers were pulled out follicle and all. I saw them on the first day I met him as he was stressed about what he knew was a changing day in his life. I know there is a likelihood that those feathers might never come back in. I was just wondering if he "could" molt and what time frame would go past that would help me understand if this is a possibilty for him. Thanks.

Returning home has been a whirlwind of "new" things for Gilbert. He has been much more relaxed and willing to come sit next to me and obliges for scratches away from his cage as well as when he is inside and he will come close to the bars. One change I made after giving his big cage a thorough cleaning was to pull out the sliding tray on top in order to line it with fresh papers. I have done this before and he hasn't seemed to think one thing or another, it is something I do on cleaning day. This time however, he got very excited, hung upside down from the ceiling and I was afraid of pinching a toe, so I left it off for a while. That seemed to be magical. Where he would previously come up top just to perch high above, now he suddenly has become very relaxed about playing on the wire of the cage top. He started for the first time to play with toys that have been up there for months and months! He has gingerly examined toys I put in his cage, but it seems as though he is determining if they are going to eat him and then he just sticks to perches and ignores everything exept the stainless steel bells. He will vigorously ring a bell to sound an alarm if he is upset by anything. Otherwise, nothing. Well, in the week we have been home, he has been playing. Really playing. It brings tears to my eyes just to tell you. He has a bucket of foot toys on the cage top. He hasn't actually gotten any out of the bucket, but he has been pulling the bucket all around on top of the cage top. He has lifted the top toys and dropped them back in and he will sit right next to the full bucket. We have an orange rubber football looking thing that is sold in pet store for putting dog treats inside the open framework and then they wobble it all over the floor in the attempt to get the food out. I handed Gilbert a few strands of the paper grass for foraging and he was scared and nervous but tugged a little at one piece at a time. He watched as I gave some to Java and she made short work of ripping them into little pieces. I came back to him and he ripped one up too! I put a few in the orange football and he went right to it and pulled them out and tossed them off his cage top. Then I put some strands in and balanced his almond on top and he begged me for a "cracker". I picked up the almond, put it back in the paper nest and he backed away and was a little scared and asked me for a cracker again. This time, I put one in the paper nest and handed him a second one. It took about an hour before he got brave and went for the second almond. Now he is just running all over the top of his cage and it is such a new thing and a fun thing that I am over the moon excited about him coming out of his shell just a little bit. One of the cutest things he does up there is when I approach he tucks his head for a scratch. Since I have to reach so high to scratch him it is awkward and I don't have a spot to easily pull away if he gets spooked and takes a swipe. So, I reached up from inside the cage and scratched his head through the bars. He loves this. When he is in his cage, his rules seem to dictate that we are not welcome to reach in there. But when he is outside it is perfectly okay for me to be inside. Another happy note is that he knocked off a couple more wing feathers on our trip when he got scared and thrashed in his backpack. The feathers were hollow so that was a consolation to me, but since they both came off one side, he no longer had any long flights on just one wing, so I am sure they were not just falling out in natural time. Now though, last night I noticed for the first time that two little feathers have grown slightly longer than the rest of his stubby little wing. I have also noticed some thick pin feathers on his head. Could it be time for him to molt? Does a bird this old, (8-10 years) molt one feather at a time throughout the year, or will they have periodic molts of lots of feathers at once? I guess that is a better question for the general health room, so I will look for answers there. Thanks for being a listening post for our joyful news.

We have two parrots and they each travel differently. Java gets car sick and overwhelmed by seeing out the window. In our travels and travails, I have learned to put her in her cage with a rope perch that gives her a good grip, I turn it so the length of the perch is parallel to the road. That way the stops and starts have her leaning from leg to leg rather than rocking front to back as that makes her less steady. Then, I put a fleece blanket over her cage and open just a little spot so she has a line of sight directly to where I am sitting. Gilbert took a little more adjusting and fussing with his cage until we came to an agreement. He prefers two stick perches in opposite directions wrapped with vet tape for better traction. We had a lot of mistakes and missteps and both of us learned to change and adjust and our travels have been really good. One thing I did with each of our parrots instead of putting them into the travel cage for the first time and just hopping into the car was to put them in my bedroom and let them have night time roost cages for a few days and then the morning I left, I could pick them up early in the morning and off we went before they had time to worry or to protest. Believe me, after the most recent trip when I forgot to do the roost cages, I got a bite on my thumb first thing in the wee hours of morning when Gilbert strongly objected to his early morning shuffle to the back pack. Gilbert rode his one way eighteen hour trip in his back pack and was fine. On the way home, the car was too full. Knowing we would spend the night half way, I opted to fold down the backpack because the other cage is hard wire and can be used in the motel overnight. Big mistake. Gilbert hated being in the open that way. I tried covering him with the fleece blanket and that was worse. For him, the magic is to ride in the back pack, he seems secure in the smaller space. He loved the little wire travel cage in the motel and at the home of friends. I brought rope perches to configure to make him a climbing jungle gym on the outside of the cage and that was the best way for us to pack and make the most of a long journey with a short stay. Each trip has gotten better and better for us. I see Gilbert get much more upset if I try to leave him in his own familiar place while I go for a weekend. He seems to understand more that if I take him and he can see me, then I bring him home again, this is a good thing. Gwen, you are very intuitive and plugged in with Roscoe. You may not be able to predict what he will need on this trip, but I am absolutely certain that he will let you know, you will respond to his needs and this is going to be a good trip for both of you.

She is such a beautiful girl. Our guy has the same flecks red on his thighs so they might stay. I always thought the tags had a darker tail as babies and later it got the deeper reds, her bright red feather tips in that closeup are so pretty. Great photos! I also liked the way you put the zip ties on the natural branches to add to the play top. It is a timely helpful hint, Gilbert started to play on his cage top just this week. I love that idea. Thanks.

That issue hasn't arisen for us yet Ray. Since Gilbert is in the active phase of transition to our home, I love the rescue haven because no explanation is needed to the steps we take in his acclimation and transformation. I hadn't thought about the dilemma and thanks to you on this thread, I have had to give it some thought. I will proably stay in the rescue room until the day Gilbert takes flight and goes full circle from the incoming nervous little character to one of the regular ole family members. I will probably go back to the rescue room and read there every time I sign in, and update his thread on a monthly, then annual basis. Also, the rescue haven is such a perfect place for you to see what we are struggling with now that you may have a great idea and you can add Cricket into any of our posts to show us how you went from there to the Amazon room and will let newcomers sidle on over for more of the Cricket story.

This thread has been such a pleasure to me this morning. (Not the biting part for you Penny). Every home and every parrot is like starting all over again. I am enjoying how everyone in here has a unique way of problem solving. You are much more creative than you give yourself credit Penny, the pencil diversion was ingenious. We have scare bites and swipes here that are just instinct driven. I usually do tell them, don't bite and move them off my hand etc. But just once with each of our parrots, there was the leaning over and very intentional intense chomp. Something primal happened before I ever realized or thought it through, I just reached down and lightly pinched a toe with my fingernail and said "don't bite, it hurts". The surprise and shouting came from each of my parrots at the time and it broke the spell for the most part. Gilbert went through a few days of trying and succeeding to bite me and then would quickly hunch down like he was laying an egg just to cover his feet to make sure I didn't make that maneuver a second time. LOL. I can't imagine what you go through with Nilah, she is so smart and wants to be one step ahead of the game.

Thanks for the new pictures. Elegant Ellie. Her feathers are just perfect and she is a picture of good health. I come look at all the beautiful pictures and know that is the bird I visualize inside of Gilbert that will someday relax into. She is such a joy! I love that inquisitive little face and how calmly she just goes about her business while you take her picture. She has grown so much and her silver-grey eyes are just lovely. Gasp ;~) Her momma didn't wrap anything up for Ellie? You will have to share your treasures and bounty with her. Not the camera, but the scrub brush and measuring cups ought to be great fun for her. LOL. I have to admit, I got my husband a snow shovel and gloves one year for Christmas after the vacuum cleaner debacle on my birthday that month. That was thirty years ago and I have gotten more creative too.

Thanks Ray, it is slow and steady with our little charge. To my knowledge he hasn't been abused, but perhaps neglected and misunderstood along the way. After his first home with his beloved, he wasn't willing to accomodate any other home so I am aware this is a long haul if we are going to make any progress at all. His terms seem to change with the wind, LOL. I am learning when to be steady and when to rock his boat just a little to change things just a little, just enough that he doesn't just hunch up in a corner and withdraw completely. I do think the day will come when he learns to play and to be the carefree little bird I know he could be. If ever any character is worthy of a second chance, I think his will be successful in the long term. I have read many posts in the forum about grey time and not to have a timetable of expectations and that is about the best advice everyone can give us doing this for the first time. I know for certain, if it were not for this forum, I would have no clue on how to approach him with any hope for success. Thanks to everyone for the vision of a happy healthy TAG, 2012 is going to be a good year!

Happy birthday and best wishes for decades more together with you and your sweet AnnaBella.

Happy birthday to Louie! He had quite a tactic of being a wild child to escape to your home, he is a right smart cookie.

As a girl reaches a certain age, birthdays are best acknowleged after she has had a chance to get used to it. Not that Rikki is anywhere close to her prime. Just sayin', LOL. I know you acknowledged her on her special day and I am wishing her a happy birthday too.

Egad! The tenacity, the determination, the strength and the noise! As I wish for flight and courage for Gilbert, now I am wondering about that strategy. LOL. Not really, Rikki was glorious in her quest for a crash. I think you should send that clip to Corning to use in advertising. Tough enough to withstand lots of bangs, but keep away from the African grey.

You are so right, what a cute little voice. I had to keep looking and watch Marnie's fifth birthday. There was more of the same. Marnie loves those stuffed animals. That just made my day, thanks.

Gilbert doesn't have near the long term tolerance as Roscoe. I have not tried to lie on the floor yet, but I would do anything if it gave him a little more security. He seems to always want to stay just at arm's length and have me come to him. I love that he will step up for others, but they have also learned to ask for a step up, stay right next to his cage and the second he looks back they ask if he wants to go back and he is in a big hurry to go. They have plied him with almonds for months. At first he would discard their offerings with scorn, but gradually he has overcome that reluctance to look to others as friends. Every day I see tiny little glimmers of the parrot he really wants to be. He did get startled off his cage yesterday and was growling. I was a little reluctant to offer my hand while he was growling, but he came running to me and lifted his foot, growling the whole time. I put him on his blanket on the back of the sofa and he continued to growl but he tucked his head. He would let me scratch, but made quieter growls until he finally closed his eyes and relaxed completely and his growl sounded more like a purr. It was as confusing to me as it was to him but I just went with his body language and he was asking for reassurance and quieted himself little by little. I just see that as a good sign that he is conflicted but willing to try. It is a very fine line between encouragement and pushing where he is concerned. Every day is a new day and I am just happy that he keeps moving in a positive direction. I will take what I can get and be happy with him if he stayed exactly where he is, but keep open minded and give him room to grow closer if he has that capacity.

Barnaby is in a good place with you. I sure hope you have good news on Tuesday and your time with him is measured in decades. Thanks for the updates and for your devotion to him.

Thanks for coming in to share with us. It sounds like you and Andy are made for each other. A lot depends on when and why Andy started plucking. He has been through a lot in a year so it is possible that once he is stable and he is distracted from mourning his first love, he may just stop plucking on his own. We have a rehomed stress plucker. He stopped for months, but on occasion, when he is upset he will pull a bunch of his downy feathers and fill his water bowl with them, then he calms down and doesn't do it for a long time. Some things like biting and plucking start for one reason, then become habitual. In nine months, our 7-10 year old TAG has learned more to soothe himself without plucking and his biting has become minimal and way gentler. He seems to have learned he can back down a notch. Good luck in transforming Andy from a nervous little fellow to a confident companion. I couldn't figure out what is a gsd?

That was cute. The "don't touch me" could be Gilbert's mantra. It is nice to see a parrot just chillin' and talking to himself.

Somehow I missed this thread before. When I joined the forum, it was to learn about a baby grey. Getting a new look for the Rescue haven allowed me to see more from those of you who have gone before us. Thank you for paving the way, for your gift of advice and encouragement. I can't begin to tell you how scared I was to be one more weight in Gilbert's downward spiral. From the first day I answered the offer for a new home for him, to arriving on the doorstep, I was seriously considering the thought of failure. I was so afraid it was too much baggage to overcome and somehow I might be deficient in creating a safe haven for this little guy. I know now that it isn't magic we are doing, it is sustained, daily commitment to understand and to keep on coming back for more. Every day is a new day. Looking at the photos of Jazz at the beginning and Jazz after sustained predictability, I am more realistic that we are not going to fly this year, maybe not next year, but someday. I am lifted by the humble beginnings of all you who have taken time with these special cases.

You are doing such a great job, thanks for the update. We celebrate every new step you take with Sam. Not only do I wish you luck in the next six month segment of your journey, I wish for Sam to continue his transformation and to show you his potential. I dream for him to play with toys and to decide to talk when he is ready. Your progress is our blueprint to continue offering something different at the right time, or waiting to try again and again until it is the right time. Sam is stunning and beautiful.

I am unfamiliar with either of these techniques, but reading about it helps in the event that someday as we progress we have a misunderstanding. I hope we never have to see what it means to use evasive distraction tactics. Sometimes Gilbert gets startled as I go to pick him up off the back of the sofa. I leave 20 inch squares of fleece layered everywhere and I gently slide my hand under the fleece and it seems like the rolling motion you describe as he gets a grip on my hand through the fleece but it distracts him enought that he doesn't think to bite the fleece and he is solid on my hand and very happy to get to his cage again.

Ray, you just know how to say it all in just one little headline. I have taken all your advice to heart with Gilbert. The patience part comes in handy when we have a quiet moment. I don't want it to end, but I walk away long before either of us want to stop just to be sure it ends on a positive note. I love that our little charge is able to speak not just with body language but first with his plaintive "wanna go back" which we always immediately responded with giving him the security of his cage, and now with his "hey" to ask for more time out.

Thanks! The time spent waiting for him to learn that good things are around every corner has been key. As he gets more settled all the time, we all have confidence to push the boundaries just a little as they become more "elastic". I feel so incredibly blessed that he is giving us our very own little Christmas miracle. I think all of us sleeping in one room in the hotel with him and Java reinforced our "flock". Everyone who was in that little room became his "intimates". Not to mention "roosting" in a vehicle for nearly forty hours of togetherness. It really did accelerate our circle of trust. It could have gone any direction. There is something very calming to him to be able to see us while we sleep. I took some good advice to leave a night light burning and it has been almost the same magic elixir as the limeade. He has decided to come out of his cage to sit next to me during the daytime now too. It is so fun to scratch him, then go back to the computer and five minutes later, I look over and he is still bowed and waiting for another scratch. He looks like a little monk in meditation.

Wow Gwen, you are really getting into the big time with an hour or more of closeness. Gilbert gets less than a minute in and needs a rest. I like having him just near my shoulder and I leave him wanting more. Slowly, slowly he is beginning to bring himself a little closer to me. Nothing has surprised and delighted me like the moment just a couple of weeks ago when he came ever closer to the side of my head and nudged me with a little "hey", it was the first time every that he was the one to initiate contact. I first heard his little "hey" when I came up from sewing because he had gotten quiet. There he was on the wooden tv tray, just an inch of the floor, but "perched". So casually and nonchalantly, he said that first "hey". It is my favorite word now.

When I read this poem originally, I had no idea at the time that life with my grey would change and I would lose him too. Then along came Gilbert. I have learned so much more since then and this time reading it was more emotional. It is especially touching since it has been mere days since he has learned to relax (sometimes) and permit a moment of soothing touch.