katana600

Just getting caught up on the Murphy's. Little Kane is looking like a big girl with a big personality. So sorry she chipped her beak but I am guessing it isn't going to slow her down much. The photo of her looking up is so darn precious that I get the MBS fever. I am happy you have this experience with her and hope it isn't giving you gray hairs. She is adorable.

Sometimes the smallest things are a big change for our greys. After you moved Noodles into the quieter room or is he talking while you are in that room with him? I am so pleased for the way you are able to understand what he needs after such a short time together.

Nilah is such a brave early adopter of new things at your house. She is fearless. That fountain looks like a lot of fun. Hopefully the other two will decide it is a fun place to hang out a well. Beautiful addition to your aviary.... I mean, your home. You have the best setup for your birds.

The way Isaac is so comfortable in the kitchen, I wonder if he would try the ice water bath if you put it on a towel on the counter and progressed to putting it in the sink? Java loves to play with the ice water when I sit it up on her playtop but Miss Gilbert thinks she will melt if spritzed or otherwise tempted to bathe. Sterling, your video is great. I love little Rio trying to get in on a little of the bobbing for ice cubes and Gracie Mae is having no part of sharing. Java enjoyed the video and giggled at the whole scene.

Miss Gilbert is fearful. She let me pet her only inside her cage with bars between us for what seems like forever. We recently got her a new cage that has a small door up high across from her food doors. I put a perch there and she started letting me open the door and she puts just her head out. Novalee may need more time to feel safe with you. The good side though is that many greys are territorial about their cage. She lets you in and solicits your scratches, so that's really good.

Karen, I am so sorry for the trauma your son has endured. Your cheerful posts and encouragement are missed so thanks for letting us know what you are dealing with as you get your son on his way to recovery. Wow, that's a big scare for you. My thoughts and prayers are with you as you face another surgery with him and give him mom's TLC.

Hi Kevin, Welcome to the forum and congratulations on bringing your new friend Noodles into your life. If he is eating out of your hand already, that is fantastic after only two weeks with you. You are off to a good start. I really couldn't say about the misting if it is better to do it now or wait until you have a little more trust. Someone with more knowledge may have a better view on that for you. There are also some good threads about misting such as spraying upwards from below him, using pure aloe juice etc. Does he have plucking issues or dry skin problems already? That may make a difference in when and how often you should mist him. If he is not growling, eating from your hand etc. I am guessing he is feeling pretty confident and is making a transition which is why he would be quiet and not ready to step up for you right away. There is also what we refer to as a "honeymoon" period where a new grey is on his best behavior after a move and that could change. Slow, steady and predictable is a good start for him. My relationship with Miss Gilbert has taken a lot longer but she came to us after she had already developed some serious fear issues and had been rehomed multiple times.

Hi and welcome to the forum. What is your grey's name? Dave007 is so right about the greys being subtle. I have studiously observed Miss Gilbert for years. As far as she is concerned, I'm still ignorant and thick as compared to her mastery of subtlety. Another thing about our greys, he may have started the biting to tell you something a while ago. Then he realized it is powerful and it becomes his first "go to" in his arsenal rather than for him to work on the subtle clues. I agree with you that this isn't about him being mean. Rather its a communication device. By changing the interaction and giving him less opportunity to bite and observing closely any small changes you may have made when he first started this tactic, you might be able to figure out how to get past this habit and back to his better side.

I really get it. After a whirlwind of positive energy we are on the three steps forward, one step back. I just got a little complacent reaching in her cage to clean her water when she did a cobra strike. Lucky for me she missed, but she meant that one. She has had a feather chewing, day long cussing grumpfest but she is turning the corner again. Today she is vacillating between whistling sweet lullabies and tossing in a string of cusses, then right back to her sweet happy tunes. When she backtracks, I give her space to figure it out and when she moves toward me again, I am willing to let bygones be left behind. Last night she was hesitant but she initiated a really sweet bedtime head rub from half inside her cage. She suddenly turned and tried to bite me but as you say with Phenix, it was half hearted. Generally, I "talk her down", soothe her and calm her down so we part on a positive note. Last night was different. I told her she was a wicked little monkey and tried to close her door. She put her head in the door and I really can't say if she was trying to sort it out but I am more of a mind that she was positioning to nab me. I shut off her light and went promptly to bed. She has had a better attitude today, but I am playing it cool and letting her work at it for a change.

We have had two years of contractors and sub contractors, messes, not showing up when they are supposed to be here. Worst day ever was when two crews from the same contractor got their wires crossed and showed up on the same day. The grounds crew didn't get along with the guys on scaffolding and one of the carpenters got in a huff and cut his leg with the circular saw. Someone came in and said "Ma'am, call us an ambulance." It was bad, six to eight hours of surgery bad, and I was in there with fresh flour sack towels for a compress. Finally when the outdoor work is looking lovely, the new neighbor clear cut all the trees in his back yard and filled in the dry creek and washed our work away. It is a never ending decision to just let it work out the way it is going to work out. On a happier note, your little Miss Kane is an adorable little daddy's girl. She will work her magic with you too Lisa... just more subtle and in more time. She is a beauty.

We all were first timers at one point. The first days are often quiet while your grey is getting the lay of the land. Take your time, you have a lot of great years of companionship ahead.

That's just too precious. She is a total sweetheart when the moment is right. She knows just how to make her daddy melt.

Congratulations for figuring out a way to make Mayday feel more confident and less afraid. It really does affect their need to chew their feathers off in fear and frustration. We are going through a period of really awesome trust and breaking some barriers but it comes at the cost of feather barbering in a nervous kind of way. That is when I know it is time to back down and give her some space. It is so good that you can read Mayday and are reaching an understanding.

I have a hard time telling the color of her eyes in the photos. Our babies eyes turned from black to silver to the golden yellow in the first eighteen months. At six months their eyes were gray or silver in color. If Novalee's eyes are a silver gray color she could be the age you describe. It could be my monitor or it could be that the eye color is gradual and subtle. If you look at Greywings' or Judygram's avatar you can see a closer view of the adult straw color eyes.

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on taking the steps to bring Peanut into your life. She recognizes your interest in her and has decided you are a good friend. Take your time with her and allow her to get adjusted in her new home as you talk to her and let her get to know you better. For her to choose you is a sign of great things to come for you. Think about where you are going to place her cage in your home. They do like to be in the "hub" where they can see everything going on and also to be against a wall where no one is going to approach unexpectedly. She may be a little shy at first even though she knows you because she will be in an unfamiliar place. Thanks for joining us, I am looking forward to her homecoming and to hear all about her.

Hi Kathy, thanks for joining our forum. I look forward to seeing pictures of your new baby when you get the opportunity. While you are waiting for your homecoming, I would love to hear more about your CAG. What was her name? It does take a lot of time to process the grief of losing your companion. When you reach the point that remembering the times she made you smile is easier, a lot more happy memories come flooding back. It is going to be wonderful for you to have another grey in your home and your new baby is lucky to have your experience and love of greys. Welcome to the Grey Forum.

Love that you got to swoop in for the rescue. Think of how much has changed in the time you have had him. Even in the year since his last visit to the groomer he has gained confidence. I can only imagine him in his travel cage with his back to you. I think of Gil and how she needs to have the lights down low and have her quiet time to wind down after something that has "assaulted her senses". Glad to know he weathered the storm and returned so quickly to normal.

Ah, well, the trick her with her has been that I hold her up with one hand, then I slide onto my bed. I am in a reclining position and I pull a towel across from my chest to my knees. Then she isn't so much stepping down as being lowered until my leg seems like a step to a higher position. It is just huge that she has been willing to come away from her cage. Timing is everything. Today, even after our warm encounter last night, I asked her if she wanted a scratch at her usual spot inside the cage with her head out the door. She said "ready" and look ever so receptive. But as I reached for her with my hand she struck like cobra a barely missed my eye. She seems to want very much to be close but has a deep and abiding instinct to strike out. This is all still very guarded and new. With the lights dimmed and the alternative is going to bed in the dark or joining me just about a dozen feet away from her cage, she isn't so much choosing me as choosing not to go to bed. I have no illusions that she is using me as it suits her but I still take that as progress. Even the smallest warmth from the little soul is welcome.

That was such a nice clip. I've been known to enjoy a walk on the wild side in a cool rainstorm myself. LOL. Those chimps made it look so much fun. The twins snuggled up to the mother was precious. Thank you. I will try to upload Gil showing her wild side. I also got a chance to take the sweetest photo of Miss Gilbert tonight. I will try to edit it for size and post that too. This is a wonderful time in her life. She didn't want me to stop rubbing her head at bedtime and once again offered me her trust to come sit on my lap in my bed. She has been in here for more than two hours. She became so relaxed she let her head and neck melt into the warmth of my hand and her little tail feathers pointing to the ceiling. I have seen pictures of baby greys and a few special ones on our forum. I never dared dream that I would have these moments with Miss Gilbert. Her life seemingly changed overnight. Grey time can be excruciatingly glacially slow and it can move at lightning speed when we least expect it.

That is too funny. I had to look it up on the internet. Like I read, most people will think they don't know what Zydeco music is, but once they hear it, they know. So I took it to her cage and she danced like a wild child. She looked like she was enjoying it but had all her feathers up and I've never seen her like that. I wouldn't want to get my fingers anywhere near her but I think you are onto something. We may start a morning routine with this music when I take her cage outside for sunshine.

Nancy, I disagree about having two greys. There are many more than three homes on our forum that have made it work. It isn't what I would suggest someone with no grey experience start out doing, but he already has them in his home and is learning from them. Often Speedygo, it will be suggested that getting two greys at the same time increases the chance they will communicate with each other and leave you out. Plus, if you are new to greys, you may not be able to understand what part of the behavior you see is related to age and your interaction with each parrot and what is a synergy of the two of them working together or against each other. It will take a lot more effort to learn what Dixon and Novalee need from you individually and to divide your time so you give them one on one time with you away from the other. As far as bringing in a macaw, talk to your avian vet and ask about the effect of grey dust on a Macaw. It seems I have read something about the Macaw's having breathing issues if housed with greys or other dusty birds.

This is so new and fun, I just can't stand myself. Miss Gilbert had a little time with me this afternoon in my bedroom. Then tonight she asked for a cracker while in her cage so I brought her an almond and gave everybody a bed time snack. When I went to scratch her head, she offered her foot and came out of her cage instead. She pooped on the sofa, so I sat her down while I went to get a paper towel and clean it up. She seemed happy where she was and I wondered if she might come around the L-shaped leather sectional to get to my chair. So I went to sit in my chair to wait. She said "C'mere" and clearly she wanted me to come get her. When I did, she came to sit on the back of my chair and bowed her head for a head rub! She let me rub her head right here in the living room under bright lights. When she lifted her foot to show me she was done, I took her back to her cage. No sooner than I sat down, she said "C'mere" again! She wanted to come sit on my chair and get another head scratch. I love this. She is asking for more. It just seems like a switch has been flipped and she remembers how good it feels to have her head scratched. This is so much fun. I can not find the words to say how much it shocked and pleased me to hear her say "C'mere". She usually says that to the dogs when she wants them to go outside. It is a phrase she knew coming in to our home along with "C'mon on over here" Can't wait for that one. "C'mon on over here LuLu".. hahahaha. This is just amazing. She is just shucking off those chains of fear and breaking down the walls she was so fiercely guarding. Who knows what is next?

Our lulls are less frequent and considerably shorter in duration. Would you believe? Today she is sitting on my leg in my bedroom, far from the sight of her cage. I was reading a magazine and she is ripping up the subscription cards they stick between pages. She is very quiet and when given the offer to go back to her cage, she quickly stepped up to my hand. She went back to her cage top and did a little Cajun pirouette and reached out a high wave with her foot which is an opening to go with me again. In broad daylight yet! We had storms again last night and again she awakened me. I went out a few times, rubbed her head, soothed her and she went back to bed. So maybe today is her appreciation and she is giving back to me.

It is all still so new for both of us that I am cautiously optimistic. She really can't be pushed. She has not come out of her cage since she panicked and "bit her tongue". But, she is still letting me pet her head and she does seem to relish it. It's the first real sign of pleasure she has permitted herself to indulge. When I allow myself to feel a little misty myself I get a fast reminder of how delicate her mental balance is at this stage. Right when her eyes are closed, she is warm and relaxed, she will suddenly startle and try to bite me. I am ultra aware to avoid pin feathers, to stroke in one direction, and never surprise her with a new move. Something else that is new is during the day, she is much more high strung. She is venting her frustration in a much healthier way. She is ripping chunks of wood off toys she previously ignored. Today she grabbed her bell by the chain and shook the snot out of it. That's progress.

Judy, it has taught me that I don't even know the meaning of the word patience. Every time I get close to thinking maybe this is "it", I learn it is a call for more patience. Things with Gil evolve ever so slowly and every little thing makes a difference with her. She is so wary, guarded and defensive. But we have come to a new place. Coming away from her cage and permitting a head rub was largely because she was afraid of the storm. We are back to the cage temporarily but she is letting me rub her head without bars between us. It is a compromise. She is inside her cage except for just her head. The door is likely for a nest box, up high on the cage. That is where I put her night time roost perch. When she is sleeping and the door is closed, it is perfect for her sense of seclusion because it is solid except for the small holes drilled for it to be used for a food cup. She can feel protected and peer out of a peep hole to see who is coming. I dim the lights in the room and she is really enjoying her head rub twice a day now. When I try to close the door to go to bed she sticks her foot in the door like a pushy salesman, nudges the door open with her head and quickly positions herself for another scritch.