katana600

Another thing that may or may not be of use is the size of your stainless bowls. They look like the ones that came with our big cage and I find they are way too big for my grey. I replaced them with the five ounce cups, he has never eaten all his food or water in the smaller size and it does make it more difficult for him to perch on the bowl. Also with the bolt system the individual stainless cups can be placed anywhere within the cage and although they will fit on the swing-open door, it does not have to be in that spot. I had to chuckle when I read your subject line my first notion was to reply "because they can". And you are right about the wind up for his amusement, he is probably chuckling to himself, this will get 'em moving. LOL. I know it is a serious problem for you and do hope you find a solution soon, it would have me cringing too.

I think you are spot on that your ears are not deceiving you and for your bird at least, talking begins at four months! One close to my heart was speaking clearly at seven months which is the earliest I have experienced but I am sure there will be others out there to confirm you are hearing your little Zen make the human speech connection. It is such an individual thing with each bird and home being unique. The books and advice are generalizations and you have a little prodigy.

This is great news. Of course you will never replace Neo, he was and will always be your boy. There is no time table to greiving and you will find ways to fill his void and celebrate his time with you, adding to the experience rather than diminishing it. This little fluffball is just the sweetest and your time spent feeling its heartbeat in your hands connects you to something magical. It takes a long time for a baby to wean and grow ready for a permanent home and you will find this time so much more bearable by having the little one close at hand to visit when your heart is heavy. I am so delighted to be along for your journey with the new chick. I can hardly wait to know if it is a boy or a girl as your find a place in your heart and home and a name for this sweet little angel.

This is just a joy to behold. None of my greys have reached this level of health and comfort at being out and about for various reasons. I look forward to the day when Gilbert is flighted (if that is meant to be) and he can swing joyously from a rope or perch with reckless abandon. These photos just bring me the greatest smile for your birds. What a haven you have created. I was holding my breath when you finished painting and they were being skeptical of the change and now just look at them! Thanks for using your imagination, staying the course and for sharing your vision with us. You are an inspiration.

What a beautiful bird and such a perfect name too, he looks like Skittles. I don't know anything about this kind of parrot, but I am sure someone here will have the knowledge or resources. You have a beautiful outdoor play area for your birds.

Java's cage is side by side with Gilbert's and identical. She doesn't get up on her play top, prefering to be on a human play stand. So, sometimes when our hands are full, we might set something on top of her cage. For the past week, Gilbert has been asking Java for a cracker and we thought that was funny because the cracker package was on her cage top, but where she couldn't reach it... or so we thought. Last night, my husband got the cracker package down to give them each a little snack. And the crackers were empty. The side facing the room was whole. Java has been a little sneak thief, hanging upside down and tearing open the bag to eat ALL the crackers. I am stunned. In just a couple of days, maybe one, she was able to open the bag and eat the whole thing. She weighs just a quarter of a pound. How can this be? Poor Gilbert was a witness, watching all his crackers being devoured and she was not about to share any with him. It was just too funny to realize what she just got away with!

What a precious trio, it would be hard to choose one. I am glad you got to spend some time with them. It seems like such a long time when we are waiting for our chick to wean and come home. Even still, this is a time of discovery and excitement that will stay with you. I felt like a little kid at Christmas and could barely stand to sleep at night waiting. I never even felt like that as a little kid... or big kid either at Christmas, but the arrival of a baby African grey is a monumental life experience. I am glad you are having this opportunity and thanks for sharing it with us.

I remember when you were bringing Beau home and trying to keep him going. I am so happy to still be here to see him turn two. Some things are just meant to be and your little guy has been placed in your capable hands for a reason. I am glad you are celebrating a happy occasion and enjoying your houseful of feathered love.

I started with a small parrot and when I saw how wonderful she is, I wanted a second one. We now have a five year old female red-bellied cousin of the senegal, Java and a seven to ten year old Timneh African Grey (TAG) Gilbert. He was older so the introduction is taking a lot longer. We have had them in the same room for a couple of months now and they talk back and forth. Java is saying more recognizeable words now as she copies Gil. Just while I was typing she flew to the door of his cage and he came out to give her the business and she flew back into her own cage. He still can't fly due to plucking issues and she can, so it kind of equalizes the size difference. Your two may not ever become friends but they will learn to coexist. On the other hand, some birds of different species become very close, preening one another and being very friendly. I think it is very much up to the personality of the individual birds. It has been important for us to always feed the number one bird, Java, first. As long as we continue to approach her first and give her lots of attention she seems to accept Gilbert and he is okay with her being number one as long as she doesn't land on his territory. We are still vigilant and only let out one at a time when I can be on my best game watching over them.

I am glad this thread popped up again, I had missed the video of Slater the first time. Then, I went on to some of the other videos you have posted. You have some really great ideas, I liked the plastic bin you put a "handle" on and covered with the purple vet wrap. You have some amazing ideas and have created a lovely playroom to keep things interesting. No wonder it has taken Slater a small adjustment to take it all in. He is probably playing in there with reckless abandon by now. Thanks for the videos and pictures.

Gee, what's not to like about that set up for Pancho? He has a lot of wonderful things going on in his life now and that picture shows him taking it all in stride, captain of his domain. LOL. Love that Brutus is reminding you that you are his mama. It will be fun to hear all his new adventures with you.

She is just delightful. I like how you already got her into your signature, she is a natural model for your photos. I don't know how you keep up with your crew. I am home all the time and running after two is my full time job. LOL. You have a beautiful flock and I love all the names you have given them. Nice group.

I have been watching the Timneh babies to get an idea what Gilbert looked like as he was growing up since I missed that part of his beginning. I was holding my breath reading about Moxie, but I have to admit, I went to the last page first to see how it would turn out.... and it is a good thing or I would have held my breath until I was blue. He is certainly a little fighter. Amazing. Far beyond my knowlege or capability. I do have a question, does anyone know when the eye color turns for this Meyers parrot? I noticed his eyes turned red or orangish for the photo at one year. When we got Java, we were told she was four months old, but her eyes were already red and she seemed older.

Dear Barbara, I am sooo sorry for your loss. I went through something similar with my first CAG baby Juno. When I drove him to his original vet for his necropsy, my heart was so heavy and sad. There was a feeling that I let him down, that I was going to go through the necropsy and find something I did, didn't do or somehow inadvertently caused his death. He was only with me for seven weeks. Even though I have been through it, twice now, and it is hard to be where you are now, please don't beat yourself up speculating. My guess is the necropsy will show there was something underlying or perhaps even that they can find no direct cause. Regardless, you loved Neo, you gave him your best. You did all the things you knew to do. It has to be even more difficult that you were returning home anticipating a joyous reunion and the great heightened emotions made the shock even harder on you. Please nurture and care for yourself and be kind to you. If this were one of us, you would be standing there with a shoulder and kind word and all the support you deserve to turn around right now to you. No one could have been a better mom to Neo and he was treasured and loved. None of us could ask for anything more in life to have that for even the shortest time. Neo had it for his lifetime. There are so many of us out here now sending you our virtual hugs and condolences. Dee

I am so sorry for your loss of Blue. He was a delightful character from the videos you showed us of his visits and he knew you cared for him. This is a tough time but I do believe you will meet again.

All things considered Gilbert doesn't look too bad and his attitude is great. Well come to think of it, that photo of his foot was taken on my first day back and it could be considered an attitude if that is a parrot's version of an unpleasant gesture. LOL.

This has been our best morning ever. Gilbert awakened about an hour earlier than usual and decided I should be up too. First I heard him go through all his usual phrases. Then I heard a new voice, a light hearted feminine voice saying "good morning sweet bird". That made me really happy. Regardless of where he has been, I hear some of the sweetest things from him so I know he was well loved at every stop even though the loss of that loved one caused him grief. I heard many new things that I wish I had recorded because it was prolific, the floodgates have opened! Then, he was saying "night night?" in a pleading tone he uses in the morning because he wants me to get up. I usually laugh and talk to him from my room and tell him it is not time to get up yet. Then, he said in a course, demanding voice "Quit Night Night!" I know he was demanding to to get out of my bed, so I did. Hahahaha. I can not describe adequately how it felt to lay in there listening in awe at the things he was saying. He is so adorable.

Great thread! I am sitting here thinking I am THE luckiest person in the bird world. Then, I ponder a moment, and no, that is not true, I just have a short memory. Java picked keys off my laptop including the little rubber boot so when I would press the left shift, I would get a little zap. We all have raggedy tee shirts. The worst by far was the multi-venture sneak attacks that she was making on a beautiful kaleidoscope, slowly removing the inset wood veneer from one of my object lenses. It still works, thank goodness, but it looks tattered and ragged. Gilbert has not become mobile just yet so he stays where he is placed and plays with real parrot toys. Java is talking smack to him now and making fun of him for being a mama's boy.

Our breeder had at least three decades of experience, plus worked in an avian vet's office. She had a firm rule than no bird from the clutch went to the new home until all in the clutch were weaned and ready. She said the loss of the clutchmates would cause the slower-developing chick to regress and later it would be less secure. From my experience, Gilbert remembers his former homes and something will remind him and he has reactions that I believe do cause him to be quieter, somewhat wistful, it is odd to explain. Our first parrot, Java (red-bellied) had a brief experience with a foster cockatiel at our home for five months, five years ago. Yet today if any one talks on the phone with Milo's current home, she will still make his call and she didn't even seem to have liked him.

Ahhhh, life is good again. Gilbert is quickly back to his sweet little ole self again. I offered to bring him to the quilt group meeting downstairs yesterday and he came down and regaled the ladies with his wolf whistles and his chatty little self. Usually he will go down and sit on his perch and only offer up a cracker request if he hears any signs of someone getting a snack. LOL. Although it is hard to know for sure, I think he picked up some new words while I was away. Sometimes in the early morning when he is wanting me to get up, he calls out "Night night?" in a question, lately he is saying "Good Morning" in a kind of garbled way that makes me think he is learning something different. I usually come to him first thing and say "Good morning sunshine". One thing for sure that did not come here from another place is that our little dog Mick will bark more that Gilbert thinks is necessary and he says "Stop it Mick!" He also mocks his sharp little yaps and then laughs at him. In the beginning Gil would say "C'mon Bud" when it was time to take the dogs out, now as often as not he asks the dogs "Wanna go outside?" It is all fine and good when I am heading to the door in response to the dog ringing the cowbell, but when Gilbert solicits them to go out and I am not there, it gives them the idea and then I have to take them out twice as often. Gilbert claims he is only looking after my weight loss program, LOL.

How old is Max? We got Gilbert almost three months ago at the age of 7 to 10 years. His caretaker at the time is a woman, and one of his previous owners was a man. He didn't warm up to Sarah after two years, but came in with either a modicum of tolerance to me, the mom of the household. He would swipe at my husband or daughter but I keep working with him, using my favored status to continue to encourage him to be buddies with everyone in the family for his own good should I not be available. He will step up for my husband but is still in a big hurry to get back on his cage. If I am not home, my daughter is a reasonable substitute for a very careful, guarded head scratch while he clings to his cage. It has been such a short time, I believe if you talk to Max every day, don't push too hard for him to come to you until he is ready, you will build a trust with him and tho you may or may not ever be the heartthrob rockstar favorite, you will have an equally delightful relationship with a magnificent companion.

Congratulations on finding your little one and thanks for joining us. It is amazing how much information is available through this forum. I learned more here than from all my other sources combined and it is helping me in a relationship with a delightful companion. Your journey is just beginning, you will have miles of smiles in the near future.

One thing I love is that even though Gilbert prefers me, everyone else is working hard trying to win him over, caring about him and taking my place when I couldn't be here. My husband offered to drive half way which is eight hours one way, to bring Gilbert to me if I needed to stay longer. Once I got back though, Gilbert has been uncooperative toward the advances my daughter and husband made with him. It shows he is capable of having more than one human bond in our family and has given them hope for a closer relationship with him. It means a lot to have their support as well as all of you here. I anguished every day wondering what Gilbert would think of my absence. I was originally planning to go up for a weekend wedding and I practiced with Gilbert to leave him for a weekend and come home again and he was fine. This turned out to be longer and Java and my other pets have experienced each family member leaving and returning so they had no issues. I am not sure it was my absence that upset Gil, more of a change in his routine and I am tuned in so close that I know what he wants at any given time and the rest of my family isn't as tuned in to him. They are trying hard, it just seems automatic between Gil and me from the first day, I can't really explain, but it brings tears to my eyes to think about what he means to me.

I love Louie too. I have been trying for a big part of my morning to get that video downloaded, there was something updating in the background hogging my modem. LOL. So, I finally got to see Louie roll over and sun himself. I liked the sound of your wind chimes in the background. Then I went to another video and saw Louie on his playgym swinging and playing and heard your clock chime. You and your birds have a lovely home together. In time Louie will come to enjoy your touch, I am sure of it. He sure makes the day brighter with laughter, doesn't he?