katana600

He is very special. He has been trying out some new words and muttering to himself so I know he is up to something. I had read the post from MarcusCAG and thought at first I was imagining the "I sorry" but my family heard it and for two days he has been saying it over and over again and even changing it a bit to say "Gilbert sorry". He is still a little quiet, but has been happy to sit with me and have his head scratched. My fingers are still sore from the onslaught, but I have been thinking about this from his perspective. We were tearing up carpets, moving furniture, putting things in boxes, with new people coming in and out of our house. From what I understand Gilbert has been rehomed a few times. When Sarah picked him up from a previous owner, he was packed to move the next day and said Gilbert had to go. It is heartbreaking to think how that must have made him feel. Along with the "I sorry" he has also been plaintively calling the name of a previous companion "Jim". I have reassured him we are not going anywhere. He has been reassuring himself several times a day "Gilbert okay". I am the one who is sorry he has been unsettled and I wasn't thinking ahead, but he is okay again and we are learning every day.

I think Marcus is sending telepathy to Gilbert. It amazes me they seem to be so similar in their behavior. I love that you got him a new playstand and he is happy there. Great job with him and your family.

Thanks! He is a light in my life and I think our future together is going to be exquisite.

We have had a rough patch that didn't last long but will be forever memorable. We are removing carpet and installing a floating vinyl floor. We have had a long week of work and a helper in and out of the house. When we were working upstairs, we were sliding the empty box tops down the stairs and I would warn Gilbert that it was coming. He was making his dropping bomb sounds and chatty but was staying inside his cage. At the end of about three days of work, he came out on his cage and I was really tired and as I talked to him and reached for him, he bit me three times before I could comprehend what he was doing. I told him it hurt and he scared me and he scuttled into his cage. In the meantime I thought it would be a good idea to close the door on the top side corner, nesting box door. He did some kind of star trek move and transported himself from one side of the cage to the door and attacked me in a flurry and bit me three or four more times through the bars! Wow. I gave him some time to sort things out and came back to talk to him. He was receptive and bowed his head for a scratch and quickly bit me a couple more times. Just a few minutes later he was whistling and talking and I have to say, I was a little afraid to approach him, but I did and he let me scratch his head like nothing ever happened. At bedtime he hunkered down and refused to step up and I have never seen such a glowering grouchy face. The honeymoon is officially over. First, I considered allowing him to stay on his cage top and even turned out the lights but decided I needed to set a precedent as well as keep him safe. So, I sat quietly in the room talking and singing to him and he responded pleasantly. When he was ready, he came to me and sat on my knee. It took him longer to warm up and approach me for a scritch. But we made ammends and he went to bed happy. The next day we had company coming and still worked on the floors. At one point, I stopped for a break and lay on the sofa and Gilbert shocked me by saying softly "I sorry". I could not believe it but he has been saying it over and over to me today. I was telling him I was sorry for all the noise and he was saying "Gilbert okay". I can not begin to express how amazed I am that he is so perceptive and willing to give me a complete turnaround. I have to say that it would be easy to be hesitant to get close to him after the flurry and fury of his attack when he lost his mind for a moment. But, we are both realizing that he has been here such a short time and we turned it back around to being sweet again and both of us learned something. We are here for each other, good and bad, we are willing to learn and trust and the affection and love is back with a new respect and no serious harm was done on either part. Whew.

Your life with Isaac is magical and I will be waiting in line to watch that video and see pictures when you get the chance to put it together. I love what Isaac means to you and how you keep his happiness and well being in perspective and how you share with us your joy.

I have a same gender red bellied parrot and I am her favorite person. I have an opposite gender male Timneh and he has been here only a couple of months. He seemed to bond with me on sight. We work with them both with every member of our family and with our friends so they will accept anyone of either gender. I also believe they could change their preference at any time and although that would be difficult to me, I think I would be happy with knowing someone else I love was a favorite for a while too just so they know how it feels. I could play second fiddle if it meant my grey and my hubby had a close bond and in fact encourage them both to make friends.

That is just what I like to hear. Spoiled is good. Ana Grey is a character all of her very own. Love that she is your girl.

There is something magical about hearing the chats and whistles coming from the next room to awaken me to a new day. I am so happy that all of you understand because you are living in the same dream state that I am.

Welcome to the forum. Your insight and compassion for your rats is going to make your journey with a grey that much more of a joy to you. There is a lot to learn from our animals of every kind. You will be a good companion for any creature with four legs, two legs, feathers or fur. Thanks for joining us and sharing your views.

I am inspired by the success others have had with the aviator harness. I have the harness. I have the parrot. I am working on trust with a relatively new guy, but I am inspired to start now with getting him adjusted to seeing the harness and working with the video. He isn't flighted yet, so this may be the right opportunity to start with the conditioning. It will be well worth the security later to be able to take him out and know he is safe. Thanks for all your input, it really helps to know how some things work and some don't for individual birds and their people.

I think he had a headache from his crash in the morning... lost his mind for a moment. Of course he was shocked that his beak just latched onto you on its own and he was sorry you were hurt. Yep, I would have let him stay up late too.

Thanks for the update, I feel very strongly that my progress with Gilbert came upon the shoulders of rejection he showed Sarah. I just really believe he held back because of grief from leaving his previous home and maybe he was holding that against her. The stepping stone is a great analogy. Sully stayed with you long enough to feel safe and secure and built the foundation to open his heart to love with Jordan. It is a mystery and even as you feel a little loss from not having that acceptance from Sully, I know it has to be conflicting not to take it personally. That is why I don't take Gil's attitude here as something I have done, it is just being in the right place at the right time. How has Ana Grey reacted to having you all to herself?

I have to agree that they can read us from across the room. What is really eerie is when I am thinking about doing something and hear my thoughts come out of them. Reminds me to keep good thoughts. LOL. I think we have a lot to learn from all the pets we are lucky to share in our lifetime.

I think we all get that multiple bird syndrome when we see another sweet little beak. Once we picked out our baby CAG, it was murder waiting for him to come home and I kept looking at all the other birds too. Just think of the time you are spending with this little guy as being a help to him in trusting and seeking out his perfect home. What is meant to be will be. There is come a day after you get your grey home that you may get the chance to add another friend. It would be hard to walk away from Cricket, love him while you are there with him and maybe you will meet again.

Glad you could join us. Welcome to you and yours. The waiting is hard, but well worth it. My TAG was a grown up when he came home, so your baby picture is just what I needed to see today. It will be fun to watch your little one grow up with us. BB Chu is a cutie too.

Wow. What great progress in such a short time from not being handled to being thoroughly relaxed with you. This is a match made in heaven for your family. What a beautiful picture. Thanks so much for sharing. Little orphan Annie.... awwww. Bless her. I can't think where she would be more loved and appreciated than your expanding flock.

She is beautiful. I will look up your other post. She sure deserves someone who will stick with her through good parts as well as the tough parts. She is lucky to have you in her life right now and if you keep her that will just be a bonus for all of you.

What a precious little boy, I am glad you are getting to know him and love these baby pictures.

Welcome to the forum. Shade is a beautiful boy and his cage is nice too. Congratulations on doing your due diligence and for seeking a greater understanding of your grey and his place in your family. This forum has a lot of collective experience and we will learn from you and your guy too. Thanks for joining us.

Great photos! What a relief that Slater and Chili are starting to appreciate all your hard work. I was holding my breath to see if they would settle down. I love the first picture, I thought it was upside down at first, but no, it is hanging from the ceiling. He looks right at home up there. What a beautiful place to hang out with your birds. I am very happy to see the progress you have made.

Thanks for sharing your love for Burt and all that you have learned from him. I believe he would cheer you on in sharing your home and your love with another macaw.

There is nothing as precious as being welcome to this forum community and led by example of kindness and sharing. There is so much information shared here that helps all of our birds with new ideas and tried and true expertise that only comes from living with these exquisite creatures. The birds are pretty nice too. LOL. Thanks for all the hard work to our administrators and thank you Jay for bringing this up. I love coming here and learning and sharing. I would know nothing about parrots except what you all have taught me. I have learned when to be patient and step back and when to be assertive and step up to find vets for sick birds and to try new techniques and learn, grow and evolve to be a better companion to my parrots.

Thanks for cheering for our relationship. What I mean to say is that Gilbert's trust at this particular time in his life is a choice. Everyone deserves this kind of happy ending story, it is just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. I am so very much aware that the predictability that I strive to provide for Gilbert has been a part of his choices, but for some reason he came into my life when we needed each other and we both are learning to take courage, try something new and one day of love and success just seems to bring us another day of "firsts". If I am over the moon with his acceptance, none of you will be able to stand it when he takes his first flight with us. He is regaining a few small feathers on his chest and I have seen some new pin feathers on his wings. Last night when he jumped off the cage door to go to the floor, I saw the first time for him to beat his wings and slow his landing. He landed on his feet! I am so much in awe of his vitality and energy and willingness to try new things and be my little buddy. He is just awesome and I am appreciative of this chance to have a bond with him.

All y'all have truly inspired me. I am usually setting about doing various tasks at home on a daily basis. I hardly ever think to turn on the music for background noise. I love the whoots and whistles of my two birds and you inspired me to play a little music for them. I went to the website and they didn't seem to notice the lovely music and bird calls. I turned on the radio and they sat quietly, watching me dance trying to get them to join in. Then, as I was off in the kitchen starting dinner, I started singing. The HeeHaw song. Where oh where are you tonight. I was met by bronx cheers and the abrasive gong show buzzer from Java and Gilbert chimed in to say "bye bye, see ya later". So. I guess I won't be bringing music in to soothe the savage beasts. LOL. I laughed myself to tears with the two of them. I think they might have watched Simon Cowell... or that woman on The Weakest Link. hahahahahaaha ROLF And another thing, I have been soothed at my darkest hour by your singing to Dorian. He is cheering you on and joining in. Mine left nothing ambiguous for me to sort out. LOL hahaha

Thanks Dan, you always seem to be on the lookout for just the things that give us a little something to feel good about for the rest of our day. I like to think the final two coming out were from the same clutch and were banding together. It was awesome to see them climb out in tandem and fly away free with the others. Also to watch the flight that in my own life would cause me such fear and anguish for the future of a caged bird in a foreign land was so beautiful and harmonious in the jungle where this group were being returned to their wild home.