katana600

One would hope so but this morning at 6:30 I heard a peck-peck-peck. The rain overnight shrunk the fabric and a little sliver of the reflective brass plate was showing. Wouldn't you know? It spotted a piece of brass smaller than my thumb and went right to work pecking away. Maybe I should record it and see if anyone knows Morse code could translate for me. I may just have to remove the brass plate. It has been there for more than ten years and this is the first time we have had a bird take an interest. However, we had landscaping done last August and maybe the nest area for this bird was moved because of that.

His laugh is adorable. His dove impression is so realistic I didn't know for sure if there was a dove on the balcony. He has a lot of fun entertaining his daddy.

From calling David a wiener and a naughty boy, Miss Gilbert seems to be having a blast from her past. In the past couple of weeks she has been "babbling" more and more. I came in from the kitchen and she said "Who me?" just as plain as could be and it was definitely a question, then she laughed. Another day she was saying "Nuevo" over and over. We have had her well over four years now and it is intriguing to hear some of the things she pops out when she is reminded of something from previous homes, or when the mood strikes her. Also she still will make a mad dash to get into her cage if she sees me get up from my chair, or when I walk toward her cage. Other times though, she will walk to one certain corner of her cage and offer a foot to me to step up on her own accord. She has gone through a surly stage with David and has even bitten him a couple of times. It seems to be about his travel schedule and refusal to take her up on her offer to upstairs and live with her there in peace and seclusion from "LuLu". She is also starting to have a firm preference for certain foods and refuses to eat any of her pellets. She decided one day she no longer likes sunflower seeds and will pitch them out of her bowl one after the other. Every day we have a new look at Miss Gilbert. I do enjoy that she is feeling safe enough to press her own agenda these days.

Our parrots enjoy an almond in the shell. We give them one every night just before bedtime and it seems to help keep the tip of the beak blunt. They also have pumice perches and while I see them wiping their beak, I don't see them biting on it much. When the time comes for Alex to see his vet, ask about the beak but it doesn't seem to interfere with his eating.

You are paying close attention to Alex and learning what he wants. He is doing amazingly well for the short time he has been your friend. It took so much longer for us with an older parrot with trust issues. The way he leans in to you and makes happy sounds in your presence is an indication he is comfortable. The trust to step up will come. Maybe you can find reasons for him to come to you away from this cage. If you place his cage next to your chair and put a ladder or rope for him to climb to you a little at a time, you might find him more receptive. He is still trying to predict what you might do and the longer you are with him the easier it gets for him. Your kind, gentle tone with him is very soothing. You are doing a lot of things well and he is lucky to be in your life.

I remember when computers used punch cards and were as big as the room. I remember when we made errors in punching the cards. If it was repetitive, it was a happy day if we could add a "punchover" to fix it rather then redoing all of them.

Ah, blessed silence for a week now. If it were a couple of pecks here and there, it would be a friendly welcome. We have feeders on the back side of the house and enjoy the birds outside as much as the two we have inside. But, the kind of obsessive pecking this poor thing has been doing has to be frustrating for the bird too. Something about that reflection had it in a frenzy. I'm sure without the job of pecking, it is happily enjoying its life again.

What a great update. Isaac is looking his fine feathered self again. I would chime in with the rest that there is no doubt you love Isaac no matter what. He has the best daddy ever and he knows it. Love your playground kitchen, Isaac the budding chef is in charge. The veggie pasta sounds like a great idea, I think I will try that one at home. It made my day to read this post first thing in the morning.

Miss Gilbert came to us from a checkered past of a few rehomes. She sat frozen for the first year and a half or so. She has a salty vocabulary and uses it judiciously when things are not to her liking. She also will go to the top of her cage and pelt me with toys and food. But right in the middle of a tirade, she will go into her cage to her favorite perch and tuck her head and say sweetly "wanna tickle?". One of the things I love is that she will start saying "Night night" "Time to go night night Gil girl" "Sweet Dreams" every night about 8:30. But every time I turn off the living room light a I step into my room she shouts out a "startled" "Whoo" as if turning out the light was a big surprise to her. Then she laughs, I laugh and we all go to sleep with a smile. In the morning when she wakes up, she starts whistling, calling the dogs and asking them "Wanna go outside?" because she knows that is the first thing we do to start the day. She is adorable and I can't imaging life without her.

It isn't that you are being chastised for something "bad", more of a concern for the things we have learned the hard way through the many years on the forum. Other than the possibility of Silver taking flight, the African grey is solely a prey animal. Hawks, cats, dogs, raccoons, weasels and other creatures need only a second of opportunity to devastate you and Silver has no way to defend himself. On a happier note, Silver seems like a joy to behold. I miss those chatty baby days. As he learns to form more words, he is going to amaze you with not only what he can say to you in your own language, but also the context in which he uses his skill. He is an exquisite boy, congratulations.

We often hear of the younger greys "calibrating" while they are alone learning to control the sounds they make. They also seem to have a habit of talking prolifically when we are out of their sight. It might be a way of drawing us back to them with happy chatter. Silver is beautiful. Not to be a party pooper but we see too many birds that are outside getting spooked. Even though they can't seem to fly indoors, an uplift in the wind or pure adrenaline from a sudden fright may end in an unwelcome surprise. But on a happy note, if he is talking trying to get your attention, maybe you could sit outside where he can see you and again, just out of his sight to test his response. He sounds like a well loved, happy little fellow.

Hi Devin, welcome to the forum and thanks for joining us. Korra is quite the jokester to the dogs. That's a favorite around here, to call the dogs then chide them for barking. Yoshi seems very affectionate and adorable too. You have a nice set up and intro post, thanks.

My husband finds it much funnier than I do. Of course, he travels during the week. I wonder if it has a headache, if it is distressed, if it is under constant threat? Nothing has deterred it yet. To me it seems like a mama defending her babies. My guess is the reflection which would account for her sitting on the eaves and seeing a reflection in the window as well. Great idea Val, I was not wanting to take off the kickplate across the bottom of the door because rain can get inside the metal door and cause me more of a mess, but putting the screws back in would surely solve that problem. It is on a brick stoop recessed in brick walls at the front of the house. It wouldn't appear to be a food or water source. But now that you mention it, this is after we had new gutters a couple of months ago and they installed leaf guards. She may be trying to get a drink. That's a far stretch but water reflects too. I will set a bowl of water out there just to test that theory. For now the blessed silence of one day with the magnetic curtain is serene.

The pecking is incessant. I have tried a number of things including opening the door and dousing the bird with water. It appears to be a Carolina wren according to the photos I have looked up. It even will sit there in a deluge of rain and peck the door. Sometimes it will fly up to sit on the eaves trough to look in the arched window above the door. Today we were awakened at six to the sound of pecking, followed by a very annoyed Miss Gilbert. She called out "Who dat dere?" a few times then grumbled her favorite word of displeasure "Sh!* door!" Too funny, that kind of made up for the early wake up call on a day off. Now, I took a piece of fabric and used magnets on the metal door to cover the brass kickplate. I am thinking this is some kind of activity during mating or nesting season trying to drive off the competitor it sees in the reflection.

I did a search and found this list of safe and toxic wood http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?194548-A-very-useful-article-about-Safe-amp-harmful-perch-wood&highlight=safe+wood This is the forum post and the link still works from there.

What a sweet grandma moment. I am so glad you have her in your life. I would love to sit with her and hear her stories of how things have changed since she was a child. I know you cherish every moment you have with her.

Believe me, the mess and the noise and the naughty behavior is a reason to rejoice. It is "normal" parrot stuff. Love to see our shy "frozen" parrots getting out and about and finding trouble to get into. In the early days when I worried she might not be okay, I knew there would be a day I would kind of regret wishing for messes. But the truth is, a messy house and happy family are far better than the opposite. Its a balancing act.

The sound of those wings bring me back happy memories. Miss Gilbert is still unable to fly so watching Alfie fly to you just makes me so happy.

It may have been a rough go to take Alfie to the vet, but the chipping and beak adjustment are well worth it. He looks great and it must make it easier for him to eat. Your vet is very wise to get him in and out in ten to fifteen minutes, he knows what he is doing. Way to go for you to take care of your boy.

I love how he sings during playtime. Little Rio is going to have lots of stories to tell Mommy when she gets home. He sure looks like he is enjoying Daddy time though.

Perfect thread for me to read today. Miss Gilbert must be getting messages from Dorian. She has been determined to rip the carpet off the steps, so I put a paper bag between her cage and favorite access spot. She has been busy chewing and making a great big mess of that paper bag. Since Dorian is being so adventurous and brazen, start putting wooden popsicle sticks, small blocks and other acceptable toys he could fling and chew apart on the desk while you leave the room. Then, gather them all back up when you return as if they were your treasured contraband. That will make him more interested and determined to get to them. We are reaching the same point with Gil as you are with Dorian. How easy it was when she was still hunkered up on a perch than now when she is making a mess in half my room. I rejoice because she is happier now, but it is a lot more work. :-)

Hi Becky, welcome to the forum. Peanut is a lovely girl We have an older Timneh African Grey (TAG) and her first decade was spent as a boy. We had a DNA test and Gilbert became Miss Gilbert. She calls herself Gil girl at bedtime now. We cook a bean, grain and lentil mix, served warm with a few drops of Red Palm oil in it. Plus we give her pellets and dry food in her dish for munching all day.

Who loves you daddy? Greycie Mae, that's who! I love thinking about all the fun you have with your flock. Kudos on getting the workout finished... somehow I just can't get started.

With all the many things that are apt to get a reaction from Miss Gilbert we have had no incidents related to color of objects. However... perhaps the way she scurries across her cage playtop to race for the cover of safety inside her cage whenever I am near may be an indication she does not like my particular color of human. Mmmm, can't be, hubby is the same shade, gray hairs and all.

Little by little we pare down the list of things that stress out Miss Gilbert. Powerful, sustained thunderstorms are still pretty much guaranteed to upset her if they come in the night. If I know we are expecting one, I leave a light on and sleep on the sofa so she can see me and that helps a lot.