katana600

I have been putting Kopi in the sink with toys, no water just yet. At first he panicked and tried to climb out but when I handed him things he stayed the next time. I am hoping to work up to spraying him gently with a water bottle there and eventually getting to a place where I can spray him with the faucet sprayer and hopefully get him really drenched. I just break things down that I want and keep trying until we progress to the next level. It has taken six months to do the small steps but it is slowly working with him. Each bird is different in what they will tolerate and how they interact with us. Pippa is sweet and has come far in a short time with you, you will see the right moment and the ideas will come to you.

He is just beautiful and has a great place to play too. Love the cup cap. LOL

It seems we have opened the floodgate. Once he decided he likes being on the sofa, he has been sharing an hour with me at a time. Tonight he stood behind me preening my hair, although then he did sound like he was a cat with a furball, LOL. I got a toy that he previously shunned and he was eager to play and then to lay back for head scratches. He just seems like a different bird all of the sudden, he is investigating and playing like a baby. He pinched my ear, stole my glasses and then even scared my by pinching my nose. I just can not believe my good fortune that he is finding it safe to show his personality, finally. It is worth all the quiet time and patience and just waiting and waiting for him to be ready.

I am just getting caught up with a few posts and discovered I had missed this one. Your work with Pippa is inspirational. Of course, my favorite part was her choice language when she banged into the window. I can relate to Pippa on that one. LOL. Despite her challenges, she has a great outlook on life and is willing to try new things with you, so that is a big plus. Our grey is perfectly formed yet Pippa gets out and about more than Kopi does. To the pub yet! Now maybe that is the trouble, I haven't asked Kopi yet where he would like to go. LOL. Your setup for Pippa is a delight, no wonder she is thriving under your care.

curious and playful

When I saw Jenna's post about using a blanket to get her little one calm to put on the harness, I decided to try again with Kopi and a blanket. He loved playing under the blanket this time. This is a big breakthrough for us. Kopi is young, but traumatized and very very quiet and tense. For him to happily be away from his cage top for an hour is a miracle. I also tried lying down on the sofa rather than sitting in a chair and that made a difference to him. I am guessing he has better traction on a horizontal surface where he felt safe. He even lay on my chest with his legs hanging down under him and stretched his neck across me and slept.

When I saw this post, it reminded me to try again with Kopi and a blanket. He never will let me set him down anywhere off his cage top without getting scared and wanting to go back to his cage. I have tried putting him on my legs on a blanket and he has nothing to do with that. Last night, I reclined on the sofa with him for the first time he permitted such a thing and I slowly slid the blanket up under him, and then covered his head and he not only accepted it, but stayed with me for an hour which is a record for him. Thanks so much for posting your story, it was just the thought I needed right now for our little guy.

Thanks Dan. It is sure a pleasure to watch Dayo and Jake. It gives me something to aspire toward as Kopi is ever so slowly getting acclimated and coming out of his tense lockdown stance. I am confident that someday he will take over his kingdom and rule the household. I will keep showing him Dayo's videos.

Thanks for the name of this site, I bookmarked it since I have a healthy stash, but this is going to be a website I go back to to look and look and look. Sometimes I wonder who gets more fun from the toys, me or Kopi.

Caution, don't try this at home

I know Kopi was sent to me for a reason, and Java may be just that reason. If it were left to him, he might choose one preferred spot on the top of his cage and huddle there for the rest of his life. I keep trying to find ways to get him moving and unlock the grip of tension that ties the little guy into a knot. Slowly I see him move and accept new toys, to accept a walk to the kitchen and back and to expand his horizon. But, nothing compares to letting Java out of her cage to put him into high gear. At first it was defensive and territorial and I watched carefully to make sure they didn't hurt each other and kept the exchange to a few seconds while I stood ready to separate them. Then, I noticed if Java flies out, he will chase her. He will have more activity in a half hour after she touches "his" stuff than most days in a twenty four hour period. Also, after she has been on his play stand, he will climb to the top to survey his kingdom. The last time she took advantage of him climbing to the top (and not being able to get back down) so she climbed right into his cage for the first time. I stood back to watch. He seemed totally aloof and unconcerned, it was the stand that he was defending. She went from one end of the cage to the other in a reconaissance mission... checked to see if he had anything she didn't, it took less than a minute, then she climbed back out, flew to her own cage and has not gone after him again. Five months seems like a long time to get acquainted, but I keep seeing progress. In this case, grey time is teaching me the meaning of the word patience.

Dan, thanks, this is awesome. I am not going to wait for the earth to be barren, I am going to keep up my walk to the rainbow now.

It would be heartbreaking for my Kopi to disappear, but reading this would give me an oasis of hope that he was with you or someone like you.

These greys certainly are wondrous and captivating little beings. It is mesmerizing to be a little mouse in the corner to hear the things they say when they are seemingly entertaining themselves. Kopi has a way of standing on the top of his cage, pressing his forehead to the wall and then talking in an nearly inaudible volume. That seems to be his practice arena. When I was holding him one night, I momentarily forgot which bird was on my hand and invaded his space with an absent minded kiss on his head. He spun around so fast I was brought to reality in a hurry. The next day, I decided to test my limits, he will generally bow his head for a scratch but doesn't like any unpredictable movements. So, I asked "how about a kiss?" and kissed my finger and made a kiss sound when I touched his head. That night as I held him, he made two of the tiniest little kiss sounds, bowed his head, closed his eyes and invited a kiss on the head. Since then, every day he makes two kissing sounds as I prepare to put in in the cage and cover him at night. Yesterday I heard him with his head pressed to the wall say "Wanna kiss?" , then make the two kisses. He changed from the words I use to a mixture of his understanding.

be still my heart

With Isaac being flighted he can come to you when he wants. I find Kopi talks more when he sees me leave the room, if I am on the screened porch where he can see me he really cranks it up and goes through his calls to me. Java is the same way, although she isn't a grey. They make a lot of contact calls to me when I am on a different floor and I can whistle back, or sometimes initiate contact. I am thinking when we get the basement renovated, it might be fun to get an intercom system so we can hear each other. Then, I think if I ever actually get a job out of the house I would need to set up the computer to communicate with them. LOL. I already get strange looks when I forget myself and whistle suddenly in public. LOL.

Thanks Judy, I haven't been far, I lurk often. Somehow when I sign in, it seems like four hours will pass and I forget what else is waiting for me on the outside of this computer. LOL. As all growing families, we are having the ebb and flow of college age kids moving home, visiting far away family and of course, trying to sew in my kitchen and still make healthy meals... for the birds and occasionally for family too. We are getting the basement renovated for me to have a real sewing room now that my husband has seen a finished project. LOL.

Jan, I love to hear how creative you can be and make compromises to help Tobie. I have a jumper and I am learning from you and the others that are offering such helpful suggestions. Kopi hasn't flung himself to the floor in more than two months now and he hasn't ever injured himself since he is still in a low cage and has a safety zone. I really appreciate you insights.

Alfie's antics never ever fail to make me laugh. She is such a character and she certainly has come to the right home. You come up with so many ways of helping her to entertain us all. Thanks Lyn.

Kopi is making slow and steady progress. About a month ago, I found a portable baby crib/playpen for only thirty dollars at Target and put his floor stand in it to keep his wood carvings out of reach of our small dogs. As an added bonus, it apparently made Kopi feel more secure. On the first day, he fell off a perch and when he saw he was contained, in one great jump he hopped to the rail of the playpen, and then climbed back to perch. He climbed a rope for the first time and he is now fourteen months old. His favorite place is the center of the stand where he goes to play with his toys, he will occasionally climb to the top, but hasn't learned to climb back down yet. He is very quiet and shy, but he is such a dear. When Java comes out of her cage every day, he is in a big hurry to get on the stand to defend his turf. They do not seem interested in fighting, but I am on guard every second as we very very slowly are watching them agree to live in the same house. LOL.

Finally it is finished. When I sewed the last seam on the top, I delivered it to my friend Peggy and she did the quilting on a long arm machine. She stitched his name in black and when I saw the quilt for the first time, my eye went right to the spot. Then, when I was sewing the binding, I put it on the floor and scoured the whole quilt and could not find it again, it is like magic. I finished my part last Monday and my husband had a business trip to Jacksonville so he hand delivered it to Juno's breeder, Ann. She is going to organize the next phase for the raffle. It gave me no pause to hand it over and be at peace if I never see it again. What this quilt meant to me was moving past the loss to the celebration of joy in my life that was here for such a short time but will affect me forever. I am embracing the joy of Juno's spirit now and forever. The end result is going to be a small drop in the bucket for the research of PDD, but you just never know if that one tiny drop is the tipping point that brings new light to the research that will lead to a test and eventually a vaccine that will protect our birds in the future. My hopes are high and I just have to say that without the constant support and encouragement that I have found on this forum, the difficult techniques would have sent me into analysis paralysis, but every time I thought it was too hard, there was someone here telling me I could do it. Thank you all for what you have brought to my life.

The process of speech is an amazing mystery as individual as each of our greys. One thing though Steven, Isaac may be practicing his words while you are out. I have put a voice operated digital recorder near Kopi when I was gone and just when I thought he was going through a quiet phase, he was actually talking while I was away from him. It might give you an insight to what Isaac is doing while you are away and you might get to hear the delight he is having while you are not beside him. Even now, Kopi will stand with his back to the room and put his forehead right against the wall and talk to himself in such a tiny little voice that maybe he thinks I can not hear. Of course, when he does talk, we all immediately repeat what he said... my daughter remarked that it is the bird training the family rather than the other way around, LOL.

Vree got his sweet disposition from you, he will always be a part of your life. It took me three months to stop crying and let myself open to the possibility of moving forward. Everyone processes in a different time frame. What I know for sure is that every day gets a little easier and every day opens new worlds of opportunity and when you are ready, the right moment will come that helps you see the brightness and cheer again. Nothing will ever diminish the connection you have to Vree and the wondrous spirit he brought to your life. Right now though, just breathe, cry, get through your days and be good to yourself. You have been an inspiration for your dedication and the care you provided for Vree. In spite of his hardship, he had a charmed life to love and be loved in a way that was a tribute to his life.

I am so sorry to know that you are suffering the pain of your loss. You put your heart and soul into tending Vree and it will take a while to cope with his absence. It helped me a lot to come back to the forum after losing Juno last December. I just finished the quilt I was making as a tribute to his memory. It took me a long time and I have worked twelve hours or more a day lately trying to get it finished, but slowly as I worked, it became a celebration of the joy of spending time with him even though we had him such a short time. It took about three months for an idea to come that would be meaningful. When the hardest part of your sadness begins to fade, an idea will come to you and it will lift you up to the place where you feel Vree's presence and celebration with you always. My heartfelt condolences at such a hard time.

I just love Spock's feet. You have had some good photos of closeups. I think Spock was moving too fast for the camera and it just caught a blur of him. I don't know how you get such good pics though Jay, but I always like them.