katana600

It reminds me of the story I read about a person throwing starfish back into the ocean after they were washed ashore and stranded. When someone pointed out there were so many, it couldn't possibly make a difference, the reply was "one doesn't seem to make much of a difference, but to that one, it was the world". You are making a difference to each of the birds on you path in your mission. I can imagine the ones joining Marden and agreeing that the time spent with you was a lifetime of love.

On the other side of that coin toss of destiny, after we lost our baby we took in his brother with the realization we all have already been exposed. He had some symptoms and we lost him nearly a year later. From there we took in a "bird with issues" from multiple rehomes. Yes, she had some bad habits but also since she had unknown exposures we felt the risk/benefit was balanced. Let me say, she has brought much laughter, conversation and unparalleled delight. There are others who have adopted younger rehomed greys that came in without any issues. Be sure to read and understand about compliant wonderful babies who hit the terrible twos, push every boundary and change loyalties from their favorite person. With all the thoughts and planning, every family, every grey and every blend is unique and wonderful in its own way. It's going to take work and commitment and its going to provide companionship and fun in ways that can't be measured.

Congratulations Dee, this is a wonderful addition to your sanctuary plans. This aviary looks like its an indoor/outdoor area where the birds can get to sunshine or shelter. Way to network with like minded people and grow into your dream.

I am seeing a "normal" grey more days than not. To hear the daily beak grinding contrasting with the joyful bell ringing and the crunching and tearing of those wood wafers is the most amazing sounds I've ever waited so long to savor.

The cold wing treatment is over. Today when David returned home Gil girl hummed him the cutest little song. She fought for attention trying to outshine the dogs vying for their turn. She disdainfully scolded them with "shut up you idiot!" It was a throwback to when she first arrived. Shortly after this cranky little outburst she was back in her sweet mode asking for a cracker and switching it up to ask for a treat. Earlier in the day, I wasn't sure if she had lost the plot or whether she has progressed to rambunctious play. I was cleaning when I heard her bell wildly ringing. When I peered around the corner she was hanging upside down alternating between both bells hanging about a foot apart. In the middle she was dunking her head in her water dish and wildly gyrating and flinging water. I'm convinced it was a session of wild play. Even when she noticed I was watching she continued to play. It's wonderful to see her find her wild side.

It's a tough question. Three local vets, after the fact said don't get a bird from a bird fair. They also recommend if you have parrots and frequent a bird fair, shower and change clothes before having contact with your own birds. My baby came from the bird fair, was sick and subsequently died. It may not have been caused by being at the bird fair but it definitely exposed other birds there. Check with your local avian vets and with Texas A&M exotic bird center for private breeders. The less exposure your parrot has to other parrots, the better. Thanks for joining us and for really looking into the facts of adopting a family member. It's a lifelong commitment and worth being sure its what you want. It's also an amazing and worthwhile companionship. We now have a rehomed grey and although it has taken a while for her to get comfortable, she brings us great joy.

Living with a rehomed parrot is an opportunity to hear a new story every day. Thanks for joining us, I'm looking forward to hearing more about your life with Isaac joining your family.

Look at that clever fellow! His recovery hasn't slowed him down much. Good to see such a positive outcome.

Thanks for that advice and a reminder about the bell. As I read your post, I went to her cage to inspect the bell. That's when I discovered the toy is nearly destroyed and the bell was gone! I started looking behind the cage and under the grates when she grabbed the remnants of her toy and rang the bell! Silly me, she was so boisterously swinging the toy it was hitting her long cylinder style bell nearby. I do appreciate the reminder to carefully inspect these toys. Even though I buy them from the former breeders of Juno and Kopi, it is important to take a closer look. Gilbert has so many years refused my offerings, I have nearly forgotten what it's like to watch a grey at play. It hard for me to want to clean her cage and change the papers today. I'm so tickled to see this big mess with bright colored wood chips and shreds of the fibers from the finger traps, that it seems wrong to remove the evidence. Lucky for David, he travels this entire week. My guess is by the time she sees him Saturday morning he will again be in her favor. He is noisy, he turns on music in every room and plays wild with the dogs and their ball. I think that helps bring her out of her shell. I am quieter, more predictable, more methodical about my daily routine. It has been a team effort in giving Miss Gilbert the security and the freedom to find her mojo.

David and Miss Gilbert are having a cooled relationship, she refused his offers of treats, step ups and even refused his request for going into her cage when we prepared to leave the house. That's when I learned to appreciate her suspicious demeanor toward me. For the longest time I deluded myself that she was so cooperative. Any time I ask her to go into her cage, she hurries right in. I hand her a treat and think I have reinforced positive behavior. Now I laugh because the truth is, she just felt safer to have her cage bars between us. It's only been since she has ventured to the low gate, and onto the floor that now I see how fast she scurries away to get into her cage when she sees me. She really is changing since our return home. I bought some new small toys for her this weekend. I showed her and told her I was going to put them into her cage. She cooperated and watched just inches from my hands. She has been playing and ripping her new toys to shreds! Now that's progress. Granted, these are parakeet toys, tiny little flat wood wafers, woven finger traps and crinkled paper, but she is playing. The toy with the wooden wafers has a bell, it has been ringing all day, more music to my ears.

It could be the lighting in the photograph. He appears to be past his baby stage. It's hard to tell for sure from the photo but his eyes appear to have changed color. The babies have black eyes that turn a silver gray, then straw yellow for an adult. The important thing is to meet him and spend time with him. He may be your best friend you just haven't greeted yet.

I'm also glad this worked out to be nothing to worry about. You know him better than anyone and if something is off, it's far better to go in to the vet and get ahead of it. As for the backpacking class, good for you! It's a great way to meet active people and who knows where it will lead. Another interesting outdoor kind of hobby my sister introduced me to recently is geocaching. You can google it, it's a bit like a treasure hunt.

He looks happy and energetic as he plays on his new stand. Great find on your part. There is something wonderful about a grey happily occupying himself.

As Gil girl's Cajun family might say "True Dat!" He was still muttering under his breath Tuesday about her raggety-fluffed up-friend biting self. Hahaha. My guess is when he returns home this weekend he won't be lured in for a head scratch on the cage top any time soon. Being that he has lived with me three and a half decades, he has a dulled his flinch instincts. You sure are right that it wasn't on Gil's mind more than ten minutes. I can't tell you how many times she made me smile today. She is a little rusty with the beak grinding. It sounds like chomping a carrot or chewing ice. If a human was doing that it would be an annoying sound. Considering what it means to her, it's a symphony.

That question next to Dorian's avatar is priceless. It looks as if he is punctuating the comment with a "Hmmmmmm??"

I think what I learned is to give her the time, space, and potential to "fix" herself. I definitely agree she needs tinkering, I just can't take credit for figuring it out and changing anything for her. It's been painful for me not to be able to "do" something for her. My usual thought process is to study something intently then approach from every angle at once in a blitz to find the broken part. I took four bushings out of my Kitchen Aid mixer once without marking them. That's when I learned to slow down, take one little step at a time and be more careful and methodical in my approach. Miss Gilbert has been too complex to figure out. I am learning something new every day from her. I guess this is my turn to be her humble student and allow her to be the tutor and not try to read ahead and guess which chapter we are going to do next. I have to admit, I laughed a little at David's reaction to falling from favor. I've been there before. When she bit me seriously for the first infraction of touching her away from her declared safety zone she was immediately contrite. She was saying she was sorry. It was believable and honestly took the sting out of it. This time she not only was not sorry, she was confrontational and I know if she had the ability to fly, she would have chased him down to bite him again. He was adamant that he didn't deserve that and he thought they were friends. Sometimes in jest he will ask Gilbert what it is that I do to upset her when he is away, as if I must be doing something to provoke her. The truth is just what my sister said, the only reason I am the only one to get bitten is because I am the only one putting my hands near her with the bars between us. I'm pretty sure David got that memo this time. With that "moment of passion" behind us, Gil hasn't skipped a beat in her contentment at being home. She has been beak grinding every night as well as more and more times throughout the day. She has been practicing her wing flapping and has been more physically active. You go Gil girl!

When I saw that picture I was thinking, "Oooh pretty, I love those scrolls and curliques. I do so admire that stand too. I smiled at the idea of using it in the garden or on the patio. I would never have considered for a second that it would be dangerous. Thanks for sharing your experience and wisdom. I am on the hunt for two new cages and will stick to the tried and true.

I am in the audience applauding wildly for Dorian, Phenix and their ever so patient companion people waiting patiently for them to come join the party. What a great score from Amazon for your snowbirds up there. I second the cute little dog comment. Watching your quiet, timid, suspicious little grey friends come out to play and trust and live in the moment again is the fuel that keeps my heart hopeful. You are part of our village, our mentors and models for taking tiny little steps of progress and letting our greys gain a little talon-hold in the climb to the highest pinnacle. Nice load of toys there!

I'm sorry I missed this thread. I knew some of our family was in the line of the impending storm. Where we stayed up north we had a wood stove,a generator, and a back up fuel oil furnace. The only time I was really feeling vulnerable is driving up and returning home. The idea of trying to keep Miss Gilbert warm and safe without bloodletting on my part was a huge worry hanging over my head. Then I saw pictures of the coastal regions, the waves and frozen homes. My heart really goes out to the families weathering the fierce weather. Glad to see your "little" snowstorm spared you the worst if it.

Star Trek Next Generation, yes! To be honest, there have been many times, I've secretly thought to myself that maybe Miss Gilbert is mentally ill, that this is the way she has always been and always will be. Sometimes I wonder if my need to fix "things" drew her to me as a cosmic lesson that some things don't need fixing, just left to be. Thanks for the happy thoughts Val, but although I may be patient, I am really not selfless. I am calculating every "friend" Gil girl makes and how I can exploit and benefit from them. Bwahahaha. I do have those tiny little micro screwdrivers and a really big magnifying glass too. If only to find her weak spot. Unfortunately, David fell from favor last night. He has been so smitten by her advances since we returned home. She postured for him outside her cage and he was sure he would be first to experience a breakthrough. She couldn't follow through on the invite for a head scratch and she bit him real hard. Bless his heart, he was still stunned hours later as we were ending our day. He was incredulous that she would bite him after being so sweet.

We are hearing and seeing other interesting sounds and seeing evidence of Miss Gilbert branching out a little. She has been standing on the top far corner of her cage, flapping her wings. She looks like she is lifting off but hanging on by her toenails. She must be doing this about fifty or more times at a stretch. She doesn't want me to see. In all the many times I have heard it, I've only seen it twice. If I come in to see, she quits. If I am in the room and turn my head, she abruptly stops and ducks into her cage. She has been more distrustful of me lately. Since she came here, I have offered her an occasional grape and she generally rejects it and flings it to the floor of her cage. While we were away, my sister gave her a grape once a week and it was devoured enthusiastically. If I offered her the grape first, she tossed it. My sister would pick it up and it was ambrosia. Two nights ago, I offered her a grape,in her cage, through the bars. She took it with great relish. Then, she turned her back, ran from perch to perch to get far away from me where she turned her back and ate it like she stole it. She had juice running down her beak, neck and chest feathers. Last night David was near us when I handed her a grape. I wanted him to see her reaction. Again, she took it with great enthusiasm and ran like a thief to get away from me. David asked her why she does that. She turned to look at him and I walked out of the room. She took great pains to traverse her cage by perches, climbing on the side bars all while encumbered by that grape. Once she got back to the original perch she devoured her treasure while David talked to her. It would be easy to take this personally or feel like I've "done" something to her. Her history has been to distrust and refuse to cooperate with Sarah for 2 1/2 years as well as with everyone in our household. I'm pretty thrilled to see her opening up to anyone at this stage and I do believe trust with one human is going to enrich her life and open the door for her to give me a chance too.

More pleasant developments in Miss Gilbert as she shakes off the travel dust. We heard the unfamiliar crunching of her rusty attempts at beak grinding a few nights ago. It seems she is just getting her motor running. She has been doing it a little bit at bedtime but has evolved into long content day time perching, napping and an abundance of smooth, sustained, contented beak grinding. In the four years we've known her, she seldom would relax enough to nap during the day. She may sit still in the same spot but one eye is open and she is wary and vigilant. This week she has begun pulling up one foot, burying her head under a wing and enjoying a long blissful nap. She also has been eager when David arrives home to come out of her cage, climb down to the wooden gate and walk to where he is sitting to offer him a step up. After she got nervous when he handed her off to me a couple of times, I have encouraged him to spend time just with her. In the morning when he gets up she quietly and sweetly says "cracker?" That's her request for a piece of his toast. It's a wonder to behold her taking off her shoes and deciding to stay a while.

Mesmerizing. I could feel myself relaxing and feeling all warm and fuzzy and emotional. Rikki is so trusting and basking in your attention. Both my baby greys would let me have those precious moments but Muss Gilbert prefers a comfort zone of half the length of the living room. I could watch Rikki another twenty times. Thank you for getting this on a video.

Thanks for posting that photo. Sully is opening his eye fully. I have seen that kind of mark on Gilbert's eye, but much smaller. It makes her pupil look like it has a tiny "tail" resembling a comma. She certainly would not let me get that close to photograph her though. What a relief for Sully to be healing.

Thank you for bringing the joy of your life to share with us. It may seem at first that African Grey Congos look similar but Tyrion is such a striking light grey and the brightness of his eyes is particularly special to me. He looks so relaxed and happy. Thanks for joining our forum.