katana600

I've tried that before but her main cage is so big with another one for Java sitting right next to it, there isn't a way to put the travel cage high enough for her to feel safe like we have it here in the breakfast area. My next move will be to buy both parrots "condos" instead of mansions and move the big cages to the outdoor patio. In winter months there is room in my sewing area so it would work well for them to move in or out of the house with me. My main goal is for Miss Gilbert to feel as comfortable and confident at home as she is when we travel. Better still would be to get my family to move down there with me. :-)

It really is an individual thing, I think. Miss Gilbert has traveled extensively by car between the Atlanta area and Buffalo region. We make each trip in one long haul. She doesn't like moving in the dark but I give her a night light and that helps. She eats and drinks along the way now but she didn't in the beginning. It's tough for either of our parrots to relax in a moving car, so depending on your schedule, breaks and time in motion, it could work with the right bond between you and your companion. Keeping water from splashing and the mess of food and shredded toys etc in your rig could be a challenge. It would take a tremendous amount of planning and commitment. Would you have time and a way to get to a vet while on the road? Would your schedule keep you away from your home base or do you travel daily on the same route and return home in case your buddy can't adjust to the travel?

Way to go for going back to try again until you get a good result. A crick in your neck and a pounding headache is your willpower winning over the claustrophobic tendencies. As you drift off to sleep, start visualizing a rested, pain free, energetic self doing the things you will do when you conquer this CPAP! You can do it!

Dear Kizzy, You may be in the throes of "the terrible twos" but remember the neck you pinch today may be connected to the heart you will want to win over and woo tomorrow. You can't afford to lose two thirds of your fan club. Ask Dayo McQ how to decide when a good ole neck pinch is judicious. Unfortunately I can't help with advice since I have been overcome with so much hot coffee snorted up my nose I do believe its leaking out my ears. Your antics are funny but unfortunately not sustainable. Pace yourself little one. With love and way too much wicked enjoyment, "Aunt" Dee

Thank you, Gilbert does have a sweet face and when we finally unravel the layers and complexities of the past I believe there is a sweet disposition in there too. Dan, I think being in a small travel cage increases her confidence. This time when we get home I am going to act on that observation and keep her in the travel cage until we find a suitable smaller cage. Every time I think she is responsuve to a small cage and a more secluded nook, I fear her tendency to withdraw might lead us backwards. She is at a better place now and I think I will give it a chance.

Hello and welcome to the forum. Just by your introduction, careful and methodical research method and an introspective approach to the idea of adding a grey to your family, you are already thinking very much like your potential companion. With that generalization set aside, every individual grey will be unique and every home is also a dynamic, ever evolving combination of characters and companions. For myself, the question I needed to embrace was this "What if I get a grey and its a lot harder than I imagine? Can I commit to the lifetime of this exquisite creature and hang on through the steep learning curve?" It really is more like adopting an alien family member. With resolve, respect and a lot of hard work from everyone involved, the rewards are great. Good luck in your research.

There is a reason you are so exhausted and claustrophobic and only you experience it and have clues as to coping strategies. For someone who never experienced what you live with, frustration equals a lack of imagination. It's easy to say "this should help" when they only experience success, but much harder when the magic solution doesn't fit everyone. Don't give up on the CPAP yet though. As you are discovering, there are many types of masks. Maybe it's the hose making you feel restricted and panic stricken. Can you find a way to make it come from above you rather than from the side? Can you try it for a daytime nap at some point rather than at night? I could see where looking at a full night of struggle would put more pressure and anxiety into the equation. Could you unhook the machine and attempt to wear only the mask for short periods during the daytime hours to give yourself a little practice and get used to the idea? My husband's machine has a "ramp up" cycle to allow him to get to sleep prior to staring air flow. Perhaps yours could be reset for a longer time period to allow you to read a bit and relax prior to the ramp up time. It might help a lot to experiment with the force and wean into your designated air pressure over time. I am so sorry you are so exhausted and in pain with frustration on top of it. For someone who has never had a panic attack, I can not begin to imagine how that feels to you but it must be horrible. Don't be hard on yourself. Try to think of when Dorian first came to you and was so frightened and panicked. Think of the things you said to him, how you soothed him. Then give that same compassion and calm reassurance to yourself. This machine isn't going to get the best of you. You are a survivor, a person with an inner reserve. This isn't a test of character that you pass or fail, it's a process of learning how to nurture yourself in difficult times. Be your best advocate and brainstorm until you find a solution. Maybe you need to give yourself permission to take a week off from the initiation of the CPAP machine and reschedule that doctor appointment and start again from a position of strength. My thoughts and heart are with you as you struggle to find peaceful restorative sleep.

Thank you! You and Dorian have a similar situation to the way my experience with Gilbert has evolved. I do believe you are spot on with your theory of how Miss Gilbert is more subtle and well behaved with others. She "lets her hair down" and is unabashedly free to show her wild side with me. I remarked to my sister "Why does she go after me like that when I am putting something good in her cage?" She quickly responded "Because you are the only one brave enough to reach in there. The rest of us see what she does to you and we aren't dumb enough to give her that opportunity." I really don't let her behavior define my success with her. She is mostly reacting to what she knows of the world, her views have been firmly established and I have to learn how to reach her before I can convince her to change her perspective. I think I needed this challenge in my life to bring me a strong dose of humility to gain a little wisdom of the ages and maybe even to adjust my own perspective. For now, I am so looking forward to being home again soon. Packing and driving a thousand miles isn't a welcome thought and the approaching winter storm may hold me up a few days but my work here is done. My mother in law had an excellent report for her orthopedic surgeon yesterday and is ready to live on her own again. It's time for us to fly! My car is getting a good "going over" and I'm saying my "see ya laters".

Yesterday I saw something yet to be witnessed in the nearly four years we have been together. Gil was playing with wild abandon. She has a leather strap hanging in her travel cage about a foot long with leather laces and shapes dangling from it. She was hanging upside down on it, flapping and squealing. Of course it's so out of character, I thought she was trapped. When I stood up to look she stopped, but when I withdrew she was so caught up she went back to it and played for thirty minutes. Even with being bedraggled, missing so many feathers and when I would think her balance is at its worst, she was fearless for that slice of time. Slowly she has been taking steps into the character she is meant to be.

I'm so sorry for the pain of your loss and the void in you life as you miss Jack and Marden. The depth of your feelings is equal to the fullness of joy brought by their companionship. Letting go is not something we master but something we valiantly struggle to understand and give honor and appreciation for the space they filled in our hearts and homes.

I've been with my husband 35 years and he is the same way. "I'm not going to get too attached, you might leave". LOL. This little grey bird is one tough customer. Every time we go home again, her little shoulders relax a bit. Maybe she can teach him (or me) something. When everyone was enjoying the "game", I said it really doesn't matter to me if I'm not the one to break the barriers down with her. As long as I see she is happy, I'm happy regardless of who she accepts and forms a relationship. My daughter's fiancé is very quick to say that's the true "mother" instinct. We are ready o o home again. It won't be much longer.

Thank you, I had to look twice to discover it is indeed New Year's Eve. Happy New Year to all as I send warm regards and wishes of many blessings of health, happiness, companionship and laughter for this upcoming year.

Hi Dave, welcome to the forum and thank you for joining us. It's going to be the longest wait once you hear your baby is beginning to wear, fledging and prepared to move to your home. That final week of waiting was more high anticipation than all my Christmas Eves of a lifetime. Your background is very interesting, I'm a serious dabbler and hope to learn lots of interesting things from you. For your new baby, look into Volkmann's soak and simmer. It's a bean and grain mix. You may be able to get many of the lentils, beans, wild rice and grains but I've found for the volume I make for one grey, its economical to buy the bag from Volkmann's. I cook a batch every few weeks, add red palm oil because its a beneficial nutrient our greys would get in the wild. Then I freeze daily portions, remove one from the freezer for the next day and immerse the thawed package in hot water to prepare a warm breakfast for Miss Gilbert. She also loves to have the first couple bites of warm steel cut oatmeal with almond milk from my bowl. I am looking forward to sharing many milestone moments with your newly formed flock.

I can't decide which part of your video was more charming - Jabber running, playing, squeaking and obviously joyful at her play time - or - the two proud new parents playfully "squeaking" and obviously joyously smitten with Jabber's play. They can both be my favorite parts. It brought tears to my eyes to see the happy baby and to hear you both with her. Thank you for joining us and giving me this morning respite. Welcome to our forum.

Thank you for asking about us. It was a pleasure to have my first quiet, leisurely morning and tune in for a visit with friends and to see that you were thinking of us and caring. There was one other scary incident with Gilbert. Just as I settled in on an air mattress in the living room there was a large thud and commotion. One of the dogs was on the wrap-around porch and I assumed that was the source of the scuffle, so I jumped up to check on her and though she was next to the door that wasn't the source of the unusual sound. Then I went to Miss Gilbert to discover a strong gust of wind had blown the main entrance door open. The wind coming through in the dark had startled poor Gilbert off her perch and the sound was her flapping to escape and to climb higher to a safe roost. When I turned on the light and secured the door I came back to find she lost 9 flight feathers plus two tail feathers in the incident. They all had hollow, white, dry shafts so it would appear they were ready to molt. Generally in a mature adult, I thought they would molt in bilateral pairs. This was almost as if she released them as a porcupine might do in a fright. More likely the tumble and frantic flapping dislodged them unnaturally. She looks quite the bedraggled mess and the next day she nervously chewed her chest feathers. On a happy note though, it was a very short time of being nervous, maybe only a couple of hours and she regained her composure and has been happy and chatty. She learned the name of the biggest and most playful young German Shepherd, Macy. So we are hearing a lot of bossing around from the peanut gallery for Macy to get down, shut up and to go outside... or come in, or come on over here. She learned to say my brother-in-law Mike's name after he loudly chastised Macy for trying to chase a ball in the house. She said "Sh@! Mike!" and it was so unexpected we all laughed so I imagine we will hear more of that. Since that's her very favorite naughty word, we would hear it often enough anyway.

On the homefront, all is well. Yesterday saw Mom moved back to her apartment in assisted living. It's been a long road and was a joyous day of accomplishment. I am cleaning and packing now, looking forward to returning home. Gilbert has been a character with the entire family gathered here for the holidays. She loved the full house, the noise and the commotion and was always chiming in with her two cents and making everyone laugh. One thing we have proven is that Miss Gilbert is not cage aggressive. One day, she took a swipe at me when I was putting fresh food into her cage. So vicious was her swift attack that when I pulled my hand away to avoid her, she tumbled right out the door of her cage onto the floor. We have the cages secured behind a wide gate to keep the large dogs at a distance and Gil headed right for the gate to climb up as she would do at home. But, at home we don't have three 80 pound-plus curious shepherds. I blocked her ascent and their tender noses with my body and she stepped onto my hand as disaster was averted. The few people who had been brave enough to offer a head rub to Miss Gilbert were incredulous. Why would she invite touching from near strangers yet so fiercely attack the one person who steadfastly provides her with food, snacks and a clean cage. They decided to test that theory. One by one eight to ten adults stepped over the gate and Gilbert bowed her head for a scratch. They moved to a different side of the cage and she hurried to approach them wherever they moved. If I stepped into her line of sight she slowly moved to the back center of her cage and went on red alert poised for battle. I moved out of her sight and she was greedy in her haste to get to literally every other person to approach her. This is exactly as Sarah, her former caretaker described her relationship with Gilbert. Its only fair to note that maybe ten percent of her time with me, she will come for a scratch for me, so its not an all out contentious attitude toward me, it may be the volume of interactions and the rest of the group may have simply approached on her best day. But that wouldn't explain why just a glimpse of me from ten feet away would trigger a negative reaction. Perhaps she still has that pent up fear that these trips and introductions to new people are going to culminate with a transfer of her home and subsequent abandonment. It seems like every time we go home again she is more relaxed and happier to see me. Another though is that when we are in Georgia, my presence is predictable and every time I come here, I am gone from her perspective for long periods of time and the schedule is unpredictable at best.

My red bellied parrot was young when we "replaced" our youngest daughter with her right as we transitioned to an empty nest. When our daughter came home on college breaks Java would seek her out to dive bomb and generally harass with malice. Our daughter posted videos on her social media of the devil bird with red eyes. We brokered a peace accord and enlisted the daughter to give it a chance. First she would be the only one to offer treats or to open the cage once she came home on break. Then we would go to the tv room in the basement leaving Java behind upstairs in the dark. Kelsey would come up with a perch stock, turn on the lights and offer a "rescue" to join us. It was a lot of work and took a willing spirit on all parts but we did overcome the hostility. They see each other a few times a year now and are cordial. The first thing that has to stop is for your son to have the self control not to speak harshly in Maalik out of love and respect to you and for him to understand its not personal. If Java sees anyone hug me she will take note and often will seek them out to harass them in some way. We agreed to keep shows of affection out of her sight and she has mellowed over the years to accept everyone in my life. It takes time and understanding of all involved. If you son is a little put out about you showing affection to Maalik you might find a trade off to have special time with your son away from Maalik to see if that eases his animosity to turn this around before it gets any worse.

Congratulations on your trust promotion. You have every right to be stoked, chuffed and delighted. It's a big step in a positive trend for you and Charlie. My little friend Miss Gilbert willingly bows her head and solicits scratches from everyone who walks past her cage while we are away from home for an extended time. She has only let me scratch her head twice in a month. Treat his acceptance with awe and appreciation, he has chosen to accept you. That's just a balm to my soul, thanks for the update.

Aw shucks, I was bummed to have missed Corky's special day when I realized every day at your house is a special day for her. Congratulations on your hatchday and wishing you blessings of many more together.

We lost Juno and Kopi our baby grey and his brother to PDD. At that time our first beloved red bellied parrot had been definitely exposed as well. We decided since Gilbert was in dire straits and potentially at risk she could join us as well. It's an insidious disease and "diagnosis" is just guessing until necropsy. Fostering is a great idea to find loving homes with families who can use help with vet discounts.

Congratulations to Oli for having found his way into your family. Its very encouraging that the next generation is going to share your love of parrots of the grey persuasion... to start. :-)

Gilbert was pre loved by a few homes when we adopted the timid but loveable little TAG almost four years ago. DNA testing revealed her true identity and we call her Miss Gilbert now. On the day I told her we got DNA results she started saying "Night night Gil girl", I tried to convince her that Gilda was a good name for a sprightly little comedienne but she prefers Gilbert or Gil girl. We don't know her exact age and that keeps me a little off balance so I will have to soon decide a year for her and stick to it. She is estimated to be between 9 and 11 about now. Usually when asked I will say, well I've had her for three years and I think she will be forever two years old no matter how long ago she has hatched. :-)

Congratulations on your new companion and welcome to our forum. You are getting off to a good start with Charlie. He has had a living start in life and like Nancy said, he is still very much a baby. You will win his heart in no time. It is going to be an adventure for both of you. Thanks for joining us. We learn from every new and unique grey family and will cheer for your success and brainstorm for problem solving along with you.

This is a great thread. I so enjoy those baby pictures. Ajahni is a good name for your baby. They do grow so quickly. Love the cage layout for easy access and I so look forward to watching how you set up a cage and habitat for Ajahni to be a fully able mischief maker.

We have yet to progress to the games with Miss Gilbert but its fun to read about what other greys are doing for their own entertainment.