katana600

Welcome to our forum and thank you for joining us. Your baby grey is transfixing. We love those baby pictures. It's really good you have so much experience to be feeding such a young one full time. Greys are unique and exquisite creatures. I'm sure you are totally smitten by now. We all learn from one another and this forum has helped me tremendously with our introduction to African Greys. Now you have me curious to discover what is a red vented bulbul bird? :-). Congratulations on your beautiful new baby.

Come to think of it Ray, this underwear business is new. We have been married 34 years. It was only after I went north to help family that David came to visit and discovered country life. My sister's husband joked every day that as much as he loved having us around we infringed his casual evenings he used to spend in his underwear. He and David bonded and became great friends and since then, I swear David is in his shorts when he walks in from the garage. I ask if he is driving home from work like that. Well, most of Gilbert's progress has come in the past six months. Who knows, this may be the magic she needs.... I have been warning him if he is going to traipse around here in his shorts, I'm going to put it on the internet.

Love this thread! Great idea. Dear Miss Gilbert, You are okay. You have lived here for more than three and a half years. I have never eaten your food or stolen from your cage. Please stop trying to chase me out. I am not leaving, you are not leaving and you are okay. Please stop cussing. I mean it. It's not funny, I don't care what your beloved David has led you to believe. Lastly, this is a big house, I am going to be out of your sight. You are okay. If you would come with me when I leave the room you could see me more hours of your day. Quit being a perch potato and come find me. You are okay. Try new food, get out a little, get some exercise. You are okay. Oh, yes, I love you whether you like it or not. You really are okay. Love, LuLu

It's not bossy at all but it made me laugh. It would be on America's Funniest Videos if you saw what I have seen. Hubby in his underwear shaking his booty for the entertainment of his ladies. Hahaha. I'll request he gets dressed before he shaves and see if I can get a video next weekend. He gets up way too early for me or Gil-girl on work days, usually about four. This is still a new thing for her. She is waddling around on the floor a lot more these days. It's awesome.

That was fascinating. I don't recall watching it before. I love that the eye at the end seemed to make it come to life. I also noted there were small feathers from the chest to the top of the bird's legs. I will pay more attention. Miss Gilbert has never had individual feathers on her lower abdomen, just fluff. Thanks for posting this link.

Thank you for choosing wisely for a super moderator. Congrats to Janet and a huge thank you for both of you for the work you do behind the scenes to guide and direct this forum. You are both excellent flock leaders and help everyone keep this forum focused on creating the very best lives for our greys and other parrots we whom we share our lives. Great job forum admin and supporters.

Curious is good. I have to admit now I am curious about Koku too. When you worry that he isn't eating, if you know what he was eating in his previous home and that type of food is available, chances are he isn't willing to eat in front of a stranger just yet. You may not see him eat, but if you see his water dish look a little messier at the end of day and see droppings on his cage papers, he is eating. It's a good idea to look through the health room to know the foods that could be harmful to him. It's also a good idea to get a scale, in grams, and weigh him once a week. That will let you know what his "normal" weight is and reassure you that even with all the food tossed on the floor, he is eating.

Gizmo is learning early how to make the dogs react. That's funny. Yes they are so intelligent and clever that it makes me nervous sometimes. :-)

It's really hard sometimes. We seem to be hard wired to "do something". With Miss Gilbert, I have learned from our members and their greys that sometimes what we "do" is stand tall and wait. You will be a natural at observing Gizmo and helping him grow up strong and brave. Singing softly and not reacting during the rumbles might help too. During my worst of times I listened to a member here singing "just breathe" and it was reassuring to me too.

Yes it's normal. When greys move to a new environment it takes a while for them to get the lay of the land. They are prey animals and acutely aware of potential predators. When he throws food you offer, it's because he is not trusting you yet. When he growls, he is warning you that he is stressed and wants you to back off. Giving him a little space is the best gift you can give yourself. Talk softly, sit as close as he will permit without growling. If you have tasty treats, eat them in front of him and offer him a sample, like almonds or pine nuts. Sooner or later he will get curious and come to you. Follow his lead and don't push him while he is getting acclimated. It's really hard. You know you want the best for him and you know you will treat him right. He isn't too sure about you yet. It's hard to back away. It's natural that you have found and exquisite creature to share your life and you want to get to know him. You will. It will take a little time for him to settle in, start whistling and talking. If he whistles, whistle back. It's a contact call and he will likely be more animated when you are in another room out of his sight. You will grow on him in no time. Have you chosen a name for him yet?

It's official, there is another female vying for my husband's attention. Gil-girl comes out of her cage and is motivated off her cage for him. For the second weekend, she got real interested in him while he was shaving. She flew from her new safety zone on the gate and waddled around the corner through my bedroom to get to him. I brought in the portable perch stand and once again she wolf whistles at him while he shaves. Then she laughs. It's hysterical and joyful. Once he was leaving the room she refused offers from both of us to come out. Finally after being left in there for ten minutes alone she took my offer to step up. When we passed behind his chair she leaned in so I let her down. This is only the second or third time she has agreed to stay on the back of his chair. This time he asked "what is she doing?" For the first time since we have had her she was preening his hair! She was away from her cage for at least a half hour. The rest of the day she is hanging out on her seed catcher or the gate beside her cage. It's so darn funny that the only time she does the wolf whistle is when he is shaving. The belly laugh wicked chuckle is the icing on the cake. She really is coming around and giving us a peek at her real personality.

You are tuned in to all of your cast of characters. Glad Bongo is coming around and that he wasn't sick. I'm amazed at how well you take it in stride to care for each of your birds and know how to keep them all happy and healthy. I have quite a challenge staying one step ahead of Miss Gilbert. Next time though, I hope Bongo can tell he needs you without a bite and a worrisome vet visit.

Wow, nine years together! I missed it too, glad Ray brought it up for me to catch a second chance. It seem like only yesterday she was celebrating, this year has flown by. She is living a charmed life with you and your flock. Happy hatchday Talon!

Welcome to the forum. Thank you for joining us. What's your girl's name? It's a good sign that she is vocalizing. Glad you had a good introduction and she came to you and let you hold her there. Hopefully you can stay in touch with her former home to help translate some of her requests and what she expects for a response. There was nothing in my life to compare to the complexity and the sheer joy of living with such an exquisite creature. I hope every day you fall in love with her just a little more.

You are all making me feel better. Miss Gilbert came in with a few foul words and when she gets in a mood she says them with malice. Her favorite naughty word has morphed to many different combinations and inflections. She reminds me of the old George Carlin routine pondering the many forms of another four letter word. It started with the long slow drawl of sheeit, then the emphatic blame game of shitonthefloor, and shitter-who-did-THAT? She knows exactly what she is doing and she positions herself to see my reaction and gives me a tilted head stink-eye challenge and dismisses me with her standby original sheeit with a big emphasis on the t. I know why it continues. She knows that I ignore it and walk away and she also knows David finds it pretty darn funny that a bedraggled little grey bird is getting the best of me.

Time will help you to have more understanding. Maybe she didn't have faith in herself to deserve you. She may have sabotaged herself. Regardless, my heart aches for all involved. Life is complicated and difficult in the best of times, harder during times of loss. But you know you did your best with Caesar and you had wonderful memories of your happiness with him. In time those happy moments with your lady will surface as well. I lost two baby greys in a year and felt as if I had bad luck too. Then I took in an older grey with lots of issues and three and a half years later, we are starting to see progress with her. When the time is right for you, the bad stuff will fade away and you will pick up, make changes for yourself and see a new light in your life. Hang in there to get through those hard times and know things happen for a reason and open space in your life for good changes and happy days.

Thank you Dave. I think the store is covering their backside with a generic disclaimer. Right blow the warning of bacteria in a raw product is another paragraph saying its possible the product was processed in a facility where allergens could be present from peanuts, tree nuts etc. Sounds more like legal mumbo jumbo than a warning about new bacteria or mold being present. Your ideas for sprouting are great. Thanks for your suggestions.

When Miss Gilbert came to us she had been living on the gulf coast in Biloxi MS all her life. Her caretaker said she was really wigged out by storms. Considering she has lived through a couple major hurricanes, its no wonder. I think Gizmo's hearing, senses and perception far exceed our own. A lightning strike that close was magnified for him. When Miss Gilbert was here initially she was already so traumatized by life that the extra stress of the storm sent her into a blind panic. I would turn a light on in the living room so lightning flashes were not so much of a contrast. Then I would sleep on the sofa where she could see me. When I heard her panic and flap her wings, I didn't get up. I would just say "You're okay Gilbert" in a soft voice of reassurance. As others have said, being a calm leader about what the thunder means rather than worry over her feelings at the time have changed things. Sometimes I would say "Whoo, big noise!" She only picked up and now says "Gilbert okay" when anything frightens her as if she is talking herself down. I hope Gizmo can figure out his own calming ritual, whatever that may be.

I was a newbie waiting for my first baby grey five years ago. I recall reading your posts and thought you must have gotten a job promotion or other life change that took more of your free time. As you said, Penny has done a great job as admin and surely can use your support as we all can. Love that you posted in lost and found. It's sad that you lost Caesar but a happy occasion today that you found your way back to supportive friends. New friends are a bonus benefit. Welcome back. We are here as you sort out the pain of your losses. You already have respect when you genuinely wish your ex the best life she can have even when you are surely feeling the loss. I look forward to getting to know you better through our forum. Welcome back'

Miss Gilbert really is going through a growth stage. She asks for a head rub every time she sees me now. If I even look like I'm going to move, she quickly grabs the bars and makes a sound like a crying infant. She has been coming out to the gate and probably 4 out of 5 times she will step up when I ask. If not, she makes a run to go inside her cage to her "spot" to get a head rub instead. Three or four times in recent days she launched off the gate in flight attempts. She doesn't seem to get any lift but from a two foot altitude she can fly twelve feet before hitting the floor, or the side of the sofa. What's really kind of amusing us the shout she does when she works up the courage to launch. Then, the brief time she is beating her wings she is growling-clucking-squawking until she skids to a landing. In the past she would be wild eyed with fear and looking for me to rescue her from the floor. Now she rebuffs my offer for a ride back to her cage. It's the cutest little thing she does. I tell her she is okay and walk toward her offering my hand. She does a slow bow to the floor and makes and arc "line drawing" on the floor. This is a "no, I can do it myself" reply. I stand back and watch as she takes her time and waddles back to the gate. She isn't even making a mad scramble to get behind the safety of her bars. Her comfort zone has grown to encompass "her" gate. It seems like a six foot long linear extension isn't much of an expansion, but to her it's the Grand Canyon of expansion to her territory. She is living large and has a great new attitude.

Hi Shannon. Welcome to the forum and thank you for joining us. Each grey and every relationship is individual and unique. We will learn as much from your progress with Peatree as you will gain from sharing with us. Is Peatree a Congo African Grey (CAG) or Timneh African Grey (TAG)? The CAG has a black beak and bright red tailfeathers where a TAG had a black beak which is creamy light colored on the curved beak front. In my avatar photo, Gilbert is a TAG. You have great instincts already. When you get a baby grey, it usually has been handled, is more trusting and has been trained to step up. In that case, keeping it current is a good idea. However, Peatree has not been handled and it might be a great frustration for both of you to push him too soon. He will let you know when he is ready. You are doing a lot of things very well from the onset. Congratulations on the journey of a lifetime.

I have a sneaking suspicion she has been dancing in the dark for a while. David gets up at four to go to work. If she is out of her cage when I come out at seven, I have been thinking he lets her out and he insists he doesn't. This morning he came back in to ask me if I forgot to close her door because she was out walking about at four am. For the life of me, I couldn't remember. I know I stopped and sang her a good night song and rubbed her head. I know her door was closed, but could not recall closing it myself. I don't find her droppings around the house so I don't really think she is doing this regularly. What I think she is doing is pulling the door closed but not latching it. I am trying to pay closer attention. Today I see it open, I see it closed. She seems very watchful of what I'm doing. She is so clever and always one step ahead of me. I'll be more careful about checking her latch.

Thanks Dave, I had no clue all these things would be tasty sprouted. I have many of these foods in the freezer to cook or add to seed mix for the parrots. This post will get me back in to trying to sprout now that Miss Gilbert is getting more adventurous. I have a question or two . I bought a bag of raw sunflower seeds in the shell from a new grocery store in town called "Sprouts" last week. When I got home, I read a warning on the bag saying since they are raw and unprocessed they could contain bacteria. I put them aside because I had some from the bird supply store. I was concerned about aspergillosis. Does that just pertain to peanuts? Is there a difference between raw human grade sunflower seeds and those packaged especially for parrots? Do you sprout them in the shell? Thanks, I'm new this sprouting.

Watching her find her way has been a journey of a thousand faces of Miss Gilbert. At any given moment she comes through and loses all the baggage and we see glimmers of who she is meant to be. To hear her get excited and carry on and hoot and laugh unencumbered atop the bathroom door was inspirational. The unbridled enthusiasm was a shocker and we just laughed and laughed and horsed around like kids with her. She has had quiet days afterwards as she is prone to do. She reminds me of a little librarian with her hair in a bun and thick black glasses showing up at a rock concert and changing into a party animal. That's it Gil-Girl, life is a party, grab your dancin' shoes!

It has taken Dorian a while to warm up but I imagine he was thinking about that cardboard you had yet to supply. As his gears were turning "hmm, must be she put these boxes of DVDs close for my perusal". Great idea. I know it won't be near as wonderful as I imagine but reaching the goal of getting Miss Gilbert out of her shell is sure to involve damage at some point. I don't always rejoice and jump to clean her messes, but my mind does often have a little happy dance that she has come this far. Glad he got only the box and not the disk inside. When that day comes, some companies will trade a new one for a damaged one for a modest fee.