katana600

Even though I have been following your life with Her Royal Highness since you joined us and it was still fun to read a summary of what she has brought to your life. You are a a perfect match. Happy Anniversary and thanks for joining us.

I happened to have had two from the same clutch. Juno was like Gabby. From the time they were six weeks old he was unscrewing the top off a water bottle and jumping out of the brooder with both feet. He came home and never skipped a beat he integrated into our life without a glance back. His brother Kopi was cautious and not nearly as precocious. He was every bit as bright as his brother but a direct opposite in personality. Have you tried moistening Mayzies pellets and giving her cooked mushy vegetables like sweet potato? Sometimes it's about familiarity and mouth feel. Getting her started on food may be trial and error and what she chooses on one day may be rejected the next. Another thing our babies liked was corn on the cob. We cut it into short chunks, then quartered that piece. Mayzie will look to big girl foods before you know it.

When we were getting our first baby grey, his breeder told us she wanted to keep the clutch together until all three fledged and weaned. She explained that a change during this time would cause the last baby to regress and take much longer to wean. I don't have any hand feeding or weaning experience just years of other persons' advice which in general is all about abundance weaning. If it were my choice, I wouldn't push Mayzie to go to her pellets, but give her more formula and she will wean when she is ready. The general idea as I understand it is to push her too fast might get results today but could come back in anxious behaviors later. It's complex due to Gabby's experience of being away, then returned to you. Maybe Gabby needs the reassurance and she is "worrying" over Mayzie. What if you made some warm oatmeal at bedtime and offer it to both of them from a spoon. Gilbert is 10 to 12 years old and gets through anxious times with that small reassurance. I make steel cut, unprocessed oatmeal, then add a little almond milk to make it soupy. It could be a shared experience with both of them and you would be assured neither of them are going to bed hungry.

She has come such a long way! I am meeting her more than halfway as she begins to have insights to the benefits to her. At each turn, the walls are coming down and the pace of her progress gains speed. Grey time is a variable rate. Who knew?

Just in case that link to YouTube will not work, I tried it a different way

She is "catching a gear" right now Ray. She has been the little-engine-that-could chug chug chugging up the very steep wall she built for herself. She is new at this relationship from her perspective. Sometimes when she shifts the little gears in her complex brain, she gets in neutral or even reverse. But eventually she grinds away and builds up a little more power to get back on the road to trust again. I took this video last night of her getting a gentle touch. She is still a little nervous about this closeness, even with the bars between us. She sometimes will sit and "worry" those feathers on her right chest area but it hasn't been bald for a while now. She is getting within sight of the first hilltop where she can coast for a while, refuel and then take off again. Who knows, she may get a downhill luge track and pick up enough speed to soar. It's going to happen! She is on her own path and I am just lucky enough to try to keep up with her.

You have a great attitude with Wilbur. That video shows trust on both sides. I get what you mean about the occasional bite and bloodletting. Something we talk about on this forum is grey time. I could kind of understand when I had my first two babies, but I really have been getting a lesson with Miss Gilbert. We have had three and a half years together and I could not reach out to her yet as you do with Wilbur. You have had a short time together in relation to the decades you will have together. Don't beat up on yourself about the spray bottle. You looked for advice, you got bad advice and you recognized it wasn't helpful. Then you changed. My favorite quote from Maya Angelou is "we did what we knew and when we knew better we did better". There really is no way of knowing how or why a grey chooses their favorite person. Another thing us, that can change. Keep doing the things that bring you closer. Also early on with a parrot who can't fly due to damaged wings, I might have thought it was okay to get her outside for fresh air with me. Then through our forum I saw hawks attack a beloved pet. Also even though Miss Gilbert hasn't flown in six years or more, it isn't written in stone that she can't. An adrenaline rush at the same time as an updraft of wind and I could lose her and the agony of thinking of her helpless in a wilderness of predators would be too painful to risk. You are the right home for Wilbur. You are learning right along with him. As far as being quiet, if its been his nature, I wouldn't be concerned. Miss Gilbert talks but its sporadic, not chatting all day. If he was usually chatty and suddenly quiet, not eating well etc. that's more of a concern that he could be ill.

Early on, I read that a grey is very subtle in their body language. Just as you say with Wilbur, a slight leaning in is his subtle clue that its okay to get closer. When their subtle clues are not heeded they resort to not-so-subtle and often shocking bites. The problem is once that is what they consider the most effective way to get the point across, it becomes a first line of defense rather than a last resort. It takes a lot of patience, forgiveness and keen observation to learn your grey's subtle clues. Congratulations on learning Wilbur's cues. It takes a long long time to undo the damage when someone else pushed the boundaries too far too soon. Our rehomed grey has taken 2 1/2 years with her previous caretaker and 3 1/2 years with me to just start considering to offer that subtle invite. Thanks for bringing this up.

Our dance continues, one big step forward and a little two-step retreat. Miss Gilbert has taken to climbing to the floor of her cage, reaching out to get a hold on her door and slamming it closed. She emphatically announced "get out" and "get on outta there". A while later after she settled down and asked me to rub her head, I slid the door open as I left. Before long it clanged closed with a "shut up" to follow. And along with those expressions, she has been playing, taking treats from my hand (inside the bars) and she has been whistling and saying sweet things as well. I'm giving her plenty of room to ebb and flow today and left her door closed the second time. Another interesting development is that she is playing much more assertively with her toys. She has chosen Birdie Bagels of all sizes. One is about six inches in diameter and if she drops it to the floor it is impressive to watch her carry it back to the wire "porch perch" to give it a good working over. She is also so very determined to remove the "spare" stainless steel food cup where I keep the overnight pellet portions. She grabbed it with such force that when it came loose she flipped over backward and fell right to the papers on the cage floor. It never even slowed her down, she was determined to fling that cup around. Even six months ago it would have silenced her for a week. She is making big strides and she is claiming wide horizons for her future.

When our young grey had surgery for a distended crop we had to give him oral antibiotics and take him back for tests and more antibiotics. His case was much different than yours. Our vet had suggestions for post op care and it wasn't as difficult as it was intimidating until we tried successfully to manage it for ourselves. Depending on how far it is from your home to your vet, it will make a difference how you handle things. We were only an hour or so from the vet so I was able to spend all day there in a quarantine room with him and to bring his favorite foods from home to help during those stressful times. My heart is with you as you make difficult decisions for Goofy. You have much experience with her, hand feeding and trust. Good luck and many blessings for you both.

My sister's well water tastes great, but she also has a water softener that uses salt. That's one thing I would look out for since salt is not good for parrots. But in general, well water quality and purity is based on where you live and other environmental factors. Another family member has a water well, fifteen miles from my sister and there is a strong odor and heavy mineral content so they can only use it for cleaning and carry water for drinking.

Great news! Miss Gilbert positioned herself on her cage top and was swaying as if she was prepared for lift-off. I took that as a request for a "ride" to us. I got right up and asked if she wanted a step up. Without hesitation she offered me a very high stepping up to my hand. She got too nervous and jumped off and glided albeit clumsily to the floor and was eager to come to me. She was very nervous and went from the arm of my chair to lifting her foot high to be "rescued" from there to my knee, to my hand, to my shoulder where she hopped up to the chair back. I gave her a favored cashew. She was wide eyed and a little tense but when I offered for her "Wanna go back?" which is what she usually asks me when she gets a foot from the safety of her cage, she declined. She was only out a total of ten minutes before she was offering me a step up so she could return to her cage. It seems like a small thing because I have gotten her to sit briefly on the arm of my chair any time she has launched herself to the floor. This time though, it was entirely her suggestion and she had the choice of leaving, but she stayed! I have been sensing a new willingness for close encounters of the grey kind and she is stepping away from her zone. Even though I have been noticing a slight change in her attitude it was pure awe and joy to see her take those first steps. I slept on a cloud last night.

I laughed a little when I read that. She is definitely complex and intriguing. But whether she has fought for or against our relationship is still up for debate. :-) Last night and again this morning she gently called me back to her with a little "hey". She doesn't really like head "scratches" or rubs, but more like you would pet a cat, only with one finger. Amazingly when I sat down to write this post, she called to me. I stopped and looked up at her and she hurried to "our" spot. It's so very dear. She lets me stroke her head, pulls back to look at me and she makes a soft sound like a crying baby. Then she tucks her head to hold the feathers on her upper thigh or lower chest. I sing softly to her and she will outlast me these days. Even though she didn't react at the time, I believe the removal of my braces has changed our dynamics. While she has been abrasive in her words and forceful in venting frustrations more than usual, she has also been more completely relaxed and "surrendered" in our touching gentle physical exchanges. From our three and a half years together, it occurs to me that she gets frustrated at each time she crosses over a milestone in our relationship. I believe the next move is going to be to come out of her cage and sit next to me.

Greys have plenty of "entertainment" value and I never tire of seeing what they are thinking. Watching these Amazons exuberance, tail fanning excitement is a whole new level of joy. I once watched a baby Amazon in her cage and she was so happy, energetic and funny. I don't know if I could keep up, but it would be fun to watch. I've been tempted all day to repeat "me biscuit fell into me brewwww!" I don't need any more encouragement to find my wild side. :-)

I'm just getting caught up on your life. It's been a couple of rough weeks. Your poor fingers and hands. It's beyond my comprehension how anyone can steal and destroy property without a thought of the hardship it causes to a family. Trucks are a favorite target because they can get under and out again so quickly. The scrapyards where they sell them should have responsibility for creating the "demand" and they should have to get photos and copies of driver licenses for anyone who brings one in. Bless you for caring and helping these gentlemen with bird care and finding homes for their flock members. I can barely bring myself to imagine losing the capacity for keeping much beloved companions. You deserve a special place in heaven for the loving care you give freely.

I wasn't so sure about the rewards and I was willing to accept at any given point that it may be ass far as she would progress, but every little advancement in our relationship has made me so tickled and hopeful for more. Tonight every time she has seen me, she hurries to posture for a touch. She leans so far in against the bars I can rub her whole head and neck with three fingers and she is warm and relaxed in my hand. I have been visualizing her coming to sit on my lap once she understands just how good it feels to have the same long scritch sessions as Java has. Miss Gilbert watches and calls out to Java "Pretty Girl" at night when she is on my lap. It's been all those experienced voices saying its worth the time and patience to wait for her to have the courage to come to me. Every small triumph has been so hard won by this girl, I know she has more to share with us. Thank you for being our support and encouragement.

Awwww, I can see it now too. It's like a little reassurance and balance, and a nice little massage too. Nilah is a beautiful friend.

That really is good news. When his nails grow back and give him a better grip it will give him more confidence even though he compensates well the way it has been. It's amazing what a small miracle can do to change his life for the better.

Today I have been trying to find an opening from Gilbert to tighten a wing nut holding her pellet dish. It's on the same side as her "scratching" perch, opposite her food and water. But, man can she traverse that distance in a heartbeat. She has attempted to bite me every time I reach in there. Finally I put on an oven mitt and did what I needed to do. She was uncharacteristically brave enough to rush right over and bite a chunk out of that oven mitt. Afterward, I went over and sang her a song and she poised in her scratch position for a nice head rub. It was then that I noticed how bright red her tail feathers are becoming. They have always been so dark as to be almost indistinguishable from the tips of her flight feathers, nearly black. She is definitely undergoing some changes. Next, no sooner than I started to clean her cage, she rushed up on me and bit off 25 strands of my hair in one sharp swipe. No sooner than I had finished that job and cleaned around her cage, she was on the outside of her cage chewing her ladder to bits. It has been there, solid and unmolested for more than a year. When I went over and scolded her and removed the ladder she went to the play top and stood her ground looking fierce, ruffled and defensive. Against every reasonable instinct, I asked her to step up and no one was more shocked than me when she offered up her foot and stepped right up on my hand from her cage! She has been sitting on my shoulder all the while I am typing her "report". It may be a long slow turn but we are turning the corner, making a new history and seeing what's next in the story being written by Miss Gilbert... in grey time. O Happy Day.

It's so nice to have a Nilah update. She went through that morning tussle with you and came back from it sweeter and more attached to you than ever. Unfortunately on my screen, there is an icon saying you moved or deleted the photo. My question is? Who is rubbing the feet of whom? LOL.

So clever and funny. I'm with Timber's mom, I have worked all day trying to get an opening to tighten a wing nut in Miss Gilbert's cage and she has guarded me at every turn. I can't imagine having the trust to play like this. Those of you with compliant silly greys, keep it coming! Love the adorable videos.

I couldn't stop at just one video. This is another one I added to my favorites list. Miss Gilbert watched it over and over again. What beautiful, clever and enthusiastic parrots are these Amazons. Thanks for getting me started on this Dave. Who wouldn't smile at these happy singers?

Fred is energetic. He moves more in those two videos that Miss Gilbert does in two weeks. I love how much he enjoys the water. It makes me smile to watch Fred. Thanks.

Watching her play with toys, moving freely inside her cage now where she feels secure reinforces to me that she needs time and space. The smallest change at the wrong time has been observed and trying again and again has given her choices. Recently I put a leather square near her food and water dishes. Now when I change her bowls she bites that leather, batters it around. She can express her need to defend her cage and my fingers are safe. She never touches unless I'm "messing with her stuff." As a couple of weeks have passed, she seems less passionate about it. I'm hoping it helps her to be more calm about it. She is very complex. On one side of her cage she is fierce and indignant and that's the side with her food. The other side is a pink roost perch and she hurries to that spot to posture to request a scratch. She has never bitten me on the scratch perch. Lately, she has been waiting every morning next to her food doors and requesting a scratch there. It tells me she is becoming ever so slightly more tolerant. Tiny changes, in grey time. She is finding her courage.

There are some rehoming situations that are well done, introductions, taking time to prepare the grey and the new family. These success stories don't get as much discussion. Gilbert had at least two abrupt transfers which contributed to behaviors that in turn made it more likely for the new home to give up. Each successive rejection and abandonment in her mind takes longer to overcome. I know she is just getting through her baggage and some day she will reach the bottom and not have any more bad memories to drag out. Lately she hasn't been able to get enough head scratches. When I bring her food, she will ask for touches first. She has even stopped midway through an oatmeal feast to posture for a head rub. Day by day, bit by bit, the wall is coming down.