katana600

Slowly she is coming back around. She is still thoroughly annoyed with me personally as she shows by attempting to take a swipe at me when I walk past the cage to take the dogs outside or when I change food or clean her cage. While I am biding my time and remaining consistent with her, I have also changed out the puzzle toys with different ones. The challenge distracted her for all of fifteen minutes, but it was a good sign when she went directly to the toys and played with them and figured them out. There is a bird fair either this weekend or next and I am planning to see if there are any new puzzle toys on the market. Distraction and redirecting seem to be the best coping strategies for her. This too shall pass, we are seeing a weakening in the storm front which is Miss Gilbert.

~you notice it is real quiet so you make a contact call.... in the waiting room at the dentist

Ah, this is where my two have a distinct advantage because Java loves cuddles, makes kissing noises and enjoys affection where Miss Gilbert prefers hands off. She does watch with interest when Java comes out and enjoys shoulder time. Java was here first and I did keep that order when feeding them and even though she is smaller, she is more assertive so she will be the one to get defensive if and when Miss G becomes more active. It took a long time to dissuade Java from dive bombing and tormenting the "intruder" but we are currently at a tenative peace accord.

Every now and again she just needs to remind me I just have to do things "right". Slowly she is getting back to being calm. It is so interesting the way her verbalizations change to suit her moodiness. For all the sweet things she usually says, she has an equal repertoire she drags out to express her displeasure. She is letting me earn my way back to her trust but its hands off for her until she is ready. I can give her that safety zone and bide my time in grey time.

I was expecting this to be a joke. Joke's on us taxpayers. I signed it too.

In the past if our little princess was disturbed she would shear off all the soft feathers from her neck to her feet leaving her in tattered looking underwear. So, yes, she is having a mild setback. In the past she would direct her anxiety at herself and she has progressed in that she is not so much afraid and anxious but able to express her frustration outwardly now. I really think she was obliging to allow me to take her out of her cage but it was bothering her more than I expected. After a couple of days of not requesting any interaction, she is calming down. She really did very little damage to her feathers. I have been plying her with oatmeal a couple of times a day and that seems to be the only time she is not looking to take an eye out or something. When she hears me in the kitchen fixing her breakfast, she stations herself at the ready for me to open the food door and she tries everything she can to get my fingers. I have thwarted her by installing twice as many food cup rings as I need. Then if she is staking out one, I can swap another one quickly and efficiently. She is so incredibly intelligent and cunnning. She has caught on that I have to take away the wet food cup after a couple of hours, so when she sees me coming, she stakes that one out. I have to up my game and wait until she is out of her cage, then I close the door so she can't get inside to get me. She scowls at me from the top of her cage and plots her next move. When she realizes that I am getting into her cage to clean it or add clean water, she flings toys off the cage top. I am sure if she had boiling oil to thwart the intrusion, I would be a cooked goose. Today has been better and she does take pine nuts from me, but I am very discerning about when to offer a treat. Usually after big warm gulps of oatmeal. She will go from being on the offensive to tucking her head and asking for a scratch. We have had much more happy interactions today but I keep it brief. To be fair, I am really doing some deep cleaning after nearly a year away from home. I have been climbing ladders, washing windows that are sixteen feet up and vacuuming cobwebs from the ceiling fan and vaulted ceilings. I have a really small Shark vacuum that is an "over the shoulder" portable, and that is what I took with me to my sister's and vacummed around her cage every day so that is nothing new. All in all, this is just a little blip, it is just a sharp contrast from her compliant joyous few days. She is just reminding me that we are still on grey time and she isn't ready for that just yet.

Congratulations on finding Bingo and welcome to the forum. Not a day goes past that I don't marvel at the change in our lives with the adoption of a prehomed grey. We have our ups and downs but learn from everyone else here on the forum. I love how he came in and took your heart by storm. It just keeps getting better. I look forward to hearing more about your life together.

I never gave it a thought about hormones. Most likely she is irritated by my cleaning and pulling furniture out to scrub well. I had to change light bulbs sixteen feet up today and seeing the ladder was particularly upsetting after the fact. Maybe she thought I had the highest perch. LOL. I am patient with her even when she is a snot. She did knock a blood feather and it bled a little so maybe she has a pin feather crosswise. All I know is whoever coined the phrase "hell hath no fury..." Must have met Miss G on a bad day. She has been cussing and making every danger siren ever created. She was better today than yesterday. When I changed her food and water she grabbed a five ounce stainless steel cup, wrenched it from its ring, flung the water and then banged the bars with the cup. We have these ebb and flows in all our relationships. What I think about is that right when she is evolving and changing the most she seems to scare herself, pull back and then take the next step. I'm glad the rest of you have the occasional mutiny and snarkiness. My husband would probably tell you that I do as well. I will keep up the sweet talk and offerings and eventually she will get back to being pleasant and funny again.

Miss Gilbert and I are taking a step backward, it is brief and not nearly as breathtaking as former lapses but she chewed some feathers yesterday and today. I didn't try to pick her up yesterday because it is a sign she is stressed. Today she was a right little beast. She bit David after coaxing him close and tucking her head for a scratch and he is her favorite. She asked for a "cracker" and when I opened her little food door to put in her favorites, she tried to jump right out to take a swipe at me. She flung her food like a little tornado. She has been cussing up a storm and she is gleeful about it. I have been doing some spring cleaning and its possible that the vacuum cleaner is part of it, but I got a quiet, small Shark that barely makes any noise. I think it just made her nervous to be asked to step up and she is giving me an attitude adjustment. I am giving her some room to back down until she shows me she is ready to come forward again. We still have come a long way. There were just a few severed chest feathers on the floor or I wouldn't have even noticed she was irritated until she bit David. Man, when she gets in a mood, she is a little tyrant. She has been telling the dogs to shut up and when they ring the bell to go outside, she tells them stop it. Why my little darling is downright surly.

It does just get better every day. I wake up with the biggest smile thanks to Miss Gilbert. This morning, she peered around to where she could see my face while I was asleep. About five am, she started making quiet little "hey" and "whoo" sounds and when she saw me stir she said "Who dat dere?" "Hey li'l lady LuLu" "Pretty girl" "Wanna treat?" I thought I had a full life up to this point, but realize I just haven't lived until I open my incredulous eyes to see if it truly is this bedraggled little grey girl encouraging me to join her beautiful day. LOL. Today she was aggressively shaking her clear acrylic puzzle toy to make it release the very last pine nut. She has become so much more outgoing and active. I'm finding bird poop in places it has never been before. Hahahahaha.... and I don't even mind that she is making messes. It means she is getting out and about and more adventurous all the time. She hangs upside down by one toenail and beats her wings so hard it makes all sorts of tiny torn paper create an indoor snowstorm. She seems to be exercising and getting stronger and more secure.

Its a perfect place to announce your good news. You are so right about making arrangements for a plan in the event of illness or other unscheduled changes in the lives of our companion parrots. There is a limited number of caring homes willing to step in and adopt an older grey. Its even more difficult to look among friends and relatives for someone with experience living with parrots. It is good that you considered long and hard that you are willing to take on Cyprus and make a committment for the long term. Every temporary home may be a stop gap measure but it takes a long time for a parrot to grieve the loss of her "old" life and loved ones and really show her character and potential. It sounds like Cyprus' life is about to change for the better.

Congratulations on your new companion and welcome to the forum. With only a week of transition your guy is still getting the lay of the land. It's good he is so friendly and eating well. I have a grey and a red bellied parrot and both are generally quiet without distinctive "bird" sounds. The red bellied parrot's only "chirp" is an imitation of the cockatiel we fostered. Our Timneh imitates the imitation of the cockatiel.

Well isn't he looking so pleased with himself? Thats a funny picture of Dorian. I suppose just as he finished decorating to suit himself, you came along and spoiled it for him and deconstructed his artist installation?

Yes Joe, you certainly have my blessings and support for rehoming Brooke's grey. The decision to rehome is complex and fraught with emotion, second guessing and more. It took five months of email and thoughtful discussion before Sarah and I made a commitment to bring Gilbert to our home. That was a long distance between us, nine hours drive, was part of that, but once it was decided it went well for both of us and for Miss Gilbert. The first "pause" I had that made me decide to question further was when you mentioned you had Elmo for just three weeks. In the relatively short time I have been a forum member I have seen some cringeworthy discussions, like "hey I have a grey I want to trade for a chihuahua". Just by the way you accepted and gave more detail on the question, I am certainly relieved and hope you and Brooke meet soon.

Isn't that the truth Ray? My little Southern Belle is being such a treasure lately. Apparently I have not displeased her too greatly. I did steam clean her cage and floor stand and moved it a few feet. Once I cleaned the floor stand, I pushed it over by the sofa while I cleaned her cage. She was not nervous at all but she did launch off the stand to land on the back of the couch a few times. She knew just where she wanted to go and had a soft landing. She also got on the floor and played under the furniture and refused to come back out. Usually when she gets on the floor she is in a big hurry to find someone to give her a lift. She has been especially interested in getting lots of head scratches and will sit for twenty minutes begging for more when she knows it is bed time. Now that her cage is on the opposite side of my bedroom doorway, she can get in one corner and peer right into my room and tell me "Get Up!" at the break of dawn. She is more outgoing every day. For a while I was doing a "sock puppet" thing with my left and up my sleeve and she would quickly offer me a step up with my right hand. Now when it is evening and she wants to be out and about she is offering me a step up as soon as I ask her and I take her around the house, show her a few things, let her have a few minutes on my shoulder and take her back to her playtop cage with a little snack for a reward. It is getting to be so much of a positive exchange I think she looks forward to it nearly as much as I do. What a difference a few weeks has made in her confidence.

This is the fourth night in a row for Miss Gilbert to look over my shoulder while I read the forum. We went back and watched all of Chelsea B's videos of Biscotti. Gil is intent and makes comments at the funniest times. When I switched back from videos to this forum post, she said "hey". She has more ways of saying hey than Uncle Si on Duck Dynasty. It was a hey, what gave you the idea I was finished watching Biscotti? She is talking and chuckling now that she is getting more familiar with being away from her comfort zone. She is still reluctant to join me, but doesn't take a lot of convincing and has been with me for a record time of more than a half hour. She is preening and relaxed and I think we are changing our relationship for the better.

Thank you Joe, it is a great testament to your maturity and intentions for you to respond in such a positive way. My stomach was a little nervous to ask the questions because I didn't want to antagonize a newcomer or to make it more difficult for Brooke in her decision making. You make it so much easier to be a cheerleader for a really good fit for this young grey. I lurked on the forum to learn about greys when I was waiting for a baby Congo to wean. I did choose the name of my motorcycle because I was afraid if something happened and I didn't get my little one that it would be too hard to continue using his name. I lost him after only seven weeks in our home to PDD and then cared for his brother until he passed way too young from the same illness. Through it all, this forum was a lifeline and has helped me in rehoming a Timneh who has taught me all I know about greys, which is still precious little. Thanks for joining us, you will be a great addition to our forum.

I am looking forward to watching this transition with you. If I had gotten a grey at any other time in my life, it would have been overwhelming. Even with taking five years to get to where we are today with Miss Gilbert there is no experience in my life that could have prepared me to be what she needed. It is a huge step to understand the she needs more than you can give her Brooke. Take your time and be sure she is going to a permanent home. No offense to you Joe, but with having Elmo for only three weeks, do you have prior grey experience? It may give you a setback with Elmo to bring in another grey. I am only asking because you have been a member for such a short time and we haven't had time to get to know you. I happen to have a little Timneh who was passed around to her great detriment and my heart is only wanting for this girl to have a permanent home in her best interest. I would not want for her to be put with an older more mature male grey with an idea to mate. I promise, I am only throwing out questions because of where Miss Gilbert has been and how long it has taken for her to stop damaging her feathers and to relax just a little.

Just to show you how difficult life has been for Miss Gilbert, first we have called her a boy her whole life. Then she gets stuck with a companion who apparently is hard to train. Would you believe it has taken me three years to learn how to prepare oatmeal? In the past few days as she is most receptive, I finally got it right. She likes steel cut oatmeal. She likes it with a touch of unsweetened almond milk to get it to just the right consistency and just the right temperature. But boy when I finally got it right, she is little miss piggy. She taught me to turn the spoon just so where she can then twist her head nearly 180 degrees to use her bottom mandible (is that the right word?) as a steam shovel to take great big honkin' gulps. She is making the biggest slurps, sighs and happy noises. For three days she has almost forgotten that I am distinctly NOT to be trusted. I am over the moon. See, I AM trainable but she has long complained she has to have the patience of Job to put up with the likes of me. Hahahahaa. I have the most intense appreciation of the small things in life today, 365 grams of tattered feathers and attitude small.

Penny, I started and stopped myself several times with a reply to this one. My heart is with yours, I want to drive up there and see if there is another little Miss Gilbert with my name printed on her soul waiting for me.

One more time I have a little time with Gil on my shoulder. I have to confess that when I went to her cage to ask her to come with me, she headed for the hills. I put my left hand up my sleeve and reached behind her and she couldn't run to my right hand fast enough to step up for me. Once she got here she shared a bit of my tortilla and she has been talking and whistling while sitting on my shoulder. I could get used to this and she is more relaxed each time she comes to me. She has been with me long enough to be sitting with one leg tucked up and isn't going to sleep but is very relaxed.

Hahahaha, that looks like he is having a big horse laugh. That is a funny picture.

It's so hard to know when to push a little and when to give her space. She is real quiet today and withdrawn in her cage. It is a very delicate balancing act with her. When I see other greys being rehomed and making a quick adjustment, I am so thankful that it turns out that way for them. We don't hear much from the less successful pairings. All I know is that when she takes one step forward and reaches a new milestone, it is magnificent. The things that seem simple and natural with our other parrots are such a challenge for Miss Gilbert. When she succeeds, it is miraculous. She is really very bright. She is also very suspicous, cautious and timid. Its the small things like ripping up adding machine paper tape and playing with a new toy that lets me see her progress with inanimate objects that keeps me from taking it personally that she is still holding back no matter how steady and predictable we try to keep her interactions. I am just elated with recalling over and over how she walked around and stayed close and then came onto my shoulder last night. She holds a very special place in our family, we are in awe of how far she has come and can't wait to see how things progress for her.

Who could forget the infamous monologue by Nilah when Rocky was turned pink on a school holiday? I hope he has a full recovery. I am so thankful you were able to prevent anything worse from happening to him. It had to have been traumatic for all of you.

I would be very interested in a US source if anyone has one. Are these the same red palm fruits from which they make the red palm oil we give our parrots? I would love to let both our parrots try something they would have eaten in the wild.