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As I fell asleep last night, I could still feel Gil's warm feet and body weight on my shoulder. It was magical. I awakened to think about how many of us have a grey that wants to be near and just how much this girl has to overcome within herself to put that one foot forward. She is beginning to see the benefits and they are overriding her steely conviction that humans are up to no good. This morning, as I gave her the first spoonfuls of my oatmeal, she put her foot up to come out. I think that might be a first for her to step up to me from inside her cage. It seems like the more she comes forward, the more she wants to come forward. Also, while she was sitting so close to me last night for an extended time, her pupils were dancing and more expressive than I have seen. There were a few minutes where they were huge and she had her feathers down tight looking on the edge of panic, but I turned my back toward her and she found her pine nut path up to the back of the chair and then back onto my shoulder. When I was able to be close and watch her for a long time, I noticed her pupils are not round, but tear drop shaped. One is more pronounced than the other with her left one coming to a point, more like a comma. It has a look almost like a solar flare swirling off the top of her pupil. Since they are different and since she has had a wing injury that the vet says has been broken at some time, I wonder if she may have had a head injury long ago. It isn't something that we could change now, but I will ask about it the next time she has a vet visit.

Horrors! Is that Rocky? Poor little mite must have been so scared, and you too of course. I am so glad you were able to get her out of the clutches of that beast. We have two small dogs about that size and I put them on leashes because I thought our greatest danger was of the coyotes lurking. I will have to make sure my husband sees this because he takes them out before he runs about the same time in the morning that you were out. Thanks for sharing and I am ever so grateful he is going to be okay.

If it were a perfect world and Miss Gilbert agreed... I would get another grey. I have eyes for no one else. However, back home in PA/NY there is a restaurant and maple sugar farm where they have two Indian Ring Necks. Every time I go, I stop and talk to them. The sister (?) of the owner asked me last time if I wanted them. I'm pretty sure she was serious as everyone has heard of Miss Gilbert in our small hometown. The unvarnished truth is I fall in love with every parrot I meet and want to take them home with me.

I am taking advantage of any opportunity she gives me. She is sitting on my shoulder right now making beak grinding noises. I am nearly beside myself as she says "hey" into my ear. She was so chatty this morning, I could barely believe the vocabulary she was using. Most of it I have heard in our time together, but not all at once like she was doing today. When she has a burst of growth like she has had in the past three weeks, I see so many possibilities for her. I think we are on the cusp of adding toys back into he cage. Slowly I have been moving things from her play stand to the outside and top of her cage. She has been playing inside and pulling things in through the bars. It seems like it has taken her forever to just come sit near me, but she seems calm and natural sitting on my shoulder. She has moved to the back of my chair and climbed back on my shoulder with the enticement of a pine nut. This is the first time I have seen her look relaxed. What a great step for her. Her chest is calm and she is breathing steady. She does have a little wide eyed and nervous look but a pine nut or two is helping her get past that. This is just awesome. She has blasted off a couple of warning sirens in my ear but she is also talking a little and has been with me twice as long as she was comfortable staying last night. I can hardly stand it. She leaned way over while I am typing to put her face close to mine and said, who dat dere. I laughed, she laughed and I am trying not to jostle her off my shoulder with laughing some more. I feel like we are turning a corner and there is nothing to stop her now. Thanks for being with us as we get to a monumental new milestone for Miss Gilbert. Life is good.

I'm pretty impressed that you have had them a relatively short time and they are so happy together on the same perch. Cookie is a cutie too.

Weekly weigh ins are good to make sure you are on top of a sudden drop. You keep pretty close tabs on her eating habits and she does have a high energy level. We lived with PDD and our little guys had no energy and had other signs of illness like frequent infections. I'm with Dan, its probably Greycie's normal metabolism and if you haven't had an annual with her vet, it wouldn't hurt to touch base, or even make a call if she has had a visit in less than a year. Also, if she was ever clipped and recently regained flight, they sometimes lose a bit with the extra exercise. And worrying is what you get for putting her picture on the internet on the weight watcher scale - just kidding you a bit of course.

How wonderful you were able to spend time with Precious and family. Good timing to come home and catch up with Miss Gilbert too. We had the best day! I walked over and asked her for a step up and she went into a fright that ended with her attempting to fly. When she went to the floor she ran right to me for the step up. I moved her to the arm of my chair and she was anxious but not upset so I talked to her, offered her pine nuts and kept her happy for a few minutes. She then offered me a step up and although I knew she was desperate to return to her comfort zone, I put her on my shoulder instead. She said "hey" as in she was onto me for that slight of hand. She talked a little and it felt so nice to have her near me just warm and almost relaxed. She got so excited when I asked if she wanted to go back. I walked to the kitchen and got her a peanut. She scampered off my hand and into her cage and immediately said "want a treat?" Of course she got one. She continued to play happily and didn't seem stressed by her little outing. I am so proud of her trying so hard for me. She acts like she wants to open up and is still really scared and timid. We are steadily making progress. It felt so nice for her to be close. Well, nice for me anyway. Hang in there Gil girl. It gets better all the time.

I am so glad you posted this. I have been considering having my hardwoods refinished too. I was thinking of staying a floor below the work area and we have water based polyurethane.

Welcome to the forum. I look forward to getting to know you and Isaac better. He sure is beautiful. That full red tail is magnificent.

I am unfamiliar with the UK to Canada rules for parrots but we flew from the US to Amsterdam to the Middle East and were able to have our cats in the cabin. Check with different airlines to find the policy. I know the weather was a factor for bringing our pets and we couldn't fly when it was too cold or too hot. It's tricky to find all the information you will need. While you are at it, check your home country to find out what bringing your grey back home will entail so you will be prepared in the event you have any issues with immigration once you get to Halifax.

I'm not sure what he is doing, but it would be a good idea to put a cushion on the floor under his cage so he has a soft landing. When Gilbert was launching herself off her cage, it was because she was startled. I had a kitchen gel mat that I put in front of her cage to prevent a keel injury and put a ladder against her cage so she could climb back up on her own. What does Joey do once he is on the floor?

For now just take good care of yourself. I am so sorry for your loss, it is much deeper than any of us could anticipate. Even when we found the cause of death with our first baby Juno, nothing eased the pain during the shock of it all. You know you took the best care of Mar and your flock. He had a charmed life and lived with more love in your home than many will ever know in a lifetime. You have the heartfelt compassion of everyone who knows the impact these unique companions imprint on our souls. He will always be with you and the pain will become bearable as time helps you past the profound grief.

Way to go Joey! That is a big deal since he needs bathing. I have to admit Miss Gilbert is lax about her bathing habits. I would love to see a happy grey taking a bath and enjoying it. It is wonderful that Joey is feeling so good with you.

Thanks for joining us Spencer. You are off to a good start. It sounds like you are adopting a well adjusted parrot from a longstanding home. That's a plus. If you can get a picture of his cage setup in his home and use that as a starting point for the cage in his new home, that might help him feel a little more familiar. The plane trip is likely to be very stressful to him. He may be growling and upset. If you can avoid it, don't set his container on the floor, they like to be up high. Talk softly, move slowly and let him get used to you over time. If you can find out what kind of treats he likes from his current family, get a few of those things to have on hand when he arrives. Grapes, pine nuts, almonds, unsalted sunflower seeds, pistachios are a good place to start. Don't be surprised if he takes a treat from you and tosses it to the floor. He may be more focused on studying you and figuring out the lay of the land. It may take a few weeks for him to adjust, treat him gently and talk to him, he will understand more than you might think. Thanks for making a new home for him, you will be friends for life.

I had to come back to show you Miss Gilbert's reaction to having her own iPad screening of Inara's jam session. I set up the iPad outside her cage and she immediately came to that side to get a closer look.

You know how we talk about grey time? I think where my hubby is concerned, he is on the slow track. LOL. Seriously, he travels extensively and for the past couple of years Gil-girl and I have been traveling too, so you can't blame him for not seeing what seems so obvious to me. I know deep down he gets a huge satisfaction from her walking right to him when she gets scared, or the way she will duck her head and let him give her a scratch when she is outside the cage. Since Java has given him some vicious bites to the bone, he is understandably once bitten twice shy, but Miss Gilbert is helping him get over that. It is the sweetest thing when he has a banana just before bed time and she gets excited to share a bite with him. He lets her take the first bite, then when he gets to the end, he breaks off the last bite for her. She knows the difference too. The first bite, she takes like a lady. Its a tiny gentle nibble. But when she knows its the last bite she tries to wrench the whole piece out of his grasp. Ever so slowly she is working her sweet swamp magic on him and I wouldn't doubt if we stay home for six months, they will be best buddies.

Miss Gilbert was one room away while I played Inara's video and she certainly seems interested with much hooting and asking "what? what?" And "who dat be?" I will have to set the iPad near her so she can see how a happy Tag dances and rocks out. Thanks for sharing Inara's dance groove.

These early days with a new grey are exciting. The hardest thing is learning to take it very slowly while he is getting uses to his new home and surroundings. Thank you for joining us and bringing us along on your wonderful adventure. Congratulations on your newest family member.

While she may not be able to live with you, Lucy has a small bit of your heart. You were Lucy's guardian angel for a time and hopefully you will be able to see her from time to time. In the meantime, Gracie will probably confirm the barking for you. It is very nice to have you on our forum for the loving kindness you have shown in many aspects of your life.

Thanks Dan, I love to see what is happening for next too. As is her usual behavior, she will have a day or two of activity, then she is withdrawn and quiet like she is just processing and adjusting. She is watching my every move and is friendly to take food from my hands while she is outside her cage now, even during the quiet times. Since we have been home again she is really smitten with my husband again. He gets up way earlier than I do to battle the gridlock traffic in his commute. She is in the living room in the dark just chattering away at four in the morning. She calls out to him "hey" and answers herself "what? what? what?" When he goes out the door to run at the obscene hour she gives him a shout out and then continues to ask if he is outside and tries to enlist him to come back in. If anyone would have ever suggested I would lie in my bed at that hour and laugh, I would never have believed it, but she is so funny. She does most of her "growing" and becomes adventurous when he is home on weekends. She relies on me and trusts me, but I do believe he may turn out to be her very own love muffin. When the day comes that they both realize that, they are going to wonder what took them so long.

Awww, that is just precious.

Phew! What a relief to have that behind you. Even better that Echo has been given a clean bill of health. Yahoo. That first trip was the hardest for us but it gets better every time. So happy for you both and glad he is back to his cheerful little self this morning.

Great ideas Val. I was already looking at materials and discarding one idea after another. I have been wondering about the materials and nixed the idea of wood or cardboard because when she starts chewing up stuff like that I have already considered that she might attempt to build a nest. She does like the security of being in her cage and she likes a smaller cage much more than a larger one. We are actually considering to move the big cages down to the sewing rooms and getting much smaller cages for upstairs where they would be more likely to have freedom and family interactions, mainly just for sleep cages. I was thinking about getting the plastic fruit baskets from a local farm. The gallon size would be just about the right size and I could cut out one side so she could have a little open cabana and then they will stack neatly on a shelf under her cage when she isn't in a mood to explore. She has been so much fun lately and asking to get just a little closer so I am trying not to get too excited but inside it is pure elation. Our little girl is making big strides.

Now that is funny. Its a lot more funny from this side of the internet watching it on a video, I'm sure. As I am encouraging Miss Gilbert to explore and make our house her playground there is a little voice in my head saying to be careful what we wish for but I think we have some happy birds on this forum. Talon looks pleased with herself up there in the cupboard.

She does dodge and weave and hide under chairs, ottomans, the sofa and eventually works her way to where I am on the computer to step up for me to hitch a ride back to her cage. Where we previously had her travel cage, we have been tripping over it. I found a really tall ladder that is perfect for her to get up and down from the cage and she is still a little leery of that. When I take her back, I put her up one rung from the floor and she climbs right up. It has only been there a week or so, she will get the hang of it. Great idea on the little hiding spots, I was putting out items of interest to get her curiosity stimulated and maybe when she is out stimulation isn't what she needs. I have some boxes I will cut to make little "cabanas" for her to hide under and see if that makes a difference. Although it has taken almost a year to see her first come out of her cage, then to the floor stand, then to play with toys and finally to start exploring, it is still very exciting for me. The things that seem like small potatoes are huge victories for this little girl. And for her very funny, very colorful expletive, I have come to recall she didn't have her usual southern drawl. Here's hoping she doesn't repeat it, but since we were away with all my grown nieces and nephews, if she says it again, I may be able to recognize if one of them said it trying to get her to repeat it. They all have assured me it was most definitely not them but I do believe if they were in on it, they are starting to sweat it just a little.