katana600

Your experience with Jake is very interesting to me. We have had Gilbert going on three years, we think she is close to twelve years old. We only discovered her gender confirmation four or five months ago. She came to us saying her name, as Dayo does, mainly just to reassure herself "Gilbert's okay" or "Gilbert's a good boy". She didn't say any of our names, calling our dog Baxter she might call him "Buddy". She quickly learned the name of our most stubborn little dog Mick and she admonishes him daily using his name. She came up with calling me LuLu last year and that stuck and is what she calls me now. However, she loves traveling and being at my sister's house and learned my sister's name (Marilyn), her dog (Cordell) and my daughter (Rachel). Coincidentally they are all her favorites.

When Gil chased Java off her cage top, she went looking for an easier target. Doesn't she look sweet and innocent? I covered the boys with a blanket and she wasn't ready to give up yet. She was trying to lift the blanket and go in after them. It was all in fun and no little furry critters were harmed in our photo op.

I love thinking of her as the queen of all she surveys. I also love her southern roots and the things she says. She really does have a "following" from Mississippi to New York and she always leaves her fans wanting a little more. She returned home with a fresh new perspective. She has been chatty and funny. She has picked up jungle sounds and new siren sounds and an incredibly high volume cockatiel call. She must be digging into her archives because they are no sounds I have heard in our travels together. She can hold her own with Java these days. For a long time, Java would dive bomb, get in her cage and generally harass Gil. For the most part, I have tried to let them work it out, but only let Java have free range when I can be in the same room. Today Java landed on her cage while Gil was on the floor stand. She climbed right up to the cage top and sent the little red-eyed-one packing. I think we have turned another corner. Travel has been good to widen Gil's horizons.

So sorry to hear you have had a bit of trauma but glad it has been addressed and you are back home again. Hopefully Isaac will pass through this phase soon. Glad it's a holday so you get a little extra recuperation time home with your sweet boy.

Inara is quite the little helper to oblige with a New Year greeting in her adorable little talon. Thank you and Happy New Year with much joy and love to share with our forum friends in the months to come.

This is a great photo comparison Steve. He was looking at you with such curiosity in the first photo but he doesn't look stressed, just casually curious. In the second photo is the Misty we have all come to love through your posts, he looks regal and confident. Or maybe it is "large and in charge" that he is going for in that pose. As we reminisce of the beginning of our relationship, sometimes I fervently wish I had been ready sooner to have had this parrot relationship my entire adult life. It is one of the most profound experiences I have had other than my immediate family and sometimes its even better. Just don't let them know I said that. There is something exquisitely unique about the discovery of what I would never have guessed could come with the little bundle of frayed feathers. She so quickly has nested deep in my heart and this even when she still acts like she doesn't even like me much. LOL.

I couldn't get the photos when I was away from home connecting through my phone so I was really pleased to be able to bring them up today. What beautiful photos you have taken. Of course, Loki is the star of the show, but the colors and composition of your shots is spectacular. I especially enjoyed Loki's silver iris. He is beautiful and very accomodating and photogenic. Thanks so much for giving me this delightful walk through your life this afternoon. Well done.

We have returned to our home near Atlanta. Gil has solidified her place in the extended family as a celebrity and comenienne. They had a little trouble with the gender thing and called her Gilbert and used the male pronouns so I just went along with it because I could hear confusion in Gil's voice and didn't want to make a fuss about it. She watched me pack the car, clean up from our stay and put together her travel cage. We took a large cage with us this time to leave behind so we can travel light in the future and give her lots of room to play away from home. She stepped right up to my husband's hand from inside her cage. That is a first. I have to admit, I was the bad guy in the corner behind her cage that showed her a small kitchen towel and asked her to do this the nice way. She was a little nervous, but stepped up and went right into her travel cage without so much as a squeak. With each car trip, she gets more confident and relaxed. This time, she was singing and talking as the car was moving. She also ate, sipped her water and took treats from my hand while we were in motion. We stopped at a motel late at night and she was acclimated and cozy there. Once we came home, I put her travel cage near her big home cage and she took herself inside and then gave me the 'what for' since I moved a lot of her perches to take along to her "vacation" cage and haven't cleaned them to get them back in place. This is our first full day home and she is much more active than I am, LOL. She retained her fascination with asking "Who dat dere?, Who dat be?, Who dat down dere on the floor?" hahahaa. Our little Cajun queen is home again.

That video was captivating, thanks Steve. I also was smitten with the deep male voice. Watching him hoist up his treasure was seemingly simple, but mesmerizing. What a clever boy you have.

It is an exciting time. Even though our parrots do give us insight to their intelligence and amazing ability to communicate without words, there is something "over the top", "icing on the cake" as a bonus when they do spontaneously verbalize something right at the appropriate moment. We didn't expect our estimated twelve year old Timneh to come out with new words, she surprised us so much over the holidays with reminders of what she learned in her previous homes and it was funny and delightful. Even though you may not be "training" Breezy in the sense of a schedule, just talking to her and sharing your day is imprinting the impact of your life with her. May she always bring smiles when she speaks up with what she learns from you.

A little belated Happy Birthday to you Ray. You get the birthday, we get the gift of your presence on our forum. Many happy returns to another December baby!

Stephen, I just found a time to get online in the car on an airport run. I have a stress plucker and this does not at all sound like what Isaac is doing. He has no reason to be stressed, he lives in paradise. With what you described and his extra lovin' advances and the attempt to get in the dresser drawer, it sounds a lot like Isaac is reaching maturity and wanting to build a nice soft nest. Twelve hours of daylight and equal dark may help if its seasonal. After the long dark days of winter, spring babies could be on his mind. If you think about brood pairs, they are often in a state of ruffled feathers. If you are patient and loving and don't pay much attention to his barbering, it will go away soon. The emotional pull on humans is the perception that plumage is related to happiness or abuse and sometimes it's just a natural phase for a season, for a reason.

Another thought is about play time. Some of our greys get overly excited during what they used to like as boisterous play. Just in case this is what happens, help her by redirecting to a different activity before she gets too absorbed. Another note is to be aware during play that rubbing their back as they become mature could stimulate a sexual response and sometimes precipitates a bite. More than likely you know her well enough to know that she is giving you a chomp that is intentional and you are setting guidelines for her.

Isn't it great to celebrate Cricket's new beginning with you? She is a lucky girl to have wrapped you around a gnarly little talon. Of course you are lucky too because she enriches your life and ours as well through sharing on this forum. Wishing you many happy returns on this holiday and special anniversary.

She just continues to give me the best little surprises. Tonight when I gave her some pine nuts she was pinning her eyes for me and she was making little yummy sounds while she devoured several offerings. Then she hung upside down and flapped wildly. Her "new" behavior and confidence is on the fast track. The more she opens up, the more her progress speeds up. She seems to relish being in a smaller cage and having no time out of the cage. It doesn't make sense that less freedom would make her so happy but, the dogs here are big and their job is protecting the farm so I don't trust having her out lest someone open the door and let one of them in without thinking. There is just too much activity to take chances, but Gil is more active and happier than I have ever seen her. She is "talking" in long garbled sentences with a LuLu tossed in every now and again like punctuation marks. I listen carefully trying to understand what she is saying. I may not get the words but she sure is making some funny jokes the way she says "hoo hoo hoo". It is our Christmas story, we are watching an amazing little soul come to life before our wondrous eyes and ears.

Gil had a quiet day then went back to thoroughly enjoying her holiday. She has been saying so many new phrases and making new sounds. Well, new to me anyway. Some of her comments are just uproariously funny and perfectly timed. She is embracing that Gilda Radner persona. I can hardly wait for the rest of my family to join us and see their reactions to the new girl on the block. She has also been a bit of a pest, heckling me while I am in the kitchen. Her favorite of the moment is her calling "Maaa" and when I ask what she wants, she mocks me with saying a long string of "What?" then laughing. Last night when I let the dogs out she expanded her recent catch phrase to "Who dat dere at door". She has renewed her enthusiasm for my sister. She asks for a cracker every time she sees Marilyn move but as soon as she sees her turn toward Gil, she will tuck her head for a scratch and ditch the pine nut offer in favor of a head rub. Last week Marilyn asked what it means when her pupils are getting big and small real fast. Gilda is pinning! I have been watching for months as she has begun to barely change her pupils. It's been more of a quiver, but sure enough, now it is much more noticeable. Going with me on road trips has been really good for her.

Gil has been taught by my diabolical daughter the most annoying sound to human females. "Mom, ma, maaaa, moooom". While I am going the extra mile with holiday baking away from home, Gil has been practicing all day, non stop with her mom nagging. She makes everyone laugh at bedtime with a final "Moooooom!" Followed by "What? What? What? What? What? What? What do you want?" Followed up by raucous maniacal laughter. It isn't so much Gil's repetition that is vexing me, it's knowing that my daughter did this knowingly and purposely. I plan to start recording it, setting my alarm and calling her at three or four in the morning to return the favor.

I spend a lot of time home alone and Gil is quiet. When one other person is in the house, whether here where I am staying for the holidays or at home, she is a chatterbox. I am so happy to see you coming through the fog of change. Play some music, sing and dance and see if Brutus picks up on that. Invite an old friend or family member to come for a visit and see if more people help Brutus to have someone to show off to.

It's a beautiful stand and sure to please once he has adjusted to it, you know, being that it wasn't his idea in the first place. It's kind of nice to see Megan being the queen of their domain for the time being. Soon his reluctance will give way to curiosity and he will act as though its no big deal and you will believe you made ip the whole thing about him being startled by a change. It's an awesome play stand and great idea to have a playroom.

She does seem sweet and adoring in your photo. We have a she who lived under a mistaken gender for ten years or so too.

If they are slipping her some "shine" and not sharing it with me, I will start rooting around to find some after a long day. Yesterday started off much the same as others, Gil was crooning to us by six am before I had even gotten out of bed. It was the first day everyone was home from work and we enjoyed her happy chatter. Most of it anyway, she was doing the "Maaaa" call over and over and laughing when I remarked how obnoxious she acted. I was making the final batches of caramels and almond toffee while family was bringing out Christmas boxes and sorting. In the late afternoon my sister said "uh oh" as she approached her cage for the requested scratch. Gil's cage was a flurry of nervously chewed feathers. We had not considered how she reacts to seeing boxes being packed and this was definitely the cause. We moved all the boxes to the formal living room where she couldn't see them. It was the shortest and least destructive chewing feather damage she has done. So, even though it reminds us she still has anxieties, it also does confirm that it relates to something traumatizing in her past and that she can be reassured that we aren't leaving her or sending her away. We talked to her, moved the boxes from her sight and although she wasn't quite as boisterous, she was still happily engaging us for the rest of the evening. She is a complex little soul. Watching her gain coping skills and cut short what six months ago would have left her bare and distraught gives me such hope that slowly and gradually, these anxieties will stay in her past. On a happier note, she is just smitten with my sister, calls her by name and asks for anything which will draw her close to the cage, then refuses even her most favorite treat because all she really wanted was a scratch. It's very endearing and they both are so pleased.

In my time with Gil, I have had lost several loved ones and she has joined the hospice team a few times. Returning to Georgia after being "home" has been somewhat quiet and somber. I have little doubt she has picked up my emotion and we have healed quietly together. My husband and were the first in three generations to move away from our rural hometown. That first move I cried my way through five states. It was the necessary thing to do to have a job and we moved about seven more times in fifteen years. Now our kids are grown and my husband travels and I feel more of a pull to come back home. It is probably the laughing and busy household she is responding to as much as her becoming familiar with everyone and being able to predict her part in the festivities. My little Cajun party animal. I LOVE that. She does like the night life here. In a couple of weeks we will have the whole extended family and then she will really shine. It's so nice to see each person come to her and talk to her and offer her a treat and a scratch. Everyone treats her like a little sister and she takes great delight in being a comedienne. It's just unbelievable to see her swinging and moving so fast, letting her hair down and throwing caution to the wind. Every day is a new day for her. I feel so blessed to watch as she slowly shakes off whatever demons she had and being just another happy family member.

Thanks Ray. I knew there was a chance that "what you see is what you get" when we were introduced. I admit there were times when I thought "is this the best we are going to see with her?" There were even moments when I thought I could still get a baby to retry what I missed when we lost Juno and Kopi. Through it all, I knew she needed a chance and I wouldn't see her true self if I interrupted her with another grey. It's all starting to come together for Gil. She is saying such funny new things. Tonight when I was cleaning muddy dog tracks on my hands and knees, my sister was helping. Gil first asked if there was s&@t on the floor and asked "who dat Marilyn". She said my sister's name last time we were here and knows but mixes in that distinctive Southern accent and swamp queen thang. We just laughed in spite of not wanting to encourage that one naughty word she has. She got so excited she was climbing, hanging upside down and swinging wildly, gleefully.

As I awakened this morning to her admonishing the dogs to be quiet and then doing her Cajun speak, hooting, laughing, making every siren and beep she has ever heard, I realized she is over the top happy to be on a road trip. It doesn't make sense that she has less freedom. When my sister gets up, or gets home from work, or gets ready to leave the room Gil always pulls her heartstrings and asks plaintively and politely for a cracker. When she is offered a her very favorite pine nut, instead as she is approached, she tucks her head and begs for a scratch. Gil seems so happy and outgoing and even boisterous. I guess, like me, she is a country girl at heart. She is feeling so secure that she is using her boing for the first time. When we get back home, I may have to rethink the whole big cage thing. Gil has shown me over and over she is secure and happy in a travel or mid size cage than in the Taj Mahal. I think I will order a smaller, tall cage and try that at home. I know most of the behavior is familiarity and her growth and also family has remarked how much she has changed in the past few months. I also bought her new toys since we arrived and she tore right into them and destroyed two in two days. Every day she shows me she is a normal happy grey. I love the "Swamp girl" nickname, we will have to try Biscotti's red booty swamp chicken phrase and see if that is Gil's alter ego.

Happy Birthday to Corky! As she is the ruler of her roost she makes sure to keep you busy catering to her. I'm with Dan, this would be a good time to hear more Corky tales. I remember when she walked a great distance, through the house and up the stairs. Wasn't that her?