katana600

We all worry when we have a new baby in the house. Glad the noise disappeared and all is well with you.

Thank you Dave. I fully agree with all you have said. Thanks for the advice to spare me sleepless nights. And you are right in regard to the parrots which are happy to coexist with humans. Its the impulse acquisitions that go bad or I don't think anyone goes into it and thinks they will destroy the spirit of any creature. You are equally right in the observation of the many really good programs and natural habitats that are maintained to allow some of earth's beautiful creatures to imprint on the minds of our children especially that we need to be good stewards and preseve our great treasures of nature. Please don't tell my husband, I don't think I have agreed this much with anyone since he met me.

When I saw a new post with your name and knew you brought her home, I was squealing with delight and Gilda (formerly Gilbert) is whistling and celebrating too. So glad that its going well from the onset and that she is talking, all good signs. I am so looking forward to watching your progress. You are going to love having her as a companion.

Thanks Jeff, I think we need to have this kind of wakeup call. I will watch it but I will schedule it for when I know I am not already reeling from other losses. Right when I think our world is starting to notice, starting to preserve the elephants, the whales, the endangered species, then I read a headline about a rhinoceros preservation group raising money by auctioning a package that includes killing one of these creatures. Then I can't even find words for the feelings it provokes. I just find myself shaking my head and thinking 'with friends like that, your enemies look pale in comparison'.

I am already convinced of the intelligence and greatly aware of what our companionship has cost them. Knowing how the documentary turns out with Tilikum, I could not bear to watch the documentary Jeff. I have spent a lot of thought about what human companionship cost Gilbert/Gilda emotionally. She may be coming around but it's been at a very high cost to her wellbeing. She has been deprived of flight due to her own self destruction. I still have a sick feeling in my stomach at seeing her bloodied feathers packaged into a zip lock bag the day I met her and took her home. I don't have any answers for how to change this. I dearly love her, I know she could never be integrated into the wild and I have committed to doing my best to make her life the best it can be under the circumstances. Then, I see the happy healthy greys in the home of their beloved human and they are happy and healthy and kept from the "circle of life" in the jungles and I can't think that is so wrong either. There are so many good humans working hard to understand and change the lives of the whales and other mammals and other creatures living in captivity that I believe somewhere deep down, they do know that. From this viewpoint and knowing that I already feel so conflicted about this, do you recommend for me to watch the documentary?

Introducing our familiar little girl with a new name, Gilda.

Miss Gilbert has been showing signs of wanting to follow us when we go to the basement. I have been sewing eight to ten hours a day and she calls out to me. Today is a football day and hubby watches in the basement den next to my sewing room. We were both down there while she was calling out to us. I came up, asked her to step up and she still is not ready for that kind of "closeness". I got a perch, held it in my hand and extended to see if she was ready to step up from her cage top to a perch. Nope. Even though I was three or more feet away, talking to her softly, telling her what I wanted to do, she got such a frightened look and leapt off her cage. Once on the floor, she was eager to clamor up on my hand. Instead of returning her to her cage as I usually would, I carried her gently down the basement steps. I have taken her down with me at least ten times. A couple of times she made it almost ten minutes before getting into a hyperventilating panic. This time, I went to my sewing machine, sat down and transferred her to my shoulder. I sewed a few seams, pressed a few sections as I sewed and she was making every siren sound she has ever heard... loudly and right in my ear. She fearfully announced it was time to go night night a couple of times. David came up and took our photo and she then tried to follow him. As she launched from my shoulder, over the sewing machine, her foot was snarled in the thin thread as it fed from a cone to the machine. She panicked as she hit the floor. She was caught. Netted. She rolled and screamed and flapped and pushed herself under a shelf that was only an inch or so off the floor. I was able to calm her down and to release her from the thread she had around her talon. She was so scared. She huddled right against me and was growling and in quiet a state. I calmly took her back upstairs to the safety of her cage and told her "its okay honey, you are not quiet ready for prime time." That is when it hit me. What a perfect name. She is a petite little comedienne just like a favorite of mine from Saturday Night Live back in the day. Since she has transitioned so well from Gilbert to Gilgirl, I think I am going to try calling her Gilda as a tribute to Gilda Radner. It even gives us a new catch phrase to teach her when she is ready for a new word. In the words of Roseanna Rosannadana "Oh? Nevermind"

We have done a few things about the unsavory word choices. If you can ignore them, turn your back and don't even look at her. If there is a trigger, such as when our dogs bark, I would start by saying "quiet" and in time Gilgirl has changed her vocabulary. At first if she would shout at the dog and call them idiot, I tried saying "Elliot" hoping she would substitute, but that only seemed to make her say it more. So pre-empting her and saying what I wanted her to say works best for us. There is one word she goes back to because my husband and daughters would laugh when it came up unexpectedly and perfectly in context to the moment. They are harder to reason with than an African Grey. Be patient and find things for which you can praise her and she will want your attention and eventually the unpleasant things she has learned will become unnecessary for her to get positive reinforcement.

I had no concept of grey time before Gilgirl taught me. Just this week a neighbor asked why I don't bring her out on my shoulder. I told him she wouldn't like that because it would be too overstimulating and she might just bite my ear. He said "Well, what's taking you so long, you've had her almost three years." I told him parrots are on a different time schedule than we are and he grumbled that he never gets to see her. Well, that's because I do what is best for her on her schedule and not on anyone who isn't prepared to listen and learn. She isn't here for his entertainment value, she is here for companionship, both hers and mine. It was nice at first that others were interested, but only when they don't reach for her, try to prove something by showing the "animal" who is the "boss" or make demands. What's taking me so long... indeed. Harumph. Hahaha... he also asks dumb questions like the last ten topics of conversation have been about when I am going to cut down a tree (gee, look at me, do you think I am going to shinny up that tree and cut it down? No of course not, ask my husband, but I bet he will let you climb right up there with a chainsaw if that's why you want to know.) I've got a suggestion, it won't reach from my back lot to your house, so don't park in my driveway and you should be safe. I have discovered I am more patient with parrots than neighbors. LOL. Miss Gil did not get the message on changing the clocks and is quiet wound up today... no pun intended. She is trying new foods, ate a bit of my scrambled egg this morning and she is really looking for more interaction. I love that little face no matter what time she gets up in the morning.

Gilbert continues her adventurous activities such as closing and opening all the doors of her cage. It's kind of funny, last night she went inside, closed the door but not hard enough to latch it. Then she was begging to come out and my husband fell for it "Aww, does mama have you locked up?" I told him that I didn't shut her door, she did. Right while we were discussing it, she leaned over, gave it a shove to open it two inches as if just to prove she IS the one in charge and boy can she make things happen. She will do the bomb drop doppler whistle ten times in a row to get me to clap my hands and say "bomb's away". She is training me pretty well. Right in the middle she will start the bomb drop and change to a very similar whistle and sometimes I fall for it and clap and she will laugh. Sometimes I catch it and say "that's not it" and she laughs at that one too. She is really starting to show some emotions. She likes to be fed first thing in the morning and if I get distracted and sit at my computer with a cup of coffee she goes berserk. What? All that noise in the kitchen and you come in here empty handed? She hangs upside down flaps and does the pterodactyl scream. She then climbs down and forcefully snatches out the bowls with great effort and flings them clanging to the bottom of her cage. She used to jump when she made a loud sound. Now she turns and hunches over and stares directly at me and it is fearsome. I do get right up and give her her food, very effective that girl. Our bedtime ritual has always been an almond in the shell. When we went up north, my sister's dog had a pill every night that they wrapped in cheese. Then all the dogs got cheese. Now my dogs hound me for a piece of cheese every night. I get a half slice of American cheese and break it into tiny little squares and now Gilbert demands the first piece, every time. What is really exciting is that as I approach her cage, she is out on the top and leans way out and her eyes are glimmering with the tiniest signs of pinning. There is no doubt about it now. She has yet to get them to a tiny pinpoint, but they are starting to betray her usual poker face. Its exciting to see the way she comes out of her cage purposely for the cheese. Usually when anyone approaches her or shows her our hands, she will hurry inside and pose for a scratch but she generally would only accept treats or touches with the security of the bars between us. Slowly, slowly small changes are adding up. I still can only touch her through the bars but she will move and try to get closer to get me to reach way in to the back of her neck and she is closing her eyes and begging for more. Very very seldom now does she spin and try to bite me. On those occasions, she could have gotten me if she was really determined, I am not that quick and I am in past my knuckle. So she does have a little restraint and self control.

Thanks for bringing this thread up Dan, I missed it the first time and its a good one. Gilbert as well as my other greys would do the tapping thing. She puts her forehead against the wall and it doesn't look like her beak is moving but it makes a real loud tapping sound. She does it against the bars of her cage also, she must be moving her tongue or something and it is usually an attention seeking sound effect. It is really loud and she is usually wanting something. As for the remotes, it might be that he is so intelligent that he knows your attention will be on the tv and he wants to keep you from looking at anything but him. More likely when any of us see a sharp beak coming for the remote we snatch it right up and move it to keep from losing chunks of it. Anything we take away from them becomes the object of their desire.

You have had him a short time to know whether it is "normal" for him or not. Do you hear it any other time except when he is asleep? A first vet visit is usually a good idea any time you get a new baby if for nothing more than to establish a baseline and a relationship with your vet. My other thought is whether it is something that is constant and has been happening since the beginning or if it is just when you walk past him. Gilbert looks like she is sleeping, but she knows when I am near and sometimes makes a low cooing sound of recognition if I am up in the night. For her I think it is just a gentle little contact call to get back a quiet little reassurance of a friendly "bump in the night". She also will call to me with tiny little "whoo" sounds for about fifteen minutes after lights out or say "hey" in an attempt to get me back in the room with her. It's so hard to tell without being there and that's why a vet visit is recommended. Is there any chance you could record it for the vet because it will be highly unlikely he will sleep at the vet.

This morning when I watched Greycie's video, I was wondering how old she is and then you post her birthday. That is just a little spooky. She is a real bright little girl and is advanced for her age. You have a lot of fun at your house.

Yep, seems normal to me too. Both mine will get real still and preen one spot if it has a pinfeather or sheath on it. Gilgirl was a plucker when she came and we would never even see it happening. We would just come in the room and see a flurry of feathers on the floor around the cage and a forlorn little TAG in her fluffy undies after she had stress.

Wow she is really outgoing and playful. I loved that video, she is delightful and clearly loves the excitement and interaction with you and your family. I laughed until tears were coming down my face. When I laughed, both my parrots laughed. Then they were whistling and wanting to join Greycie's fun. Gilgirl would have a heart attack if I tossed a bottle cap to her... someday she may get to be so playful. Thanks for your video. It was a great collection of happy times.

When you figure this one out, I will put your imaginative mind to good use telling me how to move or protect my whole dining room. LOL. And wouldn't Gabby's cage be the talk of the neighborhood once you fit it with crown and base moulding? You are right about one thing for sure, you don't have a chance to teach her to seek and destroy, she is already a determined and expert demolition crew all on her own.

Every glimpse you give us of your life with Gracie just make me smile. You are such a great team. I love her rendition of Respect. You have the whole package there in your happy little home. Thanks so much for sharing and bringing her into our lives too.

If I were to try to sum up a short answer for you, it would be to read as much as you can on this forum, ask questions, start a good relationship with an avian vet who can lead you to more insights and resources and finally.... trust your instincts. You are in this for the long haul and something touched your heart to take on this commitment. Follow your own best judgment and trust that you will learn as you go and soon you will recognize body language and learn from her what to try next. What's her name? Every situation is different. You may just be the angel she needs and she may respond to you like no other person she has ever met. "Doesn't like women"? Pish posh. I would have to have a large body of research to believe Gilgirl likes or dislikes anyone by gender. It could happen, but doesn't have evidence to sway me yet. "let this bird know who is control"? Hokum. Consider the source, how well has that worked based on the results? You have the right attitude that you want to do right by her and I am convinced by you joining us and by asking the questions that you are going to be her friend. It will take some time, maybe. We just don't know. We had a girl named Rachel on our forum who took in two greys from a long term hoarding neglectful situation, told then were never handled, one was special needs and they immediately responded to her and were so sweet and able to be handled right away. And please do come to the rescue room and post your journey with us. We all learn from each other and it may be the success story that opens someone's eyes to trying. This grey journey has ups and downs, worries and sometimes bites and heartbreak. But... it is like nothing you have ever done in your life. No book. No script. It will turn out unexpectedly and you will be glad you kept a journal.

I have been thinking about this a lot since I also have a rehomed grey that took a really long time to acclimate. My thoughts early on was that Gilbert may not like us, we may not be up to the challenge, that maybe a friend would be good. In other words, a lot of what you are saying resonates with me. Rah, you seem to really want to make life better for your freind, and I understand how that feels. We are just about to the three year mark with Gilbert, now found to be a female. She was scared, grieving her favored person and just seem shut down for the longest time. The good news is you are probably not doing anything wrong and you probably wouldn't help things for him if you bring another parrot home. Its hard to tell why he is screaming, but a vet visit might be a good place to start. Our vet was instrumental in helping me understand the process of a grey trying to tell me something that I would never have figured out for myself. She was plucking and so scared for so long and it was a matter of her being anxious and scared. It helped to have the forum with really good hearted and kind people to encourage me to just keep loving her and giving her a chance. They are so unique and individual and so amazingly intelligent it takes a lot of help to sort things through. I was also lucky that my whole family got involved and we learned not to take it personally that she would not accept any of us as her beloved one and only. She is still stuck on her first love Jim. That was an original bond that they don't seem to forget. The other good news is, that seemingly by a miracle, she has begun to move around, to play, to be more involved and engaged with my husband and with me. She still does not want to step up, or to move away from her cage without great anxiety. The first thing to do is to figure out what is making your grey scream. What is his name? He is trying to tell you something because that is not a usual grey trait. Loud vocalizations occasionally out of excitement, but not screaming. It takes a really long time to get to know a rehomed grey sometimes. Every situation is different. Please don't give up on him, it appears when one is having trouble adjusting, it gets worse with another rehoming. Maybe with more information we can all put our heads together and find some way to figure out what he needs. Also, depending on where you live, someone else with more experience, or a parrot behavior specialist could come in and evaluate some things that could help such as where his cage is located or covering part of his cage if he is shy and nervous. It really comes down to stopping and looking at the world from his eyes and finding small things that can make a huge impact on his mental health improvements.

Dear Dayo, even when I knew how this was going to turn out, it was so scary it almost made my LuLu get sentimental and leak on her own face. Sometimes she goes to the basement to sew and leaves me out of my cage. Our canines are small but maybe it is time to go to the sewing room. It would be a lot less scary than dog breath on me. Thanks for getting back to your computer and author status. You are a favorite of mine and I have heard you so much on the computer that LuLu sometimes calls me Mr. Mick Que.

Glad to have you back from your field trip Kevin. As time goes and you respond back to his "You know what?" with "What?" you are going to get some hilarious answers. The pics of him in his "tree" are just as cute as can be, he is a curious and adventurous little fellow.

Your introduction to your new friend has been wonderful. What's his name? I am hoping his biting was a learned behavior that he will be ready to let go and that he does the same with his former bologna habit. As you get to know each other better he will probably stop asking for bologna. The health food stores have substitutes for chicken and such made from veggies or tofu. Maybe you could find something like that with a similar texture that would be helpful in turning the corner to a healthier diet. Also maybe you can enlist Luigi in for setting a good example by letting him watch Luigi eating good stuff while you model and eat some of the fresh veggies and other things you would like for him to want.

I want to join the chorus of thanks to you for joining us and sharing your life with Sonny. I can't count the many joyful moments that our family has had since embracing life with a parrot or two. That blessing is magnified by sharing with others who know the secrets and challenges of keeping up with such an exquisite companion.

Ray, it's not the bear you need to worry about up there, from what I read, it's the marauding moose. LOL. You better stay put, Ohio would mourn your loss. Howardine, every night when I tuck her in and every morning when she greets my day, I think to myself how lucky I am to have found Gilgirl and what an amazing little spirit she has. This morning though, my first thought about her spitballs is that she is building an arsenal. She knew right where to store her handiwork to keep them from dropping through the grates where she wouldn't be able to get them in time for an aerial assault should she need them. How she got them compacted so tight with no parrot spit in sight is a mystery. In all seriousness, she is really opening up and finding her happy place. Last night she had some pine nuts for a snack and saved a few to give back to me as we said our sweet nothings at bed time. She hasn't been giving me those kinds of gifts since the first weeks she came to us. She is a little ball of energy and is promising a lot more interaction and delights to come.

I am reaching the most wonderful time in the life of a rehomed grey and the question I would ask is what time can you pick Coco up? I am only being silly because I see that the time on your posting means you have already had your meeting. If you decide you are ready and willing for Coco to be a member of your family, you will know it. If you do have time to ask some questions before you take Coco home, getting an idea of the daily routine, ask if anything has been traumatic such as being afraid of the vacuum cleaner or other household items that could be especially troubling to Coco while you are getting to know one another. What are Coco's favorite food choices, are there any snacks like almonds or pine nuts that will be something you could use for early "bribes" just to give good things every time you pass the cage. Are there any songs, favorite word or whistle games that you could continue or that you should know the "answer" phrase, or the way to ask for bed time, step ups. What do they call the cage when they ask Coco to go inside. The more things you could learn the less foreign the new home will seem.