katana600

That's funny Howardine, we were typing to post at the same time. When I tried not to imagine what you saw on the Amazon... it made me recall the middle east. My expat friends said when they spray your house, make sure they spray down the manhole covers in the courtyard, but never go look. Well, you KNOW I had to go look. The act of spraying makes it look like something from an Indiana Jones movie or the Mummy movies. When the lid comes off it boils with hundreds of thousands of roaches all trying to get out at once. And I was standing there in my bare feet.

The scorpions are worse than the palmetto bugs Ray, I got my first sting last year. And then there are the brown recluse spiders, copperhead snakes and other horrors that I had never given a thought to in my idyllic years growing up in the frozen tundra. LOL. I felt bad for the little house wren, she was much more frightened than I was. She slept in my kitchen sink hiding out all night. Gil has been very very quiet today. I had to smile when I tucked her into bed tonight. Where I usually put pine nuts and other treats in her acrylic puzzle box to give her a challenge she has filled it up with some surprises for me. She painstakingly ripped tiny pieces of the paper tape and then crumpled them up and opened all the compartments, filled them and closed them again. It looks like a collection of spitballs.

That was the first thing to cross my mind. Then I thought it wasn't logical because it is getting colder and we have longer nights than days so hormonally, it wouldn't be the right time of year. Also, seeing that she is also moving all day and playing with other toys, I am thinking she has just broadened her horizons some more. She is like the energizer bunny with constant motion, big flapping and getting more curious every day. I have read so many articles about the difficult cases and how a shut down grey may suddenly have exponential growth once they get started out of the block. No one is happier to report that this seems to be the case with her. She is starting to do the grumbly kind of calibration and after calling herself Gilgirl to much fanfare and adoration, she is starting to say some things that I have never heard but just can't quite make out the words. We had a surprise visitor in the house this morning. I was getting up early and making coffee in the dark so as not to bring the whole household awake at once. When I put the water in the coffee pot, something jumped out of the sink, across my hand and I heard a flutter to the floor. Being fall and having a cold snap, I was sure it was a mutant gigantic outdoor roach. I flipped on the light and grabbed the Camacide and started uprooting rugs and looking under the range when I kneeled down and saw bird droppings. It took me an hour and a half to get the poor scared little creature out the door. In the meantime, so much for the rest of the crew sleeping in. Gil was sounding all the alarms she knows and when the little bird flew into the living room and was fluttering against the windows she said "Get Out". Obviously she wasn't feeling like the little bird was a friend. LOL.

Loved the creativity. I was thinking how cool it was that they had "ghosts" running through the house with red eyes. Then when I watched it the second time, I realized it was car tail lights, fooled myself.

I put the lamp on top of a footstool so it would shine down on the top of Gil's cage. We have a playtop on her cage and she is out all day so the one that clamps up there would have a danger of her biting through the cord. I'm glad you brought this topic up though, I needed a reminder to change out our bulb.

My little Gilgirl is moody and will spend quiet days but I have not tracked it by the phase of the moon. Is her room lit by the moon at night? Maybe covering her cage would make a difference, or closing the drapes during full moon. My house is surrounded by trees so I generally don't notice when the moon is full even though we have no window coverings. However when I stayed at my sister's home, there were windows on two sides of the room and the moon would track across and keep the room bright at night. Just wondering if Poly isn't getting a good rest on those times, I know I didn't at my sister's. It would be great if I had an external clue to when I will be on the receiving end of a quick swipe.

I am also grateful that I took the plunge and went to get her. When I read about her need, I approached with a healthy dose of skepticism based on doing something that big over the internet and as I drove to get her, I was a little apprehensive about what I would find. When I saw that she was a real TAG and in a real need, I was in such a hurry to get her home, I drove more than eighteen hours round trip in one day. She really settled in quick those first few days and then she unpacked her real baggage. We are still learning about her and I couldn't be more sure she came to us for a reason. She has been possessed with the tearing of paper. It is too funny. She gets a pile of paper shreds built up at the base of her cage then she climbs down and hangs off the lowest bars of her cage to get a close look at her handiwork and climbs back up to fling down a few more pieces. I don't know what she is building, but I resist the urge to clean it up because she is working so hard and seems to be intent on creating "something". She was ornery earlier today. I had to get parts and replace a pump on the washing machine. It was not easy to get the darn clamps on and I was grumbling and well.. ornery myself. She started making some of the most obnoxious and abrasive sounds. Perhaps that is how I sounded to her too. She cut loose with one from her old days "shut up idiot"... and I know darn well she was talking to me. She continues calling herself Gilgirl. I am amazed at how she picked it up and sticks to it.

Gilgirl consistently weighs in at 365 grams. Our vet has mentioned a few times that she was small but her weight is good and she feels her keel bone to see how much padding is there. I wouldn't on my best day dare to feel her keel bone, or try to measure her. Escher is a sweetie.

I am pretty sure that is a my husband and me. Yep, darn close.

In our situation, I had limited contact with her previous caretaker and very little information in the years before that. It will be invaluable to Charlie to have you available to continue to give advice on what he likes and dislikes. As painful as that would be to you today, if you could put together some information of his food preferences and schedule, that may help to smooth his transition. Also if you have time for someone to come into his home and meet him and maybe care for him for a short period in his own environment, and for both of you to talk to him and tell him there is going to be a change. I can't say enough that they do understand. We just recently discovered through DNA that Gilbert is a girl. Even though it felt a little silly, I talked to her about it. Six weeks later the only thing I have done is to reinforce when she would say "Gilbert's a good boy" was to say "yes you are a good girl Gilbert". In less than six weeks, she is now calling herself Gilgirl. Charlie will be okay. I know you will see it through and give him the very best transition and if his new home is willing to be patient and wait, he will bring joy to their home too.

Thanks Howardine, there was a lot of pressure back then. The emotional part of grieving and of not wanting to jump into a new situation was huge. The specter of illness and concern for Gilbert's health was monumental. We also spent more on vet bills than for a car and I was concerned if we were ready to take on that responsibility. The biggest hurdle to overcome though was that she had already been rehomed and I knew that with each subsequent change it would be harder on her. The pressure of feeling like I was a last resort was probably the most overwhelming because she had already been through so much. I knew I had to be ready to accept and love her on her terms and have little expectation beyond that. On the day I met her and saw the look in her eyes and the damage she had done to herself in panic and frustration, I was committed. The other members who have been there before me were forthright and honest that it would be a long road to gain her trust and that it would be worth every minute if I could be patient and understanding and wait for her to find her way. Its really uncharted territory for a parrot with a past because they are so incredibly intelligent, unique and individual. The one thing I could always hold onto was the advice that if we could just love her and meet her right where she was there was a chance that once she made up her mind to trust, the results would be profound. Even now, we are only just beginning to be on the cusp of her evolution from a "boarder" to a leading lady in her own beautiful autobiography. I wonder what she will say about me ten years from now. Shudder to think what she would have said three years ago. LOL.

My current moniker of LuLu little lady sounds much better to me now that Cotay has put her spin on the "right" name. Hahahaha, that is priceless. She may be the first to call you Lisa and that's a start. On the other hand, she may teach all the others to add the wierdo to your servant name. LOL.

Hi Eleanor and Charlie, you are no doubt in a tough spot and change is hard for all of us, human and extraordinary companion. Since every situation is different, a short answer is hard to evaluate but I would like to add my perspective. When the time comes to find a loving home for Charlie, it is a process and if you can get someone to commit for the long term with an agreement to contact you if it isn't working it could prevent subsequent rehoming which would affect him more. Our rehomed Timneh African Grey was a much longer and harder process for Gilbert because she was rehomed a few times prior to coming to us. Someone with a good heart and good intentions found it much harder than expected and it got worse with each transfer. The good news is that after nearly three years even though Gilbert may not embrace me as the love of her life nor as her first choice she has acclimated and is showing some very exciting signs of getting settled. The other good news is that since you have had Charlie since the beginning he has a good basis to trust humans and others have had great success with rehoming greys with Charlie's background. It will take some time to match a good home for Charlie but I believe someone is nearby who needs him in their life as much as he needs a steady and loving home. Good luck and thank you for joining us while you look for a solution.

The privilege is mine to have found a group of people who know just what it means to live with an exquisite feathered creature. To think it took me five months of analyzing to consider if I was willing to take on the unknown bird with known issues and a bit of a bad attitude. She showed me a little of that bad attitude last night and part of today. She seems out of sorts and I think it is because I have been on a two week quest to finish a baby nursery set and hardly come upstairs in time for bed. I have offered to take Gilgirl down with me but she doesn't want to go and if I get her to go she doesn't want to stay and she darn well doesn't want me down there. Last night at bedtime she took a swipe and me and I felt that sharp beak on my fingers and barely was able to escape. She gives no notice, and just as quickly as she tried to bite me with a breathtaking fury, she was tucking her head and saying sweet things. I know darn well she was trying to lure me in so I bid her good night and she had nary a peep or a hey after that. This morning when I fed her she went into another tailspin and ripped out all three of her dishes from the holders. I had not gotten two feet from her cage. The water dish went first and it splashed all over me. I said nothing and just watched to see if it was an accident... maybe I forgot to put it in the holder tight. Sometimes I set it down on the porch perch while I get the dirty dishes out. Nope. She threw her beans and then her pellets. She was in quite a rage. She went outside the cage to the top and ripped up the adding machine tape. It has been up there for six months and she barely will touch it. Well, she was fearless today and ripped up enough to mound on the floor beside her cage. It was kind of amusing to watch her snatch off a piece, carry it to the edge of her cage and fling it over. Then she would lean and watch it waft to the top of her shredded paper mound. After a couple of hours, I refreshed her food and she seemed to be in less of a frenzy, but she was real quiet today, broody. We are having a bit of a cold spell and I had a big adjustment on my braces that left me unable to chew, so I decided to have a warm treat. I made steamed milk with raspberry syrup and put a bit of whipped cream on top. Gilgirl was out on top her cage and I took it to offer her a taste first. Its the first time I made it and first time she has had any. Well.... not only are we friends, but I do believe I may have seen her eyes pin for the first time. They didn't get pinpoint but they flashed. I'm not sure why she has to go to such extremes before a breakthough like this, but maybe the frustration is unlocking some of the doors of the walls she put up and has been determined not to let me past. Whatever it is, I am sure happy to see a change in her attitude tonight. That steamed milk might have to become a regular habit. She barely tasted it, I think the offer of a warm beverage may be a clue to a better social interaction. She must like the Big Bang Theory as much as I do.

I have to admit I couldn't bring myself to look at Piper's boo boo. I would do anything I had to do for my little feathered friends but like Timber's mom, I shudder to think if I needed to "nurse" Gilgirl at this stage of our relationship. I have been praying for improvement for Piper. I am sure you and your daughter have been taking good care of him and have spent sleepless nights worried about him. Glad his vet sees progress.

Sewing party indeed, I am to think Gil reads these posts and it makes me very very nervous. I have actually been in the basement having a sewing party all by my little lonesome and she would very much like to be down there in the thick of things. So far, I am trying to catch up on my old projects, but you are giving me some great ideas. My house will never be the same. LOL. For her part Gilgirl is taking five or six "flights" a day off her cage. I have tempered my enthusiasm for her to have real flight, but gosh she seems to be going farther from her cage and at a more graceful angle as she progresses. She may not gain lift but she can reach a chair nearly twenty feet from her cage now. She stands on her open door and flaps so hard that it will make the door swing. I'm sure her plan is to get to my computer and read all these delicious techniques her friends in the forum have to offer. Ray, I almost forgot how she flung open her cage on the nine hour ride home the day I met her. She didn't dismantle it though, just flipped the clip and came right out to the top of her travel cage. I am beginning to rethink that thousand mile journey to be with family for the holidays. I usually drive up by myself and my husband and girls fly in just for the few days they have off. I may have to get a warden to ride along to keep Gil confined for the distance.

Dayo, while you have access to writing instruments, make a list of how you like your meals served, what treats are special to you, what kind of kitchen faucet you prefer and anything that has given you big scares so just in case you decide to grace a new human with your presence they will know some of this. It will save you a lot of grief from the trials and tribulations of training a human. You might get stuck with a big dumb one like mine. She made me so mad with her big dumb foolish attempts to please me, I didn't think I was ever going to get her trained. She won't let me have a computer or even a small scrap of paper to etch with my blood to give her instructions. Good lord. If you get a really helpless human they might even call you a girl forever. Hard to believe, I know, but these humans don't have a clue they are the weaker species.

Wow, I am so glad that this turned out okay, what a scary experience. I had never given a thought to these quick links because they come from the bird store. Now that you mention it though some are made just to unscrew and "drop" open and some have a spring inside. I find them so much more difficult to open and change but now I am going to replace all of them with the zip ties. Thanks so much for the heads up.

Not a chance, but only because I am usually the last one up. Hubby gets up at four and goes for a run. He always leaves a light on and Gilgirl starts talking and hooting and making all sorts of commotion as I cover my head with a blanket and squeeze my pillow around my ears. By the time he gets out of the shower she is on full tilt. How could I sleep in while she is out there mocking him and blowing her nose and making really loud sneezing sounds followed by loud raucous laughter. She calls the dogs to go outside and they scramble out from under the covers and I know if I don't hit the ground running, I will regret it. When she hears the rustle of my covers her morning has officially started and she starts calling to me to get her a cracker. If I make it to six thirty am, I have officially "slept in".

I have a feeling I am only seeing the tip of the iceberg where the intelligence, playfulness and mischievious nature of a grey is concerned. I had forgotten about Juno removing the screw from his cage door. The first time, I was sure I was negligent in my assembly skills. The second time, I was certain it was no accident. What a clever way to outsmart Phenix. I may need a lot more pointers in the months to come. Even when my hair stands right on end at the rush of very vivid castastrophe scenarios Gilgirl's cleverness evokes, I am elated that she is coming to this place in her life that she feels free enough to work out ways to escape her cage. For so many months when she sat silently, stoically like a sentry in one spot I could predict where she would be at any given moment of our day. Now I have to be on my toes and I have to think of creative ways to protect her and keep up with her. She is a precocious little Houdini all right and I know right where she will head if she knows she has five interrupted minutes alone outside her cage. I have the splinters from my china cabinet to remind me of what it could be like. As much as I have anguished over her lack of flight, I only have about a foot from the floor to protect one room and that is going to be challenging. Since she has a blanket aversion, I am going to make a ribbon of fleece around the hutch and china cabinet and a sock for each leg of the table. I can turn the chairs upside down and my new decorating scheme will be lovely. I think I will use different bright colors to make me smile when I walk through there. Lately at the end of my day, there is a huge mess flung far and wide from her cage. I used to feel so sad when I changed her cage liner and there was only poo under one spot where she marked time sitting there all day. I fretted and wondered how to engage her and whether I was doing her a great disservice by bringing her to my home. I wondered if it was something about me or my home or my approach that had her shut down. Even when she vexes me, I sing a song and do a happy dance that she is finding her mojo. It feels like my life is a fairy tale, that Rip Van Winkle awakened from his long slumber only Gilgirl has gotten younger, more carefree and more relaxed from her long fallow period of torpor. She wasn't sleeping though, she was aware of everything as she studied me intently. She knows more about me and my habits than any other living creature. Lucky for me she seems to have the intent to make me laugh because otherwise I would be sleeping under a net with one eye open. LOL.

In the past couple of days I have been observing the playfulness of Gilgirl. She is just getting to the stage of a four month old baby grey with exploration and openly playing for the sake of play. Yesterday she went on a housecleaning binge and flung out every toy from her cage that wasn't locked down. I picked the toys up from the floor and placed them on the top of her "basement apartment" which is her travel cage placed below the door of the big cage. She was annoyed at my interference and I am absolutely certain she can either read on my computer what I am writing on the forum, or she is reading my mind. She went right down there and flung off every foot toy I had picked up and returned without permission and she flung them to the floor and cussed to punctuate every piece of you-know-what on the floor. Then she started dismantling the porch perches on the outside of the cage and lifted off the corner of one that she was holding onto. When it crashed to the floor with the empty pringles can I had put there with some shredded paper and there was a great commotion and she fell a short distance to the floor and carried on quite a big fuss. I told her it served her right for that potty language. Interesting that she seems not to want me to pick her up but when she has a big scare she runs right to me and wants me to hold her and reassure her. Today she has been climbing all over the outside of her cage and swinging on some of her toys. As I got ready to put her to bed, I noticed she had opened three food doors and the upper door that is probably there for a nest box. I had not noticed but once she learned to lift the latch and open these doors she opened all of them. She is starting to show me just how clever she is. I think its also interesting that she opened each latch, but then as has been her custom with the big door, she closed all the doors again. Now when I go to bed or if I leave the house, I will have to remember to check all her escape routes. Her feathers seem much more disheveled than usual. I think it is just from her increased activity level. She has been getting under the sofa or an end table and then beating her wings wildly. At first I thought it was a panic reaction, but she seems to be purposely going back and also she has been standing on the top of her door and just pounding her wings. I think she is just feeling full of herself. We are really seeing a new persona emerge for Miss Gilly girl. My favorite thing of all is that she is so sweet at night to get a scratch and then turns to me and looks right in my face and says "night night Gilgirl" in the softest quiet voice. But when I turn off the light, she still says "hey"... and then barks and hoots for ten to fifteen minutes in the dark. It is just so unusual to me for her to be talking in the dark. Of course, she is right outside my bedroom door and she hears me in there laughing and she can't help herself but to continue her comedy routine.

Gilgirl called me "Hey" for the first two years. Then she named me LuLu and that stuck. My husband and kids now call me LuLu. Gil also started shouting to me when I am out of her sight and calling me "maaaa". She doesn't have a name for my husband yet, we should come up with something to teach her. She calls each of my daughters by their own name. Our other parrot Java calls me bird too, that is so cool. She doesn't say it often but will ask "what are you doing bird?" If you are familiar with Seinfeld, she drags out the word "bird" like Jerry says "Newman". Jeff, it is the sweetest thing for Gracie to call you daddy.

I have a friend who is interested in Deebee. She has been with me through Gilbert's rehoming and has loved Miss Gilbert even when she was working through her issues. Traci is kind and patient. She has experience with a smaller parrot and isn't expecting a cuddle muffin. The first question she asked was how much I would be willing to be involved to help her with the transition, and I will be willing to commit to it fully. My home email is dconfer@bellsouth.net. I live just about four hours from Erwin and I am willing to drive up with her to meet with you.

I know I read some of this on the first postings and enjoyed going back to read it again from a new perspective having watched Dayo and having enjoyed your posts for a while. I do love it being from Dayo's perspective. I think he is unique and a big part of that is where he gets his speech and many actions from your examples. My vote is to keep Dakota close to Dayo, I remember fondly that Dayo wanted the camera to take pictures of Dakota. That is a part of both their histories. Also, just for me... please, please, please I would beg you to have an entry or two of Dayo and his neck pinch technique for training a certain secondary human in his life. Hahahahaha. You know Dan, there are a lot of books written about the scientific aspects of raising a grey, and about rescues of greys, but I haven't seen one yet that is from the grey perspective. One of my favorite movies of all time is Paulie and I would love to have you write for two reasons, one to create a loving connection from Dayo to a perspective surrogate home but also as a book written for adolescents as well as the rest of us who are kids at heart. Your story may seem like its ordinary to you because you live with Dayo every day. But in this day and age where you could write for digital distribution, you could include Dayo's recordings and it would be wonderful for the people who are not able to be on grey forums with you for joining your journey. Plus, Dayo may start forgetting your first house with the crows and the other sightings from his window there. The transition and preparations for him to move to his new home would also be invaluable to someone moving. I can think of a thousand reasons for you to keep up with helping Dayo type his book.

This is a topic near and dear to my heart. First, I am so very sorry for the circumstances and know you have already spent a lot of time making your decision for Deebee. I am just northeast of Atlanta and would help while you seek a new home for him if its urgent to get him to a home while you continue to look for a permanent solution. If you want to send me a private message, I will send you my email address if there is a way I can help you find the best home for Deebee.