katana600

Oh dear, oh dear, nothing will ever be the same. This is bad bad oh so bad. What were you thinking? You have to bite her first to say do not move my things to bad places. Oh how will you sleep when you know she could be moving more things and taking your best and favorite things and trying to move new junk from a garage sale into your home? Oh if I could only fly, I would come bite her for you too.

That was just adorable. There were some more across the top of parrots singing happy birthday. I liked Cosmo too. Happy Birthday to our Judy all the flock is singing for you. I told my sister to only count the even birthdays, that's what I do. LOL. Also, I skip forward if it is an odd year... so on the day of my birthday if it comes up and someone asks I tell them, well, I'll be this old (the even number) on my next birthday. I've seen good people crumble when they hit a milestone birthday that they used to think was ancient... I give myself a year to get used to it and none of them have been distressing. Now you know I am certifiable, but golly do I have fun.

That was a good one, somebody spent some time and imagination on it. Yeah, and it just goes to show nothing good comes from this genetic modification hybrid stuff, it deformed their poor feet. LOL. Cool graphic, thanks.

You know, as I got to thinking about this a little more seriously, Gilbert has a checkered past. He has been in at least one home that was chaotic and unpredictable. He also was abandoned after a household was packed in boxes and the rescue group was told, take him today, I am leaving tomorrow. So, he has reacted very badly to the one time I was getting flooring and moved my furniture and put things in boxes. Although that was dramatic, it has me wondering if Dorian had something in his past centering around the television that was troubling. Is it possible when he was young and impressionable he was chastised for making too much noise while the television was playing perhaps? They are so smart, he could associate that with being kicked out of his home. I don't know why that would raise up at this time except that you have moved kind of recently and maybe he was just holding his breath and watching to see if it was that television that caused his upheaval.

I feel pretty confident in saying I think it is the pet formula Rescue Remedy. I scoffed when our vet advised it. It just didn't seem like he was neurotic or anxious. He was withdrawn. But, I said I would try it and decided it couldn't hurt anything. For two weeks I was telling myself, nope, doesn't work, isn't doing a thing. By the time our trial period was ending, I could see a big difference in a short amount of time considering how long he had already been with us. Also, I left him a few days earlier in our visit with my sister and he was fine but when I ran out of beans and he didn't ingest the rescue remedy for a week, he had a feather destruction phase that had not happened in over a year. Then, when all was back in order with him eating his beans and Rescue Remedy every day, I had the most intense and stressful time of staying for the end stage of caretaking overnight, just a few weeks after the chewing of his feathers. That lasted more than a week and I was gone overnight yet he did not get nervous. Since we have been back at home, I have been slowly decreasing his dose by one drop every two weeks and he seems to not be having an issue. Next week we are going to travel. He is down to having just one drop a day. If he does well with the changes and travel, I will drop the Rescue Remedy. If he gets nervous, I will increase his dose. That might help to see if it is working. I have been patient with him from the beginning and his real progress came after the Rescue Remedy. This little grey Timneh is very complex but I do think the Rescue Remedy has merit.

I'm sure you and Neytiri would like to be rid of that cone. I guess if a couple more weeks will get her past the discomfort of new feathers coming in it will give her a much greater chance of leaving the feather destruction started by that preening gland far behind her. I was in a body cast once for about six months and even though I couldn't wait to get it off, it was a bare and vulnerable first few days. Strangely enough Neytiri may miss her cone a bit when it comes off. You have really come through for her during this stressful time, you will be all smiles when she is totally back to normal. Thanks for the update.

They are well more intelligent and evolved than I am that's for sure. I have never had to work so hard to get a tiny bit of understanding what they are thinking and how to accomodate a "guest". Last night, Gilbert was in his cage when Java landed on his open door. She has stayed away from him for months and this time she wasn't teasing him, just landed and sat there about nine inches from the bars in front of his face where he was on a perch inside. I was watching closely to see if they would need an intervention when Gilbert positioned himself and begged for a scratch. It was quite a surprise move, I had a moment of thinking how sweet he was and that maybe we are going to have a truce. I was already imagining them preening and cooing to each other as affectionate family members, kindred spirits. More like he was trying to lure her close because a second later he was coming up out of there and chasing her off his lawn.

Good one Dan, slide would be the opportune word there.

Pearl doesn't have an iPad or calendar (yet) to wistfully count off the days to your return. She and Grandma are having some bonding time and that will be a blessing in the long run. You are probably worrying and thinking about her and she is probably playing and talking and passing the time with naps and grandma time. Glad your vacation is going well for you and that you have been assured that Pearl is happy.

My guess is you didn't consult with her if it was something important up there, now did you? And you were probably doing something dangerous like changing light bulbs with the power on... and in a lightning storm. Once she saw you didn't fry yourself up there, she had seen enough. hahahahahaha.... gotta love those little helpers.

That was not me.

Your encouragement goes right into Gilbert's little ear and he is grinning at all his forum friends. I want to try everything at once when I see a window of opportunity with him. I have learned to hold back and let him get used to one thing at a time. I try to decide what will give us long term gains and then focus on one goal at a time and keep offering him the same thing in a thousand different ways until the day comes that it clicks and he decides to try it. He now has three accepted toys that have become his favorites and he spends hours and hours all day playing. He has one toy inside his cage and I think that is a major breakthrough. Most of the time, I am home so his door is open except for bed time. The new clear acrylic foraging toy that spins horizontally like a merry-go-round is inside and he does sit on it and pulls the cage bars to get a ride. He isn't nearly as fascinated by the food treats in the little bins as he is by the mechanics of the thing. He is studying mechanical engineering now I think. He has looked at it from every possible vantage point. He will pull it to and fro and look under it to see how it works. Won't it be a bugger to him if I hang it upside down when he isn't looking so it does something unexpected when he opens the door from below? LOL. Just kidding. There is never a day when he isn't looking. In fact, I have been pondering lately after seeing Dave007 post a pic of a sleeping TAG, what direction do Gilbert's eyes close? Do they have a horizontal line or a vertical line if his head is up facing forward? Does his eyelid close from top, bottom, simultaneously or at will? I first watched for pinning and now I am trying to get close enough for long enough to see him blink. He does sometimes close his eyes for a head scratch but he has his head upside down while he holds tight to a chest feather so I can't get a good view. Plus... ya know... I am really watching just to see when he might turn and nab me.

We have traveled extensively with our two parrots on road trips of fifteen hours at a time. Dave's ideas are spot on and everyone has good advice for you. We put our rope perches right on lowest spot next to the grates. I like the booda comfort perch that is "four ways" but if I don't have one available, I just put two rope perches in the travel cage and use a heavy plastic zip tie to hold them in the middle. The idea is to have perches that he can grip facing any direction. Then they can choose to sit where the stop and start motion of the car doesn't jostle them off the perch or make them "seasick". Java gets car sick and vomits if she can see out a window. I raise the cages high enough to see out the window, then cover her cage all but the front so she can see forward only and that has kept her from getting sick. We do buckle the cage in and keep them in the back seat or turn off the passenger air bag if the car is so full one of them has to be in the front. They usually don't eat or drink on the trip. When I stop for gas, I will give them each an almond out of the shell so they could get a quick snack. Sometimes they will eat it. This will be a great memory for you. Don't be scared, you can handle anything that comes up along the way and can call your breeder if you see something you aren't sure about.

I love how we humans look at this as a problem to be solved. Dorian is an old fashioned kind of guy who says he likes you best in person, and yes, better still singing. We go about our day without the television or radio on but when hubby is home watching sports, I am the one making the annoying beep not Gilbert. LOL. I imagine my hubby is writing on some forum asking how to stop me from annoying him with it. LOL.

Hubby is late flying in from the west coast tonight so we are up late and have lots of excitement. We were upstairs and heard the dogs barking downstairs when Gilbert got really excited and was saying things we have never heard before. He told the dogs quiet, as usual. Shushed them and then started saying "No, no, no Mick" and chastising them. Then he asked if they wanted to go outside. Apparently they were barking at the front door and Gilbert said "Who dat dere" again and again "Who dat be?" We were laughing until tears ran down our face. It was very clear and very Cajun. On the first day he met his vet when he came to us, he said a few things and Jason called him his "Cussin Cajun". Gilbert is starting to unpack his bags to stay, I think. It was one of our funniest moments with him.

I really thought it was a risk to put something in Gilbert's cage but given his recent behavior, I decided to give it a try. That toy looked big and somewhat intimidating to me. The moving parts are new and stiff and I was afraid if it didn't scare him, it would frustrate him. But if I have learned anything where he is concerned, it is to try, try, try some more and never give up offering something in a hundred different ways. I was not prepared for the quick acceptance and even quicker way he caught on and opened every section. His brain seems to be awakening from a deep sleep, his curiosity is budding and beginning to open up like a beautiful flower. He has been playing with everything he has on his cage top and for the first time since he has been here when I asked him to go night night, he refused to go into his cage. He was still playing and didn't want to stop. Although it is music to my ears to hear no, to bed he must go. I tried bribes and tried turning off the lights and he didn't budge. I asked if I needed to help him in and showed him a little fleece square and put an almond in his dish and he went right in. I am so relieved I didn't have to chase him or scare him. He may be ready for me to take a few toys off his play top and move them inside with him. Every day with him is a new experiece and I just love him more than I thought possible as recent as yesterday. LOL. He has me where he wants me, I am under his spell.

I have been looking and looking at Amazons and reading about them and have not every considered them to be clinging as in needing constant reassurance. Also, have been told by the breeders that they like a boisterous busy household and are comedy kings. I don't have any evidence or experience, just guessing from what I have heard.

In all likelihood, your breeder has done this before and found success in certain methods. Maybe they prepare the chicks that will be flying by putting them in the carrier in their own familiar surroundings. Talk with your breeder, they will probably reassure you and give you some ideas. Welcome to the forum and thank you for having consideration to think ahead to make your new baby feel safe, welcome and happy in your home.

Since your TAG is still young, if you got the jolly ball and put it on the floor of his cage in a bowl or something so it wouldn't swing or roll while he is exploring it for the first time it might help him to get acquainted. Put a treat or two inside to entice him, it may be his favorite little hiding place. Later you could move it to different parts of the room for variety. This thread has been a good reminder to check my toy vault for some of the things I bought four years ago. There might be some in that bag of tricks to try again with Gilbert now that he is getting more active.

That is a beautiful stand. I like the idea of a boing or bendable rope threaded through the double rings on the right down to the crosswise perch near the bottom. If your baby's balance is being developed, it might keep it from swinging too much. If all the swinging toys are on once side and firmer perches are on the other you could see what preference he has and go from there. If you have a small stainless steel bucket or other sort of toy container, you could hang it on the lower crosswise perch and put some foot toys and foraging stuff in there for discovery when she gets ready to climb down there.

A question I would ask is if one or both are flighted. We had the experience of fostering a cockatiel. After the month of quarantine, I brought our little red-bellied parrot Java (about 6 months old at the time) in to meet him while Milo was in his cage in the separate room. She flew off me and landed on his cage and he bit her toe. She grabbed him by the beak and pulled his head right through the bars. I did not anticipate that and it scared me to death that she could have ripped his beak off even though they were about the same size. She did leave a permanent imprint on his beak. So, proceed carefully and better still, while you friend is there with you to help with the introduction since they could best handle their own baby if there was an unexpected reaction. You might also consider the meet and greet first time to be after dark where you could turn off the lights as a quick diversion technique. I wonder if having a squirt bottle and a towel or fleece blanket to separate them if they are both flighted would be a helpful precaution. She was my first parrot, I knew nothing except her sweet baby side up to then and didn't suspect any trouble so I was not at all prepared. You may not have a bit of trouble.

Happy hatchday to Stormy, it is great to celebrate milestones and see how much she has changed since she came home to you. When Gilbert gets excited for someone he loves, he droops his wings while he is making the panting sound and makes another distinctive whining, begging sound. That is usually followed with neck pumping and bringing up a saved bean or other treat. We acknowlege him and then redirect him to something interesting and fun. He isn't a hands on grey so we don't worry about stimulating him, just don't want him to get the wrong idea and get frustrated.

Gilbert was sent to me to remind me that it is the small changes in life that add up over time. Like a small drop of water that constantly drips on a rock can wear it right through, so does the small daily improvements to Gilbert's life wear down his wall of resistance to humans bit by bit, drip by drip. I appreciate all of you that are in the background cheering the little guy on, he is going to be the grey angel he is meant to be, all in good time. All in grey time. And... I will be the crazy ole bird lady they warn my grandchildren and great grandchildren of becoming. LOL. Gilbert attempted to fly to me when I was upstairs yesterday. I spend some time up there with our visiting cat, she is afraid to come down. I heard a big flapping and came to check on Gilbert and he had cleared the gate. So, I decided if he wants to be with me, I would try to see if he would stay close if he had a choice. I put a fleece cover on the back of the sofa and put him down, then I reclined there near him but not too close and didn't make eye contact. He looked like he was preening, standing on one foot, resting and happy for about fifteen minutes, but when I sat up to check on him he had actually barbered off a few small feathers. He was obliging me, but still not comfortable with being that close. I tried something else new after that. His cage is bare inside except for food dishes and perches because that is what helped him open up. I was going to be gone for a couple of hours and was shutting his cage, so I tried something first. I put a clear acrylic foraging toy in there. It is a set of four clear boxes that rotate horizontally like a merry go round. Each lid looks identical but opens in a different way. Mind you I couldn't get one opened to put a treat in there, I had to go look online. It was just stuck, so I wasn't simply dim... LOL. But, he went right in and got on his perch and checked it out without being afraid. When I returned home, he had opened every door. This morning he is hanging upside down from it, spinning it and playing with it even though it is empty now. Great going Gilbert!

Congratulations on becoming a grey companion Chris. Tarzan is probably freshening herself up a bit and loving her new home. I am so glad she made the transition to your home so well. You have been blessed and Tarzan has been doubly blessed.

Over the weekend, when I was cleaning bird cages, I came to realize just how much progress Gilbert has made in recent months. For ever so long, when I cleaned the cage, there were droppings just under his favored perch and bits from his food bowl. As he has become more at ease, there were droppings down the back of his cage on the outside where he would climb out of the cage, find the highest spot and survey his kingdom. Next, I started finding little bits of the toys from his cagetop on the papers below. Well, this weekend was an eye opener. There were parrot markings in every corner of the living room. I found them under the sofa, behind my chair, and in many many other places that were not easily sighted for a quick pickup. He really has been active and busy, it wasn't just my imagination and wishful thinking. Funniest thing of all, he was doing a running commentary while I cleaned. "Get outta there" when I was inside his cage plucking up almond shells. "Whatta ya doin?" while I was sweeping. "What's that?" at an opportune time when I was scraping up parrot poo. When I answered that one, he was a little defensive "Gilberts a good BOY"... and when I answered, "Well I don't know about that right now" he laughed and then said "Quiet". For far too long, I have wished for him to ease his fears. It is such a great feeling to clean up messes he made far and wide.