katana600

Congratulations on the confirmation of a bouncing baby boy. They know they are so much smarter than us, he will forgive you for slipping up and calling him a she. I bet he knew it all the time. LOL. Your life will be so enriched by the relationship you have with him. I never would have dreamed it could be so rewarding to have another dependent.

He also made progress in spite of my mistakes and uncertainty. I do love him unconditionally and I try real hard to be patient with him. It is so hard to know what to do and when to do it. My rule of thumb is to treat him with respect and try to encourage and entice him to come out of his shell. His rule of thumb has been if a thumb is within reach, take a chomp. LOL. He spent a day of sulking after his shower and today he has been a little more active. His floor stand is to the side of the television and he has been coming out and stretching to look around at the screen. Not only did we not have internet for my time away, we barely ever turned the television on either. He is very interested in it now. He has kept me smiling and laughing as he is so happy to be home and wandering about. It is the sweetest thing when he stops what he is doing, tucks his head and says "hey" as he invites me to scratch his head. Today when he did this, the door of his cage was open and his perch was only an inch from the opening. I was scratching his head through the bars as he requires when I thought I could move... just an inch, and be touching him without the bars in the way. NOPE! Hahaha, I am forever optimistic that the next time I try, he will be strong enough to embrace the next step.

Happy Hatchday Nilah, you are loved near and far! We should have a game to identify the treat you are eating. It looks like melon, juicy and fresh. Whatever it is, it sure is a hit with you.

I am head to toe in goosebumps and happiness for your family and Luigi. What great news to find when I signed in today. It is wonderful to know you are back together and healing your broken heart. Thanks for letting us know.

Love the pics, looks like he laid a clutch of eggs. LOL. Sorry for you getting bitten, it does take a little while to forgive when they give us a big chomp.

Hope news continues to be positive for these ladies so special to you both. Miracles are real and I am keeping you in my prayers.

As much as you might have groaned and wished for a few extra minutes of sleep, I am sure her calls brought a smile to your face Ray. Gilbert and Java slept in my room while I was away and they were quiet while I was asleep but it was endearing to hear Gilbert say "hey" first thing in the morning when I opened my eyes. Sometimes after saying goodnight, turning off the light and settling in, I would hear him say "hey Lulu" and it would just crack me up. Sometimes I would get up and turn on the light and give him a scratch.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this thread that was unfolding in my absence. I remember how at first I didn't think I was up to bringing in a rescue after losing two young greys in less than a year, but the rest is history. It takes a lot of soul searching and being sure you can hang in there for the long term. I am looking forward to hearing more about the beautiful new grey in your heart. Also Dave, your contribution was a little too close for comfort, LOL.

Kudos to your family for being receptive to Gracie. The time you have spent with Gracie and the way you interact with her is a huge part of how she behaves with others. She is a lucky little girl and you are just as lucky to be with her, a match made in heaven.

Your pictures are beautiful, well done. They do get along beautifully. With all the flower buds, it almost looked like they were courting, LOL. Such a lovely place they have to get some exercise and sunshine. Where did you get your aviary? I like the side where it looks as if you can feed them from the outside, that is a great idea.

That is soo funny. It is going to be a lot harder to shower now that she has discovered this wonderful trick, LOL. You will have to use quick links to secure your shower curtain.

One thing to note is that sometimes greys change loyalties so the chosen one today may not always be so. Be mindful of the pain of rejection felt by other family members and work to show Jessy they are very important to you. If you are her favorite for now, be the one to introduce the others and chastise her gently if she is aggressive towards any one else, then walk away from her so she sees you are all a package deal and you don't want her hurting your other flock members. Let the others offer her food and treats in a protected environment when you are not standing right there. Also what helped with ours when she was attacking our youngest daughter during a home visit from college, we all left the room and my daughter used a step up stick to bring her to join the flock in a mock "rescue" and after three or four times of doing that once a day, she started seeing value in how she could "use" other flockmates. She has never gotten enamored with them, but tolerates them and permits them to pick her up. Gilbert on the other hand, has changed loyalties many times over and it stings when I am the one being pushed aside, so I am very understanding and empathetic to others when he chooses to give them the stink eye and cold shoulder.

While Zoey Henry may love car rides and react well to that part of the trip, your first move together may have some rough spots. If your schedule is going to be different with a new job it might help to start a transition time where you change things up a bit in a familiar surrounding to see what kind of reaction you get. Talk to her and tell her what you are doing, it felt a little silly at first but I have discovered it does help Gilbert when he has a little reassurance. With a rehomed grey there could be a little anxiety with the change but you have had a long time for her to get adjusted and to trust you so it will probably be a piece of cake. It wouldn't hurt to keep a journal of what you are doing and her behavior every day for a while. That way you can look back and see how long something has been going on and help to spot the onset of any unusual behavior. We have moved a lot with corporate transfers and sometimes you get so caught up in what has to be done, that it is easy to forget small stuff and to our greys, small stuff is noticed. LOL. If you haven't changed things around in ZH's big cage, take pictures and try to put things back the way they were so her immediate surroundings are familiar. You may have a resilient grey who will take this move in stride and love you so much that just being with you is enough. If you prepare ahead and are mindful of changes for her, you will be glad you did.

It let me see your video, I was so enjoying his antics. He is so agile and beautiful. I loved watching his playfulness with splashing the water. Thanks for working to get it on the forum for us.

Wayne, I am so sorry for the fear and angst you are feeling and for Luigi to be out. Keep your spirits up and keep looking and looking. It is still early and lots of people who have come to the forum have had happy reunions. Don't waste energy beating yourself up, that is something that can happen to any of us even with the best efforts at vigilance. We are praying for recovery and getting Luigi home again.

A million thanks to you Dan and to all our friends who are rejoicing at Gilbert finding his mojo. We still have a little guy who is in limbo between being afraid and withdrawn and looking to reach out again for human contact. I am still in a concentrated cleaning mode, LOL. Gilbert got his turn today. When I set up his big cage after we got home, I put a "perch porch" on the inside of his door. Its a wire "ledge" if you will. His cage is so big and the food dishes are at two doors spaced quite a ways apart for him. I discovered I can put three bowls together on the door with the porch available for him to stand on while he eats. When the door is open, I have a puppy pad on the floor to catch spills and messes. He tried climbing into the water dish today and was happily splashing, so I took the opportunity to give him a misting with aloe juice. I spray him occasionally and he usually gets so traumatized, I feel bad about it. This time with his newfound confidence was different. He first seemed to tolerate a misting. Then he withdrew to the inside of his cage, but I continued to gently mist through the bars. Then he seemed to be trying to bite the mist kind of like a playful puppy. He went on to climb back out of the cage and lean way out toward me but it was an attempt to bite me. He wasn't as angry or persistent as he might get when he is in a mood, it was different, more like sparring with a friend. Oh, make no mistake, this friend would have battle scars if he could have gotten a hold of me, but we really just had our first REAL successful shower. He has been a little quiet since then as he got dried off and napped a little. But this time he wasn't frightened and traumatized. He was in there telling himself "Gilbert okay" and making some heart rending, mournful honking sounds. He is definitely making progress. He is better able to cope with change and stressful situations and able to self-soothe without resorting to self mutilation and plucking. After drying and resting a little, he is back out of the cage and enjoying himself again. What a relief to be able to give him a shower. I know he needs them and I have tried often without this kind of reaction, so phew.

What a beautiful view, I could feel myself relaxing just to stare at it on my screen. It has to be much better in person. On the second photo, is that still snow on the ground? When I left Pennsylvania last week there were still some snow in deep pockets on the hillsides.

I am so glad to hear the way you did your DNA worked out fine. I have been thinking of doing just that but didn't want to pay for an inconclusive test. Plus, I don't want to break the trust we are building with Gilbert, so this could be an alternative if we get a feather he plucks himself before it is time to go back to the vet for something else. Have you chosen her name?

I am so happy to have all my attention on home and my little critters. Gilbert has changed so much for the better that I can hardly believe it myself. He continues to come off his cage. I thought he was being startled at first. Slowly I started to suspect he was flapping with his newfound freedom and some new flight feathers had come in that helped him to have "lift". I may be perenially optimistic but I think he could be returning to flight condition. Yesterday I heard the flapping of his wings and came to check on him and give him reassurance. Then, I returned around the corner to the kitchen. He gradually worked up the nerve to come out from under the chair with no offer of a lift up. He waddled to the kitchen to inquire "Whatter YOU doing?" I told him I was cleaning and he wanted no part of that. He didn't spend a lot of time exploring before he climbed back up on his cage. For months before we went away, I had been trying to get him to try this, and now, it seems like it was effortless. He also has been tearing apart some foraging toys and finding the few areas of his floor stand that hadn't yet been stripped completely of bark. After being in a smaller cage for an extended period, he is relishing his freedom. It has been the best of both worlds for us. While in a smaller cage, in a room away from most activity, he was extensively verbal, moreso than ever. He learned new words and he seemed to talk constantly. Now that he is home again, he is saying little, but he is more confident and outgoing and physically active. In time, I am certain it is all going to come together for him to be whole again. He is just a joy and an inspiration in my life. I am glad he is with me.

Thank you kittykittykitty, that is very complimentary. I used to think I was raised by wolves, then I got a dog and read about wolves to understand her. Nope, I was raised by pirhannas and I learned to never stick a toe near that primordial pond. Once I made the choice to open my heart to love, when it is given, it is freely, fully and unconditionally given. I have also learned to very carefully listen to my brain and to be very selective about where to give my energy and love, its a delicate balance.

This is such a tough call, we can all sense the urgency and your heart telling you that having Kizzy is such a wonderful thing that you want to provide that to a deal little TAG in need. When I just had my first little parrot Java, a red-bellied Senegal relative, I was smitten. Of course when I saw baby greys, I wanted one. There was a nagging little voice that said, maybe it won't be a good idea. The baby we brought home was ill and died. We brought home his clutch mate and lost him too. I worried and worried if Java had been exposed. Her life was never the same. Where she once had freedom, she was quarantined. Then, along came Gilbert, our rescue TAG. His need was great, his issues were greater. I turned him down and couldn't look for five long months and then another plea went out for his dire situation and I jumped on it this time. It has been two long years of patience and it has been hard and I often wish I hadn't turned Java's life upside down. However, she was almost five by then, well established and loved. I could take her to a basement sewing room and spend time with her out of her cage. To this day she and Gilbert are NOT friends. Some sage advice I was given "If you are getting another parrot for yourself, consider how much time you have to devote to each one separately. They may never become "friends". If you are getting another parrot because the first one is wonderful and you want them to have a companion, don't. They have been imprinted by humans and want YOU to be their companion." Not to discourage you, it really is situation dependent. It has to be carefully considered because bringing home this little TAG may make his life better in the moment, but uprooting him and finding it doesn't work will be more damaging to him if he has to be rehomed again. It takes a commitment to stick with it no matter what or the cycle of an unwanted parrot becomes a heartbreaking tragedy. You know your resources of time, finances and space. It could be wonderful and all your worries are for naught. If you decide not to take him, you may be able to sponsor and mentor someone else that could.

I had no luck with sprouting until a friend told me to soak in warm water. She gave me these little muslin (plain, unbleached fabric) bags. I soaked right in the bag, then drained and kept the bag moist but not soaking wet and the sprouts came up nicely. Also, it was advised to add just a couple of drops of vinegar to the soak water, then rinse and that is to keep them from getting moldy, I think.

I had to wait a day or two to be strong enough to handle the news if it was a bad outcome. I am so relieved and happy that your baby is home again. Thank you for keeping us posted on your happy ending.

I wish I could quantify the number of hours that I wondered if he was going to be okay, if we were the right family, if maybe he just didn't like us. I hung in and hung on and just continued to be myself, tried to find ways to reach him and let him know he was okay. It has been two very long years, but there are days now where I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I know there is a happy, energetic, captivating little bird in that tough exterior and I am determined to hang in there to see him come through. It was so easy to love the baby greys we had the great fortune to love for their short lives. It has been much harder to cope with Gilbert. The challenge of having him was something I didn't realize I needed and now I can't imagine living without him.

I still find it hard to believe in this day and age... in the USA, anyone would live without an internet connection. But it is true. There are still some rural areas where the phone service is so old their actual transfer box is still made of wood.... and they can't get broadband or DSL. Dial up is not an option and satellite is too expensive when you have lived without internet all your life. It is a lovely quiet way to live, very simple, but who has time for internet when it takes more than sixteen hours to mow the lawn, with a riding tractor? I loved keeping the fire going in the wood stove and driving in the snow on unplowed county roads. My sister isn't Amish, but as close to it as you could get without being born into the community. LOL. I loved what I was doing but am so happy to be back in my own bed.