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Once the crunch is over you will be able to relax and enjoy all the excitement in the house again. It is nerve wracking until you get that final out of the way. Hope you don't have to wait too long to see the results so you can put it all out of your mind for the holidays.

What a beautiful beginning for you and Jesse. Sometimes the right moment presents itself, but it sounds like you took the initiative and found the right moment to place that ad and find your girl. Your introduction just begs for us to learn more about you. Thanks so much for joining us and sharing your story.

This is exciting news. Sometimes it just takes breaking the ice and getting to know each other better. Short successful introductions with great praise open up more opportunites. Watching my husband with Gilbert has been so heartwarming, I am glad your husband is getting to know Neytiri too.

Well done Jasper, he is a clever one. It is a little incentive for us to get a few of these toys out of the closet and try again with Gilbert now that he is getting more inclined to play. Thanks so much for posting Jasper's video.

Welcome to our forum and thank you for your introduction. I recently read a book called "A Portrait of Dorian Grey" What to Expect When You Live With Large Birds by Dru and Al Simon. I found a lot of similarities in what our members have shared about living with our greys. It is written from a family point of view and they also live with a Cockatoo. We love sharing with people who are considering a grey carefully and an informed home is a forever home. Good luck bringing home a grey soon.

Oh dear, I could soon be replaced by a parrot. My husband has this condition and I am usually the one mocking his snoring. Before he got his CPAP, I would gently wake him so he would reposition and breathe better. As time went on, I grew one great toenail to scratch the back of his knee to jolt him awake. It would be better to train Gilbert to do this. All joking aside, it is no surprise that Dominic would be sensitive and empathetic and look out for his companion. We all know what exquisite and engaging companions we have chosen to share our lives. Thanks for sharing this news article.

She is beautiful in the aviary. What good fortune to live in a place where you can be outside in the sunshine year round. Glad her bloodwork came back showing her to be healthy and giving you the green light to start bringing your happy little flock together. It is great to have a nice gradual introduction where they were talking and getting more curious about one another. My best wishes for a harmonious flock giving you decades to laugh and enjoy the companionship.

He certainly makes a sport out of splashing and playing in his water. You are getting him into a good habit while he is young, he looks so content and relaxed as he enjoys a dunk or two. Good job getting a video of that.

Hi Mike, Welcome to the forum to you and to your little friend Sammie. Thanks for joining us. Lots of us have greys that are not inclined to be touched until it is their idea on their terms. I am guessing Sammie practices his words when you are not in the room to hear him and one day you will get a surprise when he speaks to you. As he is learning your language you are also perceptive to his as when he "tocks" at you. There is so much to read and learn here, I lurked as a guest for at least six months before I joined my very first forum. There are lots of good threads for feeding and behavior. It is hard to know what is available to you there but the veggies are a great start. Like you, I am amazed at the antics and can't get enough of our guy.

You can be biased and Tango is still super handsome too. I keep coming back to look at that adorable wide eyed look as he is peeking out of his blanket.

Details are in the newsroom http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?197463-New-contest-rules and the pictures are posted here http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?197462-Post-contest-entries-here!/page2

Good job Dorian, that is what a well loved box looks like. Gilbert's box is still brand new, he is saving it for a special occasion. But somehow he is still finding hidden shreds of bark on the branches of his floor stand even where it looks bare to the human eye. The floor around his cage looks like Dorian's housekeeping.

Congratulations on your patience and consistency with Rosie to get her to this breakthrough. It is almost two years for Gilbert too and when he started to come around, it was followed by a fast pace of insights on his part that had some quiet days in between and then spurts of new behavior. It is so good that you are going through a similar phase change with Rosie. Lovely to think about her with you.

With a resounding YES! Great choice and thank you Dhorje for accepting the volunteer post. You have been here a long time and inspired us with your photos. Happy news for all of us.

That would take the humbug out of anybody's Christmas. What a great job they did teaching him to sing and working on the music video. Well done. Thanks for sharing that, we will get the whole family together to watch that on Christmas eve.

How lucky you were that Storm trusted you to help him, that had to have been scary for both of you. I went to look over our cages and I did see a tiny hole on each end of the top bars. It is not an area that can be wrapped with vet tape being at a corner and with the play top in the way. I am wondering if we can find a screw that would fit in there to screw it in tight and maybe even put some glue on it first to lessen the chance they could unscrew it. I will definintely be on a quest to find a way to protect Gilbert and Java from getting a toenail in there. Thanks for that head's up.

Even in the beginning when I was ready to accept Gilbert as is with no reservations and no expectations that he would "change". From the second I saw his little face and the fear he had of humans, I loved him with all my heart. I really didn't have any idea he was going to become well loved by the rest of our household the way he has become such a fun and humorous little character full of stories only he can tell us. His recent changes have been so remarkable that I can hardly believe how lucky we are to have found each other. When I see how he and David have become so close, I wonder.... Here is a guy that used to come home and the dogs and I would dash to be the first to meet him at the door and now he walks straight past us to greet Gilbert first. Hahahaha.... I can take a back seat when I see the growing affection between the two of them.

What a precious little flight video, Peugeot is such a good sport.

Not a weird question at all, now I am watching to see what works for you so we might try it also. We go through waves of getting almost there to suddenly Gilbert will wave his foot and ask to step up, mostly for David, but sometimes for me. Who knows what is in his mind, but I am always on the lookout to see any indication that I can have a turn of his sweetness. It seems like a lot of waiting but it will be worth it when Rosie starts clamoring for you to pick her up. I love that adaptation you have used "where's your foot".

Congrats on your early present and thanks for giving us one too! You have a willing and photogenic subject. Well done.

What a precious photo of Felix. We aspire to the moments like this that will relax our boy Gilbert. Felix looks just like him except Gilbert bows to us only from the safety of a perch in his own cage. This just makes me melt to see Felix with you. Thanks.

Thank you Kitty, I never knew how much I was going to adore this little character. As he opens up and gives us glimpses into his past and his sense of humor, he keeps our family and friends laughing and asking what he is up to next. In the beginning outside our family of four many people asked "How could you keep an animal that would bite you that hard for no reason?" Oh, he has a reason, I just have to work harder to understand and help him find other ways to express himself. Then there were the comments, "He is so ungrateful when you cook for him and dote on him and he makes such a mess etc. etc." Nope, I don't take care of him because he is appreciative and sweet, I do it because I made an agreement to do it and his behavior doesn't drive my resolve to do my best to give him what is right, not just what is fun. Of course, now that we have reached a new hurdle and it IS fun, they are giving Gilbert all the credit. LOL. As for Biscotti, I know when to replay the best parts of his video and not let Gilbert and Java (Or David, for that matter) hear his naughty moments, but I have to say, I put on the earplugs and laugh myself silly. His "Santa, I been goooood" is the oft repeated phrase and most forwarded video clip of the season. The little pip has stolen all our hearts with his antics. I love how all our parrots have a built in fan club here on the forum and the best parts go forward to others as well.

Luckily, Java has a very tiny quiet voice. After Gilbert's sustained Lulu-fest over the weekend, I went to feed Java and heard her say "Heyyyy LuLu", so she was the final vote, I shall forever be LuLu to my family and friends. I find it just hilarious to see what and influence 360 grams of grey feathers and fluff has over so many.

In the past I have read that "the floodgates have opened". I really didn't think that applied to Gilbert in regard to his talking because he has had several phrases he repeats that never fail to get an "awwww" out of us. He has some other things that he blurts out that I hope to never hear again, but take in stride and try not to laugh when it surprises me. Well, little did I know, but something that started with his "Lulu" has opened up some kind of latent chattering and sound effects he must have forgotten about. Last night he was making some of the most raucious and abrasive sounds I didn't know were possible. We were out for the evening and came home about eleven and he was up past his bedtime. He must have said "Hey Lulu" seventy five times while he was in the dark after we went to bed. He made sounds that sounded like no animal, machine or video game that are beyond description. He finally went to bed, but this morning when he awakened he started again. He isn't upset or anything, just loud and repetitive. In fact, he reminds me of a toddler who learned for the first time the power of shouting "No!" Part of me has my hair on end hoping and praying he forgets these noises and goes on to something quieter and more pleasant. The other part is cheering him on for the gusto and sheer joy he has found to express himself. Mostly... dear lord what I have I done that I have been praying and encouraging him to come out of his shell. The icing on the cake will be if he finds that he can fly this week so there is no escaping him by running down to my sewing room to work quietly all by myself. Hahahahaha. I love the new side of Gilbert even though it is more than a little disturbing at times. He will go on a sustained noisemaking jag, then stop and be quiet for a second waiting for a reaction and then when we say nothing he says "Whhooooooo whoooo" and laughs himself silly. He KNOWS he could yank my chain any time he gets the notion. The little stinker.

Great introduction Louie, welcome to our little piece of heaven where we can talk about our parrots with like minded friends. I like the part of "having a Christmas present you can touch LOL". The LOL is that you can touch them when they darn well agree to that. LOL. It will come and you will be amazed that you waited so long to discover the wonder and laughter that is life with parrots. Thanks again for joining us.