Elvenking

It is a true wonder because my behavior has been pretty consistent and so is the environment. Maybe I make him love me too much? He still has a heart like his Daddy. Playful, loving, and gentle.

In fact...right now he is sitting next to me breaking feathers off right now while I am typing....making funny noises like its fun. Neat eh? He must like it. Piling up on the floor right next to me. That is beautiful right? Maybe I should get a video of this. This is definitely the first time I have seen him making his usual noises while he does it. It definitely cannot be stress induced. It's almost like it his part of his normal cycle now.

I'm continuing to praise him even though I am gutted inside. Giving him kisses and stuff like normal. I just have to go somewhere and cry for a while. He didn't strip himself...but 10-12 good feathers. It's so hard to understand

Well...folks...the streak ended today for absolutely no reason out of the blue. Came home to feathers on the ground of the cage. So....I think I am just going to live my life the way I think is going to be best for me. I can't worry about this anymore. Been nothing but a guilt generator forever. I guess I just have to have a bird I have to explain to everyone. Super sad. No celebrations to be had. I won't be posting any more pictures...no point.

More shots of the light of my life, my lil boy.

Oh yeah, he still gets UV light all day long. I replace every 6 months. The calcium is the big one I think though. It has seemed to make the biggest difference. I think the Feather-In baths are helping too. Since I have been keeping the Calcium up though, I haven't seen any mishaps. Again...remaining very cautiously optimistic. Anything can happen...but it looks like I am gonna see a fully feathered boy. Sure to make me cry.

Here is another pic of my baby before bed last night.

My boy LOVES CHEESE! I just don't give him a lot because people have warned me about dairy. But you can bet...he''l make every effort to get to the cheese when he sees it.

What a great joy to wake up to every morning to see that feathery tummy and wings. I'm still a bit stunned. I keep giving that quick eyeball to the floor of the cage after I take him out when I get home (so he doesn't see me doing it). Every day...no feathers....no feathers. Can you imagine my joy? More pictures soon. You can bet there will be a big set if and when his whole body gets covered with them.

He smells so derned good too! I put my nose on his back and tummy.....mmmm....beautiful smell.

Okkkeeee...some pics of my boy....not sure what yer looking to see.....he is coming along still...needs a couple more weeks I think....doing real good and I am keeping up the Feather-In showers and Calcium. Might have a fully feathered bird soon. Coming along on the sides and around the legs... Top view...

Hahhahhaa. Yeah....I misunderstood. I have a lot of guilt about his picking so that is the first thing that comes to mind. Of course...I'll snap more pics of him. To be really honest....int the past each time he would appear to start to get more feathers, I would take pictures...and shortly after the pictures...he would start up again. So I felt it was kind of a jinx. Now it all feels a lot different and I'll snap more photos of him. I love him so much!

I know folks on the forums will appreciate everything about greys. I am just talking about others who get introduced to my baby and ask why he does what he does. It's more than just that too. I know it is me if there is something wrong with him. It's a personal guilt to live with. No matter what, i cannot absolve myself of it. Maybe my heart will ache a bit less. Stephen

Yep, I had paid attention to Calcium as one of the first things. During the spring and summer seasons....I am biking a lot. One of my other habits is to have some cereal at night, and I used to share my cereal with Isaac until someone told me that dairy is probably not the best thing...so I backed off...then began sharing Almond milk with him. However...when winter would come, I wouldn't bike and i would be out of my habit of giving him the calcium that I typically give him. Forever causing me to figure out why at certain times of the year he is picking. Well...I had thought about the Calcium recently again and brought back the Almond milk again. Bam...feathers start popping up like wild. The big difference now is I give him some every day. I swear...within the last 2-3 weeks....I have witnessed what would otherwise be considered a miracle. I have to believe it is directly related....each morning he is more and MORE beautiful and I get a little choked up because I am going to want to take lots of pictures of him again and share pictures of my baby with the world. I kissed him on his tummy last night....smooooth smooth feathers. Ohhh my love. Crazy about my bird! I look forward to sharing more pictures...I'll take one Monday and post progress. I have also read other articles that are suggesting that most picking and plucking may be rooted in Calcium deficiencies. That is not to say that psychological issues aren't at play, but calcium can be at the root, and stress can push it over the edge. So it can be a multi-faceted issue. If you have a picker\plucker...I recommend calcium boosting if it is not a dedicated part of current nutrition.

That's just it. I have had him for 6 years and I didn't know they could grow that fast. That usually takes a couple months.

My leeeeeeeetah boooooyeeee. Ohhh my...he might make daddy a really happy guy. I think in two weeks, if he keeps going like that, he'll have his daddy in tears of joy. I already took major notice to him tonight...had to catch this pic.

Ahhh yes the cause for my cautious optimism. The only thing I can say at this point is that it is the best he has ever done. He usually doesn't let more that 2 or 3 feathers materialize on his tummy for the last 3 years or so. It's about 60% covered now. From far away he kinda looks like a full bird from some angles. He's getting showered with praise. Though if it had to do with the Calcium intake...then he never had anything to do with it at all. I'll keep all posted.

Hhahahha...yep. When i check in on him during the day via remote camera. Sometimes the way I see him sitting there casually with his eyes slightly rested....he looks like a king waiting for his follower to come home. LOL. I am sure he has an elevated sense of self. LOL. Stephen

Thanks....he is still going strong today. Filling in nicely. I'll be on here in tears of joy with pictures if the golden moment should arrive.

It seems different this time. Never seen feathers grow so fast in my life. It took well over 3 months to see this many on him last time he was growing out. Now I think it has been about 2.5 weeks since I first started really seeing a new wave. Ohh my...this morning...I am just filled with smiles. I cannot believe what I see. He....is....beautiful. I hope to have the next pictures i post be of a nearly covered or fully covered bird. His back is looking great this morning. I'm stunned. Didn't know feathers could grow that fast. He also doesn't preen nearly as much as I used to see him do. More getting into trouble...which is okay by me. Maybe he just needed a dedicated source of calcium....that is what I am hoping. Keeping those fingers crossed with cautious optimism. Those tummy feathers are even fuller now and go all the way down to his little red tail. Feathery butt too....with some coming in on the pantaloons.

Okay...I couldn't help it....had to sneak a pic in. Haven't seen these in years!! Tummy Featherrrrs!!!!!!! I am thinking that maybe the addition of a Calcium source is helping him. I started sharing some Almond Milk with him that has good calcium. I could swear that I was seeing new feathers every hour on Saturday. Over the last week...this is what popped out of my boy!! He's got em all over and he hasn't even shown the slightest tendency to tweak. I am cautiously optimistic at this point. Never seen the tummy feathers in like 3 years. I...am....giddy. We shall see. Fingers crossed for the little guy. I am definitely continuing with the Almond Milk. Gluten free, dairy free. Also been showering him with Feather-In. Oh please let it beeee.

I hear the argument compassionately, trust me. It has long been a concern of mine when I go, and when my best boy Isaac goes. I hope he is first...it is horrible to say, but somehow, I hope I outlive him. Otherwise, I'll try to have him get close to more than just me, or find a friend for him when the time seems close for me. Definitely leaving instructions for my baby in case I should go unexpectedly. All that said, I would say another option of some sort is warranted. In the wild, they bond and lose one another as well. I just don't think taking it into ones own hands or others is good. I have had to come to accept a lot of very, very tough things when it comes to Isaac. I never want to leave him alone. I love him to the very end and I will never renounce my commitment to him. That is one tough commitment let me tell you. LOL. I will find some way for him to carry on if he should outlast me. The truth of the matter is, the commitment is immense. Bigger than anyone could have possibly imagined. Consider this. We have taken a wild parrot that lives normally in Africa, moved it to another part of the world, and we are recreating nature for them, while in my case trying satisfy a personal desire for a relationship with a parrot, of course we truly love birds. No matter what we do....it doesn't matter how much love...it is not the wild...and it is not natural. I sometimes think of how Isaac could be flying with a flock..it's hard when you love them so. We own that. I see that you own the outcome, and that you are serious in your commitment as well. I just suggest find the other way. Cheers.

He is a real love bird. He was doing this for 20+ minutes this morning. I throw the bottle out, he fetches, and I kiss him on the beak...we do it again. I'll try to capture more videos. I'll have to catch him doing all of his animal sounds. He does a great wolf, "Ahhoowww Ahhow Aaaahhooooooooowwwwwwwwwoooooooo"

I know right? The way he plops it in my lap like...."Let's go again" just blows my mind every time. Her really likes to play! Just him baiting his playmate I suppose.

Okay...I often don't have the motivation to get video going when Isaac gets into his antics...I am too busy appreciating him for them most of the time. But this evening the little guy wanted to play a little fetch and I caught a little of the tail end. Now he does this pretty consistently. I think now when I chant (Buddhist practice), he likes to start this game now....ahhh boy...such a character. He had been fetching the bottle about 12 times before i got the video going, but you get the idea...it looks like this over and over again. He always does that little whistle after he lands too. What a sweetie. http://vid952.photobucket.com/albums/ae6/Elvenking71/EF0082AB-3D78-41E9-9F9D-9029952ACE2B.mp4