murfchck

So my hubby is still singing this version of RESPECT, lol. He just knows he can teach it to Cotay, Gracies way of course!

Just knowing that him screaming is just him, not that we are doing anything wrong, was more helpful that i could explain. Now at least when he is having moment we can say he is just being a bird, not what are we doing wrong. We have been able to relax a bit which has let him relax some. Very nice feeling. Got great food tips for him there too, not sure if they will work but worth a try for sure!

That came from a website reccommended because of Gus and what we thought were issues he has. Turns out he is pretty normal, we have the issues!

Wow, that is an incredable site. However i have been crying ever since. Some of the topics i just didn't dare read! Thanks for finding that for me.

I am not bright-eyed and brand new, I am not a baby that is adorable and immediately trusting. I have seen the world and had experiences that have become a part of me. People turn away from me. They don't want a bird who has "problems or issues." They don't want an "older" bird. They leave me behind because it is easier to have a "baby." It is easier to "start fresh." They don't know me, they don't really see me, they don't understand me. I am not perfect. It is my quirks and my past that are a force to be reckoned with! Perhaps my feathers are a bit ragged and maybe I don't eat what you want me to eat, but all I need is for you to help me. Perhaps I may not trust you instantly, but the trust I give is something to be cherished and earned. Just because I may be afraid at first doesn't mean I don't adore you in my own way. I am a jewel, a diamond, a beautiful soul. Perhaps I am older, but love, respect and care have no age limit. Only give me a chance. Do not turn away from me for fear of issues because so often I have none. My only "issue" is that I have no home and I am waiting for one. Waiting for someone to love me again. Waiting to be taught love and trust. Waiting for you. Love me for the life I have lived and the life we will live together. Because if you do, I promise I will rise like a Phoenix from the ashes of my old life and shine in my new life.

It must be so much fun hearing your babies say your words. Our newest rehome speaks mostly Spanish so figuring out what she is saying is hard, we did figure out the word she says most with a translator app, yeah, she is calling out " servent "!

We decided since Gus's timeout cage isn't working, we are going to build one for us. Outside, farthest area from the house. A covered deck with a shed for a fridge, Pat said the shed would be for his mower and such, i see us moving in it! Dan, you said you never have had a Too, want one? I will drive him to you personally! Lol

The hardest part of just walking away is the other birds stuck listening to it. Bubba screams back at him, either in Gus's scream or his macaw scream which sets Oliver to screaming too, then the greys all take flight because they get scared. His screaming goes on and on to. Its not just a little couple of minute burst, i am talking 20-30 minutes at a time with maybe 10 minutes in between all evening long. Time outs are not working, covering doesn't work either. He has plenty of toys, foraging, puzzles, wood.

Okay guys, i really need help and ideas here on this screaming! Tonight i had to run away and just cry. It is so bad and constant anymore. He had gotten so much better and one night he was so sweet that we brought him into the bedroom for some cuddling and bam... He has screamed and screamed since. I want to do him good but i am really starting to lose it mentally with him. What can i do? If we show him attention, he screams when we stop, we put him on the floor to play and he chases and tries to bite our feet or shoes, we bring him to the kitchen chair when we are getting dinner ready and he screams. I really need help here...

That was so cute! Even my hubby is singing it now, like Gracie of course.

I forgot the picture of her, lol.

She called this morning and said she was ours, no changing her mind. I told her to be very sure because after she says this it is done. She said she was very sure and what was holding her back was her own selfishness. So i finally felt i could take a picture of her. Promptly after the picture was taken, i got the stink eye and she said F - you to me. All i could do was look at her in shock, my husband who was standing there also, finally broke the silence and said " Well, i guess she doesn't like her picture taken." and walked away. I had to join him in that walk as the laughter was building up inside and thats something we don't want her spitting out. She talks so much we can't keep track of her words and worse she does speak spanish, the word she is saying is servent, this morning when giving her breakfast she actually said "oh waiter". Who ever had this girl at one point sure had a sense of humor. It is only day 2... lol

I will admit that we feel the same with Gus. If and only if the perfect someone comes around I would not hesitate to offer him to them. He is wondeful and a joy but he needs to be the center of attention and probably an only bird to bring out his best. There has only been one person who has come to the house that he has not freaked out with and that guy wants a bird very badly but just had a baby so not the right fit. Time will tell. Had a long discussion about Cotay, she is a plucker and only 11 years old. There are feathers coming in and we want to catch this before damage is done. We are actually thinking about a cone if the aloe doesn't work. We are loading her up with preening toys and she is destroying them, some though i don't think she knows what to do with. lol. At the last bird show i got a grass mat full of stuff but for some reason only got one so it has been just hanging up in the room until i could decide who needed it most. Its as if i knew in the back of my head to get extra toys!

As far as the money goes, i have no problem paying if it keeps her with us and keeps the neighborhood sane. I did not hear from her tonight so after 2 days of her being here my guess is she is staying. They are goin on vacation soon so i am sure she just wants the money for that.

I have said a prayer for you both. Happy thoughts only!

How funny, after I read the "wish you many more" I started laughing and said to myself, now who's the crazy one!! Thanks for clearing that up. ROTF!! So, now my neighbor is getting wishy washy about giving Cotay up. She came by after work and told me not to say any more, that she was feeling pressure. She said it wasn't from us, just in general. She said she knows she is happier here with the other birds, being out all the time and loving Pat like she does, but she said she wasn't sure she could go thru with it. Then she said she would get past that feeling. I am at a loss here. First off, I know i got her into the this with Cotay and i also know the price she paid as i was the one who was doing that part of it. She said she needed to atleast get her money back, so i agreed, now she is asking more for her, thats ok too. To keep her here and happy is my main concern right now, not how she feels like she is giving up her child. Thanks, just needed to vent. I know giving up a bird is hard and i can not and will not take that away from her and how she is feeling but I can't let Cotay go a second time. I am also thinking that this word she is saying is not Spanish but something else, anything you give her she says it, i am thinking it may be "thank you".

The outdoor time was great, the three of them were flying all around the aviary. We were inside setting up the cage and room and every time we checked they were in a new position. It is kinda funny that she was not able to be out when the other birds were out at her old home, but here she shares the stand with Bongo and Gabby and all is well. Went thru the tomato thing again yesterday so i asked my neighbor what was up with that. She said she was told that she isn't saying tomato but rather calling you her maid in Spanish. ( sadeko, spelling is way off here but thats what it sounds like ) So of course i had to call a friend who does speak spanish and they said they had never heard of that before and said what the word is for maid and it isn't even close. She is either saying tomato or something else all together, back to the guessing game. I was singing and dancing to some silly song and she promptly gave me the raspberrie noise and laughed like i have never heard a bird laugh before. Pat wasn't even in the room when she started but she did it for so long he made it into the room to hear it for himself. I must really suck! lol she got Bubba laughing too. I did catch a video of her and Pat having their love fest, cutest thing ever. It is like she was starved for attention.

I did offer a tomato and told her if she called a bannana i would scream. She didn't say tomato, just tried to eat the stem so i assusme she likes dark leafy things that, of course, i am out of. lol Everytime Pat would try to talk, she would interrupt him with something she wants to say. She burps, she farts, you go to pick her up and she says come on. She really is non stop babble. Says good night, see you later. My fav so far, she was on the big perch in the window, just looking out, then turned around to face us and looked all around the stand and said" Ahh, this will work". Pat and i were laughing so hard at that and we decided she has chosen to stay! She has taken a liking to Pat, just like Gabby did. I can pick her up but i try to hold her for too long she flies off to Pat or just sticks her foot out in his direction like, "there woman, i wanna go there, see where i am pointing too, take me there now"

Do you all remember Cotay? A rescue that my neighbor took in for me? She came to live with us tonight. My neighbor was overwhelmed with her flock and was at her witts end so i offered to take her in with our flock. She has a beautiful red factor around her neck, feathers on her head and her wings and her tail, she is a plucker. She is flighted however and fly she does! She has had us laughing and trying hard to hear what she is saying. It started with food, Pat handed her an apple, she beaked it and said "tomato", then an egg, again "tomato", then a piece of cantaloupe, yet again she said "tomato". Every time we talk she starts talking, just to be talking, and she speaks Spanish so we have been told. This is weird for us, lol, five others and very little chatter. She just talks up a storm. She has taken to Pat already, it is so cute. She came over to me while i was cooking their dinner so i picked her up but she wanted Pat asap by God, her foot was up and reaching for him. I do not think she was out too much at all at the neighbors since they had the Scarlett and she rules the roost. This all seems too new to her. We can't wait till the morning, outside to a big aviary where she can fly and be just be a bird! So we are now at 3 greys, 2 b&g macaws and one Gus (U2). My hands are full! but loving almost every minute ( Gus is still screaming and even now with the wing clip can fly to us and bite, arrgghhh!!).

So, i keep having these dreams of Gus walking through the house, teasing the dogs and chasing them into a corner. Most people worry about their dogs hurting their birds, i worry about what Gus will do to the dogs! Oh wait, my dream isn't really a dream, he's doing that. Since his little clipping, i have gotten no bites but he jumps off his stand. He has also gotten much better jumping and his distance has increased greatly. One of our things with him is when he flew, he was silent and it always suprized us. Now his jumps are silent and we find him just walking around the house, jumping at the dogs. I have a pile of toys for him on the floor so when he is down he has stuff to play with and maybe leave the poor dogs alone but he goes nuts. His favorite thing to do is take those toys and run/push them all around the grout lines in the tile floor, if my blind dog hears the noise she goes to investigate it and gets in Gus's way. My home is slowly turning into an insane zoo! They are the zoo, i am the insane one!

That looks great! Good times waiting to happen inside of it!!

Anytime a bird plucks, first thing is to get them into an avian vet as soon as you can to rule out any medical issue. Then you will know which way to proceed with the issue. Speaking from experience from own guy who plucks at his belly, he has cysts that form and block his vent so he has trouble pooping. When he gets one, he starts plucking his belly because to him his belly hurts from it. Now, in no way am i saying your baby is ill but it is best to know for sure. Aloe can help if it is just itchy skin from new feathers coming in, that can be found at WalMart in the pharmacy dept. It is a gallon jug for around $7. Plucking is such a hard thing to watch but best advice i could give you is first vet, then take the steps needed but don't over act over it in front of your baby, they sometimes will learn that gets them attention and it could become a learned habit. Best wishes and please keep us updated!

I am with you Ray, gotta love that "Who stole the keeshka"!

Oliver has his once over and beak trim tomorrow.

I will let you know for sure. The next few months are vet appointments. They start Friday with Oliver. Yeah, i am in mid city area. Are you in Texas too?