Gilbert is home

[Ray P]

Hay Dee .

Out of all the members on this forum, you are the one that really knows and understands grey time.

We all will come to you to set our watch.

[katana600]

You know what Ray? The secret is, I am just learning that my understanding of grey time is negligible. It's frustrating to not be able to read Gilbert's mind and know what to do next to help him to a new step in evolving the active grey he is meant to become. It's such an individual process and really, nothing I do can make him hurry up the process. It's his journey and I am beginning to see that he wants me along for the ride. It's the greatest music to my ears when he has been scared and has climbed back into the safe haven of his cage then reassures himself "Gilbert okay." He's okay in my book.

[katana600]

In the beginning, the dance with Gilbert was a half step forward and five steps back. Gradually we have improved our choreography, it seems now he takes one step forward and a half step back, hesitates and takes another leap forward. There isn't a day that I don't laugh with him and have an awe for what he is accomplishing. Yesterday he climbed down off his cage to a small wooden and wire enclosure blocking the main floor from upstairs bedrooms. We have two furry houseguests. I am "grandma" sitting for my daughter's dog and cat. The poor kitty is scared to come downstairs and doesn't much come into sight of the stairwell at the top. But... Gilbert's cage is right in line with that vantage point and he has seen her. Months ago, when he was visiting at their house, she climbed to the top of a bookcase where he was safely in his cage and he chased her right back down. Now he is going over there and perching on the gate and taunting her. I didn't realize at first what he was doing. We do have another taller gate on the top floor separating her from coming downstairs unless I open the gate when the bird cages are closed at night. He was on the lower gate and when I asked him to step up, he refused. This is odd because he usually wants a lift back down from this gate. He has lots of open space when he is standing on the gate and this is where he has been practicing his wing flapping to build up his chest muscles. When I decided it was not a good idea for him to be calling attention to himself even though it would be difficult for the cat to get to him, I put him back in the cage. He was steadfastly determined to climb right down and go back to his spot on the gate. It is amazing me to see him becoming more and more brazen as he interacts with the deeper forays into our home. When I knew I couldn't be vigilant to keep track of him, I put him back in his cage and closed his door. Soon, the cat was feeling safer and she came to the upstairs gate and meowed. Gilbert said "Good Lord" in a disdainful tone, then "Quiet". It is like a comedy around here with his antics.

[birdhouse]

Yes, this is the flip side of getting your wish for Gilbert's independence. All of my birds have had a driven need to dominate any other pet in the house. Mostly, they've succeeded, too. Sometimes it takes the wisdom of Solomon to know where to intervene & where to let them work things out. But some interesting relationships develop if you can get past that little hurdle. Good Luck...! lol

[chelseaB]

Oh Gilbert! Love the "Good Lord" !! Biscotti says "quiet, that's enough" in a very serious, stern tone & it cracks me up because he is usually very bubbly. I know it is my voice quieting the dogs barking, but it is really funny to hear how I sound sometimes!!

It must be a real gas to hear the things Gilbert is spouting out now in different voices. God love him.

[katana600]

We have one barker, he is the one being told to be quiet. Gilbert will even use his name telling him "Quiet Mick" in that low hush tone I use. But it is our visiting grand dog who is such a pill that she is demanding food all the time. She brings her dish and slams it on top of my foot, or gets up in the morning and comes and shoves on my bed and barks to eat first thing. When we came home and found all the bird food in the pantry dragged out, that is when Gilbert heard the "Good Lord". It was funny to hear him put it all together. He has really been giving my husband the business since we returned home weeks ago. Funnier than Gilbert using the "Quiet" with that unique disparaging tone is the look on David's face. After all this time and many reprimands from dear Gilbert, the look never ceases to get a laugh from me. He just looks shocked and so genuinely chastised "What did I do?". Then of course, I laugh because it is ludicrous that a little ball of grey fluff has that much power over him. Gilbert laughs, Java teehees and hoohoos from her spot and we all laugh. It may have started for one reason but I know he keeps doing it because he likes our reaction, but darn if it isn't just too funny.

[katana600]

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.

[Ray P]

Dee you knew this day had to come after all that you have put up with.

He knows you care because he is the one that put you through it all, and he is still there safe and sound in His home and your still there.

Smart bird.

[birdhouse]

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.

 

Hahahaha They say in order to be happy you should surround yourself w/like minded people. It occurs to me (& not for the first time) that we're all of us certifiable & that's why we band together on our forum.

 

Where in the real world would you be able to say such a thing w/o getting carted off? Let alone get wholeheartedly positive reinforcement? Think about it. We are all completely out of our tiny little minds .

 

...& it isn't it terrific? Keep up the good work Gilbert! You're making the crazy lady who loves you very happy! :rolleyes: lol

[kittykittykitty]

Oh, yes. Thank you for all of the posts.

[katana600]

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!

[Timbersmom]

Great going Gilbert indeed! I know what you mean about that forage toy. Every time I get a new one, I'm tempted to just toss it in the cage and let Timber show me how it works.

[katana600]

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.

[Greywings]

Truly blossoming, what a great transition he is making. Like watching the Sun peek through the clouds after days of grey gloomy drizzle.

[katana600]

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.

[kittykittykitty]

Dee, I am absolutely thrilled with you. I love that bird! Not to mention you, too.

Howardine

[Ray P]

It`s hard to keep up on reading all the new things Gilbert does, but I look for your post every day to see what`s going on with this guy.

I feel like I have come to know the two of you like family and look forward to each new post.

[katana600]

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.

[Ray P]

After being a grey parent for almost 13 years now, I wonder who is the smart one.

I really think they play on our emotions and intelligence and lead us around by the nose as we jump through hoops to make them happy.

Because of this I am not sure who is in control as Corky and Cricket want for nothing except for more attention and they get it.

[kittykittykitty]

After spending the last four weeks (11 May - 8 June) with Precious I can tell you who are the smart ones!

Edited June 14, 2013 by kittykittykitty
spelling

[katana600]

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.

[Ray P]

After some time living with a grey there is no surprise, Just, what`s next.

[Acappella]

Dee, do you think it's the rescue remedy that's made the difference, or just time and patience?

[kittykittykitty]

I'm not Dee but from my experience with Bach flowers and homeopathy they definitely help but Dee's patience and love are always the ultimate.

[katana600]

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.