Gilbert is home

[danmcq]

Oh, I did not mean to discontinue the rescue updates as she progresses. I just meant that it's time to start placing some posts in appropriate rooms, like the grey lounge of her video, cognizance examples as she leaps forward etc. Then add a link as well to read her continuing rescue story pointing to the living thread.

[VStar Mama]

Well...I don't know about anyone else...but I think some of the posts of Miss Gilbert's progress are too short......

 

[katana600]

You are too kind VStar Mama, this saga of Miss Gilbert coming into her own has seemed like a long long time. Worries amplify time and make it seem endless yet when we are having fun it shortens time and it positively flies past. Dan, I didn't take it that you meant Miss G was not meant to continue in the rescue thead, just that her antics are becoming so normal that I wouldn't need to stay out of the grey lounge. I agree that we can do both. I was sooo close twice now to getting a video clip of her handling that door with authority. I was happy happy happy when this room was created just for the reasons birdhouse gives. Otherwise a lengthy explanation would be necessary to set the expectation. The seemingly normal things that Miss Gilbert is now doing sometimes without the history might lead someone new with a younger grey to think it was a long arduous process for something that would just come naturally to their own companion. The beauty part of the rescue room is for success stories of those well adjusted greys from their first loving family being integrated into a second loving family which encourage someone new to greys to consider a home to a wonderful companion. The running commentary of Miss Gilbert allows someone else to look thoughtfully into his or her heart to consider if they stick it out through thick and thin, in our time and in grey time, a parrot with human caused issues can come around and will be the most rewarding labor of love in our adult lives. I was inexperienced, uncertain and out of my league when Miss Gilbert's plight came to our forum. I put it off for five months while I grieved my losses and wondered if I could walk away from a problem knowing the situation Sarah found herself in and the need for Gilbert. It may not have been a snap decision but it was the right decision and we were made for each other.

[Ray P]

One of the great things about this thread is we had the chance to watch Miss. Gilbert step form the shadows into the sunlight.

As forum members we could not ask for more.

[katana600]

Thanks Ray, I am having more sunshine moments on a daily basis. Miss Gilbert has had a way of saying "Gilbert's a good boy" since her first day with us. She sings it out in lilting female voice and emphasizes and draws out the boyeeee at the end. Since discovering her DNA gender, when she says what a good boy she is, I say "you ARE a good girl Gilbert". Today she said it and I repeated my reassurance that she is a good girl, Java is a good girl, Mick is a good boy, Baxter is a good boy. She will tell me the dog is a good boy but in a different voice and different tone when they come in from going outside. Then she said "Gilbert's a good"... silence, "Gilbert's a good"... silence then to my amazement she said "Good Gil Gurrrrrllll". She has not increased her vocublary greatly since coming to live with us but she is now changing it up a bit. My daughter who has not visited Gilbert since June said she has a whole new attitude know that she knows she is a girl. LOL. I just love how she is finding her moment in the sun.

[kittykittykitty]

I am so in love with this little girl! And you have done all the work. Your sharing is priceless.

[katana600]

We still hover precariously on the cusp of recovery or evolution with Miss Gilbert and sometimes regression. It is the journal that helps jog my memory of blips and starts and the great joys of progress. Little Miss Gil-girl taught me the real meaning of grey time. She won my heart three years ago sight unseen and recent months has just reminded me that the leap of faith and words of seasoned veterans is paying off for the work and patience. It was six months ago when I was gone for a few days during a hospital crisis for a loved one that she sheared the feathers off her chest with anxiety. As I look at her lovely regrowth of feathers I wonder if she was thinking that the other shoe had dropped and my sister's refuge was going to be the place where she expected that I left and wasn't going to return. We are going to travel again for the holidays and hopefully this time she has the memory and confidence that we are in this together for the long term. To this day she will surrender her head for a night time scratch and be relaxed and warm in my hand and suddenly without warning she spins and tries to bite me but in a second she resumes her bowed head for another rub. Later when the light is turned off she now will always say "hey" as if it surprised her. Every night now after she says hey, she exclaims a low whoo. For about fifteen minutes in the pitch dark she will alternate between imitating the dog barking to a hey or a whoo. I thought a grey would be silent in the dark and that had been my experience until recent weeks. She learned to do this because while we stayed with my sister, her husband gave each of the dogs a half slice of cheese as a bedtime snack. I had never done that with my dogs but once we came home, one will go stand in the kitchen in the dark and bark at the refrigerator if I go to bed without remembering to give him a snack. My bright little friend capitalized on my willingness to climb out of bed and come back for round two or three of a head scratch session. I just can't resist. We fall off to sleep giggling because she would keep that game up all night. It the most amazing thing to hear her laughter echoed back at me in the dark and the last thing I hear at night.

[Ray P]

The head scratch and than a bite and another head scratch I think is a grey thing. Corky will do this all the time and she has been with us all her life and I know she loves us because she always wants to be with us and on us. I think Miss G has become more normal than you think.

Corky can be a little snot some times but she will not leave us when she is out.

[katana600]

Thats good to know Ray. My only other experience with greys were my two babies and they hadn't grown up enough to get out of the affectionate baby stages, so my experience is limited. Miss Gil has changed from the fierce crushing clampdown to a nudge and swipe so it gets a little better all the time. This morning I noticed that her chest no longer trembles when I am near her cage, not the slightest tremor in her pretty new feathers. I have learned to approach her with my hands behind my back and that seemed to make a difference to her. The day I see her eyes pinpoint will be the day it becomes official that she is just a regular normal TAG in touch with her instincts again. I have been watching and her pupils barely constrict a millimeter or less and if you aren't real close and looking right at her you would miss it. But, that is still a positive change. She came into our life with two toys that were reportedly with her since her first home. One is leather and she will chew on that occasionally but seems more drawn to it now that she is getting more active. The other is a set of wooden disks on a skewer. She hadn't shown any interest in it one way or another but a few months ago when I moved every toy to the outside of her cage and lower than her floor stand top perches, she has been whacking it in passing. For two days now she has been focusing great effort on demolishing it. She picks it up and thrashes it against the wall and hoists it up over the perch to get a good grip on it and systematically one disk at a time she is whittling it down to nothing. She has not had much interest in any wood or chew type toys. She has a lot of variety to choose from and I am noticing that she stays active and examines things all day now. I imagine her in her little roost at night taking notes on my behavior and body language... "day 985, my captor has still not shown any measureable signs of intelligence, still feeds me rocks and gruel. I have nearly given up hope of training this one. Am looking for ways to harness her brain energy directly but alas I fear the brain suckers have beat me to it."

[danmcq]

It may not have been a snap decision but it was the right decision and we were made for each other.

 

It was indeed!! Well said.

[katana600]

The last thing before heading to bed, I was checking our forum. Miss G is ready for lights out. First she said pretty girl a couple of times and she will say that to me or to our other parrot Java. Then she said her usual "time to go night night" but rather than the usual "Gilbert" again she said "Gil-gurrrl". She repeated it three more times. She is morphing her own name. It is just the most amazing thing ever. She really hasn't picked up many new phrases since she has been with us, so this is doubly fascinating to me. She also got into a big LuLu fest today. I was busy in the basement working on a big sewing project and she was whistling to me from the main floor. Then she started with "Hey LuLu" and a few "Hey LuLu little lady" to "LuLu's a good girl". Whatever changed to open her floodgates is escalating. Its a great time to live with a lovely little lady.

[danmcq]

How interesting she is morphing her name. The flood gates are certainly opening. Thanks for sharing this. I can picture you beaming with happiness as you wrote this.

[katana600]

Yes I am elated at the changes in Miss Gilbert, both in her newfound confidence and mobility to her ever evolving communication. She was mischievous this weekend. She has been roaming and is intent on returning to finish her remodeling of the legs and decorative trim on the dining room furniture. We have gates to keep the dogs out and she can go up and over and then be assured that the dogs can't even see her to come tattling to mama. She surprised hubby this time because he was watching her and she challenged him and tried to chase him away when she was close to her coveted prize. I had a brightly colored umbrella opened next to the doorway thinking something new in her path might deter her long enough to guide her in a different direction and as skittish as she is about a new toy the size of my thumb, she had no reservations about strutting right past that umbrella. There just is nothing to compare to the delight I have in her sassy new persona. Right when she is being a pip, she will scuttle into her cage to her favorite perch and tuck her head asking for a little scratch. After the altercation in the dining room last night she was in a sore mood. First she let me scratch her head at her request, then she said "Awww Gil-gurrl" and in an instant tried to bite me. I chided her and told her it wasn't nice. When I turned off her lights, she did her usual "hey" and barks and whoops in the dark. Then there arose such a clatter. Still in the dark, she pulled out her food dishes and forcefully flung them to the floor of her cage. I didn't respond and she went to sleep but this morning, what a mess she made. She certainly has come a long way in learning to express her frustrations. Messes are progress. I don't mind cleaning up for her but feel a little bad for her being so upset. It doesn't last long and she quickly recovers her composure, but for a minute it seems like she is a tasmanian devil.

[danmcq]

Miss Gilbert is starting to sound more and more like a normal grey to me. Her actions of driving off encroachers while she is getting to her highly coveted item to continue dismantling is normal. Dayo will do the same when we try to remove him from such area's and items he is hell bent on chewing and dismantling. Go GilGurrrllll!!! We place scary items Dayo is not used to in those area's. After a couple of weeks, we buy a new scary item. Speaking of which, I just picked up a bunch of small dog squeaky stuffed scary Halloween toys on sale at petsmart.

 

The bowl slamming and throwing when put in cage and covered is what happens when put to bed pissed off. Especially with Miss Gilberts previous baggage from years past. I guess the plus side, is your getting responses and interactions now!!!

Edited October 14, 2013 by danmcq

[Ray P]

Hay Dee I thought the tasmanian devil was part of a greys background.

Miss G`s sounding more and more like Corky every day.

If I look close I can see the devil in Corkys eyes. If you look close you may see the devil in Miss, G`s eyes. Isn`t it great.

[katana600]

When I look real close and careful into Miss Gilbert's eyes I do see the devil in there. I thought that was my own reflection. LOL. Hhahahaha. Along with her attitude and new behavior, she is also changing things up a bit in her verbalizations. When David went to plug his computer in on the floor outlet near her cage, she leaned over and said "Hey.. whatter you doing down there on the floor?" He laughed and told her what he was doing and she replied "Sheeeit". She only says that word to him now. But really, with all her frustrations, changes and while she evolves into a normal grey, she is more interested in interacting with us. She knows exactly what she is doing to use that one power word to her best advantage when he comes home from a business trip. While I was typing this, the dog got his ball under her cage and is whining. She said sharply "Mick!" "Stop it." "No" "Whatter ya doin'" "hey" "Shhh" "C'mon Mick. Mick" "Wanna go outside?" It is so funny. It seems like she is saying everything she has ever heard in the years she has been with us. As she seems to have finally accepted us, I think she is going to be more likely to repeat things we say. We are definitely getting reactions from her now. The scary thing is I have been looking at her like she is a fragile little character and that I need to move slowly and softly and to have compassion, patience and a gentle approach. I am beginning to see her cunning ways and how she is looking at me from an entirely different perspective, sizing me up, categorizing my weaknesses. LOL. Yes. This is great!!!

[kittykittykitty]

What to say! She is absolutely unbelievable to me. I think her conversations are phenomenal, as well as her behavior. I could not possibly keep up with her. She is so fortunate to have you.

[katana600]

When she chooses to put on her charming side, I can scarcely believe this is the same parrot. I like to think that she was in a witness protection program and now she is resuming her true identity. LOL. She can certainly decide to be a toot sometimes and that just makes me appreciate all the more when she is adorable. She has worked so hard to overcome her trust issues and I thought she was wonderful on the first day so it only gets better.

[danmcq]

LOL @ GilGirls reaction yo the Dog's ball under the cage and your husband plugging it right next to the PC.

 

Her responses were perfect, especially to the Dog. She has a very good command of the human language and was trying every word and phrase she could think of to let your dog know to just back the hell off and forget about the ball. It's under her cage, therefore it's hers and don't ever get that close to her cage again!

 

I am loving each and everyone one of these new updates.

[katana600]

When we discovered Miss Gil was a lady, I had every intention of choosing a new name for her, but nothing fit and she identified herself as Gilbert so there was no hurry to make a change just for the sake of change. When she first called herself Gilgirl, it was hesitant, only a handful of times has she experiemented and changed up the wording of new concepts. One of those times was after a long travel and I was sleeping in by an hour the next day when she kept asking if it was night night time. In exasperation she said "Quit night night!" In the past three or four days it is becoming ever clear that it was no mistake nor did she misspeak. She has heard me tell others on the phone that she called herself Gilgirl and she has said it a few more times. But last night, she let me rub the back of her head and neck and then turned and looked me right in the eye and said "night night Gilgirl". I do believe she has chosen her own name. In the event I am mistaken she has the legal rights to change it again. LOL. So many times I read about birds in rehab suddenly making a 180 degree turn and I suspected they changed slowly over time and it just crept up on us until we noticed it all at once. The acceleration of Gilgirl and her changes has me rethinking my position. Some of it was gradual over time, but she definitely has taken a turn and is more engaging. It was late last night when I went to finish a sewing project. While I was down there I could hear the tremendous flapping of wings. It was David bringing Gilgirl down to see where I went. He said she launched herself off her cage and came walking on over to him and asked for a step up and then was leaning and leaning toward the door to come find me. It was her sitting on his hand and vigorously flapping on her way down the stairs. She looked wild eyed with trepidation and I offered her to step up to my hand when she said "No". She just was giving me notice it was time for her evening snack and head rub before bed. I loved her from the first day but she is making me wide eyed with awe and wonder these days. I knew she was capable, I just wasn't sure she would be so motivated.

[danmcq]

Nice post on Gilgirl and her name choosing. It is amazing to see how fast a rehabed parrot comes alive once again after that veil of fear that was in place for years has been lifted. The way things are going your going to need to switch to hourly updates on her!

[katana600]

Believe me, when I see her changing after waiting so long and thinking it was already as good as it gets, I am wanting to climb to the tallest mountain and shout to the world, she is here! Not so long ago, she would freeze at the sight of anything new, large or small. The first breakthough was the sip of limeade that she clearly enjoyed in spite of her determination not to like ANYTHING at this new home. Then she played with Cheerios in a clear apple juice bottle. Again, purely self serving to get an interesting new tidbit. Then... maybe she would look at one of the old toys that have been waiting for a decade. Well, yesterday she was finding things to play with and playing for the sake of just playing. It was the most awesome thing. She tossed foot toys, then climbed down to retrieve them and just played with them. I was beyond delighted but I tried not to look at her and break her stride. She has been a little chatterbox. No sooner than I say "she isn't making any sound effects from her previous homes"... well, she must have heard me play Dayo's video and then she did the car alarm. I had not heard that before so it either reminded her of something or she liked it well enough to do a new sound. Then she would do the bomb drop and I would clap my hands at the "explosion" end. She nearly jumped out of her feathers the first time and then she did it over and over again. She knew she was making something happen. This morning at four she was a chatterbox and made sounds over and over again trying to get me out of bed. The themostat on the furnace went bad and she was cold. I got up, swapped the one upstairs for the one on the main floor and she has been sleeping since then. Well good that SHE can sleep. LOL. She is really getting the hang of running this household and tells me soon I will be redundant... well, except for odd jobs like making it warm in here.

[danmcq]

That is soooo cool!! It is a Gilgirl bonanza it seems. I am loving it. You gotta get that video rolling, it is a must see in my book. I am so happy for you and Gilgirl!!!

[kittykittykitty]

This is so exciting. How I enjoy your posts!

[Ray P]

I believe the whole forum is excited about Gilgirl. I know I am also.

I still like Miss G. or Miss Gilbert as a name as it makes her sound like Miss Uppity up or royalty.

She is taking on the part as Queen of the house.