Gilbert is home

[katana600]

This was the first time she was willing to come away from her cage to another room. She was very nervous and wanted to go night night to be returned to the safety of her cage. Whew! That was scary for her. Her feathers are more chewed than usual as in the past week she has been working up courage for a change in the trust level she has had with us. She just last week started permitting me to rub her head without cage bars separating us. Now she is graduating to stepping up and into new territory.

 

Edit: trying video link again

Edited September 6, 2015 by katana600
trying to fix video link

[katana600]

This is the video on just her second night of willingly leaving the safety of her cage and requesting a head rub while on the outside of her cage.

 

Note: Trying again to fix the link to the short video clip:

Edited September 6, 2015 by katana600
trying to fix video link

[katana600]

Considering the shape of her when she came into our lives, I really never dared hope for this day. But, when she finally surrendered and relaxed I may have been calm and gentle with her on the outside but on the inside I was jumping up and down, cheering wildly and shouting "Look! Look at Gilgirl! She did it, she did it. She let me touch her!" It feels like I have waited all my life for this. Thank you all for reading along, cheering us forward and repeatedly assuring us that with enough grey time and patience we would get here.

[Luvparrots]

Would love to have seen the video. But to have to sign in. No thanks.

[Timbersmom]

Can't see it either, it says it is private.

[katana600]

Sorry about that. I haven't figured out exactly what it was, but I posted the link in a different way and it seems to work now for me while I am not signed into YouTube. Please let me know if you still can't get to it.

Edited September 6, 2015 by katana600
Retried the video links

[danmcq]

Holy Cow!!! I take a medical absence from the Forum for almost a year and the entire Gilgirl world has turned in to a world to be explored and contact with Humans is being enjoyed. I am soooooo happy for you. You have put years in on her recovery from abuse and set a shining example for all to follow. I love your "Never give up" attitude. I totally enjoyed watching the videos and my jaw dropped to floor seeing Gilgirl getting relaxing scratches from you during that evil and frightening Thunderstorm.

Edited September 6, 2015 by danmcq

[birdhouse]

Kura's the only one who ever snuggled against my cheek like that. I'm undone every time. So I can just imagine how you felt under the circumstances!!

 

I could see the glorious Miss G on all the links, now. What strange iris reaction. They should have been pinning like crazy under the circumstances. Not like that's important at the moment or anything. lol Just struck me is all. A-ny-way you must be over the moon. I'm so very glad for you two. Hope there's tons more vids just like it in your future!!

 

 

PS - it's good to see a post from you, Dan. So are you back & better than ever now?

[danmcq]

"PS - it's good to see a post from you, Dan. So are you back & better than ever now?"

 

Yes, actually it was my wife going through a bad year and required 3 surgeries and rehab's after each. It was a full time job helping her and working at the same time. Life is much better now that we are out of that dark and cloudy storm.

[judygram]

Dee, its been a long time coming but we all knew it would given enough time, you have been a very patient woman and your patience has been rewarded in good measure. Just goes to prove that time heals most wounds and Mis Gil can now enjoy time away from her safety zone. I am so proud of both of you, you for never giving up and Mis Gil for allowing herself to open up more to the possibilities of what she can enjoy from now on.

[katana600]

It's been slow going but seems we get a high speed progression... And a few steps back. She came in my room again tonight but panicked and jumped off the bed. I heard a loud thump and she may have bitten her tongue. She had a drop or two of blood from inside her beak. After that she was in no mood to try anything new. I watched closely and there was no more bleeding after a few minutes.

 

Val, you hit on something I have watched for a while. Her eyes didn't pin for more than her first year with us. Even now, its not rapid like I see with Java. I will pay attention more closely.

 

Welcome home with us Dan, hopefully Kim is on the mend and gaining strength. Dayo and Jake must be good company for her recuperation plan. You have been missed. I'm always glad to see when you have thanked a post so its a sign you are okay but very busy.

 

There just isn't enough thanks I can say for every encouragement to just be patient and kind and let Miss Gilbert lead the way all in grey time. The thunderstorm was definitely the "any port in a storm" opening. My husband mentioned that was probably why she was so sweet and I told him I have seen thunderstorm DVDs if she gets too grumpy. Bwahahaha.

[katana600]

Judy, it has taught me that I don't even know the meaning of the word patience. Every time I get close to thinking maybe this is "it", I learn it is a call for more patience. Things with Gil evolve ever so slowly and every little thing makes a difference with her. She is so wary, guarded and defensive. But we have come to a new place. Coming away from her cage and permitting a head rub was largely because she was afraid of the storm. We are back to the cage temporarily but she is letting me rub her head without bars between us. It is a compromise. She is inside her cage except for just her head. The door is likely for a nest box, up high on the cage. That is where I put her night time roost perch. When she is sleeping and the door is closed, it is perfect for her sense of seclusion because it is solid except for the small holes drilled for it to be used for a food cup. She can feel protected and peer out of a peep hole to see who is coming. I dim the lights in the room and she is really enjoying her head rub twice a day now. When I try to close the door to go to bed she sticks her foot in the door like a pushy salesman, nudges the door open with her head and quickly positions herself for another scritch.

[Greywings]

Powerful words and such a very tender moment you shared with all of Ms. Gil girls fan club. Thank you through the misty moments!

[danmcq]

"When I try to close the door to go to bed she sticks her foot in the door like a pushy salesman, nudges the door open with her head and quickly positions herself for another scritch."

 

Wow, that must make you feel very wanted and needed by her! That is such a touching mental image your description painted. The scared child needing reassurance that someone is there to help them through their fear.

[katana600]

It is all still so new for both of us that I am cautiously optimistic. She really can't be pushed. She has not come out of her cage since she panicked and "bit her tongue". But, she is still letting me pet her head and she does seem to relish it. It's the first real sign of pleasure she has permitted herself to indulge. When I allow myself to feel a little misty myself I get a fast reminder of how delicate her mental balance is at this stage. Right when her eyes are closed, she is warm and relaxed, she will suddenly startle and try to bite me. I am ultra aware to avoid pin feathers, to stroke in one direction, and never surprise her with a new move.

 

Something else that is new is during the day, she is much more high strung. She is venting her frustration in a much healthier way. She is ripping chunks of wood off toys she previously ignored. Today she grabbed her bell by the chain and shook the snot out of it. That's progress.

[Greywings]

That is BIG grey progress graduating to bell beating! go Gil girl!

[katana600]

Our lulls are less frequent and considerably shorter in duration. Would you believe? Today she is sitting on my leg in my bedroom, far from the sight of her cage. I was reading a magazine and she is ripping up the subscription cards they stick between pages. She is very quiet and when given the offer to go back to her cage, she quickly stepped up to my hand. She went back to her cage top and did a little Cajun pirouette and reached out a high wave with her foot which is an opening to go with me again. In broad daylight yet! We had storms again last night and again she awakened me. I went out a few times, rubbed her head, soothed her and she went back to bed. So maybe today is her appreciation and she is giving back to me.

[katana600]

This is so new and fun, I just can't stand myself. Miss Gilbert had a little time with me this afternoon in my bedroom. Then tonight she asked for a cracker while in her cage so I brought her an almond and gave everybody a bed time snack. When I went to scratch her head, she offered her foot and came out of her cage instead. She pooped on the sofa, so I sat her down while I went to get a paper towel and clean it up. She seemed happy where she was and I wondered if she might come around the L-shaped leather sectional to get to my chair. So I went to sit in my chair to wait. She said "C'mere" and clearly she wanted me to come get her. When I did, she came to sit on the back of my chair and bowed her head for a head rub! She let me rub her head right here in the living room under bright lights. When she lifted her foot to show me she was done, I took her back to her cage. No sooner than I sat down, she said "C'mere" again! She wanted to come sit on my chair and get another head scratch. I love this. She is asking for more. It just seems like a switch has been flipped and she remembers how good it feels to have her head scratched. This is so much fun. I can not find the words to say how much it shocked and pleased me to hear her say "C'mere". She usually says that to the dogs when she wants them to go outside. It is a phrase she knew coming in to our home along with "C'mon on over here" Can't wait for that one. "C'mon on over here LuLu".. hahahaha. This is just amazing. She is just shucking off those chains of fear and breaking down the walls she was so fiercely guarding. Who knows what is next?

[Greywings]

Break out the Zydeco music it is time for a celebration Cajun style.

[katana600]

That is too funny. I had to look it up on the internet. Like I read, most people will think they don't know what Zydeco music is, but once they hear it, they know. So I took it to her cage and she danced like a wild child. She looked like she was enjoying it but had all her feathers up and I've never seen her like that. I wouldn't want to get my fingers anywhere near her but I think you are onto something. We may start a morning routine with this music when I take her cage outside for sunshine.

[Greywings]

Sounds like one of those videos of the wild Chimpanzees doing their rain dance, hair on end and constant wild motion.

1:46

[h=4]Male Chimp Rain Dance | Survival: Tales From The Wild[/h]youtube.com

Edited September 11, 2015 by Greywings

[katana600]

That was such a nice clip. I've been known to enjoy a walk on the wild side in a cool rainstorm myself. LOL. Those chimps made it look so much fun. The twins snuggled up to the mother was precious. Thank you. I will try to upload Gil showing her wild side. I also got a chance to take the sweetest photo of Miss Gilbert tonight. I will try to edit it for size and post that too.

 

This is a wonderful time in her life. She didn't want me to stop rubbing her head at bedtime and once again offered me her trust to come sit on my lap in my bed. She has been in here for more than two hours. She became so relaxed she let her head and neck melt into the warmth of my hand and her little tail feathers pointing to the ceiling. I have seen pictures of baby greys and a few special ones on our forum. I never dared dream that I would have these moments with Miss Gilbert. Her life seemingly changed overnight. Grey time can be excruciatingly glacially slow and it can move at lightning speed when we least expect it.

[Acappella]

You and Miss G have now officially surpassed Dorian and I when it comes to cuddles. He will let me give him scratches when he's perched almost anywhere, but he's never stepped down onto my knee or my lap. He doesn't seem to find those places solid enough for safe perching. I'm so happy for you, and I'm so happy that Miss G has allowed her heart to open up to all these new experiences.

[katana600]

Ah, well, the trick her with her has been that I hold her up with one hand, then I slide onto my bed. I am in a reclining position and I pull a towel across from my chest to my knees. Then she isn't so much stepping down as being lowered until my leg seems like a step to a higher position. It is just huge that she has been willing to come away from her cage. Timing is everything. Today, even after our warm encounter last night, I asked her if she wanted a scratch at her usual spot inside the cage with her head out the door. She said "ready" and look ever so receptive. But as I reached for her with my hand she struck like cobra a barely missed my eye. She seems to want very much to be close but has a deep and abiding instinct to strike out. This is all still very guarded and new. With the lights dimmed and the alternative is going to bed in the dark or joining me just about a dozen feet away from her cage, she isn't so much choosing me as choosing not to go to bed. I have no illusions that she is using me as it suits her but I still take that as progress. Even the smallest warmth from the little soul is welcome.

Edited September 15, 2015 by katana600
typo

[judygram]

But as I reached for her with my hand she struck like cobra a barely missed my eye. She seems to want very much to be close but has a deep and abiding instinct to strike out

 

This is a part of her past and I doubt she ever will completely let go of it as she is a wild animal as is all our greys, she has had to deal with a lot of difficult situations before she came to you but she has come so far, maybe you could keep a little more distance between her and your face when doing that again, better safe than sorry.