Gilbert is home

[danmcq]

Just think, if our greys could read, we would have all our problems solved. LOL.

 

Oh Lord, I don't want to even think about them reading our tactics. They would use them against us. These buggers are just too smart and very sneaky in hiding or not telegraphing their next move.

 

I always enjoy these updates on Gilbert. He is doing spectacularly!!!

[katana600]

Thanks Dan, I guess when I was thinking that they would solve our little life problems, I was thinking it would be to our benefit. Likely though, it would be to their benefit and they would take over the world. LOL. When I watched Gilbert play with toys on the cage top this morning, I am beginning to realize just how far he has come. It is the tiniest changes every day that add up to a more secure and active parrot. Sometimes the change is so imperceptible it is like watching paint dry but we have to look at the big picture to see the improvement. One thing I have been wanting to tell you is that sometimes when Gilbert talks, he sounds so much like you and Dayo that he must be picking it up from me watching all the videos. I love that we are connected through the care and affection for our little housemates.

[Greywings]

I have a friend who believes they are from another planet and have found a way into our lives to study us more closely. She has observed her Goffin using the toaster for communication with the mother ship. LOL She has also mentioned that he escapes from his cage from time to time and then toys she has not ordered with a receipt from her pay pal account-hmmm

[katana600]

That's funny, it reminds me of the old show Alf where he ordered things online with Willie's credit card all the time. That also reminds me, I should be more careful reading my credit card number over the phone. I am quite sure they can read my thoughts and I suspect they can control my thoughts too. I know they certainly control part of my day running around and cooking what they like and turning the lights on and off for them and such. I am a willing subject so I can't blame it all on the parrots.

[danmcq]

I suspect Gilbert is picking up perhaps Dayo's voice, because he can hear the underlying secret Grey codes for "We are the ruler's, defy the humans!" only audible to the Greys.

 

In all fairness to Dayo though, I must say he has becoming very loving towards me comparative to a few years ago. I really have to upset him or get him over exciting playing to receive one of those bck o the neck pinches. Which is my fault...... but I love it!

[katana600]

When I am fervently praying for Gilbert to regain his flight ability, I think of the neck pinch and somehow I always see it being your neck, not mine. LOL. Our daughter moved in with us last week after her graduation and mentioned she has not heard the s-bomb. I told her not to remind Gilbert about it and we would rather not hear it any more either. This morning in the wee hours in the quiet and in the dark, I was taking one of the dogs out. I heard Gilbert start his shhhh and then he changed the ending to his daily call for his beloved Jim. He said shhhhim. LOL. We are making progress. Another place he is undergoing a small transformation is to play inside his cage some. He has all the toys he came with, at least one is from his very first home. He touches them sometimes and they seem to give him a bit of comfort, but he doesn't actually play with them much. Lately though, he has been standing on his water dish, dipping one talon in and then trying to dip his wings in. Then he shakes that leather toy and rings his bells excitedly. He is also pulling on the wooden toys and I have seen tiny bits of evidence that he is starting to chew the wood on occasion. This rehomed parrot business offers no immediate gratification but success shows itself in slow subtle progress. I have to admit when I see the babies and some of the wild antics of juvenile greys, I wonder what we would be doing with Gilbert right now if he started here from the beginning. Then, I realize just how much I would miss of the wonder that is the awakening of a bit of his former self coming back as he overcomes the tremendous fears he is beginning to conquer. I can only hope for an annoyed neck pinch somewhere in our future. LOL.

[katana600]

Time for a Gilbert update. He is a fickle and unpredictable little fellow. He pleasantly came through the upheaval of having a houseful of people staying with us, up to 14 people at any given time for part of a week. He talked and made everyone laugh and you wouldn't have known life was any different with strangers in the house for him. Slowly he is becoming more interested in his environment. He moves a toy here and there on the cage top or I might find the tiny sliver that shows he chewed a wood toy, but I don't often see him actually play. Last night was another first for him. He has a triangular shaped acrylic toy that he will nudge and run from but last night he was twirling some little paddles on it and actually interacting with it for about three minutes. That is the longest sustained play I have seen. When I see videos of other African greys swinging, hanging upside down, flying and generally just being happy boisterous parrots, I know I am watching normal parrots. All three of our greys have been sick or traumatized and never reached that kind of outward enjoyement. I am slowly seeing signs that Gilbert is relaxing his shoulders, getting more at ease and have hope for him to get into the activities of the household. The best way I could describe our first year is that he seems coiled up, wings folded tightly to his body and just a raw frazzle of nerves and fear. When he gets really scared of something new or loud, he will barber off the feathers on his chest. His wings are missing so many feathers he can't fly. But he is making a turn for the best lately. This morning he launched off the cage and came to my feet again. He will always step up sweetly when he is on the floor. I put him on my shoulder and carefully walked to the bathroom so he could see himself in the mirror. He preened my hair and felt my face and ear with his beak without any offers to bite me. The entire interaction was less than two minutes. He can't handle much more than that at any one time. We still have the goal of ending every interaction on a positive note and he is obliging me. When he was on my shoulder or when he is on my hand, his balance is really shaky. At somewhere getting close to ten years old he has less ability to balance than a six week old chick. When I watched him play and twirl the little plastic paddles I was so filled with elation it was all I could do to sit breathlessly and watch transfixed by the sight of him getting brave enough to be curious. What an awesome and delightful couple of minutes. It is like watching the most beautiful flower open its petals to the sun for the first time.

[Acappella]

Love love love this update. One thing stands out for me. When Dorian first started to allow me to take him from room to room (which took over three years btw) his balance was also terrible.. He was so nervous. Now he feels so safe on my hand or wrist that he does that thing where he tries to make me go in the direction he wants to go by leaning hard in that direction lol . It's so wonderful to read your updates and picture Gilbert's constricted little soul begin to trust and open up to the world.

[katana600]

When I have the opportunity to hold him on my hand, I hold him up close to my chest and he leans in to hold my shirt while we are moving. He is still too scared to look around much. He did seem to enjoy going into the bathroom yesterday. I ran some water, showed him himself in the mirror and he was at least looking around instead of trying to get back to his safety zone. With every positive move forward, he seems to have a little meltdown. After playing with toys, he was much edgier and grumpier yesterday. He actually threw himself at the bars trying to bite my face when I was talking to him and giving him his night time almond last night. Then he had an absolute meltdown fit and threw food, bit the bars, flung the dishes right out of the holders and attacked his wooden toy. This was after I walked away. About a half hour after I went to bed, I came out to see if he was settled and he came right to the bars, sorry and contrite and he wanted me to scratch his head for a long time. I think he just had too much tension from taking a giant leap forward to play with his toys. This morning he is as sweet as can be, asking for scratches. I think that no matter how well he seemed to have handled the company and the change in our household with a new dog, new cat and my daughter moving in, it was very stressful to him. Luckily I am seeing no adverse impact on his stress plucking or feather chewing. I think he is learning to act out on his environment instead of himself. The fury he unleased unexpectedly last night was the first I have seen of that magnitude. I have read and heard about others with rehomed parrots that they seem to have to get through an angry stage in order to release their tension and accept the new home. I don't try to soothe him or mess with him when he gets in a grumpy mood, I just walk away quietly and give him time to calm himself, then come back and offer a truce. That seems to be working. It just takes so long for them to adjust to a new home sometimes. I do notice that the time it takes for him to get centered and calm gradually has diminished and he can be back to his happy place in just a couple of minutes now instead of brooding and holding a grudge for a day at a time.

[Greywings]

Great observation, they are so much like some people in handling or not able to handle stress. Working it out his own way as he develops the skills he needs to get by and succeed in being a happy guy.

[danmcq]

When I have the opportunity to hold him on my hand, I hold him up close to my chest and he leans in to hold my shirt while we are moving. He is still too scared to look around much. He did seem to enjoy going into the bathroom yesterday. I ran some water, showed him himself in the mirror and he was at least looking around instead of trying to get back to his safety zone. With every positive move forward, he seems to have a little meltdown. After playing with toys, he was much edgier and grumpier yesterday. He actually threw himself at the bars trying to bite my face when I was talking to him and giving him his night time almond last night. Then he had an absolute meltdown fit and threw food, bit the bars, flung the dishes right out of the holders and attacked his wooden toy. This was after I walked away.

 

It's wonderful you were able to take Gilbert in the bathroom and just do some calm exploring together! Those small steps build trust millimeter by millimeter.

 

It sound like once he built up and unleased that anger/fear inside on the toys, you were still approaching during that anger fit. It's wonderful when you approached later and he was so receptive to you. I am so proud of the way you have handled Gilbert and his baggage from day one. Thanks god he landed in your home. He will become all he can be with your patience and love that seems unending.

[katana600]

After his brief time playing during the day, hours later he was back inside accepting his almond and going to bed as he usually would. When I was ready to go to bed, he tucked his head to ask for a scratch but as soon as I got close he turned and instead of taking a swipe at my finger as he has in the past, he just went full blown toward my face and was biting the bars and then throwing things. Once I told him good night, turned off the lights and then returned, he went back to being his sweet self. He seldom has those moments of aggression and I have never seen that sort of fury from him. It is really hard to know when he is keyed up, he is so subtle. He would be one heck of a poker player. Once he released that pent up emotion, he has moved forward again. Yesterday he played with a chain for a really long time, he was working to unscrew a quick link. Success is measured in great lengths of time, and as Dan says, in millimeters of progress building trust, and as ever so true, in grey time. Also, Gilbert has sprouted two new red tail feathers. I know I may be dreaming and wishing it true, but when he came off the cage top yesterday, I am sure he was airborn for a longer distance. When he makes that decision, it seems he is always coming toward me and then he is just as friendly as can be when he steps up. I usually take advantage of his cooperation and put him on the arm of my chair for a few minutes to let him watch whatever I am doing. If he is off his cage and I ask for a step up, he is quite wiling but he is also looking back to his cage and gets really happy for me to head in that direction. Pine nuts have been somewhat magical in eliciting a gentle effusive response. Usually I hold them and hand them to him one at a time. Yesterday he became interested in the ones I was holding in my other hand and it was a small wonder that while he was outside on the cage top, he gently took them one by one from my cupped hand. Those quiet gentle moments are getting a little more frequent. I have to admit though, when I am that vulnerable, I am probably nearly as scared as he is. He is just so unpredictable. I bet he is thinking the same thing about me.

[Acappella]

It's almost as if he's testing you. He has these bouts of temper towards you and you, of course, give him his space and continue to be loving and sweet towards him. I'm sure in the past any aggression from him was dealt with in a much less loving way. You're doing an amazing job. So is Gilbert

[katana600]

Thanks, it is an uncertain time for Gilbert. It takes village, that's for sure. Every rehomed grey has a history and that shapes his outlook. We don't have enough years to have serial relationships with a being that has a life expectancy close to our own. This whole rehoming business is trial and error, his trials and my errors. LOL. The general counsel and wisdom from this forum is all I've got and I believe that giving him gentle consistent care and waiting is not only best for him, but it is the hardest thing for our family. We really love his interactions and want more. His speaking ability and the ways he says the funniest and most poignant things accentuate his great intelligence and the depth of his despair for losing his first love Jim. I don't believe he was treated badly in his interim homes, I think he is still holding a grudge because we are not Jim. Every day I have ideas of thing to try with him and to find things for him to do but he rejects about ninety nine percent of those overtures. I don't take it personally, he is finding his way, it is slow going, but I believe in the one percent! Our life together is meant to be and I haven't spent a moment looking back and wishing he was a new sweet little black eyed chick. Instead I watch all the babies and celebrate their progress and know this is where he started and he has just as much potential as a newly hatched fledgling. On the bright side, when I have seen him at his worst, it can only get better from there! And believe me, it is getting better every day in the things that really count.

[katana600]

I am trying something new. I thought it would be a step backward, but sometimes we just do a two-step dance until we get the rhythm. We have had an open cage policy since he moved in. He plays on the cage top but in general it is his habit to find one spot and act like a sentinel or a stone statue just watching and taking everything in. Yesterday, we were acclimating a cat the day after spaying surgery and I didn't want to chance Gilbert diving off the cage top, so I didn't open his door in the morning as usual after his breakfast. Well, he had more energy and more activity in two hours than might usually see in a week. He went from spot to spot in his cage, played just a little with the original toys he brought with him to our house and he was chattier and more solicitous for attention. In the afternoon when I was planning to stay in the room with him, I opened his cage and he came running right out. Then he proceeded to the cage top and roughed up a few of his toys there too. He didn't act at all upset, just more engaged than I have seen him. At the end of the evening when he went topside to the very highest point he could get on the "shepherd's hook" for toys to hang, he flapped his wings so hard I thought the cage might take to the air. I am not going to lock him up just to experiment, but it was very interesting and counterintuitive. I know he is getting ready for bigger things and to expand his horizons, but little would I have considered that closing the door for a couple of hours would be a catalyst for so much curiousity and activity.

[Wingy]

As much as you don't want to maybe you should see if more cage time is what he needs. It could have been a fluke but it could be that he needs a more restrictive environment. If he was able to nap without feeling the need to be a lookout he might have been more rested thus in a better mood.

[katana600]

His cage time did make him much more active although I think he was trying to get my attention because his day wasn't progressing as predictably as he would have preferred. If I have to be out of the house for a while, and while we were having company, I did keep his cage closed and he was happy with that arrangement. I am watching him blossom before my eyes and have waited a long time to see him get more active. This morning he is climbing and actually running across perches, around and around the outside of his cage top. He seems to have awakened his spirit and is approaching his day with gusto and a new sense of adventure. I am going to combine his freedom with just a little more closed door time in his cage and see how that goes. Since his playfulness is still quite new, I will give him time and when he really gets comfortable, I am looking forward to moving one or two of the accepted toys from the cage top inside. He is such a complex little fellow but I am so encouraged by watching him work up the courage to seek out new adventure. He came down from his cage last night and sat next to me on the arm of my chair for a little while and he seemed relaxed. When he started leaning and looking toward his cage I asked him if he wanted to go back and he stepped right up and was eager to return to his cage. Once he got there, I gave him his bedtime almond and he threw it and flung pellets and had another little fuss. I am trying to understand what he wants and I'm not too sure what this is about. It could be that he likes the pine nuts so much he is ticked when I give him the almond but that has been our night time routine for fifteen months. Two minutes later, when I am turning off the lights and telling both parrots good night, he runs quickly to his favorite "touching" perch and grabs the bars with his foot, tucks his head and lets me scratch his head for a long time. It could just be that he is grumpy about going to bed. I am going to watch and see what he wants. Night time is the only time he has been having these little meltdowns. It has only happened a couple of times and I am sure he is trying to tell me something. What I find encouraging is that he is expressing his temper just a little and to me that means he is getting more comfortable and that he feels safe to vent. It is fleeting and he isn't showing any other signs of stress all day and is just his funny little self saying all sorts of things. It just seems to me a turning point and he is conflicted. He isn't showing any signs of the plucking and barbering he would resort to when I first met him. It is just a fleeting sort of quick outburst followed immediately by a request for me to come closer.

[katana600]

A new discovery is lending insight to some of Gilbert's "new" behavior. His tattered little tail feathers are showing regeneration. About a week ago, I noticed a brand new bright little tailfeather. Yesterday he came off his cage and I put him on the arm of my chair. While he was watching me, I noticed he has a "clump" of six to eight long pinfeathers in his tail. I took the opportunity to spray his little backside with aloe and for the first time while I was misting him, although he protested, he wasn't frantic about the process. I can't get close enough or hands on enough to stretch his wings to see if there is any new growth on his wings, but I am hopeful that he could be getting back some of the feathers he plucked out the day he was leaving his previous caretaker. It will be a very careful process in the coming days to keep him bathed thoroughly without breaking the trust we have built. I know he needs the aloe sprays now more than ever and I will have to give him something to think about and gently encourage play and exploration so the discomfort of those new pinfeathers doesn't lead to overpreening. Also, as Wingy mentioned, I believe it would give him some security to keep his cage closed for part of the day to see if he needs to withdraw somewhat to "find himself". It sounds conflicting and it is complex and conflicting. I think he has been with us long enough to find a balance that will give him the opportunity to sort through this surge of emotional and physical growth. It is also time for his vet check so we will have professional support and do whatever it takes to bring him to a new place in his life journey. Once more, I am getting goosebumps at the sliver of possibility that he could regrow his tattered feathers and regain his gift of flight. The way he flaps on the shepherd's hook and the strength of his attempts is definitely an improvement.

[katana600]

We had a slight setback with the tail feathers. I was trying to spray his little backside with aloe and he jumped right out of his cage. He landed on a mat with a blanket on it but he still bumped one of the blood feathers and had a small amount of bleeding. It didn't last long, thank goodness. I am not going to be able to spray him for now, he just can't seem to handle it and calm himself back down afterward. So, today I saw him trying to stand in his water dish. When I bought his cage, it was oversized and the food dishes were huge. So, I got one of those dishes and filled it up with water and put it in his cage. I have tried various dishes and tactics to get him to bathe, but until today that has not been successful. Well, he is in there now making a big splash. I am so excited for him. He has made a huge mess of my living room, the walls, the cat, the dogs, LOL. He is hooting and calling out and Java is hooting and whistling back at him. So much excitement. Gilbert is taking his own bath! This is a first and I am enjoying his exuberance. Awesome.

[Acappella]

Aw, you and Gilbert are making me smile. Lol at the mess a bird trying to bathe in his dish makes, I know it well. I hope getting wet makes his feathers more comfortable and he's able to leave them alone.

[katana600]

Your smile is contagious. I am just grinning and laughing at Gilbert and his antics. I am still convinced we are just at the beginning of some positive happy changes with him. I actually had to remove his bath water as it got closer to night time because he just couldn't get enough of it. I wanted to be sure he was dry before bed time. He was energized by the splashing and wanton delight at his bath. I have tried all sorts of things over and over again but this time he just embraced the water bowl. I just never know when he is going to accept something whether it has been tried once or a hundred times. He was more active last night and just full of himself. He climbed over every inch of his cage inside and out with such vigor and vitality that we were all laughing and cheering him on. When it got to be bed time he was still not finished. He was hooting and calling out and talking more than usual too. This morning he is still in such a good mood, it is like he is having a new lease on life! I put his water dish back in the cage and he went right in to check it out but went on to other things. In the past he might gingerly touch a wooden or leather toy in his cage but now he is grabbing on with both feet, flapping his wings and beating the tar out of them. He is laughing and talking more and he is full of spit and vinegar. He is like the energizer bunny, he just keeps going and going. Our whole family is rejoicing at the gusto with which he is coming out of his shell. He is whistling a happy little tune and has a new swagger of confidence that makes me think we have come around a corner. Last night before bed he was asking everyone for a scratch. He especially seems smitten with Rachel and it has been as good for her as it is for him. Even after we turned out the lights and went to bed much later than usual because we were enjoying him so much, he was hooting and talking and seemed to be trying to coax us back out of bed. He has seldom talked after lights out. I am just fascinated by Gilbert and happy with his boisterous new behavior.

[Greywings]

They have the ability to just amaze.

[katana600]

Gilbert is amazing me more every day. Just a few weeks ago he was still withdrawn. As he increased his activity he is getting so much more adventurous. He has been climbing all over the outside of his cage and even hanging by one claw off the very bottom of the frame. I read a post by Wingy on another thread and utilized her idea of hanging a rope on the outside. I will eventually move the rope to my chair so he could come to me if he is so inclined. For now though, I made it like a fire escape from the lowest bars to the floor. Usually anything new is met with distrust and fear. Not this time. He scurried right down to investigate. He picked at the rope, but he didn't make any attempts to climb down yet. It just made me happy that he is brave enough to investigate and is curious enough to see where this will lead. He is also embracing new foods. When I found nuts.com I ordered salt free pistaschios and that is his new thrill. I use them sparingly to encourage his bravery. He likes them so much, I am using them to begin to teach him foraging. I also got a dehydrated veggie mix for parrots and when I put a little sample in with his pellets he dove right in and munched away. In other great news he is getting a full set of tail feathers! It has been more than a year of stubble, so I am raising my hopes that he could have new feathers come into the gaps in his wings. The future is just full of wonderful potential for this little guy. In yet another area of improvement he was calm and relaxed last night through a loud and bright thunderstorm. When it awakened me about three this morning, I came out and turned on a lamp to check on him and he barely took notice of me. He gave me the reassurance "Gilbert okay" and it didn't even sound wavery or scared. I turned off the light and went back to bed. Not that long ago, he would be so distressed by a storm he would sound the sirens of warning, make the sound of a fog horn and be agitated and restless for days. Now he just takes it in stride. Another little victory for Gilbert the brave heart.

[katana600]

Today was a cleaning day, so I pulled Gilbert's cage away from the wall. He watched and gave me orders while I was on my hands and knees scrubbing the wall, the back of his cage and the hardwood floor. He is just so much more calm and involved with us lately. When I started to move his cage back in place, he launched off the cage top and went to the dining room. He is getting a lot farther now with his flapping and flying attempts. The dogs were in the dining room sleeping in the crate with the door open and they left the room and hid in my bedroom. Usually when Gilbert goes to the floor he is in a big hurry to get to me and have me give him a lift back to his cage. This time he was in the mood for exploration. He climbed inside and outside the dog crate first. Then he went under the buffet and china closet to check out my lack of dusting. Then he made his way back to the living room. I was still cleaning and just watching him to see where he would go. He went under a chair and I sat down and offered him a hand. Usually he would be in a big hurry to come to me, but he was out walking about for more than thirty minutes. When our daughter came down to see what he was doing because he was talking and whistling and more vocal than usual, he went right to her and asked to step up. She sat on the floor and held him and put him back down. He had no interest in climbing the new rope back to his cage. I just can't describe how much fun he was having just checking out the house. It is like he just got here this week and is suddenly interested in his surroundings. I am just beyond amazed. Once he started to open up, he just keeps making strides and he seems like a new man. Now that he is back in his cage, he is grinding his beak and getting ready for a nap. Whew, what a busy day for him.

[katana600]

And the worm turns. After a few days of being energetic and full of himself, Gilbert has been a grouch to me. When I come to change out his dry food, he sees me coming from the kitchen and scurries into his cage to perch right next to the dish. This is the one I have to fill with a long handled spoon or measuring cup because it is not on one of the swinging doors. He has chosen that particular cup as his battle ground and gets downright territorial and grumpy when I need to change it. Yesterday I decided to be clever. While he was on the cage top, I closed his door before I went to the kitchen to lock him out. What a great idea, what took me so long to figure that one out? He knew I was preparing food and was asking for a cracker in every way he knew. As he saw me coming from the kitchen he went clamoring to get to his perch to thwart me. When he got to the closed door, he said "Hey. What you do thaaaat?", in the same disdainful tone he uses to complain to the dogs about barking. LOL. It was the funniest thing ever. It is the first time I have changed his pellets in ages that he didn't fling them all over to show his disapproval of me touching that particular food cup. I didn't laugh at him out loud. I did tell him I did that because I don't like it when he tries to bite me. This morning, he let me reach in and take that cup out while he was inside and he didn't even try to come down to challenge me. He is so intelligent that it scares me. He is well ahead of me and the only thing I can predict about him in all this time is that he is going to continue to be unpredictable.