Gilbert is home

[Acappella]

The day he gives me the Dayo neck pinch will be a good time for all y'all to remind me how hard I have wished for this. LOL.

 

And on that day we won't let you down. Gilbert's recent improvement has me really wondering about the rescue remedy and if it would have helped in Dorian's early days with me. I think he's happy now, but he's still a bird who rarely plays, and he's never caught on to the 'birds are supposed to chew stuff' thing. I believe it's because he only had acrylic toys in his cage when he was a baby. You know, the type that are popular with owners because they last forever. There's nothing wrong with them, but they should have been offered along with other, destructible toys. No matter what I do I've never been able to convince him to chew on any wood toy. The best he does is to bash them against the cage bars, 'cause with his early toys that's all he could do. As far as flying, I think it scares him too much. Maybe if there was a little brother or sister here that he could observe flying he might get the idea, but that's not a good enough reason for me to enter into MBS land. I'm so happy that Gilberts little feathered soul has finally opened up and entered into the world of love and fun that you've had ready for him since he joined your flock.

[katana600]

I was thinking it was a centipede! Glad it was not. As far as the rescue remedy, if I had tried it early, I would never have been sure if it was just normal progress where now I can see some changes that have to be attributed to the addition of these drops. In two weeks we are making a trip and he will not have me home for a few days. He will have a tried and true pet sitter, but I don't want to make changes until we get home and stay put for a while. Then I will tweak his dosage and taper off to see what a difference that makes. Sarah said he had not played with toys in two and a half years with her either so I thought he just might be one of those quiet greys that would rather not play. I am seeing such wonderful things with him that I would chant if I thought that would help him. I am amazed to watch him open up like a beautiful flower and appreciate how far he has had to come out of his shell to meet me part way.

[katana600]

Gilbert has not played in the four years between his time with Sarah and with me. She said he was afraid of all his toys and he just was so quiet and still here, I thought it was because he didn't know what to do or that he was older and beyond that. Every day he is coming more and more out of his "hunkering down" demeanor. Today he has been playing with every toy on his cage top and stopping at one in particular to beat it up and get it swinging. He has been energetic and running around like a youngster. He will have quiet hours and then suddenly something gets into him and he goes from one thing to another either carefully examining and touching everything or to outright bell ringing let-your-hair-down kind of outrageous bursts of wild play. He has been standing his ground to send Java flying off his turf. For the longest time, if the dogs would run barking to the window if someone walks past, Gilbert would get startled and fall off his perch, or fling himself to the floor to hide under a chair. Lately, he will be just a few inches off the floor standing on the new rope perch connecting his play areas when the dogs run past him within inches and he doesn't even look up from what he is doing. He still has some wild mood swings. Last night he had a melt down at bed time and he was grumbling in the dark, then he flung pellets helter skelter and when that didn't get me out of bed to console him, he took the stainless steel dishes out of the holders and flung them to the bottom of his cage, one by one. He asks for long head rubs five or six times a day and just melts and closes his eyes now. A few times now, he has leaned closer and put his beak between the bars so I could scratch gently on his nares and rub his beak. He really has been a sweetheart for David and offers him to step up and lets him rub his head not only out of the cage, but will come sit on the sofa with him. This seems like a dream. I am getting just a little anxious because I will be going away for three days next week to drive the UHaul to move our daughter, then to fly home. Gilbert gets really upset and has plucked his chest before when I have left him overnight. It has grown back before and will grow back again and this trip is a necessity, I just hope he doesn't get too stressed now that he has been feeling so frisky lately. We have someone coming to stay and he knows her, so it is the best we can do for him.

[Timbersmom]

Gilbert is doing so well! I can understand your concerns about traveling, but you know the potential pitfalls ahead of time, and know he will rebound even if he does have a "sinking spell." I went out of town for a couple of nights a two weeks ago and left hubby in charge at home. When I got back, Timber seemed fine, but I got two bites in as many days the next week. One for each night I was gone I guess! After he vented his spleen, he's been fine. They are such a mix of fragility and strength. I have to be gone again this coming Tuesday and Wednesday night. This time I will know to be wary.

[katana600]

Thanks, I think I will have more withdrawals from being away from him because he has been such a joy lately. There have been changes here that I thought would upset him and he didn't have any issues, so I am going to have positive thoughts. He has kept me laughing a lot today. When I got back from the grocery store he said "whatcha doin' Lulu" and made at least five more references to call me Lulu. "Whatcha got Lulu" and "c'mon over here Lulu". He has never done that before and it was a hoot. He has called our little dog Baxter "Lou" a few times but this is a first for Lulu.

[Timbersmom]

What a joy the way he is coming out of his shell! I sure wish Timber would talk more, but I've resigned myself to the fact that he may never be a big talker. Next it will be "get my robe and slippers Lulu" and "I need that cashew now Lulu, not next week!"

[katana600]

Gilbert has taught me the meaning of grey time but I am seeing such remarkable results and changes that I don't mind a bit. He talks in bits and spurts and I am hearing a lot of garbled mumbling from him that seems like he is trying new things. It pleases me to no end that I have not heard "shut up you idiot" from him in such a long time. He does occasionally cuss and I know he is doing that for my husband and daughter because he knows it amused them the first time, but he looks at me and changes it up a little because he knows I don't like it. Well... I do have to admit, that I do have a latent tendency to be amused by his potty mouth, I just don't want him encouraged any further with it because some day I might have grandchildren and I don't want that to be what he teaches them. He does use it in context if the dogs make a "mistake" in the house and he knows they did it even when it is in another room and he doesn't see it. Timber will surprise you just when you are not expecting it. It is kind of the way I feel about Gilbert's flight abilities. I am pretty sure he is getting close, but don't dare to hope too much. Our life will change when he is able to get into more mischief and while I welcome some of it, there may be a learning curve on my part to keep him safe and happy when he decides to show me his new talents.

[Timbersmom]

I know what you mean about the potty mouth. Except for one time (I think he said "damn it") Timber doesn't say anything that would offend anyone. I don't appreciate bad language either, but it can be hard not to laugh when you hear it coming from a bird, and especially when it is used appropriately. I'll make a prediction that Gilbert will be flying by spring! I'm wondering how long it will take Timber's clip (the vet did it when I first got him) to grow out, and what I will do when it does. We'll see!

[katana600]

Java had a severe clip when we got her and it took a little over a year to grow out. Of course it makes a difference whether Timber had a recent molt and flight feathers molt two at a time from what I understand. It will be interesting to have a flighted Gilbert. I like the thoughts a whole lot better with his new found personality than before, though I wished it fervently hoping flight would improve his confidence and outlook. Maybe yes, maybe no. For now, we just enjoy very much what we have and not look at "time", Gilbert has been a study in ridding myself of any expectations or clocks. He is just a sweetheart lately, asking for lots of head rubs, no quivering of his chest any more when any of us approach and he has not done one of his cobra strikes out of the blue either. I don't know about him, but I am certainly less nervous about what might happen.

[katana600]

We felt a little earthquake here in Georgia. We are about 30 miles north east of midtown Atlanta. We felt some rumbling, shaking and swaying, just gently this early afternoon. David thought it came from the washing machine being off balance, that is how mild it was. I went to check and the machine was off and my computer stand was still swaying. Gilbert was with me in New York state last year when we were in a much harder quake and he was really upset by it. I just read confirmation that a 4.3 earthquake had an epicenter in Kentucky and that is what we were feeling. Gilbert hunkered down in his cage but he wasn't distressed like last time. He knew it was coming three minutes before I noticed it the last time. This time, I thought it passed without him noticing. Then he scurried off the cage to the lowest point and dropped to the floor where he would usually go down the rope. He went across the hallway to get under Java's cage and stayed there for about a half hour. I was keeping an eye on him to see what it was going to do. He found a couple of dropped foot toys and played with them a while, then he came out very slowly and went to his travel cage on the floor and up, up, up to his playtop once again. Sweet. It is the first time I have seen him use the cage extension and rope to climb back up. He usually comes running to find me and asks for a step up off the floor. Love seeing him be independent and figuring things out. I think when he realizes how easy it is to get up and down, he might start exploring and engaging with us in the living room on his own terms.

[Timbersmom]

Good to hear that Gilbert weathered the earthquake so well, but hope he doesn't have to get "used" to it, ha. Here in southern Illinois we live near the New Madrid fault, and have an occasional rumble. Nothing since Timber has been with us though so I'm not sure how he would react.

[katana600]

The little bit of a quiver we had has shaken things up a bit for Gilbert. He startled off his cage and hid for a while under Java's cage. It seems like he said "hmm, what's this" and got into some mischief the rest of the day. He was feeling his oats, climbing around, shredding things. He has had a coco fiber ball all this time and it seems he suddenly "found" it a couple of days ago and now it is completely destroyed. Later in the evening Java was getting even with Gilbert for hanging out too close to her cage, so she landed on his and heckled him. He didn't come out after her this time, I watched closely from a position where I could intervene in case of bloodshed, but it all worked out. As she went from place to place on his cage top, he hung upside down from his ceiling and postured and swung his head wildly and carried on like I haven't seen from him. Today while I went to the grocery store, he has turned into a regular little grey boy. He shredded the bark on his playstand and from his droppings, he was all over the living room floor. It was boy's day in, David enjoyed his antics. While I was cleaning up a three quart bucket full of wood bark, Gilbert was high above demanding to know what I was doing. He just got it the way he likes it. I have to say, even while on my hands and knees for twenty minutes cleaning up his mess, I was smiling because he is doing exactly what he should be doing.

[katana600]

Gilbert has been getting in the middle of his floor stand and just playing and having a big time. You can barely see him in there, he is still camera shy. He has been climbing up and down the ropes and just being a creative little fellow lately.

[judygram]

I can see him peeking out there in the middle of that stand, glad he is enjoying it.

[Luvparrots]

It has been wonderful to watch Gilbert grow in confidence. Great job Dee and hubby!

[Ray P]

Hay Dee we all new this day was coming and now its here

[katana600]

This day has been a long time coming in my grey journey, but I started a couple of years before Gilbert came to me. Come to think of it his story started with humans about ten years ahead of me. We took another huge step forward this morning, or I should rather say, a step up. I was up before the dawn and got a little ahead of him. He generally will go to his favored "touching" perch and position himself for a scratch session. He previously only permitted that at night, but over the past months, he has gone through stages of no touching permitted, to recently wanting to have a scratch every time I am walking near him. He has been coaxing me back out of bed at night after lights out for a little reassurance and a scratch before he goes to sleep. This morning he was barely awake when I came out and he tried to position himself for a scratch on his roost perch but it was too far to stretch his head. He has never been comfortable with me reaching into his cage, but he looked so sleepy and sweet and was trying so hard to get a grip on the bars to get a scratch I reached in and asked if he wanted a scratch. Much to my surprise he let me scratch his head inside the cage. This is a first. Then, he keep looking and hesitating like he wanted "something" so I offered him a step up. I do that often and he usually will push me away. When I asked for a step up, he postured and lowered his head so I couldn't reach his feet and nudged me away as usual and I said "it's okay buddy, when you're ready"... as usual. Much to my surprise he lifted his foot and stepped up from inside his cage. I was enthralled. He has not offered me a step up since the braces were installed on my teeth a year ago, and never from inside his cage. I carried him to my chair and he had his first real relaxed head rub and when he started "pacing" I asked if he wanted to go back. He stepped up, but going back was not what was on his mind. He was getting up to let go of the mother lode of all morning bombs. That was a near hit, phew, thank you Gilbert. We have had more closeness and he is making it very difficult to think of driving to Odessa Thursday morning. We are flying back early Sunday, but I am really really not wanting to leave while it is so good between us. I have faith that he knows his live-in sitter well and we will pick up where we left off, it is just so good and so hard won a trust that I am mindful of the saying "always leave them wanting more". We couldn't have made it here without all of you from the forum advising from years of experience and giving me the encouragement to hang in there and learn grey time and make this Gilbert's forever and ever amen, home. I am beyond over the moon in love with his little guy.

[katana600]

Off we went Thursday morning in a U-Haul to set our youngster off on an independent life of her own. We drove straight through and landed in Midland TX around four am Friday morning. Our help to unload was stricken with food poisoning so we not only unloaded one truck but went to storage and brought a second load. When we flew home Sunday, my first concern was to run to see how Gilbert fared our absence. He loved his sitter and we only found a few feathers in the bottom of his cage. He has become so much more confident and able to withstand the stressors of life. He was delighted to see David again and he stepped up from inside the cage to him. Wonders never cease. For my part, he is giving me a bit of the cold shoulder and stinkeye, but this morning he was happy enough to offer me a little scratch on his head. I was close enough to inspect his chest and most of his feathers are intact, so he didn't get too bothered by our time away. He had a lot of time out of his cage and Sandi said all she had to do at night was ask if he was ready to go night night and he ran inside as fast as he could. Java wasn't so cooperative and she had to be caged so she was in rare form last night flying around and challenging "the favored son". He was up to her challenge and we are seeing more of his courage as he stood his ground and chased her off his cage. They are getting closer and closer to working out their differences and our home is changing. Once Java flew off his cage, Gilbert practiced flapping so hard, I thought he might lift the cage airborne, he is catching some wind with his wing feathers starting to get stronger. Someday, he is going to chase her off his cage and follow right behind her.

[Timbersmom]

So glad to hear that Gilbert weathered the trip so well I can't get over how much progress Gilbert has made in the last few months. Moral of the story... never give up

[katana600]

The changes coming over Gilbert are remarkable. In the eight weeks that he has been given the rescue remedy, he is more outgoing and confident. He is not destroying his feathers. For the first time, with his back turned to me, I don't see white downy feathers because his wings are covering his back. He has a full chest of feathers for the first time since he has been with us. Best of all is his activity level, he climbs all over the cage, floor stand and down to the floor now. He is definitely beginning to have a bond with David. It is good for both of them. As we were preparing to leave he postured for David to rub his head, then offered a step up and when David took him to sit on his lap I heard him ask Gilbert if we were going to have to start back at square one when we returned from this trip. How pleased we are that he weathered that absence. Today he has asked David for step ups several times since he came home from work. For the first time, Gilbert was calm and confident away from his comfort zone. He came to the table to have dinner with us. We put a table stand right on the kitchen table and shared a bit of tomato soup, crackers and grilled cheese sandwich with him. It was magical. Gilbert was blushing. I have waited for this opportunity with Gilbert for almost two years. Watching him overcome his great fear and start to show a willingness to share our life is more than I hoped for when we brought him home.

[Acappella]

Y'know, reading your description of how Gilbert's feathers are coming, and staying, in made me think of something. I think you need to change out his picture in your signature for a more fully feathered version. He's not that little half-plucked boy any more. <3

[Greywings]

Gilbert's growth into a whole and happy bird is such an uplifting story. Your reports on his progress make me tear up sometimes. Keep up the good work you have brought a wonderful experience here for so many to share and it will help an unknown number of other birds who have this journey ahead of them from the depressed dark into light and love, such confidence you have given him!

[katana600]

Thanks for the tips, I think I will try to get a photo of him when he is happy on the table stand perch at dinner. That is the most engaged and delighted I have ever seen him. Of course, it has only happened once and I get so "into" his little self that I can't think to stop for a second to take a photo. That will be number one on my holiday list, I will charge the batteries. One thing about the journey we have taken with Gilbert is that his very description from previous failed rehomes was that he had "issues" and indeed he has baggage. There have been disappointing days that we wondered what we have gotten ourselves into and all I can do is to think how it must look from his perspective. For the most part, we have taken the mainstream advice from all the experienced grey companion people on this forum and given him the room, the respect and gentleness he deserves and while it may have taken a long time, it is tried and true advice and it does work. Whether we are bringing home a delightful new baby, a well-loved older parrot going through hard times or a genuine hard case, we are going to have ups and downs, great joys and great dissapointments and it really does take everyone working together, finding new solutions, reminding us of where we have been and most of all encouraging all the parrot lovers through those dark days to see that glimmer of hope that eventuallly does blossom. I think the hardest thing I have had to learn from Gilbert is to back off and give him the time and space to find his own courage and spirit and willingness to try with us.

[katana600]

Gilbert continues to show improvement. He has been having little episodes of temper fits. They are quite appropriate and he is learning to express his frustrations without damaging his feathers or chewing on his feet. He has been diligently stripping all the bark off his branch floor stand. There is a "boing" attached that swings and swirls. He spotted a fork in the branch that still had bits of bark on it, so he carefully maneuvered himself and was picking away when the boing slowly revolved and pulled him out of reach of the object of his desire. After a few rounds, he stepped off the boing and onto the branch and when he would duck down to chew, the boing would revolve back and bump him. He pushed it away, slowly and carefully at first, but as soon as he let go and went back to work, it would slowly come around and bump him again. He bit it, shoved it hard and it came right back and nearly pushed him off balance. All I can say is I am glad that was a rope and not my finger the way he grabbed it, shook it much like a puppy with a toy, then positioned himself for a battle on a grand scale. Later he repeated a similar battle with a hanging bell. In the meantime he has been gradually increasing the radius of his "foraging" territory on the floor. He has discovered a world of wonderland under his cage and on the shelf under the cage that holds his toys and treats. He continues to call me Lulu and keeps us laughing. When I discovered he had pooped on the floor, I got the cleaner and paper towel and it never fails that he associates that with his cussing but he changed it up a bit this time. After a couple of expletives he kept repeating "sh*t on the floor" and was disdainful and clearly agitated and it was his own poo this time. I kept telling him "it's okay" and he responded with "Gilbert's okay".

[Acappella]

You describe the battle of the boing so well! I've seen similar fights with bells and swings. They're soooo funny in this mood, it's almost impossible not to laugh. I join in, encouraging "kill the bell, kill the bell".