Gilbert is home

[katana600]

Over the weekend, I was bringing in groceries. Each appearance through the doorway was met by Gilbert's familiar refrain "Hey LuLu". When I finished, I came to his cage, opened the door and greeted him and he said "Hey LuLu li'l lady" in the male southern drawl he often uses. I am so certain he is going back to his happy place and bringing up more memories and it is just so endearing. In the beginning when he came to us he called one of our dogs by his given name, but has always referred to the other (Baxter) as Lou. He only calls me LuLu and doesn't get the two mixed up. A couple of weeks ago, I deep cleaned his cage and when I put things back, they were not in the spots they were formerly placed. He refused to go down his cage or to the exact same floor stand and basement apartment just because the two were switched. He overcame that reluctance today and is finally taking great pleasure in tearing apart a "new" foraging setup. I found a small cardboard box, with chipboard dividers and he has been in there just shredding and enjoying himself all morning. Little does he know that in the wee hours tomorrow morning we are making another thousand mile trek to see family and finish up some business in Pennsylvania. This time I expect to be gone just two weeks. I will try to get online a little if I get out of the countryside to a wifi hotspot. It has been really good for Gilbert to see my sister and then come back home. I believe it is helping him expand his horizon to find lots of other humans who talk to him and treat him like a cherished family member. Then he returns home and I imagine his fears of being abandoned are relieved and he goes through a real growth spurt. This is the first time I am going back to stay at the same house with the same people that he had time to really get to know them and return. I can't wait to see how he reacts to seeing Marilyn again. I told him today that we are going and when I mentioned her name, he spun his head around to look me in the eye as if he was giving me a lie detector test. LOL.

[Ray P]

Have a safe trip and we will look for your post.

I believe that your travels along with many other things is what is making Gilbert a well rounded and happy TAG.

[kittykittykitty]

God speed on your trip. Howardine

[chelseaB]

Be safe Dee, Gilbert & crew. Can't wait to hear how Gilbert likes the reunion with his extended family.

[katana600]

We had a rough start on our journey and drove first from Atlanta to Jacksonville NC to deliver a refrigerator. Our hired movers dropped it down the outdoor concrete stairs. That night Gilbert slept on a desk just inches from my face. He softly sounded his "foghorn" alarm several times in the night. When I opened my eyes he asked for a reassuring head rub. The next day we drove 17 hours. It took longer because the dogs were whining every half hour. They have had carsickness so would stop and let them out. After a few stops, I made a spot on my lap up front. I heard whining and said "it hasn't been the dogs whining now has it Gilbert?" He laughed. Whenever we stopped, I gave the birds an almond to keep busy while we walked the dogs. He ate in the car while it was moving on this long trip.

Edited June 29, 2013 by katana600
Typo

[katana600]

Gilbert recognized everyone here in Pennsylvania and seems pleasant enough but he is taking a while to warm up. He is NOT happy about it taking two or three days to set up his travel cage to suit his fancy and he attempts to bite me whenever I close the latch so I installed a barrier to protect my fingers and his dignity. I do think the travel and meeting new people under protective circumstances has helped him rise above his fear that meeting someone new means a transfer to a new home. We both like it better at home in our own routine so in a couple of weeks when we get home we are going to stay put until Thanksgiving. It's nice to be here in summer. Gilbert is positioned near an open window. He can see us outside in the gazebo and his whistling, hooting and talking can be heard across the entire valley.

[Timbersmom]

Well my kids weren't thrilled with every vacation we took either Gilbert will survive and thrive

[katana600]

Gilbert is weathering his travel schedule. He is slowly warming up to everyone again. My sister and I were recalling how many weeks I was here last time before she was brave enough to approach him. In all fairness, he isn't being any worse than usual as he takes a long time to transition for one place to another. To us, there seems such a contrast of a month ago when we had been here for four months or so and he was calm and approachable. Now he is wary, watching and waiting for then moment he gets left behind, starts a new life with a new family's and strange changes in his food and routine. Every time we go someplace new, then return home Gilbert seems to get more curious and outgoing. We are heading home Sunday and I hope things are quiet again until Thanksgiving. I don't like change and transitions any better than Gilbert. I just usually don't try biting anyone, although it does seem very effective as a stress buster. I may have to think about it. LOL.

[birdhouse]

Ahh, those good old nursery school days! Life was so much simpler when you could say it all w/one good chomp. lol

 

Too bad Gilbert didn't enjoy his vacation as much as he might have. He may never be totally convinced & w/good reason. But even though he's just as stubborn as any Grey, he really is beginning to believe life isn't all sad & scary & it shows. You guys have a lot to show for the effort & it's just the tip of the iceberg.

 

Think it's safe to imagine some day, you'll look back 20 yrs & be amazed at how very far you've come together. And you'll still get that same rush of joy that you've got right now. It never, ever gets old.

[Greywings]

Gilbert sounds much stronger than he used to be, certainly not afraid to let you know when things are not to his liking. Travel safely and can't wait to discover if Gilbert make another step forward when he returns to home base.

[Ray P]

We all know that Gilbert`s path has direction and it`s up and he is following that path.

And we are following Gilbert to see his progress.

[Timbersmom]

I know the feeling, I almost bit someone this week myself!

[Greywings]

LOL Too funny

[judygram]

I know the feeling, I almost bit someone this week myself!

 

I feel like doing that every week.

[katana600]

As we packed the car in the early morning yesterday, Gilbert chewed off three flight feathers and a handful of fluff. Once we got on the road, he was so relieved that he was going that he forgot all his anxiety. I can't recall if I mentioned, he has a new word. "Mom". He repeats it over and over, louder and more insistent. It is obnoxious. One would think it is better than LuLu, but no, no it is not. It is the particular tone, of insistent demand, bordering on alarm with which he delivers it. My daughter thought it was hilarious, she started that after a scene with Will Ferrell in "The Wedding Crasher". Not cool. I finally said "What. Do. You. WANT?" He returned my sarcasm with "What. What. WHAT?" and he laughed hysterically. Then "Mom!" It was a long seventeen hour trip. Actually, just kidding with that, knowing he was comfortable enough to talk, whistle and laugh in the car was worth the confinement. We didn't get to bed before two am, so when he slept in past noon, I was kind of smiling about it. I don't know when I have seen him quiet that long in the morning. He has been really happy to get home again and has been very active today. He didn't take any time at all adjusting to being home again. He is in good spirits and is cooperative. One good thing about arriving home exhausted was I just slid his travel cage in front of his home cage so he could climb out on his own. It fit right under the open door of his big cage. I had never thought to put it there, but it is the perfect height and provides a much better "drop cloth" for when he perches on top of his door. His food dishes are also affixed to his door, so now when he drops food, it is contained and locked up from the dogs. I would have never considered putting it there, but it works like it was meant to be there.

[Greywings]

So exhaustion is the mother of invention. Happy to hear he is feeling at home again and more comfortable traveling as well. who knows what new moves he will come up with in the coming weeks.

[Timbersmom]

I hope Gilbert doesn't get his days and nights mixed up like my kids did when they would sleep all day! Great news that Gilbert is getting along so well with all the changes. He certainly knows where "home" is now

[katana600]

Gilbert has had a much easier time adjusting to this cross country travel than I have. It is a tougher adjustment each time. He, on the other hand has been charming. He has started something new. Each day for the past three days, he climbs down the outside of his cage about half way to the floor then attempts flight. He flaps and bumps and jumps. The first time, he hung out with David as though that was his original intent. We have been home alone the next two times and once he comes to a skidding halt, he will walk around on the floor confidently, then make his way back to the travel cage to climb up into his cage. He seems pretty good about his experience. I have noticed he has a bouyancy about being home again. We have come and gone a lot since he came into our lives and it does seem to reassure him that different places and new people don't necessarily mean a permanent change of homes. We are having severe storms tonight. Usually the thunder and lightning will make him so nervous and he will reassure himself with "Gilbert okay", but this time he jumped a little at an especially loud thunder that shook the windows and otherwise just continued his business and disregarded the tornado sirens and other emergency vehicle sirens tonight. When it would seem he would be most vulnerable at time of change, he is instead oddly more calm cool and collected. I fear I will never live long enough to figure him out, but it will be worth the price of admission.

[danmcq]

It sounds like Gilbert is coming along nicely. Through the travels with "The Flock" he knows the "Parronts" always know the path "Home" and perhaps that is also building trust and confidence in you both and that this is indeed his FINAL flock he will spend his life with. The new found flight ability is seemingly building confidence as well and more mobility. It is so good to hear of "Leaps of faith" he is taking more often now. Thanks for the update.

[kittykittykitty]

Gilbert is doing much better than I in this travel thing! Thank you so much for the posts.

[katana600]

One thing about our travel has opened my eyes just a little more to Gilbert's preferences. At home, both large cages are in my living room, in the hub of the house and the cage doors are open when I am home. Out of an abundance of caution, with large, somewhat unfamiliar dogs in the house, Gilbert was upstairs away from the activity. Also, I spent many many hours away and he was on his own quite a bit. He seems to have thrived in that quiet, secure atmosphere. There are moments when I consider moving a cage upstairs and giving him a change of scenery here, but I am the one who can't bear the sense that I am "locking him away". His caretaker most recent to his coming to us had four very young children, lots of noise and activity and that seemed to shut him down completely. I will be getting back to some marathon sewing days and he will be on the main floor, separated from me. It will be interesting to see if that makes him more lively and vocal. When he is calling out to me at home as I work on a different floor than he is he sounds pitiful and beseeching. When he was upstairs at my sisters, he was chattering happily, talking to us from the upstairs window while we were outside and every evening when everyone came home from work he was engaging and hooting and talking from his safe place upstairs. I know a lot of greys prefer talking when people are looking the other way, or out of the room. I haven't really noticed that in general with him. There were numerous times we would put the dogs in confinement and bring Gilbert downstairs and he was a chatterbox then as well. I may experiment a little with change of scenery with him and see how he does now that he is getting more comfortable. Previously if I took him to the main sewing room, he would hunch up and get vigilant and still. I wonder how he would do on the same floor, one room removed so he can hear me and see me occasionally but not up close. He is certainly being way more active since our time away from home. He gets on the floor every day now and he plays with every toy he has and accepts new small foot toys on the first offer. Slowly, slowly, he is making a transformation. I still see in his eyes he has NOT made up his mind yet on whether we are acceptable as house mates. LOL. At least he has been getting out and about and has his choice and still comes home with me.

[katana600]

Slowly things are getting back to normal with a week at home. One by one Gilbert's larger toys have been cleaned and returned to his cage. One of his favorites is that acrylic foraging toy that rotates with four clear boxes, each with a different lid type. He can immediately open all the boxes. Sometimes he stands up and just pulls the next one to him. Sometimes he gets on top of the toy and uses the bars to propel himself merry-go-round style. Sometimes he hangs upside down and swings that thing so fast I think it might come apart. It never fails to delight me as I think back to just a few short months ago when he had spent years in a scared, locked down state and would not look at or touch anything he was offered. His change seemed to come overnight. Once he started playing with things, it just made him blossom. If I remember right, it was when I removed everything exept perches and food dishes from his big cage that he started getting a little more curious and outgoing. He has lately been offering his head for a scratch and a long session of sweetness. Some changes have been immediate and a total turn in his behavior that have left me in wonder of what key clicked in the locked chambers of his heart and mind. Others have been so imperceptible that I didn't recognize that he has changed. As I returned toys to his domain, I noticed how quick I have to be to catch him at the right time and to plan ahead to move things just so to protect myself. This morning as he cooed and surrendered to a warm and cozy head scratch (still through the bars, on his terms) I came to realize he was no longer looking furtively, eyes darting, ready to snap at the slightest change in the room. He has not spun around to bite me in months. That is some good news for my fingers. On the other hand, he is much more confrontational, up close and personal. When I added a hanging toy to the top of his cage, he immediately climbed up there ready to hunt a grizzly bear with a small stick. When I used a wash cloth to block him from reaching my fingers as I tried quickly to screw the quick link together, he ran to the back of the cage, climbed a wire bridge to come up over the top to get at me from another angle. I used the top of my head to block him from my fingers and he pulled my hair and tried to get to my fingers. The little pip! This was for a favored toy filled with his coveted pine nuts. I was more careful and locked him out of his cage when I added his acrylic merry-go-round. Still he puffed up and came right at me and kept his mad on for over an hour. I feel like this is a victory, even if it isn't desired behavior, it is a bridge and step in the right direction. He has stopped being fearful and frozen in place, he has moved away from his tendency to mutilate himself and pull out feathers and he is showing emotion. Sometimes I have even noticed his eyes pin just a little bit. I know we can't put grey time on our calendar but I am willing to predict that at this time next year, he may be over his angry stage and prepared to broaden his horizons and happily take himself to new levels in home. I love this little guy no matter how long it takes.

Edited July 22, 2013 by katana600

[danmcq]

LOL, when you start "Messing" with their home, they are persistent in stopping you aren't they! They would kick your butt if you let them get that close. Oh, and don't forget when fully flighted to watch for eye watering back of neck pinch's when that ability comes.

 

Good for you and Gilbert that is is opening up more and more.

Edited July 22, 2013 by danmcq

[katana600]

This weekend when I was connecting his tall puzzle toy, I had a moment where I thought he was going over my head and down my neck and I thought of you Dan. I really thought I was going to get a neck pinch. It amazes me how he is becoming so much more playful and yet brazen where it comes to predicting what I might do next. When we first arrived to my sisters on the most recent visit, Gilbert was in a bad mood. He never would come out of his large travel cage to play in the room as he had on the first trip. He was determined to keep his cage closed and that made it really tricking to attempt to put food and water in for him. I put a set of food dishes on each end of his cage and a set attached to the front door. I arranged it that way to make certain I would never need to open a cage door during the travel because an escape at that time for a bird I believe to be flightless would be heartwrenching. I could fill his bowl with water and dry food without a fuss for the first few days. When the day came I needed to get inside to get fresh food cups in place, he was having no part of that. I opened the top and attempted to coax him out to keep from having a confrontation. He was on to me. I finally laid a small brown wash cloth over my hand and very very slowly would reach in with the other hand. I have never needed to towel Gilbert, usually just showing him a towel is enough to have him running to do what he is asked, I use that very judiciously only in dire times. This time with the wash cloth diversion worked fairly well with little stress on his part. The second time was different. He rushed right up to me and he snatched the corner of the wash cloth and he revealed the "little wizard behind the curtain". His occasional fury is only surpassed by his brilliance and cunning. My neck pinch is getting closer and closer... step by step, slowly he turned. LOL. I laughed so hard at you, I know I deserve it when it comes.

[danmcq]

LOL, Gilbert is sooooo smart! I remember that 3 Stooges quote "Niiiaaagra Falls, slowly I turned... step .. by .... step.." then the head banging bagan....Jesus, I am dating myself.

 

Anyway, I can totally picture that mentality! I just love him and his shenanigans!