JADA BO BADA
JADA'S IMPACT
Jada has had a huge impact here. It has been 5 months since Jada joined us. All of the birds are making strides at communicating more often. Harry, who tends to speak or prattle to herself less than an hour a day has been using her words more. Boo is also gaining confidence to use acceptable sounds more often. Though the screaming still continues. I have recently heard Jada say "Stop it!". Jada starts talking between 7 and 8 in the morning. Stops for 10 minutes to eat and continues till 10 or so. Will have a quiet hour or two and talk for the rest of the afternoon.
Her ability to learn is amazing. She is averaging a word, phrase or sound every week to 10 days. Yet she says only about 5 phrases that she would have known prior to coming here. I am hearing a few more.
As Jada's learning new phrases and isn't hearing the "cuss" words she is slowly forgetting to use them. I am now only hearing one on a 2 week period. She is also learning to string same meanings, or reply to a sentence. The last couple of weeks our conversations are centering around...Stop it Boo! No yelling. She will get loud and then say Jada, no yelling. Be A Good Girl!, Jack's a Brat, be a good boy Jack. Naughty girl, is coming out but not learned here.
She has picked up Boo's yell and Jazzmine's noise of frustration. When her volume gets out of control I will cover her for a few minutes, sometimes it works really well and she comes back out of it with an acceptable ~ house voice. Other days I may have to repeat the process a couple of times to gain her cooperation. I give all the birds a warning by placing the cover on top of the cage first. Many times it will be the only necessary step.
When Jada came here she only had down feathers. She had plucked herself completely bare ~ like a cornish hen in the grocery store. The down feathers had come in at a home where they only had her 3 months. This is a picture at the end of June. (5 months since arriving here). Jada has only plucked her feathers a couple of times since arriving and they are slowly coming back in, but with a catch or two. Jada isn't removing the feather sheaths as they grow in and therefore she tends to lose them as they break off if she is flapping around and hits them against a bar.....or does a panic dive to the floor if we have managed to scare her. For me to help I would have to towel her as she doesn't allow me to touch her. Which I really don't want to put her through. So she is still looking rather ratty. Watching the feathering progress it is strangely coming in top to bottom.
I have had Jada Bo Bada on a number of supplements since arriving that she had never had before. Palm Oil which is a natural food item for Greys. Very popular plant in their native territory with a huge burst of Vitamin A. Spirulina for trace minerals. A sea algae dried. Proboost, a multivitamin. And sometimes Guardian Angel a formula for sick birds. Another product that I use is Electrolize a product for increasing appetite in reptiles. I put a couple of drops in their drinking water if I see that somebody's appetite is down for more than a few days.
Jada has a relationship with my husband that I am jeolous of. Whenever she sees Chris, we get..."Comere...Comere....can I have a kiss". While Jada will attempt to bite me if I ask her to step up. She will go to my husband without hesitation. Gets on his shoulder and rubs her head on his cheek and neck, nuzzling and cooing, grooming his hair and trying to get kisses. One day Jada and I may come to conflict over the issue, as she matures.
An African Grey is a very large responsibility. These birds require huge amounts of interaction consistantly. Their minds need to be stretched and their lives are long. African Greys really need someone to be at home with them. A working person cannot supply what they need. If you are an at home person whose circumstances change....this is a bird species that you will have to look into rehoming and you will do it because you will recognize that you cannot fulfill it's needs.
This is the end of the first week in July. I went to spend 3 days with my kids and mom. Chris was working nights.....5:30 pm to 5:30 am. Chris came home the last morning to find the floor around Jada's cage filled with feathers. She has plucked out most of her chest again. (frowning). She continued the behaviour for 8 days. Once the plucking behaviour is learned it is very difficult to correct. I think Jada just could not take so much alone time.
**Nah, I am going to revise that today ~ Feb. 09. Something scared her. Jada has lots of trouble living in the "midst of humanity". The frights seem to go in stages and make her very nervous. A couple of scares in a row will set her off for quite a time. Takes her a week or so to calm down.
Dealing with Jada's panic attacks
I have changed Jada's cage to a triangular one that is smaller but has a playtop. Being in a tall narrow cage when she panicked she had a long way to fall. Jada makes a panicked suicide jump about 3 times a day. I crossed my fingers that the cage move didn't start a plucking episode. It didn't, but she was not happy and we heard little distressed noises for a few days. Now she is only able to fall about a foot from her regular perches. Most of Jada's falls took place at night ~ night frights. I have managed to eliminate most now by covering her cage in the evenings. Not a change she is happy with but is physically helping the situation. Covering the cage also keeps her quiet until wake up time at 8:00.
My husband, when working day shifts is up at 4:20 am. Since Jada adores him she would begin talking to him at that time ~ disruptive to the others and shortening their nights. Covering the cage has had a positive effect in that way.
3 weeks into the trial with the new cage.......I went back to her square one again. Jada did not adjust to the change in cage.
I also, Now writing in Feb of 09 and looking back at my words am amazed by how far she has come. Sometimes Jada will go 2 or 3 weeks without a panic attack, these days. Then we will get 2 or 3 in quick succession and we are backed up a week until she comes out of it.
***A note on using Red Palm Oil. I was stunned by the amount of dust Jada produces. Greys definately hang around this palm in their natural habitat and eat the fruit. It is packed full of Vitamin A and adds oils into their skin which has a huge impact on the amount of dust created, that covers everything around them. I wouldn't be without it. Be forewarned that Vitamin A can also be overdosed.
Extra humidity always helps too! Using a humidifier in their vicinity is another great tool.
Update on Miss Jada: Feb 09
Jada has been here for a year now. Jada.........Jada still won't let me touch her.....with the exception of rubbing a finger across her toes. Our relationship is very strong though in a verbal manner and my gosh, the girl wears me out with the conversations. I thought I would try to do a list of Jada's words and phrases that she has picked up this year.
The first line of the name song: Jada, Jada, Bo Bada......but not the second...Fee, Fi Fo Fada yet! Hello, Hi, How are you?, What are you doing? Want a cookie? Are you O.K.? You're ok, pretty girl. Coffee? Want a coffee? and Coffee's Ready. Jada will whistle very loud.....then the possible phrases are.......Jada! No Yelling! Too loud! No, no, no, no, no. Be a good girl. (kissing sounds), I love you. Can I have kisses? Good kisses. Relax! Okay Dokey, Hokey Pokie. Rightio? Right Jada Bada! Smart Girl! Jack is a brat. Jada is a brat. Peek a boo.
The dog phrases include: Go, Maggie, Go. Run, Maggie, Run. Maggie get your toys. Come'ere Shaggie Maggie.
Good girl. Good boy. All the other bird names......JinJin, Jazzy, Jack, Harry and Boo. Move your toes. What's the word bird? Jadas the word bird. Can I have a kiss? Come on, come here. Talk to me. Are you talking to me? Oh, no! Crash! Right, big boy? Stop. No more. and....... Yackity, yack, don't talk back.... don't talk, don't talk, don't talk back. Tickle, tickle, tickle. Gimme kisses. Want a treat? Yeah! Yeppers! Are you talking to me?
Game boy sci fi assorted beeps, Sound effects include about 8 whistles, coughing, burping, microwave, fire alarm, imitations of all the other birds. She has a little roar too. And imitates a dumpy (whites) tree frog and green barking frogs.
She directs her inquiries by name, or her comments......JinJin are you OK? or Boo, no yelling, be a good boy. She loves Chris......when she sees him in the morning.......she says Are you OK....followed often by...how are you? .... kisses for him. Love you. Coffee?
It is amazing the concepts that she grasps. She participates with all the dog phrases if Maggie is having a little excitement and joins the fun. Sometimes, she frustrates the other birds with her consistent chatter, and they can get rather loud, seems to affect Harry the most. The female Eclectus are picking up a few extra phrases, about 5 or 6.
Our conversations seem to satisfy the flock and Jack hasn't picked up any extra words and is very passive. Harry is choosing to talk more often though again I am not hearing new phrases. The Ekki's participate an hour or so a day. Jada brings a lot to the house.
She is still very timid in other ways. As stated above, she will not come to me. Has bitten me for overstepping my boundaries. She does not like new toys and will take a week or two before going to them. She panics once every couple of weeks still, usually late at night or early morning. Never fails that she breaks a feather doing so. She is still looking very raggedy in appearance.
Jada ~ March 09
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