Joshua and I take a new direction.

At first I thought that handling Joshua would be the best tact to take. I would towel him and then massage his head and body which he seemed to enjoy. However, the panic and terror that ensued between the cage and the capture was too traumatic for both of us. My new slant on things is to simply allow Joshua to hang out with the cage open. He climbs out to romp on the hanging Atoms and Boinggs. He goes back into his cage to eat and sleep. He seems to like the new direction. If he goes to the floor, I let him climb up the cage stand and back onto his cage. No more chasing him down and toweling a growling grey. Just not worth it.

He and I will take our time and develop a better rapport before tackling the scary handling part. I was simply going too fast.

His vocabulary is more and more evident every day. He whispers when it's early and converses with me when I'm in the room. He is also picking up songs and phrases from the visiting guests. All in all, I'd say we're both doing very well.