chezron

I have been doing Vinyasa yoga everyday (or more) to handle the stress of my divorce. I guess I have been saying, "Mama's sore" because lately Brutus has mastered the word, "sore" and he says it A LOT! He draws it out and makes it a multi-syllable word. It is funny. He also says "Oh My Gawd" now and I didn't realize I sound just like a Valley Girl. Before, when he just copied my husband I could talk with impunity because Brutus only copied him and not me. Brutus is just my funny, sweet little guy and I love him so much!

He is gorgeous!

Ray, I am so sad for you. I know how much you loved Cricket, and I loved Cricket too. I looked forward to your stories about her and the close bond you shared. I cannot imagine the pain you are feeling. I offer my condolences because that is all I have. Sorry Ray.

So sorry you have to go through the grief of losing Sunshine. I understand, empathize, and feel for you. He was a beautiful cat.

I love that my guys fly. Even Pancho, the couch potato amazon is flying a lot more lately and has learned to land very well. Brutus now makes a long trip from the the bedroom all the way to the kitchen without stopping. It involves one long arc and descending one level. It is really beautiful to watch. I praise him and he just puffs up with pride. He thinks he is the ace of the base, and he is. Brutus and Jimpster (quaker) race to me when I call them to see who can get there faster. None of them land on me, but fly to railings, etc. nearby. The competition is funny.

What a sweet story. I am happy for you. I have a similar story. I had my first quaker for 20 years. If I was making coffee i would stir the cup and tap the rim of the cup twice, with the spoon, to dry off the spoon. It made a ringing bell-like sound that my quaker copied. I thought it was so sweet because he never missed. He watched me so closely. He was the sweetest little guy and I miss him. Well, guess who does the same thing? Brutus, my grey, makes the little ringing sounds when I make my coffee and it makes me melt every time. I feel like I am in the movie, It's a Wonderful Life when Clarence says, "every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings." I feel like Bob is communicating with me through Brutus. So sweet!

I live in San Diego and I could possibly help you out. I don't know if you want to drive that far.

Great story! You have a smarty pants.

This is great news! Congratulations!

Have you tried taking her out into the sunshine? It worked for my grey when he started to barber his feathers. Just 15 minutes most days and you will see a remarkable calmness as your bird can make Vitamin D. A cage next to a window does not work because glass filters the beneficial rays, so the cage must go outside. What fixed Brutus is regular trips outside into the sunshine, and he also eats one cooked organic chicken drumstick bone every week. Both of these changes were suggested by my Avian Vet. The bones supply lot of valuable nutrients from the marrow. Seriously, after making these changes, Brutus never barbered his feathers ever again. Try it!

Moved Brutus, my grey, and Jimpster, a quaker across the country, in two different cars. I was nervous, but it turned out great! They loved all of the extra attention and ate slices of apples and nuts. They enjoyed the air from the vents. If anything, they had a better time than normal because they got petted for hours! They rode on top of their cages in the front seat. They did not get car sick at all. I heard that if you take them on short car rides, before the big trip, they will get used to riding in the car and not get sick. It worked for them.

What a wonderful memory!

So sorry this is so frustrating!

Thank you Inara for reminding me that this does not mean Brutus will turn into a biter. He really is sweet, pretty much all of the time. I do think a combination of hormones and anger made him act inappropriately. He knows the strength of his bite very well, and never oversteps his pressure when I have him on his back and we are "wrestling." He whips his head around and mouths me, sure, but he KNOWS not to bite hard, and he never gets so excited in playing that he does bite hard. I have no trouble having him step up out of the cage. Where I got into trouble was when, once out, he extends his foot like he wants to get picked up, but it is a ploy to get me to come over and then he bites me instead. He avoids being in his cage like the plague. If I get him out he will not go in except at bed time. If he is in the cage, he will repeat, "Wanna come out?" or "let's go outside" until he gets out. No, he knowingly bit me the other day and he knowingly bit me hard enough to draw blood. There is no denying that. But…. He is hormonal and he was angry--bad combination. I HAVE had him for six years, and he has never done this before. So, I will do what I always have done, and that is to figure out the circumstances, and avoid repeating them. He is still my sweet boy, and that has not changed. Thank you so much for your words of wisdom.

Great news! Congratulations!

Thanks for all of your heart-felt and insightful replies. It IS that time of the year when hormones are coursing. Also, I had changed the normal progression of the day which is usually 1) Take off covers in am 2) Bites of banana, yogurt, or apple 3) roll cages outside 4) Let them out of their cages to have lunch. The day I got bit, I left out the sun part because it had remained cloudy, so I let them out when I could see that it wasn't going to clear up. I think the combination of hormones, change of routine, and me, anthropomorphizing a bird led to a lot more hurt than was necessary. I was also in a bad place psychologically yesterday. I am a little better today.

Brutus has never bit me to speak of -- until today. In the last few months, about once every 1-2 months, if he is not pleased with me either because I am leaving the house or getting him out of his cage too late, he will squeeze my finger or skin pretty hard. He is 6 years old and he has never done this before. Now I know not to pick him up if he knows I am leaving because he will express his displeasure this way. The one thing I cannot change is getting him out of the cage. I always have him step up to come out of his cage. On sunny days I leave him in his cage until noon so I get roll him outside to get sun and this delays him coming out. Today was one of those days. Around noon I had him step up to come out, and he really NAILED me and drew blood. I am so hurt. This has never happened before and I am stunned. I know it doesn't help that I am still in the middle of dealing with my divorce and every day is another day of not knowing my future. I am fairly depressed and sad. I certainly didn't need to be bitten at this low point in my life, especially by the one being whom I love and depend on to help make my days a little bit better. I truly do not know what to do. Should I not ask him to step up to get out of his cage anymore? Should I just open the door and let him come out? I feel like an important bond and trust has been broken, and I am extremely upset. I hope you have words of wisdom for me.

I wish the best for you.

Videos please! Such an adorable description.

Have you tried sunlight? I swear it CURED Brutus when he started barbering his feathers. Just 15 minutes a day outside.

Chris and Matt, I can't wait to hear all about the reunion! Please share!

"My Grey that I lost to a divorce…" Did you get your grey back SterlingSL?

So today i just about fell out of my chair when Brutus says, "Want a chip Focker?" I have NEVER said this, and I have never said the bad word that "focker" sounds like. He just put these words together on his own. I hope he gets over this word pretty soon, it is a little too much like the bad word!

So for a time Brutus' favorite made-up word was "focker" and now he has changed it into "spocker" and "smocker." It is so funny because he says it with such force and certainty and he rolls the "r." I rarely watch TV so, by default, neither do the parrots. I do interact with them most of the day, and I repeat, respond to, or comment on, most everything they say. I just think Brutus likes to learn from a "male" voice. That is all I can come up with.

Good luck!