Terrible 2s are here!

[Azzie]

It's been coming for the last few weeks, a subtle change in Cleo's behaviour, but the last few days it's been full on!

 

Don't wanna step up.

Don't wanna step down.

Don't wanna shower, wanna chew on curtain rings or wall paper instead.

Don't wanna kiss.

Don't wanna scritch

Don't wanna sit in one place for more than a minute.

Don't wanna go back to the cage.

 

She just wants to bite and get into stuff she is not supposed to. She seems very happy though, destroying everything in sight, whistling and making noises when in and out of her cage. Still eating like a trooper. She's turned into a criminal!

 

By the way she will be 2 years old on December 31, so she is spot on with her timing!

[Malikah]

I'm seeing moments here and there of how it will be with Miss Kito in a few months. Best wishes to you and your little monster!

[Ray P]

And just so you know it does not get any better. Age brings perfection.

[Jingles]

lol, now I know what's next!!!

 

Good luck!

[Acappella]

Well, the good news is that you have a perfectly normal grey. Of course, the bad news is that you have a perfectly normal 2-year-old grey!

[Ray P]

And 3 years old and 4 years old and 5 years old and so on

[judygram]

Ahh the terrible twos but then they go into the horrible threes and the difficult fours and well you get the message!

[Kevin]

What???? Oh No!!! I thought that after the terrible two's life got better.... Dorian will be 2 on Dec. 12 and has turned into a MONSTER... Boy can I relate to this. HE's into everything and doesn't deter from any mischevious or destructive behavior. Only at the end of the day when he's tired does he finally settle down and become affectionate, but he may just be fooling to get one more chunk out of my lip???? I love him dearly, but it's such a change from before. Please tell me your kidding and that after the two's they become more mature and settle down. Even if it's a lie, just tell me. lol

Kevin

[Azzie]

Actually, seriously....Cleo seems to have settled down a touch. She is still much more independent than what she was, and still acts like a little brat sometimes with some overly rough play which results in bites with bleeding, but I've found that giving her more (MORE!!) toys and things to exert her energy on seem to have helped.

[shanlung]

Try to take the effort to understand the mind of your grey as in the thread in training section below.

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?190599-Understanding-the-mentality-of-your-grey

 

You then will find you do not not fear or blame the 2s or the 3s or the 4s or whatever. Neither do you need to fear chomping on you and your fingers.

 

And you will get into a lot more fun with your birdie too.

 

Warmest regards

 

 

Shanlung

 

山龍

 

http://www.geocities.com/shanlung9

[Azzie]

Thank you for that link! It's a wonderful read, and very helpful as a reminder. Cleo and I have always had a respectful relationship, and prior to recently, the only time I was bitten was when I didn't respect her, and tried to force my will on to her.

 

I have to say she has definitely changed though, a lot more independent in one way, yet a lot more close in the other.

[Guest Kali_the_Destroyer]

I must be lucky (or strict)

Kali is a real sweetie, always affectionate, always does as she's told, more or less. Yes, she is into everything, and tries to bite and destroy everything she can reach, that's a given with a Grey. I allow her to play rough sometimes (we call the game "Spider") Video here, ffwd to 4:50

 

She's 22 months old. Should I be afraid, very afraid?

[ozziebird]

do they ever really come out of the terrible two's lol

[chezron]

Azzie,

I can emphasize with you. Brutus is 2 years and 8 months. He absolutely loves being awful! He ignores his toys for opportunities to destroy valued household objects. The crown molding, door moldings, wooden cabinets, the rubber seal on the refrigerator are all gnawed. He has perfected hanging upside down under doorways and waiting for people to pass underneath, and watch them walk a few steps before he flies at their heads, bonks them with his feet, and flies off. Any dish drying in the rack better be indestructible or put away fast. He LOVES to drop heavy blocks and toys into whatever I am cooking. And believe me, he always finds the heaviest ones! If I hear silence I become very afraid because it means he has found something to destroy, that we forgot to put away. My suitcase has large chunks taken out of the handle, my tv remote control is missing half the buttons, my sofa no longer has decorative nail heads in the upholstery, and the ceiling fan and wooden blinds now have a shredded look to them. We realize we probably have thousands of dollars of damage to repair before we sell the house, but we consider it a small price for the joy he brings into our lives! This bird LOVES to be alive! He absolutely revels in it! His vocabulary is outstanding and he has an excellent appetite! He loves his Mama! As long as I pay attention to his body language and don't try to handle him when he is "spun up" I am okay. In fact, he has never bitten me very hard, and I think it is because I pay attention. Our favorite game is when I walk from room to room and he flies to each one as I call him. We can go for quite a long time now before he tires. He LOVES to fly! He chortles with glee every time he is in flight. I deal with the terrible twos by finding ways to get him to do what I want without stress. For example, if I want to take him outside, I call him into the bathroom, close the door, and turn out the lights, and he steps easily onto my hand, and into his travel cage. Food and enticing new toys or sounds get him to do things happily and of his own free will.

[Azzie]

Hahaha Brutus sounds like a real character.

 

Actually Cleo now has totally mellowed out. She is much more affectionate than she has been, loves just sitting on me or with me, is asking for scratches now and can sit for an hour like that, being preened and scratched by me.

 

She is still a true parrot in the sense that everything needs to get chewed and bitten.

I can sympathise with the remote buttons and anything wooden. Throwing things is also a favourite pastime.

She still detests my roommate with a passion, and I can't help but snigger to myself when I see her get "that look" on her face as she prepares for a dive bombing run. Of course the flatmate performs like a trained seal, squealing, shouting, ducking and flapping his arms, which makes it all the more fun for her.

[chezron]

I wish Brutus would just sit quietly. If I don't scratch or caress constantly, he is on the move looking for something in his proximity to destroy. Maybe he will get better in a few years.He does LOVE to be scratched though. Azzie, the roommate divebomb sounds hauntingly familiar hmmm...