You are more courageous than I am.
Virgie and Hoshi
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Phil Scovell" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, March 27, 2006 11:24 PM
Subject: Chester the Parrot


> So, I let Chester out of his cage for lunch.  We do this every day while
> eating.  He normally just plays around on his cage, which is about the 
> size
> of a refrigerator, but sometimes he flies down, his wings are clipped, or 
> he
> climbs down, and runs across the living room and dinning room to the tall
> baby gate we have leading into the kitchen.  He loves climbing up the baby
> gate to watch Sandy working in the kitchen.  Anyhow, I let him out today 
> and
> he was, pun intended, in a fowl mood.  We think his behavior is connected 
> to
> the fact Sandy changed is morning breakfast meal this morning and he 
> prefers
> the bird pasta stuff she has, no fooling, been cooking on the stove for 
> him.
> He loves it for his early morning meal.  He has regular bird seed she puts
> in another bowl in his cage before she goes to bed at night so he has food
> as soon as he awakens each morning but this is a special breakfast he gets
> that is extra.  I, on the other hand, have to fend for myself each 
> morning.
> Anyhow, after eating, I went over, as I normally do, to play with Chester
> for a few minutes so he gets some exercise.  He immediately started biting
> me way too hard.  I mean, he was leaving marks on my fingers and normally 
> he
> won't bite me that hard.  I kept trying to work with him but he kept 
> biting
> me harder and harder.  Finally, I got mad.  He kept running away from me 
> but
> I finally caught him with both hands and he clamped down on me like a pair
> of power pliers between my thumb and index finger.  Man, did that hurt.  I
> tossed him back into the cage and locked it.  I refused to talk to him 
> every
> time I walked by his cage and I guess he was mad, too, because he never
> tried talking to me either.  Finally, I stopped by his cage a couple of
> hours later, and he had made no sound all during that time, and stuck my
> fingers, like a dummy, between the bars of his cage and began talking to
> him.  He came over and nibbled on my fingers, very gently, and we played
> around together for several minutes.  He never once bit me too hard this
> time.  Then he starts whistling and talking to me and I did the same all
> afternoon.  Man, I sure hope Sandy goes back to feeding him that cooked
> pasta tomorrow morning because them birds can really clamp down.  By the
> way, tonight, I stopped by a second time and played with him through the
> bars.  He started taking his lower beak, which is pretty small compared to
> his upper beak, and he gently rubbed it on my finger like he was trying to
> pet my finger.  I hope he hasn't become confused as to my gender.  I can 
> get
> him so cranked up when playing and petting him, that he makes all sorts of
> cooing sounds and something else he has started doing, when he is really
> trying to show how much he appreciates me, I guess, is that he hawks up
> stored food in his gullet and lets it fall on my hands.  Yes, it is 
> lovely.
> I wish I could return the favor.  And, yes, I wash my hands after playing
> with him.  Like I always say, at least if you have an African Gray Parrot,
> you'll always have somebody to talk to.
>
> Phil.
>
>
> Has He Ever Crossed Your Mind?
> www.SafePlaceFellowship.com