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?
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