Post by siobhan on Sept 9, 2016 16:59:05 GMT -5
Last night I demoted Clyde from Chief Bird in Charge to buck private and it may take some time for him to work his way back up.
I've had a crazy week and granted, he hasn't had enough attention. Nobody has. Last night I finally had some time to spend with them and I settled down in my chair figuring on some quality time. As always, Clyde took possession of a shoulder and Benjy sat on my left hand and Johnny flew over to sit on my leg and demand scritches because he's having a giant molt and has lots of pinnies.
Johnny's little feet no more than touched my leg before Clyde made the sound that always precedes at attack and he bit the living crap out of my face and then went for my ear but, for a change, I had my hair down instead of in a ponytail and all he got was hair. I jogged my shoulder and said "get off of me" and true to his nickname of Velcro Birdy, that didn't even get him off balance. So he's wildly attacking my hair and I'm trying to keep my face out of harm's way and all the commotion terrified Johnny, who is kind of nervous anyway, and he flew off to the curtain rod, and then Freddie, who hadn't even been nearby, freaked out and the two tiels are doing laps, and Jade is shrieking because she's Jade, and Benjy decided to join the tiels in doing laps, and Clyde is shrieking and attacking me. I finally managed to get up and get Clyde off, and he sat on the back of the chair cussing and screaming at me in Quaker, and when he's in that mood I can't even be in the room with him. He will follow me and fly at me and attack me and he wants blood. So I had to leave and wait for him to calm down at least a little.
At bedtime, I sneaked back in and the tiels had stationed themselves on curtains, and Johnny wouldn't let me anywhere near him. I couldn't even kiss him goodnight. He flew away from me. Rather than try to pick up Clyde and put him to bed, which has been our nightly ritual for years, I left him sitting on a perch on his cage and figured he could find his way to his happy hut or sleep on the perch, but I wasn't going to get him riled up again. I gave up locking them in their cages for bed weeks ago when Freddie decided he was no longer going to cooperate, so the rest sleep wherever they are at bedtime. Clyde's really the only one I tuck in anymore. This morning he was in his hut and came out of it when I came in to feed fish and turn on their light, so he found his way in at some point.
I understand they're annoyed at not seeing much of me all week. Parrots love routine and Quakers are the most insistent on routine of any species I have. Still, if you want to spend time with me, attacking me is not the way to get what you want. He's far too prone to these insane moods and is the only bird of all seven who ever just flat out attacks me. Rocky bites sometimes, always careful to bruise and not make me bleed. The others sometimes peck if I'm doing something they don't like. But they're just expressing an opinion. Clyde just ATTACKS and he WANTS to do real harm. More than once, I have considered finding him a new home because of this. It's ridiculous to have a creature in the house that wants to hurt me. And when he's in this mood, I can't spend any time with the others in that room, so they suffer for his idiotic behavior.
I've had a crazy week and granted, he hasn't had enough attention. Nobody has. Last night I finally had some time to spend with them and I settled down in my chair figuring on some quality time. As always, Clyde took possession of a shoulder and Benjy sat on my left hand and Johnny flew over to sit on my leg and demand scritches because he's having a giant molt and has lots of pinnies.
Johnny's little feet no more than touched my leg before Clyde made the sound that always precedes at attack and he bit the living crap out of my face and then went for my ear but, for a change, I had my hair down instead of in a ponytail and all he got was hair. I jogged my shoulder and said "get off of me" and true to his nickname of Velcro Birdy, that didn't even get him off balance. So he's wildly attacking my hair and I'm trying to keep my face out of harm's way and all the commotion terrified Johnny, who is kind of nervous anyway, and he flew off to the curtain rod, and then Freddie, who hadn't even been nearby, freaked out and the two tiels are doing laps, and Jade is shrieking because she's Jade, and Benjy decided to join the tiels in doing laps, and Clyde is shrieking and attacking me. I finally managed to get up and get Clyde off, and he sat on the back of the chair cussing and screaming at me in Quaker, and when he's in that mood I can't even be in the room with him. He will follow me and fly at me and attack me and he wants blood. So I had to leave and wait for him to calm down at least a little.
At bedtime, I sneaked back in and the tiels had stationed themselves on curtains, and Johnny wouldn't let me anywhere near him. I couldn't even kiss him goodnight. He flew away from me. Rather than try to pick up Clyde and put him to bed, which has been our nightly ritual for years, I left him sitting on a perch on his cage and figured he could find his way to his happy hut or sleep on the perch, but I wasn't going to get him riled up again. I gave up locking them in their cages for bed weeks ago when Freddie decided he was no longer going to cooperate, so the rest sleep wherever they are at bedtime. Clyde's really the only one I tuck in anymore. This morning he was in his hut and came out of it when I came in to feed fish and turn on their light, so he found his way in at some point.
I understand they're annoyed at not seeing much of me all week. Parrots love routine and Quakers are the most insistent on routine of any species I have. Still, if you want to spend time with me, attacking me is not the way to get what you want. He's far too prone to these insane moods and is the only bird of all seven who ever just flat out attacks me. Rocky bites sometimes, always careful to bruise and not make me bleed. The others sometimes peck if I'm doing something they don't like. But they're just expressing an opinion. Clyde just ATTACKS and he WANTS to do real harm. More than once, I have considered finding him a new home because of this. It's ridiculous to have a creature in the house that wants to hurt me. And when he's in this mood, I can't spend any time with the others in that room, so they suffer for his idiotic behavior.
