Post by siobhan on Jul 17, 2015 15:13:29 GMT -5
So we've had the honeymoon period. We've had the "Will you still love me if I'm a monster?" period. And now we are, I hope, settling into an even keel. Rocky 'Too's attacks on Hubby inspired him to keep a towel handy and when Rocky charged, he would drop the towel over him. Rocky would halt, Hubby would pet him through the towel and when he took off the towel, Rocky would, as often as not, waddle back to his cage. After a while, this became a game. Rocky stopped attacking the towel (perhaps Bill's chants of "Toro! Toro!" amused him) and would just waddle over and lean on it so Bill could pet him.
For a while during this time, Rocky was very testy with me. Pinching me and bruising my arms. Giving me the stink eye when I tried to pick him up. Displaying and squawking and in general being a brat. For a few days, I petted him on his cage and didn't pick him up. Then, voila, Sweet and Snuggly returned and he wanted hugs and kisses and muttered and sighed and said "ooooh." For a couple of weeks now, he hasn't even been shrieking much. A little. 'Toos have to shriek a little. But not much. He goes to bed more or less meekly and peeks under his cover to say "Hewwo!" or "I wuv ooh!" We can sit on the porch again and he keeps watch over the birds on the feeder. He's back to destroying his toys and newspaper and cardboard. Bill even picked him up yesterday and got away without bleeding.
Rocky is very reluctant to step off if he doesn't feel adequately cuddled first. He'll grab the cage with his beak and hang on for dear life and squeeze my arm with his feet so I can't get him off. He reminds me of myself as a little girl trying to hang on to the car so Mom couldn't drag me into the school building. Remind me to tell you that story someday. My brother loves to tell that story yet, and that was in 1967. So I don't argue with Rocky. I let him think he's won, and I step away from the cage and I snuggle and kiss a minute more and then try again. Eventually, he gives in and steps off. It's all good.
I begin to think this is going to work out after all.
For a while during this time, Rocky was very testy with me. Pinching me and bruising my arms. Giving me the stink eye when I tried to pick him up. Displaying and squawking and in general being a brat. For a few days, I petted him on his cage and didn't pick him up. Then, voila, Sweet and Snuggly returned and he wanted hugs and kisses and muttered and sighed and said "ooooh." For a couple of weeks now, he hasn't even been shrieking much. A little. 'Toos have to shriek a little. But not much. He goes to bed more or less meekly and peeks under his cover to say "Hewwo!" or "I wuv ooh!" We can sit on the porch again and he keeps watch over the birds on the feeder. He's back to destroying his toys and newspaper and cardboard. Bill even picked him up yesterday and got away without bleeding.
Rocky is very reluctant to step off if he doesn't feel adequately cuddled first. He'll grab the cage with his beak and hang on for dear life and squeeze my arm with his feet so I can't get him off. He reminds me of myself as a little girl trying to hang on to the car so Mom couldn't drag me into the school building. Remind me to tell you that story someday. My brother loves to tell that story yet, and that was in 1967. So I don't argue with Rocky. I let him think he's won, and I step away from the cage and I snuggle and kiss a minute more and then try again. Eventually, he gives in and steps off. It's all good.
I begin to think this is going to work out after all.
