Hector never fails to surprise and amaze me. If you’ve been reading here for awhile, then you know Hector isn’t a cuddly bird. She likes her cage, and feels most comfortable perched on her cage, with the door open. She likes the freedom to go in and out, climb around, chew up some cardboard, or go in her cage for a snack. She lets me pick her up, but she gets nervous if I bring her to another room and she can’t see her cage. Whenever I’m home, Hector’s door is open. She very rarely choses to leave her cage on her own.
Well, the other night I was in the living room watching a movie. I heard this soft little voice say “Hello?” and I looked down to see that Hector had walked into the room. Usually when Hector leaves her cage, I know about it. She doesn’t fly well, so I’ll hear the commotion. This time I didn’t hear a thing. Stealth Bird snuck into the living room! I’m glad my feet were up or she probably would have nibbled on my toe to let me know she was there.
She let me pick her up, so I got a towel (she poops constantly like all birds) and sat back down on the couch with her. Usually when I sit on the couch with her it takes about 23 minutes before she starts screaming and I bring her back to her cage.
This time was different. She seemed to want to hang out. She watched the TV, and she even put her head down like she wanted scratches.
I gave her head scratches, and she liked it! She was hanging out on my hand, and while most birds tend to move up to higher ground, like a shoulder, Hector is usually most comfortable perched on a hand, but this time she moved up my forearm, almost to my elbow.
Another thing Hector usually doesn’t do, is talk while I’m holding her. She usually likes to converse while she is safely on her cage, but she said “Hello” and she whistled, and made some other various noises, while she was sitting on my arm.
When I pulled out my phone to record this historic moment, she was very curious. She didn’t try to bite my phone like she usually does, instead she checked out the pretty bird, and even whistled at herself.
None of this may seem like a big deal to another bird owner, but Hector is different. Seeing her seeking out attention is HUGE. I think this old bird can learn new tricks!
While I’ve been writing this, I have many sets of eyes on me. Cali is watching from the floor while she snoozes. Bean is lurking, and then there’s the dragon. She starts by staring at me, then she starts banging on the glass with her little foot. Next thing I know she is trying to climb the screen on the top of her tank.
I opened her tank. Usually she climbs up to the edge, hangs out, and happily watches what is going on. Not today.
Today she leaped down onto the dog crate and visited with Bean. I love Bean of course, but I don’t trust him. So now Wena is hanging out on the back of my chair instead.
Logan is doing well. While I feel bad about having a cat in a cage, she is embracing her new cozy home. The other night I was letting her roam, like i do every night, and when I went looking for her, I couldn’t find her. I finally found her outside her new cozy home waiting to be let in! I think she feels safe and secure in there. She is away from the bossy boy cats, and she has her own space. I think most of us can relate to having our own safe and cozy space!
