Enko_chan
05-04-2010, 10:59 AM
I learned a few interesting things about what the birds understand this weekend.
There's always plenty of it in Boston, but this is ridiculous! Luckily, Kokoro and I were out of the danger zone for the last three and a half days- but Chris, the lovies and the parrotlets were home.
I don't know how widespread the news coverage was, but all of the greater Boston and most of Eastern Massachusetts was cut off from use of tap water from everything from hand/dish washing and brushing teeth, to human or animal drinking because of a busted water main that brought the clean water to the entire area. The bottled water flew off the shelf and was not available within a 45 minute drive. I brought many cases back from Central MA with me, as of course, did Chris's father the same evening... and then the ban was lifted immediately afterward. Anyhow...
At the beginning of it, Chris told the birds (who usually befoul their drinking water four or five times beyond the household health code daily) that we have very little water and asked them to please not poop or put things into their water.
Would you believe that over the weekend, Chris claims that no one put things or pooped into the water? He said Benny did once, but it was an accident- he was going to town on his cuttlebone, and his bum was above the water dish and one just slipped out. (Benny was our only bird aside from Kokoro who doesn't deliberately make soup, but since Sayuri arrived, he started using his water as a toilet. We think its because he knows I'll change it more often and he makes an escape attempt every time I open the door to do so.) To be fair, we haven't told the birds that the ban's been lifted, and they still haven't put anything in the water since I've been home.
Kokoro surprised me this weekend, too. He is usually very clingy in new places and shy to the point of utter silence around new people, or rather, anyone who isn't me and Chris, but he was a riot! He actually exuded his brilliance around other people- he was positively showing off! He learned new peoples' names in a second flat, and introduced himself! It was so great to see him like that. I was so scared for him that he was going to be pathologically fearful of new things his whole life. I am hoping that this newfound open minded attitude will extend to having new things in his cage- as with the exception of his many perches and boings and things... and the toys that are essentially forces of nature that will never be destroyed, his house has become quite bare.
One thing Koko saves for private though, is asking if he's been a good boy and bragging about being a good boy. Even when I offer it, he seems to have a sense of modesty around other people. Or something.
Haha. I was sitting with two of my nieces, one was four and the other was eight... when Koko first started talking around them. When he started saying their names they were over the moon! Then he says:
"What's a quaker?"
My eight year old niece says "Did he says he wants a cracker?"
And I said "No, crackers aren't good for parrots and he doesn't know what one is, so he didn't ask for one." I wasn't about to start explaining what he DID say.
The four year old says "He said WHAT'S A QUAKER. Kristi, what's a quaker?"
We visited both of my grandmothers, and he really likes them both. He had met one before, but the other it was his first time. He must sense my level of comfort with them to get along with them so easily. He learned my names for both of them right away. When one of them was leaving, he said "I love you, bye bye now!" and kissed her on the cheek. At my other grandmother's house, she went out to get her mail, and Koko was looking around and asked where she went, asking for her by name.
Usually Chris and I are the only human beings around him, so it was really interesting to see him interact with new people. Whenever he'd been around people before he'd just clammed up and didn't say a word, or would only mumble a few simple things to me. It was nice to see him having fun.
Benny bird also has been bonding with Chris a little. Benny really loves it when I sing to him, he seems enraptured by music so Chris has been playing his guitar for Benny and has found a connection. Benny will come out and sit still, watch and listen with shiny, interested eyes. Spending the weekend away and not bringing Benny with me was never really an option before we had Sayuri but now that his bond with her is so strong, it seemed better to keep them two together. I'm glad.
I think the best feeling after being away from most of the flock for a few days is how happy they are to see me when I get home. The happy cjirps and silly dances and the shiny eyes. Freyja and Odinn running all over me and clinging onto my hair... I love my flock! :rotfl
There's always plenty of it in Boston, but this is ridiculous! Luckily, Kokoro and I were out of the danger zone for the last three and a half days- but Chris, the lovies and the parrotlets were home.
I don't know how widespread the news coverage was, but all of the greater Boston and most of Eastern Massachusetts was cut off from use of tap water from everything from hand/dish washing and brushing teeth, to human or animal drinking because of a busted water main that brought the clean water to the entire area. The bottled water flew off the shelf and was not available within a 45 minute drive. I brought many cases back from Central MA with me, as of course, did Chris's father the same evening... and then the ban was lifted immediately afterward. Anyhow...
At the beginning of it, Chris told the birds (who usually befoul their drinking water four or five times beyond the household health code daily) that we have very little water and asked them to please not poop or put things into their water.
Would you believe that over the weekend, Chris claims that no one put things or pooped into the water? He said Benny did once, but it was an accident- he was going to town on his cuttlebone, and his bum was above the water dish and one just slipped out. (Benny was our only bird aside from Kokoro who doesn't deliberately make soup, but since Sayuri arrived, he started using his water as a toilet. We think its because he knows I'll change it more often and he makes an escape attempt every time I open the door to do so.) To be fair, we haven't told the birds that the ban's been lifted, and they still haven't put anything in the water since I've been home.
Kokoro surprised me this weekend, too. He is usually very clingy in new places and shy to the point of utter silence around new people, or rather, anyone who isn't me and Chris, but he was a riot! He actually exuded his brilliance around other people- he was positively showing off! He learned new peoples' names in a second flat, and introduced himself! It was so great to see him like that. I was so scared for him that he was going to be pathologically fearful of new things his whole life. I am hoping that this newfound open minded attitude will extend to having new things in his cage- as with the exception of his many perches and boings and things... and the toys that are essentially forces of nature that will never be destroyed, his house has become quite bare.
One thing Koko saves for private though, is asking if he's been a good boy and bragging about being a good boy. Even when I offer it, he seems to have a sense of modesty around other people. Or something.
Haha. I was sitting with two of my nieces, one was four and the other was eight... when Koko first started talking around them. When he started saying their names they were over the moon! Then he says:
"What's a quaker?"
My eight year old niece says "Did he says he wants a cracker?"
And I said "No, crackers aren't good for parrots and he doesn't know what one is, so he didn't ask for one." I wasn't about to start explaining what he DID say.
The four year old says "He said WHAT'S A QUAKER. Kristi, what's a quaker?"
We visited both of my grandmothers, and he really likes them both. He had met one before, but the other it was his first time. He must sense my level of comfort with them to get along with them so easily. He learned my names for both of them right away. When one of them was leaving, he said "I love you, bye bye now!" and kissed her on the cheek. At my other grandmother's house, she went out to get her mail, and Koko was looking around and asked where she went, asking for her by name.
Usually Chris and I are the only human beings around him, so it was really interesting to see him interact with new people. Whenever he'd been around people before he'd just clammed up and didn't say a word, or would only mumble a few simple things to me. It was nice to see him having fun.
Benny bird also has been bonding with Chris a little. Benny really loves it when I sing to him, he seems enraptured by music so Chris has been playing his guitar for Benny and has found a connection. Benny will come out and sit still, watch and listen with shiny, interested eyes. Spending the weekend away and not bringing Benny with me was never really an option before we had Sayuri but now that his bond with her is so strong, it seemed better to keep them two together. I'm glad.
I think the best feeling after being away from most of the flock for a few days is how happy they are to see me when I get home. The happy cjirps and silly dances and the shiny eyes. Freyja and Odinn running all over me and clinging onto my hair... I love my flock! :rotfl