Kirby
10-15-2007, 01:55 PM
Now Kirby, as everyone knows, is NOT a hands on kind of bird. He doesn't like being scratched like Skittles or being pet, but he shows his affection by snuggling under our chin and grooming our skin on occasion.
He is a very, I guess, hyperactive and obsessive bird. When he wants out of his cage, he will straddle himself in the corner of his cage and *ahem* dry hump the corner, knocking his beak everytime he does it. He does this for over 30 minutes NON STOP when he wants out or wants to be somewhere Skittles is (which is usually in her cage and she bites his feet when he is in her cage or vice versa, so in the mornings he has to understand that when I have to work I can't spend 10 minutes trying to avoid bites and pry him off of her cage).
When I let him out for play time he just RUNS, and runs and runs and runs to get to Skittles cage or where she is. He cannot be away from her. Skittles... couldn't care less. Some days are worse than others and some days he is just a little cuddle bum.
When I go to catch them for night time, Skittles jumps into her happy hut and I hang it in her cage, meanwhile Kirby is screaming (it's actually quite funny to watch him do it) and doing every whistle he knows, from the boing across the room. When I go to take him to his cage, he will launch himself from my hand onto whatever he lands on (usually the floor) and RUNS. By now it's been 25 minutes of trying to get him into his cage and WAYYYY past his 9:00pm bedtime. This may seem like I'm exaggerating but I kid you not, this bird is getting rediculous.
When I get him into the cage FINALLY, he will then proceed to attack the door so I cannot lock the cage without getting bit (sometimes he ends up sneaking out again) Oh it doesn't end there... he then screams for another 15 minutes once the cage is covered thus waking Skittles up and then the two of them go off. If I have the two of them caged together they wake each other up at insane hours of the night bickering and to save myself sleep deprivation, alone is better.
When the two of them are out with us they are little Angels. I show both of them my hand when I need them to step up and they jump on no problem. But when it comes to having them on us while we are watching a movie etc..., Kirby becomes so worried. For example:
The other day while I was home sick, Kirby and Skittles were on my chest snoozing like the usually do. I moved my hand to scratch my face (it wasnt even near them in the first place) and Kirby became so freaked out like I was going to grab him. He became all fluffed up and cracking his beak in defence and when I moved my hand away he would run. He has this look to his face that is hard to describe, almost like I have done something to hurt him and not know it.
I never grab him and the only time we really hold him is when he just will not co operate and thats the only physically possible way to get him to his cage. He has respected us to where he WILL NOT BITE us unless provoked to beyond his patience and I feel I have not respected him AT ALL with my hands and his personal space. We have tried methods with dowels and other objects to step up onto and believe me I have tried with no prevail. He just runs away and here I am chasing him with a stick (tell me how that doesn't look bad :x )
I don't know what to do to get him to understand that both Chris and I will never ever hurt him with our hands and that we know that he hates to be scratched and pet. It's so frustrating when I don't know what's going on in his head and what he's thinking.
What is everyone's opinion on this? Should I stop handling him all together and let him do his own thing for a few weeks to mellow out and try to build our respect with him again?
He is a very, I guess, hyperactive and obsessive bird. When he wants out of his cage, he will straddle himself in the corner of his cage and *ahem* dry hump the corner, knocking his beak everytime he does it. He does this for over 30 minutes NON STOP when he wants out or wants to be somewhere Skittles is (which is usually in her cage and she bites his feet when he is in her cage or vice versa, so in the mornings he has to understand that when I have to work I can't spend 10 minutes trying to avoid bites and pry him off of her cage).
When I let him out for play time he just RUNS, and runs and runs and runs to get to Skittles cage or where she is. He cannot be away from her. Skittles... couldn't care less. Some days are worse than others and some days he is just a little cuddle bum.
When I go to catch them for night time, Skittles jumps into her happy hut and I hang it in her cage, meanwhile Kirby is screaming (it's actually quite funny to watch him do it) and doing every whistle he knows, from the boing across the room. When I go to take him to his cage, he will launch himself from my hand onto whatever he lands on (usually the floor) and RUNS. By now it's been 25 minutes of trying to get him into his cage and WAYYYY past his 9:00pm bedtime. This may seem like I'm exaggerating but I kid you not, this bird is getting rediculous.
When I get him into the cage FINALLY, he will then proceed to attack the door so I cannot lock the cage without getting bit (sometimes he ends up sneaking out again) Oh it doesn't end there... he then screams for another 15 minutes once the cage is covered thus waking Skittles up and then the two of them go off. If I have the two of them caged together they wake each other up at insane hours of the night bickering and to save myself sleep deprivation, alone is better.
When the two of them are out with us they are little Angels. I show both of them my hand when I need them to step up and they jump on no problem. But when it comes to having them on us while we are watching a movie etc..., Kirby becomes so worried. For example:
The other day while I was home sick, Kirby and Skittles were on my chest snoozing like the usually do. I moved my hand to scratch my face (it wasnt even near them in the first place) and Kirby became so freaked out like I was going to grab him. He became all fluffed up and cracking his beak in defence and when I moved my hand away he would run. He has this look to his face that is hard to describe, almost like I have done something to hurt him and not know it.
I never grab him and the only time we really hold him is when he just will not co operate and thats the only physically possible way to get him to his cage. He has respected us to where he WILL NOT BITE us unless provoked to beyond his patience and I feel I have not respected him AT ALL with my hands and his personal space. We have tried methods with dowels and other objects to step up onto and believe me I have tried with no prevail. He just runs away and here I am chasing him with a stick (tell me how that doesn't look bad :x )
I don't know what to do to get him to understand that both Chris and I will never ever hurt him with our hands and that we know that he hates to be scratched and pet. It's so frustrating when I don't know what's going on in his head and what he's thinking.
What is everyone's opinion on this? Should I stop handling him all together and let him do his own thing for a few weeks to mellow out and try to build our respect with him again?