Parakeet Journal

So many questions! I guess its like parenting in some ways, but the subject, (er, victim?) has (in this case) no grasp of English (yet).

Every morning while we eat breakfast Charlie calls/talks through her roll, and at the same time marches/paces back and forth on her perch. To me it appears that she is not agitated: she doesn't bob her head, and her roll continues, without fixating on any particular call (like obvious alarm, for example.) Yet I also have a strong feeling that she has more purpose and desire than simple calisthenics. Most mornings there's a cat sitting nearby, mostly ignoring her. I don't perceive that they're interacting.

What does it mean for a parrot/large parakeet to "be out" for a time? In our case it seems to mean that we set Charlie on her playground on the kitchen table with one or more adults and children sitting around working on schoolwork or other tasks. Charlie may sit very still, cautiously. Or she may climb down to snag a drink or a seed, then carry her morsel quickly back to the top of the playground where she can crack and drop it. When there are pens in a cup nearby she may decide to steal them one by one, dropping them after a thorough inspection. (What a coup it would be if she learned to put them back in the cup too.)

Our most interactive activities with Charlie are feeding her fruit (apple slices, grapes, banana slices, or small carrots) and telling her to "Step-Up." (What then?) My perception is that "out" time should be much more interactive, but we're so inexperienced and ignorant. We know how to sit with a cat, or how to "play" with cats: what do you do when you're interacting with a very intelligent, shy and bored bird?

posted by Daniel @ 11:46 AM