Recently
I went through a very bad time with Kiwi my companion Quaker Parrot.
For no known reason - or at least none that I could figure out
– Kiwi, my pretty baby Quaker parrot started attacking me.
I am the one that tells him to hold his wing out so I can trim
his feathers and he obeys. I
am the one that gets smothered with kisses when I pick him up. I am
his chosen favorite person and have been so for the past 6 years.
One
day about a year ago, while we were playing one of our favorite games,
he bit me very hard for no explainable reason.
The biting continued over a couple weeks and got progressively
worse until the time came that I couldn't touch him at all.
My husband could pick him up but he was leery of him because he
had also gotten bitten. For
about 3 weeks I couldn't get near him at all, I couldn't touch his
cage or his toys. I had
to remove him from the cage with a towel wrapped around my hand while
I held a LONG perch to pick him up and, I had to be quick in order to
do anything around his cage or play pen.
The
horrible mood lasted about 6 weeks. Kiwi wasn't molting nor was this
occurring during the normal expected raging hormonal stage but he sure
was mean. I even
contemplated that maybe he just hated me and needed a new home. After
some frustrating times with him I finally decided that I wasn't going
to give up on my beloved Kiwi. Everyday I would sit by his cage and
sing and talk to him in a friendly, calm voice.
One day I got really brave and put my finger out and told him
to "step up" like I used to before his attitude changed. To
my surprise stepped up. This
time he let me hold him for about 5 minutes before he nailed me.
We practiced “step up” consistently for about a month until
one day - for some unexplained reason, he started being MY Kiwi again.
The piranha mood went away, and has not returned.
I
can’t begin to guess what it was that provoked the change
in my Kiwi’s behavior. All
I know is that after working with Kiwi daily and being consistent with
him I have my sweet birdie back.
As our vet said to me when I was questioning this behavior,
"this is a bird, a wild thing that I have chosen to share my home
with. Take him as he is
and be thankful for the little things.
It is phenomenal that I can even share my home with him."
So,
I always try to remember that Kiwi is tame but still a wild creature
by nature. He was hatched
in captivity yet wild by instinct.
He has never known the freedom as that of a wild bird yet, he
is a wild bird. I love
him dearly and thank God that I am able to share my space with him
even if he doesn't like me all the time.
Be
patient. Speak calmly and quietly to your birds.
Let your companion know that it is okay just to be a bird.
I know that I will go through this behavior change with him
sometime again but, I won't be as thoroughly upset about it.
I will just wait for him to want to be my "pretty
baby" again.
Lyn
