Took your advice. At first Sammy thought I had a treat, and she was interested, but when she realized I didn’t, she went back to grooming herself in the window. Still, I persisted.
She looked at me, as if to say “Don’t you have ANYTHING better to do?” and I replied, “No, because someone on the internet said I was spending too much time on my computer and not enough time with you!” She thought about that for a minute, and then pooped on my windowsill and proceeded to ignore me.
I think I’m supposed to make an appointment first? Unclear. She’s been in Zoom meetings with my partner all morning (she loves to show off for the team leads and tell the execs hello, to their delight - funny how that never gets old!) so she clearly considers herself still on the clock I suppose!
Worry not, dear reader, for I have a second bird!
I approached Kirby as he was eating pellets. We looked at each other - a classic standoff. I could hear the wild west music playing - a tumbleweed could have rolled past! We gazed into each other’s eyes, until… He grabbed another Harrison’s Pepper Lifetime Coarse (product placement!), and proceeded to chow down on it and firmly ignore me also. He’s an old guy - in retirement - and all he wants to do most days is nap, destroy his toys, and shout for pets (but not too many pets). He’s on heart medicine so we try to make sure he’s exercising but not overdoing it.
So anyway, I’m going to go play games. Don’t worry, when they need me, they’ll bark/yell/yodel/etc. It’s almost time for their second serving of chop, and then about an hour after that it’s Yelling Time With Kirby, where we get very excited and yell nonsense to each other for no reason, because it pleases his highness to do so. I will relay your concerns to him when he’s in a listening mood.
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In all seriousness - I think fussing at people who have formed a community centered around providing first class care for their birds for sometimes having non-bird-related fun is a bit overkill! I would confidently vouch for most of the active members of this forum based on their photos and stories of their own parrots.
I understand your concern, and see that you’ve worked in rescue so I know you’ve probably seen awful stuff - but fostering a sense of safety and community so that when people ARE in crisis they feel secure in asking for help is really important, and having silly threads where people blow off steam can help with that.
I can also tell you both my Amazons frequently want nothing to do with me, they just want me present and nearby so if they DO want something I’m available immediately; and being on my computer allows me to be productive (or unproductive) while awaiting an opportunity to serve Their Royal Birdnesses.
