Sophia has officially reached what the breeder calls the "terrible twos!" The honeymoon phase from her coming into a new home is over. She is exploring and into everything - just like a human two year old. Her favorite word appears to be No, even though she's not saying it in human words. Anything I want her to do, she does the opposite. She won't stay with me. She is trying out the tactic of biting when I reach into her cage to see if she can drive me away.
It is a time for great patience. This too will pass. I keep in my mind the image of the sweet, loving and gentle bird that she will emerge into. I try to remind myself that these are all natural stages that Sophia needs to go through to learn about her world and about consequences. It does no good to get frustrated with her.
If she squawks loudly, I just ignore her until she is quiet or is chattering nicely or saying nice words. Then I am sure to go over and pay attention to her right away. If she bites, I calmly make her stop and hold her firmly but gently around the middle until she has calmed down, and then we proceed. If she bites when I reach into her cage, I freeze my hand until she sees that I am not leaving and she calms down. Then she gets her favorite neck scratching as a reward and to show her that hands in her cage can be wonderful things.
If I don't have the time or patience at that moment to deal with her antics, she is put back safely in her cage. I have become an expert of making her cage into a scavenger hunt of very interesting birdie activities! Because of her age and the fact that she needs lots to do to keep her entertained and out of trouble, I change her cage toys and activities daily, and sometimes more than once a day. I know that putting her back in the cage will still allow her plenty of things to do, but she will in one safe place, not flying all around the house when I can't watch her.
Sophia is also getting to an age where she is much more athletic. She is climbing and swinging and hanging almost constantly. She is constant motion - hmm, just like a human two year old! She is more daring now, trying things over and over again to find new and better ways of doing them. She plays on her back with her toys or even with her toes. She loves to pull and chew things apart and toss them all around, making her cage look like a mini tornado hit it!
Of course, there are still the calm and cuddly moments. The times when she falls asleep on my chest (although they are fewer and farther between at the moment!), or when she snuggles in my hair after her morning bath, or when we play and wrestle on the floor. We still do trick training and she is perfecting going through a longer tunnel right now, as well as learning to roll over. We practice talking together, and she will come and give me sweet kisses.
I created some play shirts (for a few bucks at Goodwill), hoping to entice Sophia to stay on my shoulder for longer periods of time. I also am hoping to keep my shirts clean and hole-free! I sewed some brightly colored buttons near the shoulder, and made some simple bead and button toys to hang as well. The toys are attached with safety pins that are on the INSIDE of the shirts, where Sophia can't get them. They can be easily removed for washing. And the play shirts can easily be put on over top of my other clothes. This way, if I have to go out somewhere later, my clothes stay clean and I can just take off the play shirt and go!
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