"Michael, you MIGHT want to Come here to me! This is Conrad. I'm just a bird!"
Every morning of my long-suffering life, Conrad, my 18 yr. old African Grey parrot yells:
"Michael, Come here to me!" repeatedly and until I feed him, and preferably and specifically, when I feed him scrambled eggs.
This morning, I gave Conrad fresh fruits, including strawberries, blueberries, banana and cereal. He looked at it with the most disgusted look that a parrot can muster, and wouldn't touch his breakfast.
The minute I walked out of the living room, I heard food hitting the floor.... the LIVING ROOM floor, not the floor of his cage. He was hurling the offending food out of his cage and onto the floor.
I immediately went back to his cage, picked up the food off the living room floor, and put it on a saucer on the floor of his cage. (Once the food is THAT low, he won't throw it out of his cage.)
He looked at Denver, our 6 yr. old Black Lab / Sher Pei, who was minding his own business and happily eating his breakfast, and said,
"Denver, you're just a whore!
Conrad does change his begging routine up a bit.
This morning, I heard "Michael, you MIGHT want to Come here to me! This is Conrad. I'm just a bird!" until I got our 3 dogs fed (2 require specially prepared food with medication), and got more of my pressing morning routine out of way before turning my attention to him.
I can bear witness to the fact that Conrad is about two steps from being cut back to a specially prepared food that I make him until he gets over his latest "I will eat ONLY scrambled eggs and peanuts" fit.
I know there are day care centers for children.... There are day care centers for handicapped folk, and there are day care centers for the elderly. I know that in St. Louis, I can board his bird ass while on vacation, if necessary, but why isn't there a bird day care?
Occasionally, I would like a break from this feathered Napoleon!
(Conrad's last name really is Bonaparte - and for good reason! :)
- Michael
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