Week Two With Feather Children

It's been two weeks now! It honestly feels like one million years. It's an adjustment for everybody.

1. Loki still sings the song of his people around midnight every few nights or so. We've now had three blissful nights of uninterrupted sleep... until 5:30 a.m. when it's time for Loki to call to his people. But honestly? I don't mind 5:30. I'm usually waking up on my own by then anyway. Midnight I cannot handle.

2. Mango has improved by LEAPS AND BOUNDS this past week. He has now stepped up for my roommate without me in the room AND with me in the room, which is a huge deal for him. Even huger deal: He steps up for D now. He stepped up for D when I wasn't there, then when I was there, and then.... drumroll please.... I was able to pass Mango from my hand directly onto D's hand and MANGO DIDN'T BITE D. If I didn't think I'd have broken my neck, I would have done a cartwheel. We went from Mango aggressively posturing, hissing, and screaming at D to willingly leaving my hand for his in about a week. I am so thrilled, I can't even.

I'm so proud. I'll get photo evidence of Mango's newfound friendship with D next week.

One-legged pullup on the hot lava branch

3. Mango likes the shower.  I bought a shower perch that sticks to the shower wall with suction cups so I could just take the birds into the shower with me, which is great because they like water but hate the spray bottle. Yesterday was the most hilarious shower experience yet. Mango was on the perch, but he kept looking like he wanted to fly down onto the shower floor, so I just set him down there. He immediately walked into the stream of water and got this crazed, happy look in his eye. There was much fluffing, happy noises, and walking around in the stream of water, and he got completely soaked to the bone. After the shower he was shivering a little and wasn't really into the idea of being toweled off (towels are still hot lava), and I remembered something I read online... someone mentioned that after they bathe their birds, they blow dry them with a hair dryer on low. This person said that their birds loved it, but that they'd been exposed to hair dryers since they were babies. I thought, what the hell? The worst thing that can happen is he screams at it like it's going to kill him and I'll turn it off and we'll stick to Hot Lava Towel. Welp... turns out Mango loves the hair dryer. He sat very quietly and still on the bathroom counter with this total blissed out look in his eye... he even turned around a few times so the dryer could warm his other side.

Before and after.

4. Loki still hasn't made even a small attempt at stepping up onto my hand for me. Like I said before, I'm totally ok with that. He still loooooves to come out of his cage to play/chew on the perches I have up there, play with/chew the toys I have set out, and play with/chew the "let's be friends" sheet. He'll willingly lower his head for scratches and rubs, give me copious head boops, and make adorable chatty noises. He seems happy, and so I am happy. He's been through a lot and I don't want to push him out of his comfort zone quicker than necessary.

"... must... destroy..."

5. I am making a questionable purchase for Mango. I am going to try out a flight harness. He's just so curious and wants to explore all the places, and I'd love nothing more than to be able to walk around inside the entire house and out in the backyard with him safely tethered to me. I want him to get used to new places, see new things, hang out with new people in various settings. Eventually I'll want to get a harness for Loki, but we have a long way to go before he'll be ready for it. Mostly because I'm pretty sure he could chew through it and escape in about 45 seconds.

Stock photo, but look! Mango's cousin, a Jenday conure!