It's a zoo in here!

Here is Duncan and Logan’s first joint project. That’s the foam meat tray from the stewing beef, which I had left in the garbage. When I got home, Logan at least had the decency to look guilty, whereas Duncan just looked satisfied.

And then there’s Kazoo! Up until recently, Kazoo had a few spots where he hung out (in his cage, on his cage, on his playstand, on me) and other than that, he pretty much left everything else alone. Sometimes he went on top of the bookcase and chewed it a bit, but that was as bad as it got.

I began to think living with a parrot was much easier than I’d heard, so I made arrangements to add an African Grey to the mix. The very next day, Kazoo started eating the house.

First he explored it. He flew places he’d never flown before. (And it’s quite impressive when an Amazon parrot flies, by the way. He’s a big, heavy bird and he generates a lot of wind, so every piece of paper in the room takes off and flies around too.)

Landing’s a bit of a hit-or-miss thing. If he lands successfully, he laughs. If not, he flaps his wings and slides down the wall or the furniture or whatever he failed to land on.

His favourite spot at the moment is the front hall closet. He loves it in there. At first I was worried that he would poop on the coats, but he didn’t. He spent about two days of his free time in the closet. Sometimes things would fall out of the closet, like purses and jackets, and occasionally Kazoo himself.

At one point my good winter coat came tumbling out of the closet. I picked it up and saw that there were a whole bunch of GREAT BIG HOLES in it. That’s when I realized that he was building a nest in the closet. (This explains, too, why he never pooped in the closet: they don’t poop in their nests.) (I think Kazoo might be a girl.)

So now the hall closet is off limits. That doesn’t stop him from flying to the top of the closed closet door and trying to chew through the door. This is a very persistent bird. He knows what he wants and he’s not easily distracted.

There’s a cabinet in my living room where I keep some collectibles, and he likes to sit on top of that and chew it. He also wants to explore the kitchen cabinets and the top of the fridge. Plus, I see him eying other things around the place, and I know it’s just a matter of time til he eats them too.

I provide him with lots of good chewy toys, but he prefers to eat the house.

And then there’s Oboe. Oboe is literally about one-tenth the size of Kazoo, but he’s absolutely fearless. Sometimes I’ll have Kazoo on one shoulder and Oboe on the other, and Oboe will sneak around back and nibble on Kazoo’s tail. He also divebombs Kazoo and flies within swatting distance of Duncan. Kazoo finds him interesting but annoying. Duncan finds him just plain fascinating.

Simon, the African Grey, will be arriving in about two weeks. I can hardly wait!