Angel

I brought up the idea of finding a new home for Angel and of course it went over like a lead balloon. The kids claim up and down they love her dearly. I should have seen that coming huh?

I am trying something new. I took her out last night and put her on the (cleared) dining room table. I put out a plate of broccoli and seed for her. Then I just walked off and ignored her for a long time.

Eventually she flew to the floor (???). And sat there, occasionally walking around, for about an hour. We walked past her slooooooooowly. And at one point the dog even walked pretty close past her and she didn't freak.

She eventually got spooked when Bridget forgot she was out and came running down the stairs. Angel flew to the top of a curtain and sat there til I put her back in for bed.

I just want her to be *happy*. After two months of daily holding (as was recommended to me by people and websites) I just don't think it's working. So maybe I'll just take her out daily and just leave her to walk around. If she wants to hang with us, she knows where we are, but I'm feeling like I'm torturing the poor thing by making her be held every day. Yes, I'll still have to handle her to take her out of the cage, but I'll just calmly and quickly put her down instead of trying to hold her for awhile. We'll see how that goes.

But really, how do I even tell if a bird is happy? They are such alien beings. I think I'm sticking with mammals from now on. I have a pretty good handle on them. You know, being one and all.