Sneak attack

Although Rocky's and my relationship has improved over the 2 1/2 years we've been living together, I still need to make sure I always have a stick with me so that if he decides to attack me, I can have him step up instead. Perhaps surprisingly, he is immediately compliant with the stick. No matter what he's doing, when I present the stick and say "up!" he hops right on. Also, he doesn't try to bite me once he's on the stick.

Part of the reason our ground level does not have any carpeting is so that I can hear his nails clicking on the floor, which gives me a pretty good idea of where he is and exactly how close I need to be to the stick!

The past few weeks, I think he's been trying to sneakily attack me. He's been slowly creeping down a hallway and then stopping right before he hits the corner, so he's hidden from my view, lying in wait. On more than one occasion, I've surprised him when he's been in that position. I'll come around the corner and say "Hi Rock!" He always jumps and gives out a little scream, and then he usually starts laughing. I like to think he realizes I've gotten the best of him (I surprised him instead of him surprising me) and is being a good sport about it.
Speaking of our relationship, last night Thomas was working a bit later than usual, so I was in the kitchen with the parrots. The greys and caiques were with me, Daphne was in her cage, and Rocky was last seen nesting in the blankets on the couch.

He'd apparently tired of the couch, as I soon heard the clicking of his nails on the floor. He climbed up his chair, walked across the table, and then made his way onto the counter. He was lonely and absolutely begging me for attention. He likes it when he's on the stick and we talk to each other -- alternating between "Hi Rocky" and "Gimme a kiss!"

Finally, I put him back on the counter so I could resume getting dinner ready. He started making the posture he does to Thomas when he wants head scratches. I decided to give it a shot and managed to give him scratches several times -- just for a second or so each time before he opened his beak and flung his head back as if to bite. However, I think he was just getting comfortable with the idea of a physical relationship between the two of us -- he did not appear to be laying a trap for me. As opposed to when he's in his cage and offers his foot to me. That's a trap. He grabs my finger and then tries to pull it in his cage while simultaneously biting his leg.

This could perhaps be the beginning of a new phase in our relationship. I must admit, despite what I've written here and the long shot I know it is, I harbor hope that someday I'll be able to handle him; that he'll seek out attention from me and not even threaten to bite. If that never happens, I'll still love him, but I can dream!