My punishments

The parrots don't really like it when we go on vacation. They like routine, and they like us, and they get neither when we're gone! Luckily we have a fantastic bird sitter that they like, so it's not horrible for them, but they are always happy to see us again.

That doesn't mean they're not going to punish us for leaving!

Here is a rundown of what the 6 of them did/are doing to us, in order of appearance in our house:

Max -- She only got to stay out for about an hour after we got home, then it was bedtime. She was upset, so she bent down and bit my finger as I was putting her in her cage. For the first time ever, she drew blood on one of us! Since that evening, she has been fine. I knew it was going to happen, but was powerless to prevent it. I can finally type normally again today.

Calypso -- He always freaks out for a few days after we return, not allowing me to pick him up. I think it's because he's so excited to see me again that he can't control himself, though of course that's just a guess. Yesterday he woke up normal, so I was punished for two days.

Daphne -- Nothing. She is so laid back! She was just happy to see us.

Rocky -- He refused to go by Thomas for a day, and started stalking me big time. It was very strange because he was not trying to attack me for the first few days, he just needed to be in the same room with me. Yesterday he did launch at me and landed in my hair as I walked by him. I might have suffered a face bite had I not had a stick with me so I could easily remove him. He may end up getting a wing clip soon, which saddens me as I'd love for him to be able to fly (now is the first time he's ever been fully flight feathered). However, if he uses his power to launch aerial attacks on me, he'll have to be clipped again.

Beeps -- He, like Calypso, is very excited to have us back. He is on a hair trigger for attacks, though we're just even more cautious around him than usual and have avoided getting bit. Yesterday, he tried to attack me as I gave him a piece of apple (I call this "pulling a Rocky" -- attacking the hand that feeds you instead of taking one of your favorite treats). I was on watch, so I moved my hand away in time. He knows he's not supposed to do this, so right after, he immediately went in his cage. I like to think he knows he needs time to cool down! I locked him in and then let him out a minute later after he'd calmed down. I suspect he'll be back to normal by the weekend.

Stella -- Like Daphne, Stella did not punish us. She was so happy to see us, she regurgitated several times the first evening we were there. On subsequent days, she was completely normal.

I have not seen the lizards in the four days we've been back. It's getting colder, so they must be brumating. Their heat is fine (I am obsessed with checking their tank temperatures!) but somehow they must sense the outside weather is commanding them to brumate. I feed them every day, just in case they wake up, but so far, it's all been wasted.