Elise's New Lovebird

A wonderful thing has happened! I got a bird! “He” (we just guessed because it's really hard to tell) is really really cute and he likes people a lot.(his name was Jet, the lady who raised the lovebirds in her house called him that because he was the first of his siblings to fly, I named him Pip or Pippin) The reason he likes people is because my bird was hand fed since he was really little, so Pip likes being with people, sitting on their shoulder, etc. Because I got him so young, (he's 3 months) he sees me as “mommy” I am really enjoying having a bird but there are a few things I could do without, such as him waking me up at seven thirty every morning without fail. It's annoying but I'm supposed to get up at seven thirty anyways and it's an improvement on when I first got him. Pip would get me up at six thirty, until I stopped taking him out no matter how loud he was (lovebirds have very loud screams, plus he climbs all over the cage rattling the bars). Another thing is that it is pretty much impossible to potty train birds, and lets just say that birds have to go a LOT more than humans! Plus for some strange reason it freaks Madeleine out to find bird poop on her sheets, weird huh? Besides being an alarm clock, he bites occasionally, but it isn't to bad, it's sort of like a puppy, Pippin loves to chew on everything and still doesn't understand that fingers aren't chew toys. Since we never get around to buying REAL toys for him to chew here is a list of the odd things he loves chewing:

1.my hair bands (I can't keep them on my wrist anymore or he'll mangle them)
2.cord from my jewelry kit
3.anything cardboard, including cereal boxes
4.fingers :o
5.my nose (it makes your eyes water)
6.any earrings I happen to be wearing
7.my ears
8.my elastic watchband
9.string
10.anyone's toes (especially with nail polish)

There are lots of great things about having a bird though. One of my favorite things is when he's tired, he cuddles up against my neck, poofs up his feathers, sleepily peeps a few times and then takes a little nap. Sometimes I fall asleep too :) Pip also likes to climb up and down the string on the venetian blinds while I'm doing school. I know, I can't figure out how he holds on! I strung a few ropes across my desk so he can climb back and forth across it. Yes, I don't get very much school done very fast but it's really fun. It is really nice having a little creature that likes you and relies on you and comes running (or flying) when it's scared to get cuddles. I can hear him squawking for me so I'll have to go now (we had one nearly disastrous doo doo near the keyboard so birdie is now grounded from the computer :) Sorry about all these parentheses, -Elise :{-