Petey came for a head scratch!!

This is a huge breakthrough! He's *never* let me scratch his head!!

This morning when I came into the parrot room Petey ran around on the top of his cage--a bit unusual since he usually runs to the side of his cage to hide. I had already picked up Soph and had her on my chest giving her kisses and head scritches. He slowly walked toward me and I'd put my finger up to see if he wanted to go outside.

Instead of stepping up, he gently put his head under my fingers. He was nervous as all heck--I could tell because his beak was chattering, something he does when he's scared. He let me scratch his head for a few seconds and then he ran away, skipping and jumping and hid behind hte cage. Then he jumped back up, ran in circles on top of his cage, and then slowly came back to me. Again, he put his head under my fingers to let me scritch his feathers. He stayed longer this time, his beak chattering, and then he ran off and hid. It took a little longer to convince him to try once more. With my right hand I was petting Soph, so my left hand had been offered. Finally I switched hands and he came running. "I only trust the hand that was so nice to Sophia!"

He ran off again, skipping in circles. It took him a little while to settle down again, but when he did, he came to my hand to step up and we went to the kitchen to make breakfast--Sophia on one shoulder, Petey on the other.

After I made their breakfast and they'd eaten it, I again offered my hand to Petey. Instead of running away and hten remembering that I'm The Vehicle and returning, he immediately came and stepped up. "Let's go outside."

Right now he's on the orchid stand, which is in front of the sliding door. He keeps peeking inside (the door is open) to watch what I'm doing. :)

Ooooh! I love my feather-butt kids!!!