These past few weeks have been a nightmare. I will spare you all the details of the boring home stuff and instead tell you the catalyst that started it all.
First I must say, I picked an appropriate name for my Cockatoo. Trouble is just that, and like all Tooies if she sees an escape she takes it, and fast.
Trouble's cage is on the back porch. I hate this, but I have little choice in the matter. If she spends more then a few hours indoors she starts to pluck, and she will pluck substantial a bald spot on her chest in about 15 mins. So she stays outside in the Florida heat most of the time and loves it.
The problem comes with the fact that as much as she loves the outside weather, she also loves me and I can't be in the heat for long. So I make micro trips out to talk to her and give her some head scratching through out the day.
Now, unless I move into her cage with her on a permanent basis, no scratching, touching, or talking is enough. Trouble being a typical Too is a Velcro bird. So, when John, in a rush, forgot to close one of her food dish doors, Trouble took advantage and had herself an adventure that lasted from Saturday morning to Monday evening.
Her first thought was to try and get to me. This was evident by the feathers at my back door. She more then likely tried to wait me out when something spooked her and she jumped flapped her wings and got just enough lift to make her work for it.
And work for it she did. When I went out to talk to her and found her cage empty I freaked. I hunted everywhere. Calling her, trying to keep my voice steady so I didn't start to cry. (it didn't work) I was still hunting when John came home. He joined in and a few hours later we heard her calling us...from a tree...in our front yard.
It couldn't be an easy tree either. It was the tallest and bushiest. So much so that though we could hear her, we could not see her at all. There was nothing we could do. John Sat on the roof until dusk set in trying to get her to come down to him, nothing worked.
We barely slept. In the morning I still could not see up into the tree and all day I never heard her call. I resigned myself for the inevitable, she was gone and I would never find her. John didn't give up though, and because he has always been the "finder" of the house he of course found Trouble. In a tree. Four houses away.
Over the next 2 days I sat on the side of the road where she could see me, with a bowl of food and a book. I called up to her and she'd get all happy and dance. I'd shake her food dish and she'd flip upside down and look at me. I could tell what she was thinking. "Come on Momma, climb up here and feed me!" That of course would defeat the purpose.
Monday evening she lost her balance for a moment and fell of her branch. She flew out and back into the same tree but this time was significantly lower. My loving and awesome husband, who is afraid of heights, Borrowed a ladder and climbed up the tree to a lower branch. She still would not come, until I was able to pass him the food dish. He shook it once and she ran to him like her tail was on fire.
John was able to grab her and while she tried to separate his fingers from his hands he managed, with some trepidation, to get down the ladder and put her in her travel cage.
I have the most awesome husband in the world. =D
I checked Trouble out after we got home. She lost a lot of weight so I kept her inside for 6 days to watch her food intake. She gained quickly and ate well so now she is happy back in her cage with freshly clipped wings. (I really hate doing that)
Trouble stuck in an inside cage where she was being spoiled rotten. She barely spent anytime in there at all.
"Drat! Foiled again!"
"Birdie wuv."
A brief moment of "OMG Momma is too close!" sent Zora flying around the kitchen. As soon as I stepped back she landed on Johns hand. (Zora only likes me if I have sunflower seeds or when John is at work.)
More kissing time. She loves to preen his beard, though she gets a tad over zealous sometimes and nips his lips and nose.
More kissing time. She loves to preen his beard, though she gets a tad over zealous sometimes and nips his lips and nose. 
