Every morning she comes out for a couple of hours so that can give her cage a good clean out.
I sit on a chair in front of her cage so that I’m just at the right height to reach everything and fill up her buffet ball and her food and foraging bowls. In the meatime, she hops in and out of her cage emptying the ball that has taken me ages to clean and fill up and she chooses a piece of fruit and climbs out and up onto the top of the cage to eat it.
I continue cleaning, wiping and drying all the surfaces etc while she hops in and out taking treats as she wants them.
Then as I’m finishing her cage, she comes and sits on the door literally inches from my face and says ‘Want a shower? Bailey want a shower?’ It’s really quite comical the way she almost demands her shower even though she isnt particularly keen on them.
I give her a shower and then its time for a quicky ‘dry by flying’ session and for her to go back in for the rest of the day. A monkey nut is waved temptingly in front of her face and you can see her shoulders sag. She knows that she must now go back in…..for good. (well at least until the evening anyway, but for her it must feel like an eternity!)
The monkey nut is then placed in her bowl and she eyes it suspiciously with her head pressed up against the bars until finally giving in and going in to get the much desired treat knowing full well that the door will be shut behind her.
I always have a pang of guilt that she has to be put away. I love seeing her climbing around the kitchen on the cupboards and swinging from the door frames and her being put away is as painful for me as it is dissappointing for her.
Once inside with the door shut, she starts playing with all of the toys I’ve replenished with cardboard chunks and willow sticks etc and she comes alive again and it seems that I am forgiven!!
Putting her away was once fraught and terrifying experience, but the lure of the monkey nut is too much for her and she goes inside happily now knowing there is a lovely treat waiting for her. I’m so glad we worked this routine out between us and I hope it will always work for us.
Love Jennifer and Bailey.
I was told when i adopted Elsie, that Monkey nuts were harmful. insomuch is that they have no food value and they have too much fat in them for the parrots liver. Elsie now has Walnuts instead[ which she adores]Not being bossy but passing on the advice I was given.
Thank you for your input Pat, but Bailey has one monkey nut per day and only then as her going home treat.
I was told by Paula on here (the rescue co ordinater and forum owner) that they are fine to give in small quantities and I believe that one per day constitutes small.
Her diet is brilliant in everyother way eating pellets, fruit and now I’ve added in some chop with beans and pulses so I have no concerns on this, but again thanks for your input.
She doesnt like walnuts, cashews or brazil nuts so if a monkey nut is working and is less stressful for us both than my having to all but force her home, I will stick to this.
Thanks again. Jennifer