Renovation isn’t only tough on the humans in the house. My poor old Ozzie bird is having much trauma. Every time there is a possibility of painting he has to evacuate since birds are so sensitive to fumes. The worker guy doesn’t come until after I leave for work so I don’t know if there is going to be painting or not so Ozzie has had to evacuate most days for the past two weeks.
At first he was going to work with me. This was fun for a day or two since he likes hubbub and a vet clinic offers lots of barking dogs and ringing phones and other birdie delights. But at heart Ozzie is a homebody. He doesn’t like having to give up the comforts of home to get into his travel cage and hang out where you can’t get a good nap in the middle of the morning, One time he even had to spend the night in the garage since the fumes were still bad. I told him that he was camping but I felt guilty. What kind of mom exiles her baby to the garage for the night even if it is for his own good? I ended up running out to check on him under the cover of darkness with my bathrobe on. He was sleeping.
He’s getting to be a pro at all this moving. At first he fought getting out of the big cage. Now every morning I open his cage and he hops onto my hand for the move to the travel cage. If birds could sigh he would. He’s in the garage today since the weather is warm enough. He has a view of the weight bench and the Porsche. He’s a boy bird. Maybe that stuff makes him happy.
Freckles is not happy either. Ozzie is not supposed to move. I think she views him as furniture – a part of the dining room like a chair. When he is in the travel cage in another room she freaks out. She runs back and forth between him and I in a panic. “Ozzie’s in the LIVING ROOM. He doesn’t GO in the living room. He belongs in the dining room. DO SOMETHING!!” I had to put him back just to shut up her whole “Timmy’s in the well” routine. And don’t even get her started on strangers coming in her house and stinking up the place with paint and OMG ripping up the floor! It is extra bad since she isn’t allowed to be near the ripping up the floor because of something called “nails” and “you’re going to hurt your paws” so she doesn’t even get to see what everyone is so focused on even though it isn’t food so she isn’t sure why it is so interesting.
