My infuriating husband.

[SilverSage]

My husband is infuriating. Today he was going from cage to cage, giving all the tame birds snuggles and scritches and loves. Then he got to Chantilley's cage, and I warned him, she is not tame. Chantilley is my cinnamon turquoise gcc hen who lost her mate to theft this year. When I got her she would thrash and scream if she could even SEE a human.

He opened the cage. I said "that is the wildest bird I have! Don't bug her!" (It's been a stressful month for my poor babies, she didn't need anything extra stressing her out), and he ignores me and puts his hand in the cage. He moves it closer to her, and she.... GIVES HIM A KISS!

I am married to one of those annoying people that all animals seem to love even though he does everything wrong. He even can stick his fingers into the cages of territorial killer parrots and get snuggles instead of bites! Yet I have to work hard at gaining trust lol. I don't get it. He says "birds just like me. Same with cats, and dogs. And horses...and goldfish!"

 

[OOwl]

I get it. My husband has woo'd away at least two of my birds, and would love it if they ALL preferred him. He seems to get some kind of pleasure in it. "They love me better than you!" unspoken, of course. ;-) He can calm and tame the wildest of birds. It's just their calm, sweet energy, I think.

Your husband sounds like a keeper, like mine.

 

[Kyoto]

I'm like that. I am really not a cat person, in fact I actively dislike them... So who do my husband's cats just ADORE? they're lucky he loves them so much... Getting woken up at 6am with loud meowing and slamming himself into our bedroom door has not been my happiest of life experiences did I mention that cat hair and hair balls are the bane of my existence?

If I go somewhere, Dougal follows. He drives me nuts! He never goes around Kyo's room until I go in there... Then he sits there meowing for me and scratching driving us both batty. And if Hubby wants to lay in bed sure no problem... Unless I'm there or trying to nap in bed on my own... The Dougs is always right there.... Uuugh

 

[RavensGryf]

Yep.. Same story here. Birds and other animals love him. I unfortunately can't say the same for myself!

 

[itchyfeet]

Yep.. Same story here. Birds and other animals love him. I unfortunately can't say the same for myself!

Do we read this as you can't say you love thy hubby - or you can't say the birds and other animals love you?

Ditto here. Same story with my dog, my 'tiel, and his cat. So far so good - Henry knows his place lol. Hubby's taking more and more of an interest in the African Grey's.....now if I play it right, THAT could work to my advantage!

 

[RavensGryf]

Yep.. Same story here. Birds and other animals love him. I unfortunately can't say the same for myself!

Do we read this as you can't say you love thy hubby - or you can't say the birds and other animals love you?

ROTFL :18:! Thanks I'm usually good about catching stuff like that!
I meant.... he's a natural with animals.. whereas generally speaking, animals tend to not like me .

 

[Newbsi]

He moves it closer to her, and she.... GIVES HIM A KISS!

I am married to one of those annoying people that all animals seem to love even though he does everything wrong.

LOL! That is my husband! He doesnt even try! When we were just dating I got a Chihuahua. We had no animals and we both worked a lot, so a Chi can use puppy pads and not have to be taken outside for potty breaks. Anyhow, my husband is his person. He loves him! He tolerates me. I have to admit on some level I enjoy the fact that Gollum tolerates him and loves me. Although I know we have to work on it because it could get awful as she grows. But for now, I secretly enjoy being the chosen one!

 

[Birdman666]

Unlike your husband, I don't really do well with goldfish...

In fact, we named them things like "FLOATER," "FEEDER" AND "PURINA 'COON CHOW." Cuz, well, that's what they were in short order... (Now the wild 'coons would come right up to me. Mostly to see if I had food. If not, they'd go back to eating the fish in my pond.)

Everything else?! Pretty much.

Even some of the wild animals I worked with at the Lindsay (that I wasn't supposed to touch, but did, infuriating pretty much everyone else that worked there. Don't do that!)

I've honestly never figured out why...

 

[Allee]

Dani, I apologize but I just had to laugh, as I was reading your post I wasn't expecting your husband to get a KISS from Chantilley.

 

[OOwl]

We have an elderly family member that lives with us, and he has a lifelong history of being able to handle all animals, wild and otherwise. I've often observed him to try to harness whatever subtle thing(s) he's doing to make that possible. And I think I've figured it out. Whereas a LOT of mega animal lovers just try too hard because they want to make friends with their own animals and others' animals so badly. But those that seem to possess that "magic" discussed in this post, almost play hard to get, using their calm and confident energy to draw the animal in. I'm not sure that nature can be "faked" to elicit the same response (because animals are great at spotting that kind of thing). I guess I'll just be awed by people like that and be honored that SOME of my birds love me best despite not being the "popular girl."

 

[Birdman666]

We have an elderly family member that lives with us, and he has a lifelong history of being able to handle all animals, wild and otherwise. I've often observed him to try to harness whatever subtle thing(s) he's doing to make that possible. And I think I've figured it out. Whereas a LOT of mega animal lovers just try too hard because they want to make friends with their own animals and others' animals so badly. But those that seem to possess that "magic" discussed in this post, almost play hard to get, using their calm and confident energy to draw the animal in. I'm not sure that nature can be "faked" to elicit the same response (because animals are great at spotting that kind of thing). I guess I'll just be awed by people like that and be honored that SOME of my birds love me best despite not being the "popular girl."

Well, the ONLY way you're ever going to get a wild animal anywhere near you is to let them come to you, and not do anything to spook them. That's kind of a given...

AND FOOD. FOOD HELPS.

 

[riddick07]

Hahaha this sounds like me. Jeanne and my mother love it when one of the animals hate me since it doesn't happen that often.

I've hand raised a squirrel that fell out of a tree and had a baby deer following me around after his mother was shot by a hunter. We found him in the field after hearing the shots. We waited quite awhile before going out to get him but mother never came back, so we knew what had happened. Was off season too and way too near to the horse farm they were very lucky mama girl didn't hear them and come running out with a shotgun since we had strict rules about hunting on the property.

When I was little I also had a wild duck that would come flying up to me and I would carry her around the park. Now that I think about it maybe that was what started me on the birds...

 

[Birdman666]

I think the closest we ever came to owning a zoo was when we lived in Venezuela.

Five cats, two macaws, five amazons, an anaconda the size of a fire hose (we caught him trying to eat one of the cats and built a pen to contain him, an armadillo, and various other wild critters that just wandered into our yard and stayed because they got fed.

My mom and I both volunteered at the Lindsay. We did wild life rehab and release. Everything from Eagles, to owls, to turkey vultures, to hawks. And all sorts of other creatures, including a fox, an assortment of 'coons, coyotes, etc. I also spent a few weekends volunteering at the Marin Mammal center, playing with the otters. (Who can be quite nasty, by the way.)

We trained the wild squirrels to take nuts from our hand (in our yard, nowhere else) and every once in awhile, I would unexpectedly have a squirrel climbing up my pants leg, checking to see if I had anything for him...

My big pond was like a little mini eco system, that attracted all sorts of critters to my yard. (Some of which I didn't want, like possums, 'coons, and skunks) and some of which were really cool, like the heron. (Except for that whole, eating all my fish, thing.)

 

[Birdman666]

I should also say that the only reasons I fed the wild raccoons in the first place was because they were trashing my yard. We had a family of coons that lived somewhere up on my hillside.

If I fed them. They took the food and went away. It was a nightly occurrence.

If I didn't feed them, they tore up my plants, got into my pond, and knocked over garbage cans and such looking for food.

They lived there. They were coming every night anyway.

Nature's little extortionists...

Normally I would advise against feeding wild 'coons.

 

[riddick07]

We used to catch the raccoons and then tie the trap to the front of the ATV. Then, they would get a bumpy ride four fields or so down to the woods. The possums unfortunately either were killed or taken hours away since they carry a disease that can either kill a horse or make them pretty ill.

We caught a couple raccons that were pretty young and so cute...we also lost a bunch of barn kittens to the foxes running around. Poor kittens.

 

[ToMang07]

They would become target practice around here.

 

[Terry57]

This thread also fits my Hubby. Out of all the many birds we have, the only 2 who like me better are Phoe and Justice. All the rest adore Reg, and when he is around I cease to exist.
Phoe let him give scritches last night, and I felt so betrayed

 

[SilverSage]

We have an elderly family member that lives with us, and he has a lifelong history of being able to handle all animals, wild and otherwise. I've often observed him to try to harness whatever subtle thing(s) he's doing to make that possible. And I think I've figured it out. Whereas a LOT of mega animal lovers just try too hard because they want to make friends with their own animals and others' animals so badly. But those that seem to possess that "magic" discussed in this post, almost play hard to get, using their calm and confident energy to draw the animal in. I'm not sure that nature can be "faked" to elicit the same response (because animals are great at spotting that kind of thing). I guess I'll just be awed by people like that and be honored that SOME of my birds love me best despite not being the "popular girl."

Lol that may be the case with some, but not my husband. He is like a bouncing puppy of love, overly eager with animals. I don't get it lol.

 

[jasper19]

i really think birds can sense the smallest amount of fear, and also feel confidence. So maybe your husband had no worries of being bit, and the bird knew!

I know that if they can tell your afraid, its all over.

 

[SilverSage]

I don't think that's it, at least not with josh. He is one of the biggest pansies about being bit, and I really don't care so if that was the biggest factor I would be the bird whisperer lol.