- Joined
- 3/7/19
- Messages
- 624
Boo, my 11-year-old TAG, has all her feathers, but I wouldn't say she can really "fly." She spent years clipped and/or in a cage, and I suspect she was never fledged in the first place, so in the couple months I've had her, we've been doing exercises to rebuild atrophied wing muscles and non-existent confidence. She's graduated from barely being able to break a fall to actually maintaining altitude and flying horizontally. She has yet to fly either upward or voluntarily (she only flies if she falls or is spooked, and only rarely even dares try a long jump), but she's actually using her wings to keep her balance these days, and just spreading them more in general, so we're making progress.
You should also know that she's a sweetie except when she's on the floor. Then she likes to go for toes.
With all that in mind, the other day, I was goofing around and flopped belly-first across the back of the couch so my legs were in the air. As I went to put them down, I hear the tell-tale patter of an incoming bird attack and immediately bent my knees to pull my feet back out of her reach...
...too late. At exactly the moment I kicked, she hooked the tip of her beak around my sandle and the momentum flung her into the air (thankfully I have high ceilings). So I'm freaking out, trying to right myself while also trying to see which way she went and whether she's OK, but the flapping seemed to be coming from every direction at once, and by the time I was upright, she'd already landed somewhere and vanished from view.
I hear a whistle, and there she was, sitting on a chair and looking mighty pleased with herself for successfully executing a safe landing.
Little booger darn near gave me a heart attack, lol. You'd think getting launched in the air would make her a bit more cautious about approaching toes, but nope. I still have to guard against ground-based pouncings.
You should also know that she's a sweetie except when she's on the floor. Then she likes to go for toes.
With all that in mind, the other day, I was goofing around and flopped belly-first across the back of the couch so my legs were in the air. As I went to put them down, I hear the tell-tale patter of an incoming bird attack and immediately bent my knees to pull my feet back out of her reach...
...too late. At exactly the moment I kicked, she hooked the tip of her beak around my sandle and the momentum flung her into the air (thankfully I have high ceilings). So I'm freaking out, trying to right myself while also trying to see which way she went and whether she's OK, but the flapping seemed to be coming from every direction at once, and by the time I was upright, she'd already landed somewhere and vanished from view.
I hear a whistle, and there she was, sitting on a chair and looking mighty pleased with herself for successfully executing a safe landing.
Little booger darn near gave me a heart attack, lol. You'd think getting launched in the air would make her a bit more cautious about approaching toes, but nope. I still have to guard against ground-based pouncings.
Last edited:
I pulled my hand away when she bit me and she went sailing through the air like a trapeze artist.
