Rufus (sun conure) has turned into a small orange fury, viciously defending his various "nesting sites" and attacking any "intruders" who come near. This includes Lulu (greyhound), who has started taking refuge in the study with my husband whenever Rufus is loose, and my best friend (human), who visited on Sunday and got ferociously swooped.
Bug (IRN)'s "spring fever" is a little different. His amorous behaviour increases slightly, but the most noticeable change is that he refuses to go back in his cage. He just gets this dopey look on his face, as if he has no idea what I'm asking him to do, and completely ignores me, no matter what treats I offer. My husband and I manage to get him back in the cage eventually with a combination of bribery and shoo-ing, but it's a big contrast to his usual behaviour, which is to go straight in as soon as I ask him. And it only seems to happen in springtime - every year!
Fortunately, past experience suggests that these behaviours are likely to settle in a few weeks' time. In the meantime, we'll be enjoying the warmer weather, longer days, and other joys of Melbourne in spring
