My Not-So Photogenic Pet

I tried to take a picture of my parrot the other day, but upon seeing the camera he sort of curled up into a ball and grabbed one claw with his beak. I have know idea why he dislikes getting his picture taken so much, but it has gotten to the point where I am going to need a duck blind and a telephoto lens to get a decent picture of him. Oh, well. African Grey parrots are incredibly smart and interesting but they are also completely crazy by human standards.

It is pretty neat that he calls me by name and actually tells me what he wants from me. He might say, "Robert, would you like to open the door" very politely, if he wants out of his cage. Of course if that doesn't work he may resort to shrieking and throwing his food. Definitely a "high maintainance" pet, but also an incredibly smart and affectionate one.



This is what an African Grey is supposed to look like. This one isn't camera shy, but neither was mine when he was that young.