Animals

Ha! I can't believe this actually got posted!! I had just gotten home from my internship and wanted to vent anonymously. How funny. It is overwhelming, but I'm going to stick it out. I've learned my lesson: do not go in sick or with a full stomach.

I'm the OP. I'm the one with the Fabulous Fingerbiters. These chickens aren't food: they're overindulged pets. Each one has a name, so chicken stew isn't an option. I've named them after various vaudeville stars or actresses because they're a lot of feathery drama queens. Actually, biting the hand that feeds them is right in line with the entertainment-industry theme I chose when naming them. A chicken bite from a baby bird isn't really painful at all because their little beaks are so soft. Even an adult bird's peck isn't painful in the same way a dog or cat bite is painful. They can't break the skin, although if they get you in the face it can leave a scratch or welt. A parrot, by contrast, can take your finger off. Chickens just aren't strong enough. These are going to be lovely laying hens. They're just a bit cheeky. I think I can break them of the habit by switching for a while to grass instead of mealworms, by *not* dropping the goodies no matter what, and moving on to the second phase of training, where I train them to hop onto my lap and sit there to be fed and petted. When training a chicken, it's important to use food as a reward. They're not like dogs and they don't consider attention a reward. They don't even consider petting a reward until they're conditioned to do so, because it's not a normal behavior or sensation for them. But it's straight-up operant conditioning, right out of B.F. Skinner

Okay, maybe break the piano was a bit of a drastic solution. It's really heavy and my dad got it as a gift from one of his patients, so I'm not really familiar with the thing. It's really old and out of tune, we do get it tuned once in a while, but it doesn't make any difference. We are trying to find someone who's interested in it, since we don't use it anymore, and for that reason we had placed the piano in a side part of the house. I'm a responsible cat owner and I know that when you get a new cat you have to let it get used to your house room by room. Unfortunately for us, it was the piano room... I still have no idea how she got in, since the piano is a really massive thing, no holes or stuff like that. We had to take of the front (which also happens when it gets tuned) to get her out, but she was completely fine and so was the piano, so, that turned out all right :) For those of you who were asking if I bought or adopted the cat, I meant bought. I really think adopting is better! But this cat species is hypo-allergic, and since my dad is allergic to cats, this was the only way we could get one. I've wanted a cat for whole my life and after 16 years, my dream came true, and everyone here loves our little kitty :) I laughed at all your musical kitty jokes, and thanks for all the advice! Happy holidays xxx