"I like to think of my relationship with a particular parrot as a sort of trust bank account -- I can make deposits into this account by creating positive, rewarding experiences for the bird."~ Random Parrot Blog
I'm all for making these deposits. I provide food, encouraging words, entertainment, but I draw the line at ear piercing shrieking and flesh biting. Sometimes you have to make a withdrawal. In life as with work, there are times when enough is enough and you have to cash in some chips. Meet The Towel.
The Towel is the equivalent of the work Hammer. Obviously, in this case, the Hammer would be overkill, quite literally. When Gandalf gets into shriek mode I'm supposed to put him in his cage but he shifts into a screaming biting frenzy so I make my withdrawal from the trust account and I've got to admit, it's pretty satisfying. 9 ounces of fury I can handle as long as I've got - The Towel. The trick is to hold off as long as possible. Got to keep the balance in that account in the black. Fortunately I'm noticing that The Towel is needed less and less.
