Things that tick the feathered ones off

While I don't have any actual roommates, I do have two tiny feathered ones. And like with actual roommates, we have little habits that upset each other. Since moving into my Krabby Land apartment, I spend a lot more time around the feathered ones. For starters, they get to hang out in the main part of the apartment. They made too much noise around my roommates in college so they were typically banished to my bedroom. I'm also in the apartment a good bit studying. Since I study in the living room, we're in the same part of the apartment whenever I'm home.

Over the past two years I've gotten to know their little quirks. They have their odd behaviors; for example Frack likes to try and take a bath in his water bowl but refuses to bathe in an actual bird bath. They also prefer to sleep on a swing instead of their perch. They will share one, but only if absolutely necessary. There are also things that I do that gravely upset my little feathered menaces. Tonight, I added one more item onto the list. The feathered ones hate:

1. when I go into the bathroom: it's the only room in the apartment where they can't see me. Like little kids, if they can't see you then you clearly don't exist. No amount of noise will reassure them. The only thing that calms them down is if I pop my head out of the bathroom and talk to them soothingly. Mornings are a noisy time here in Krabby Land, between their shrieks, the hair dryer and my off-key singing.

2. when I talk on the phone: I still don't know why this upsets them so much. It's even worse if I put the person on speaker phone.  No matter who I'm talking to as soon as the speaker phone goes on, they start shrieking & angrily flapping their little wings. If I stay on the phone for what they consider too long, they get down in the bottom of the cage and flap their wings, hell bent on making the biggest mess two parakeets can make.

3. when I have people over: Parakeets are social creatures by nature. Naturally, they want to be a part of any flock that they sense gathering. The louder we get, the louder they get. The more I ignore them, the more upset they get. They're rather selfish little creatures: while I am allowed to study or workout in the apartment, I am not allowed to socialize with anyone but them. I do anyways.

4. when I use the coffee grinder: this was new to me. I used it tonight and turned around