I want to start by saying I really love my birds.

Over the weekend, I left my mountain dulcimer (a wooden instrument, sort of like a guitar) on the couch. I was sitting reading, and I became aware of chewing sounds. I looked over in the direction of the sound and found that Silver was working on enlarging the maple leaf shaped sound holes on the dulcimer.

I have to say, I was a bit heartbroken. I paid a lot for that dulcimer, and it was custom made for me.

The worst part of it, though, is anticipating people asking me what happened to it.

I know destroying things is my birds' job, and they are good at it. I try to keep watch on them. I have covered my picture frames, the wood frames of my mirrors, and most of my lampshades. I have four missing keys on my computer.

I'm not angry with Silver. I know he is just being a bird, and he's very good at it.

Comments or consolations welcome, including similar experiences.

This wasn't just ordinary destruction, it was nest-building behavior! Cockatiels and budgies too nest in tree holes in the wild, and enlarging the doorway is part of the male's job. It's springtime now too, the best time of year for a cockatiel boy to find a promising nest site and start fixing it up.

It sounds like it was a beautiful instrument and I'm sorry it's been damaged. Is it possible that the person who made it could repair it for you?

". . . it was nest-building behavior!"

Oh, my! That's so interesting.

Now, I know that the dulcimers need to be put away in another room, or covered when I am not using them.

No doubt about it, birds and wood are a dangerous combination - for the wood, not for the bird.

With a hollow-bodied wooden instrument, the wood is part of the sound production system - it's designed to amplify the vibrations from the strings. Damage to the body can mess up the sound quality, but hopefully Silver didn't chew it up enough to cause problems. If you get it repaired, it needs to be done by somebody who knows what they're doing to make sure the sound quality stays good, and not try to do it yourself.

I'm sorry you lost your dulcimer. Birds are naughty and do like to chew and will chew whatever looks fun. Maybe he saw you play it and he wanted a turn.

I can't imagine you having a pleasant feeling about having something you cherished chewed up. Has Silver been having other symptoms of being hormonal?

Yikes!! You are a VERY patient Mom to be so gracious about that one from your little guy!

Thank you, Steph!