Phoebe has a routine (which means that I have a routine) and it looks roughly like this during the week:

Between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m.: Phoebe starts squawking in his sleep cage, which is in one of the bathrooms, generally the darkest and quietest spot. I take him out to his big cage, give him head scratches, hide a treat in one of his foraging toys, and put a show on the TV for him to watch for a while. Lately, I rotate between “Monk,” “The Good Place,” “30 Rock,” and “The Nanny.” Then I go back to sleep for a little longer.

Around 8:30 a.m.: After I get up, take his dog brother for a walk, and get my breakfast, I typically start work. By this time, Phoebe needs a morning nap — which he takes on my shoulder while I work.

Around 10 a.m.: Nap time done. He’s ready to play. I take Phoebe into the bathroom and toss his toys around.

11-ish: I need some time to myself to keep working, so I put him on his big cage, put his TV shows back on, and go to another room to work.

Early afternoon: I invite Phoebe to go outside to the park and down the street to his coffee shop. In the last post, I wrote about how I try sometimes to let Phoebe direct where we go outside. Sometimes, he makes it pretty clear that he doesn’t want to go outside at all. Like, if I tell him we’re going outside and I try to get him to step up, he might request head scratches instead. Even though it’s healthy for him to go outside and see people, I try not to force him to go, especially if he’s gone outside multiple days in a row.

Mid-afternoon: More play time.

4-ish: Afternoon nap on my shoulder again.

Around 6: Dinner time for me, Phoebe eats my food if it’s not toxic for him.

7 p.m. Quiet time/nap time on cage, while I exercise/walk his brother/do my own thing.

8-9: Maybe some additional play time before shower time. Phoebe likes to sit on the towel rack and experience the steam and humidity.

9-10: I put Phoebe in his sleep cage, cover him, and sing his sleep song (I don’t even remember what the original song is called now, but it’s a variation of a children’s lullaby). Typically, a few minutes after I turn off the lights, Phoebe starts squawking, which I understand to be a normal parrot response. I give him one check where I turn on the lights and peek under the cage cover. Seeing that he’s okay, I then tell him good night and let him go to sleep, and I refrain from checking again even if he makes more noise.