.. how do you treat a sparrow with OCD?
With CFS one has to make the most of little events, to distinguish one day from another and give little treats of stimulation or entertainment.
And no, I have not gone completely mad.
I'm keeping that in reserve for now.
(At least unless I imagined the whole thing, in which case would someone call the relevant authorities now.)
OK: one of my chimneys has a cap on it that some sparrows like to sit under (not when I have a fire going). Just very, very occasionally one of them loses footing, slips down the chimney and ends up fluttering inside my multifuel stove.
Provided I'm in the lounge to hear this before they die, I can release them, having opened the front door of the house to give a clear and obvious route out.
Currently, the front door of the stove is cracked open for ventilation.
And indeed today I have had to assist a sparrow that has got inside the house and started fluttering at window, trying to get out.
Five times.
The same window.
I'm assuming it's the same sparrow with habituation problems.
But why would you keep dropping down the same chimney and getting trapped over and over?
Is this a sparrow with a death wish, compulsion issues or other problems?
Could it just be attention-seeking?
The only other option I can come up with is that my chimney and stove has suddenly become some sort of sparrow fraternity initiation "rite of passage".
That's possibly more disturbing.
But if this continues can you do CBT with sparrows, or have I got to go to mere Skinner-type conditioning?
Ah well, it's made for a different, if slightly perplexing, day.
And with CFS anything that breaks the dull routine is a bonus, providing it's not too demanding of time and effort.
I wonder what tomorrow will bring?
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