What a mess!!

During the summer, I wrote about how I found little pieces of balsa in Mika's cage.  After that, it didn't really happen again...  until recently!  This month I've been noticing bits of balsa every few days and I've been finding corners and edges of balsa pieces with itty bitty bite marks in them.  So cute!  He has now "damaged" three toys.  And here I thought my favorite toys were going to remain pristine as long as they were in his cage!  Well, no more!!  And I couldn't be more excited.  :)

With these balsa "mess sightings", I had never caught Mika in the act until today.  So I quickly jumped up from the bed and took a picture.  Very blurry but it's the best I could do because as soon as he saw me come to the cage he jumped to me and wouldn't leave me alone.  I tried placing him back at the toy but he was just too excited to come out.  This time around, he chewed a nice half-inch sliver out of the blue balsa block.  Good boy!!

What a mess (LOL)!!  Who is going to clean that up?!

See the chew marks in the balsa?  :D

Sorry for the blurry pic - I had to snap a pic quick!

I want to continue encouraging him to chew balsa so, even though I have a TON of other toys for him, I'm going to get him smaller toys that are primarily all balsa soon.  Things for Wings has come out with some adorable toys for the "littles" and they will soon be mine - er - I mean Mika's!  ;)  It's not like his bigger toys will go to waste...  I'm sure Raptor will have no problem destroying them. 

Monumentous!

See this face here?  This little one did something yesterday or the day before that STILL has me speechless!!

I normally change Mika's (and Raptor's) cage liner every day or every other day.  His liner is never really dirty because he's not a messy eater, his poops are small, and he never chews any of his toys up except the occasional fingertrap and wicker part (and even those times are rare).  So when I woke up this morning to change liners I was in shock of what I saw down there.  

BALSA PIECES.

A small amount of shredded balsa was sitting on top of the newspaper.  At first I thought, "How did Raptor's shredding get into Mika's cage?!"  There was no way the wind could have blown it in there because the wind blows from Mika's cage to Raptor's.  So I looked at the toys Mika had in his cage.  He has the Things for Wings pine Palm Tree - no balsa on there.  He has the T4W Solo - no balsa on there.  He has the T4W Going to Market - no balsa on there.  Looked in his foot toy bowl - no balsa in there.  I stood back for a second and didn't understand... until I saw the open door staring me in the face.  The stainless steel Activity Bolt!!  It has two slim pieces of balsa on it!!  Sure enough, on the first slab, I saw the cutest little chew marks I've ever seen!  <3

Either yesterday or the day before, my almost 11 year old boy has chewed his FIRST piece of WOOD!!  I am so extremely proud of him!!  Now I need to see if I even have any more of these small slim balsa pieces left so I can continue to encourage him to chew.  I may be out, since Raptor really likes balsa... but I never mind making orders with T4W.  ;) 

Danita's balsa works miracles - first Raptor, now Mika!!