first of all ive nver tried to diagnose anyones mental illness and i didnt say the poster had one so you need to step back and try to make some sense here. YOU are the one coming across as angry. I know very well the criteria involved, and I do not think the poster is a sociopath, though we never know… that was not my point, my point was that it is not, in any way, a natural instinct to hit an animal. I do not care how softly or hard you hit it, it is not “human nature” I will repeat what I said: if you (meaning anyone) feel that it is in your nature that your first instinct would be to hit (resort to physical violence) when confronted with a biting bird or any situation really, then you might want to really think about that, and figure out why that is your first instinct, because it certainly is not normal. This post got ugly because of one or two people, and it was the ones supposedly standing up for the person. We were all rather kind, I was shocked at how little people seemed upset by the fact that this poor helpless defensless bird was hit by a human being. If that does not anger you then me and you can never be on the same wave length. And excuse me, but swatting at a fly or bee is not at all the same thing as physically abusing your pet bird!!! It is no where near the same thing, and do not even try to act like it is. Are you seriously trying to justify hitting a bird??? Maybe you have not had to treat bird after bird for broken bones because the owner hit it one too many times, or threw something at its cage and injured it. And for the record, no I don’t swat at bees, I get up and walk away !!!! At work we have wasps and bees all over the place and I simply walk away, no need to harm them. Flies who knows. .. im not really ever around flies. You and shamrock have made this post ridiculous. It was perfectly fine until then. Advise was given. So was admonishment and information on how to better handle the situation. I am not on this iste to kiss human beings rear ends and make humans feel better about their actions, im not your mother nor your therapist. I am here to give good solid advice and get the same in return, to better serve the animals in my care. That’s it. And in my opinion, if you hit your bird, you do not deserve to have a bird.