Clyde has reconciled himself to the SOUND of a guitar in the house but will not accept the sight of one. I don't understand this. My husband and I were learning a song tonight that we're going to play at a benefit on Saturday with our band, and Clyde was a happy little camper while he sat on my shoulder as I sang and he helped -- I play drums in our band so I didn't bother to set up the kit to practice one song, I'll just wing it -- but when Daddy walked by with the guitar in hand, Clyde let out his "gonna fly now" squawk and away he went all the way to the top of the entertainment center, squawking all the way. He didn't mind hearing it afterward as long as he couldn't see it, and even after we'd learned the song and Hubby had set the guitar on the couch, when I started into the living room with Clyde aboard, as soon as he saw the guitar he started making his unhappy noises again so I retreated back to the dining room where he can't see it. Clyde sings along happily when I play my flute or even guitar and he loves recorded music and singing, live or recorded, but he does NOT like to see guitars and freaks out every time. I wish I knew why. I wonder what he thinks it is or why he thinks it's a threat. It's not the size or that we're carrying them, I don't think, because he's unconcerned when I pass him with a basket full of laundry or something like that.

I just wish ONE of us could play an instrument! I love music, hubby has always wanted to play the banjo but it just hasnt happened! Can you try setting a guitar far away from him where he can see it but not freak and move it a lil closer daily?

Baby does the same thing, I was going to see if he would play ours but as soon as he saw it you would have thought I had a 20 ft cobra in my hands. I was hopeing someone in our family could play it so now it just sits. He does like music and has his own little special Baby song he sings.

Elliot is the same way with anything long...my husband works in construction so he has a lot of tools around...he freaks out at long levels, tape measures, brooms, long pieces of wood, or things like that. Funny guy.

I don't think it has anything to do with music, it is the shape of the guitar. For some reason quakers seem to get spooked by certain shapes.

Horatio is another one who can't stand the site of long thin things, brooms, rakes, mops anything with a long handle he just goes crazy. He has never been chased with anything like this but even if I walk by the window outside with a rake in my hand, he leaps into the air and flys away.

I don't know if there is a way around this, I have tried to get Horatio used to long items in my hand but it just has not worked. He is simply frightened by them and that is that.

Clyde's cage is on the dining room table and he can easily see into the music room -- which isn't really a separate room at all as there's no wall in between -- where all the guitars and my bass and mandolin and banjo are in stands. But they're several feet away from him there. His freaking out occurs when we walk by him carrying one or when he gets too close for comfort to one, like last night when my husband walked right past me carrying a guitar. I had hoped he'd get accustomed to them eventually. Living in a house of musicians, he's just going to have to learn about instruments, and he has learned to sing along and even like the actual playing, but I don't know if he'll ever learn to like the instruments. I had even hoped he'd eventually consent to sitting on my shoulder while I play the guitar and perhaps sing along with me, but not if it's going to scare him to even be near a guitar.