Miranda

MiracleAces - Im glad you said that sometimes they like to be left alone to do their own thing. I hope Gypsy will eventually be able to verbally tell me when she wants to play by herself. Everything I read before hand made me think I constantly had to be playing with and talking to her or else she would be bored and eventually a feather plucker (my worst nightmare). I was worried I wasn't spending enough time with her, but now I think I might be spending too much time focused on her.

Thank y'all. I think I will start over and just lay back and not do anything hands on with her for a while. I do read to her a lot while she's in her cage and her cage is right beside us in the living room where we watch tv. I also sing and dance around with her while she's in her cage or on the drop down door. I think she likes that cause she gets very vocal while I'm doing it. My husband is and will do the hands on stuff as long as I need him too. I just dont want him to have to do everything the rest of her life. He has to get up earlier to do it and again after he's been at work for 12 (or more) hours. He's your classic workaholic :-) I already love her so much and I hope she loves me back some day. My pets (I also have a pug and cat) are my children and I just can't stand it when they are unhappy. MiracleAces - thank you. Your advice has given me hope and helped alot. Poor little Luna, bless her heart. I hope her leg is better very soon. How did she break it? Could you tell immediately that it was hurt?

Hi CLB. I do not have to take her out to change her paper, but when I stick any part of my body in her cage(I have cardboard and craft papers over the grate right now instead of using the slide out tray because I feel she's still too clumsy to have the grate removed. Its a long way to the bottom if she falls), she comes at it and bites it whether it be my hand or my hair/ear while I'm down folding up the paper. Some toys she immediately chews up and they become dangerous and I have to get them out. My husband would and has been doing it all because I ask him to, I just know he doesn't want to. The bird was not his idea. He could care less about her and she loves him. Go figure, huh :-) Do you think I should completely step back for a few days and have nothing to do with her? I will try the step up on a stick thing some more. I did it a couple of times with basically the same results. I dont think she is hand shy because she immediately steps up for my husband and allows him to touch her anywhere, even under her wings. What things can I do to begin the process of making her trust me? Just continue with the treats, talking and reading to? Anything else I should/shouldn't be doing? I just know he's not going to continue doing everything for her much longer.

Thank you all. I do understand that parrots go at their own pace and it takes them a while to settle, but what am I to do when she will not let me bathe her, play with her, change her paper, clean her cage, change her toys, etc and my husband does not want to do it. I feel like my mere presence stresses her out. Should I just force her to let me do the things that need to be done to care for her? Do i just let her bite me? Is me making her let me do these things going to make it worse? I do let her come out of her cage on her on, but she will eventually fly off and will not let me pick her up to put her back. She literally runs away when I try to get her to step up. I never go immediately to her after she lands because i do not want to scare her and I also do not want to chase after her because I read they do not like that either. I hate the thought of her not getting enough time out of her cage, but she will not step up for me to move her to her play stands/anywhere. Should I just keep on until she finally steps up? I have had to when she has flown off her cage when my husband wasn't home, but I know it really bothered her. The biting I will deal with if I have to. I just dont want her to be upset.

Hi all, Thank you in advance for reading my post and for any advice you might have to offer. I am a first time owner of a 4.5 month old CAG named Gypsy. Before I got her I read, researched and talked to other parrot owners. I thought I was prepared. My husband and I have had her for about a month now. When we first got her, she treated us both equally. She would step up and be sweet for both of us. Things changed about a week ago and I dont know why. Now she hates me. I can barely (if at all) get her to step up for me, she bites or tries to when I get near her or even when I'm trying to do something in her cage and she hates to shower/play/anything with me. She is the exact opposite with my husband. I can tell a very distinct difference in her eyes and body language when he's near her versus me. She always steps up for him, cuddles up to him and he's basically the only one that can do anything with her. The problem is, she's my bird. I am the one that wanted her and was supposed to be the one providing all the care. He does not want to do it. I am also home a lot more than him and can't even get her out of the cage if he isn't home. If I can't figure out a way to get her to be nice/comfortable with me, I'm afraid I will have to find her another home. I've tried reading to her. I talk to her all the time, sing, dance, give her treats (he never gives treats), I try to play with her, but she's usually not having it and will just keep walking away from me. I've tried spoon feeding her oatmeal and baby food because I heard that's good for bonding, but she never takes the food. I am at a loss and do not know what to do. Any tips or advice would be greatly, greatly appreciated.