Is this a good sign?

[Tomcat]

Hi All,

 

I got Ollie when he was 10-11 Months old, on january 16th 2010, and i baught him as a handtame grey. Well, he has never as much as sat on my hand, or any body part for that matter, however i put that down to stress & obviously bonding with me.

 

However, he does let me scratch his head and tickle his neck when he is out on the cage, and sometimes through the bars or if i put my hand in, however not always. He is also very flighty when i approach him ooutside of the cage, even with me talking softly and reasuringly to him.

 

Today, when he was sat on top of his cage i put my hand out, said 'Touch' and he, as expected, touched my finger with his beak. He did this over and over again, and every so often went to bite me, however i said 'No' and pulled my hand away, and the next time he would do it nicely.

 

Now, to me, this sounds like he is getting better and starting to trust me more etc, however he is still not ready to step up onto me or anything, which i know is a patience thing and im not trying to rush him, however this does sound good surely?

 

Last night, he was sat on my bed and was gently taking his treats from my hand, eating them and then coming for another one, however he never aproached me for one. However, he did the night before walk right up to me, while i was sat on my bed using my laptop, and not only let me scratch his head, but tried to steal my 'enter' key haha.

 

So, basically, although thats a bit of a long thread, i just wanted to reasure myself that he is slowly getting better.

 

Thanks, Tom.

[Jayd]

Your doing a grey't job, knowing that this takes time is half the problem, keep doing what your doing, your doing good...Jayd

[Tomcat]

Ah brilliant! Thanks

[Luvparrots]

Patience is the key and you are doing a great job at gaining Ollie's trust. I can't wait to hear more about how things are going.

[Tomcat]

Thank you, ill keep everyone updated. However i do feel that i loose abit of trust everytime i put him back into his cage, as its a bit of a struggle.

[Luvparrots]

Is Ollie flighted? I ask because my Ana Grey is flighted and to get her into her cage at night I just give her, her favorite treat or nuts and seeds in a food container I have on the inside of her cage door. This is a ritual we do every night and when she comes to eat her treats I just close the open. My fids are outside their cages all day as I am retired. Even my canary is a free range flyer and only goes into his cage at night ot by his choice.

[Tomcat]

Yes he is flighted, however he wont respond to food in such ways, which i feel is because he hasnt got 100% trust in me. At the moment, i just have to usher him in, and accept that he may scream at me.

 

It made me smile when you mentioned your Canary has free flight too

[Dave007]

You may have to simply train him to step up or he may need retraining to step up with you if he was stepping up with others. Your method may be different and unfamilar to the bird. I say this because of all the other good things that're going on. Training or retraining is best done in a quiet enclosed area with no other animals or distractions around.

[Tomcat]

Dave, how would you reccomend training him to step up?

 

Currently, i am putting my hand near, saying 'Step up' and he just trys to bite me, sometimes lunging however usually not.

 

Tom

[Dave007]

Find an empty or at least not cluttered room that has a door that can be closed. The reason concerning cluttered is that your bird will definitely fly and you really don't want him high up so he can't be retrieved. That defeats the whole purpose. Make sure it's generally quiet in the room and the door is closed. Put your bird on the floor and let him get used to you and him being alone together. Have a couple of different sized perches with you. Have a toy on the floor. Let him investigate toy. Practice getting closer and closer to your hand or the perches. At first use the longest perch. Constantly talk to your bird repeating * step up now* Put perches or your hand very low ( by the floor) and and just above the feet/claws. Have your bird get used to your hand or perches. This process won't be immediately successful. Your bird will probably fly away. Eventually, your bird will settle down because of repitition and will investigate the perch or your hand and eventually will step up on it. When that happens, you should remain sitting on the floor and let the bird get off. NO Pressure, just relaxation. Do this a few times daily and give many treats throughout the process. Nuts are good if he really likes. If not, use something else which he loves. Don't worry about the amount you give him. Eventually, stand up with the bird on the perch and go back to the cage or stand. Repeat this about 2x a day and try to do it daily. Work your way down to the smallest perch. Eventuallly, substitute your hand. He'll be much less nervous after lots of practice and involvement with you. Expect to get nipped at when you start using the hand. I say this so you won't be shocked. It's a natural thing that some do. Make sure door stays closed and even more important, try to tell people to stay away when you're training. Explain to them why this has to be done.

Notice that I use the word* eventually* . The reason is that your bird may take a longer or shorter time to accept the whole process. All birds are different. One other important thing----put no time limits on this whole training process. As I said, it'll take time but eventually, your bird will consistently step up on your hand when he's in his bird area no matter who's around.

Edited August 27, 2010 by Dave007

[Tomcat]

Thanks Dave. How do i get him into another room? Also, i dont have a chance in getting him back into his cage from the same room, let alone another, so im not overly sure on what to do.

 

Tom

[Dave007]

If your cage has wheels, roll the cage in. Put a cover on the cage. Give him treats when doing this. If you can't do that, put a light towel around him and bring him in and put him on the floor. It's up to you. People use the towel method to clip their bird's claws or to examine certain parts of their body when something is wrong. People also use towels to put their bird in a carrying case to go to a vet. people also use towels to get their bird back into a cage if the bird can't be retrieved. When that happens, many people start some sort of stepping up training so the bird won't zoom all over the place. If your bird is extremely nervous with you right now, you may have to put the whole process on hold until he's calmer with you. For some people it wouldn't be a hard thing to do. With others, there may be difficulties.

[Tomcat]

Hi Dave

 

Thanks for more great advice!

 

He isnt overly nervouse, is happy to touch his beak on my finger when i say 'touch' and will also allow me to give him headscraches usually. Last night, at 1.30Am, he had woken up and i was scratching his head for a good 20 minutes etc. He came out earlier and allowed me to touch his beak, & he took treats out of my hand etc.

I hope toweling him wont cause to much stress and our bond will suffer?

 

Tom