Some advice please

[TiTI]

hello againI

I have had Titi for about 4 months now. i i think she is about 3 yrs old.. (she dont let me look at her band)

my problem...

i cant seem to get close to Titi. if she is in cage when i aproach she just sarts climbing to top and pacing back and forth... when she is out of cage and i aproach (she only stays ontop of her cage) she scramblers to the back of cage furtest spot she can walk to

i would really love to start training her to step up and take showers and even tried tempting her with treats to come to me but nothing.. this is heart breaking since i know how effectional greys can be... any advice to try and get her to trust me would be great

in Titis defense took her a month to start coming out of cage and when i walk away from her she does mimic my whistle to come back to her but she just refusses to let me handle her or get near her.....

 

backround:

Titi is somewhat of a rescue.. she was never let out of her cage before and wasnt given much attention.. but cant be sure of this just my thinking.. and she has yet to say a word even thou previous owner said she has....

 

 

HELP

Edited June 5, 2012 by TiTI

[judygram]

Do you know anything about her former owner and how she was treated? It helps to know some of the background from where she has been for they usually carry some baggage when rehomed. It will take time, you must be patient with her, I know it may seem to you that she has already been in your home long enough to get used to you by now as it has been 4 months but it takes time. With this behavior you are describing it sounds like she may have been mistreated and it will be a long haul to gain her trust but worth it when it does happen.

[Luvparrots]

It just takes time for your grey to feel safe and trust you. I have a zon that I have been working with for 21 months and he has just recently started to step to me but only on his terms. He comes to me not me to him. Because your grey is now coming out of his cage calling to you, it's a start. Just be patient and continue to do whatever you are doing and give her time to feel safe enough to come to you. You don't know how much I wish I could get into my Louie's head and to find out what he is thinking but I can't so I move forward at his pace and let him lead the way. Be patient and one day your grey will be comfortable enough to come to you and trust you completely.

[TiTI]

Thank you guys... great advice... keep it coming

luvparrots ...damn 21 months... i guess in the grand scheme of things 4 months in her new home is still short..

I suppose i should be happy in the progress she has made so far....

we do play sound games but only when im not in room... she has learned to mimic 2 of my sounds alreaduy and she does this when i leave room..

 

ty again guys ... some of the other post are great reads also..

[judygram]

Yes 4 months is not a long time especially considering she was kept in her cage full time before you got her, it takes time to build trust and bond with her, she hasn't been treated very well so she is leary of new relationships but if you take your time and go slow she will come around. You have to earn a grey's trust so just keep doing what you are doing and she will come to allow you more interaction with her.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

She's already trusting you! Just by her trying to mimic. A three year old, is such a baby, and certainly can develop a relationship with you and family. Even a rescue, as I have one that would attack your jugular. Read everything you can on " stepup training". It is very important. Can you put the cage, where the family hangs out? Thats also very important in my opinion. When you are home, hanging out, open the cage door. Don't push stepup... just hang together, let your baby see you have a trusting relationship, with someone else.

Many of us dissagree about " cage height." You need to make your own decision. I believe all my birds should be below my height. As I am only 5'3... I have a stepstool so I am always taller than my birds.( in the past).I haven't had to worry about aggression for many years. I take that back... Kiki was molting recently... jumped across two cages to charge me... I waited for her attack. She stopped short of attacking me. After that, I stepped up on the stool to be taller. She was fine. She was fine during her molting, but it was certainly interesting to see what a molting can do. Nancy

[Spock]

Thank you guys... great advice... keep it coming

luvparrots ...damn 21 months... i guess in the grand scheme of things 4 months in her new home is still short..

I suppose i should be happy in the progress she has made so far....

we do play sound games but only when im not in room... she has learned to mimic 2 of my sounds alreaduy and she does this when i leave room..

ty again guys ... some of the other post are great reads also..

 

Hi, Maggie here, As Jay says "Rome wasn't built in a day". From the 2 sounds shes learned she will develop her vocabulary. She will use your tones, inflections and even the sound of your voice to develop her future vocabulary. Keep a watch and you'll see your baby on a perch or in the cage mumbling and making sounds that doesn't make any sense to you. This is her practicing her speech because when they do speak, they want to do so properly.

A grey doesn't use "Alpha dog" psychology, there is no lead or master parrot. When you see a flock of birds in a "V" the lead bird is only that. A lead bird will change position many times as the sojourn continues. To be higher than your grey is a myth. The reason a grey or a parrot seeks a high loft is for the overall view, nothing more. In the wild, greys sleep in the upper canopy as this is usually shaded. You will notice a parrot will seek out the highest perch to sleep,for example: place a perch high in the cage, and cover the top of the cage only to the top of the perch and this is where your bird will sleep...Thank you so much...Maggie

Always remember: A grey is your equal, not your prize and glory....

Edited June 6, 2012 by Spock

[jenlap]

Are you using treats at all? I found (granted Im not that experienced) that offering hand treats really built up the bond between me and my girl. Currently we are working on the bond with her and my husband by having him offer her pine nuts through the bars and when she is on her perch. Seems to be working, but it's taking some time. Just a thought, keep up the great work!

[Joe Bachi]

Take it slow, every baby step you see is actually a giant leap for your parrot.

I used the techniques shown on the BirdTricks DVD and I have to say, they work great

However, I've never actually managed to get Mikko to come out of his cage....yet...but that step will have to wait for now due to some setbacks.

Keep up your good work and stay patient, even though parrots usually bond with their owners and have a great amount of affection to give they are limited by their instinctive fearful nature.

So don't take it personally.... it's not you, it's simply evolution

Regards

Joe & Mikko

[Momo]

hi titi,

i was in your position before and i know how is it.i got momo(bit younger than your grey) from rescue as well and i dont know any info of his background.

how you react when you come near her?you need to be very confident.

 

just want to share my experience with you:

-at first month he dsnt even let me to come near him.he will scream and jump like crazy.what i do is only sit really near him but i dont stare at him.just a relax sit,read book,etc til im sure he is ok of me being near him-without any hand contact.oh and dont forget tasty treat when you around!at least this is a plus thing when we are around them.

-after 2/2.5 months i try to touch him.he lunge at me and puff so i stop.slowly i can bring my hand closer and closer until its exactly above his head and-first touch.next day second touch,third touch,you dont want to make the bird freak out on the first few day of touching.

-now is around 3 months i had him and im about teaching him step up.he knows what the step up means but always refuse it.and this is really make me crazy.but what i see,he is better and better everyday(im happy even its only a really small step)

 

i guess every bird is different,they need different amount of time to completly trust us.patient is the key.the first day i can touch him,i was so suprised because i wasnt expecting him to let me touch.just keep work on her,and that day will come.trust me for this one

 

*this is really a great forum and all people here are very helpful.if you research and ask you will find all the answer that you need.

good luck!

[Acappella]

Dorian's life before coming to me sounds very similar to Titi's. When he got here in October of 2007 he was about 4 yrs old, totally cage bound, terrified of hands, very cage defensive. It actually took him months just to venture outside his cage at all. It was literally years before he would step onto my hand at all (sometime in 2010), and another year before he felt safe enough on my hand to venture outside of the room his cage was in. He started stepping up from a perch outside of his cage. He would move to a certain perch, of his choosing, and that was his signal that he was ready to step up. He's been stepping up from inside his cage only in the past few months. During the months and years of working with him I also yearned to introduce him to his world, and would sometimes get jealous of members here who could cuddle with their birds, take them out to socialize etc... It's easy to get frustrated because WE know they're safe and that we have a whole bunch of new things to show them. Problem is, they have to figure that out on their own, and any attempts to rush them along can endanger the trust they're starting to feel for us. The members of this forum were here to encourage me and listen to my frustration and sadness, and celebrate every little success. Some birds progress faster than Dorian (I think that's he's a very cautious guy, even for a grey), but even 4 years is a drop in the bucket of time we have to spend together. Just let Titi observe her new flock and learn to read her body language so that you can tell when she's ready to try something new and when she needs to retreat and process her new environment.

[TiTI]

thank you all some grear advice ...alot of what i read applies... i live alone so there is only me in the house.. thats the reason i got her , to keep me company... i guess what im absorbing from you all is just to take it at Titi s pace... let her make all the moves... thank you for all the encrouging advice.. i

 

in reply to the treats... she has never taken treats from me.. dont let me get close to her and when i put it in one of her bowls, she wouldnt touch it... but noticed yesterday that she started to destroy the treats and ate them all up... so today i put some apples she tried it but didnt eat much of it.. will try mango soon.... getting her use to the idea that theirs treats in that bowl.. i will try to hold it my hand next time and see if she comes..

 

follow up.... tried handng a treat and she started scrambling again so i put in her bowl and walked away... she went for it right away....

what do u guys think if i tempt her with it tomorrow and if she dont cometo me not to give her her treat ?

Edited June 6, 2012 by TiTI

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Spock... I disagree. ( no big deal... we all have different opinions!) My birds are NOT equal to me. Yes... they are my companions ( NOT pets!) Rules do need to be established if there is a large flock that we have. Yes... I am the flock leader, and make the hard decisions. They all recognize that, and complain to me when they aren't happy.Sunny my rescue, will complain all the time. Can't speak a word, but I know what he is saying. He complains.... Kiki loves him too much, she is sinking his rope. I tell him to tell her to get off his rope. He knows. Kiki complains, that Sophie immitates her, she doesn't like it. I know all their concerns. I make the decisions, and they respect my choices. Nancy

[Acappella]

Just let her see the treat in your hand, then put it in the treat bowl and step away. The idea is to start letting her associate hands with good things. Maybe put the treat in and then sit down in a chair a couple of feet from the treat bowl and ignore her (well, look like you're ignoring her but spy on her). If she doesn't approach move the chair a little further away. Where you are when she approaches will let you know her 'safe' zone. Then the goal becomes moving the chair a tiny bit closer every few days until you're very close to her but the cage still separates you. Then you can try offering the treat from your fingers through the cage bars. She doesn't take it, shrug, drop it in the dish and 'ignore' her. When she does take the treat tell her 'good girl' in a happy voice with a happy expression and don't push her. Let that be your little step forward. This is the process I had to go through with Dorian. To see where we are today, take a look in the forum Homemade Toys and Playstands room, "Playstand I Made For Dorian" thread. It was worth every teeny, tiny step forward.