Progress with Alex

[alex2014]

I have had Alex for 2 months now and Rocco for 1. Alex is 4 and Rocco is 2. Rocco never bites and likes to follow me around the house hang out with me.

This is more about the progress I am making with Alex, he is still adjusting to me and his new home. He would only step-up from when he flies down to the floor (every few days) and tries to bite if I try to do step-up from outside his cage. He does watch me and Rocco intently and comes to his outside perch so he can see us i the living room

 

Now for some progress:

He does come to the perch by his cage door now and lets me tickle his neck, without biting now and takes treats gently from my hand. I have been trying to get him to interact more with me and do realize it will be at his own pace. I decided to try the step-up approach when he is outside his cage by using a hand help perch. For the last few days he is now stepping up to the perch, then i put him on the floor and practice step-up a few times and walk around the house, then i put him on a stand alone perch in the living room with me and Rocco, he seems to like being with us watching TV or reading. Before the only way i could get him back to his cage was to put the stand alone perch close enough to his cage so he could reach it. I now can get him to step to the hand perch and from there to my hand so I can take him back to his cage. I think although slow the progress I am making is good and I am building his trust.

 

More to follow and thanks everyone for all the great advice. I knew it could be a challenge with an adopted grey. Alex talks a lot and Rocco is starting to repeat what he says, guess he is teaching him.

 

Edited July 11, 2014 by alex2014

[Inara]

"He does come to the perch by his cage door now and lets me tickle his neck, without biting now and takes treats gently from my hand."

That is great progress in only a couple of months. And Wow on the stepping to your hand progress! It is great that Rocco is a good assistant when it comes to helping to show Alex that you are a friend, and that life is safe, and might even be a little fun as he continues to trust. It warmed my heart to read such a nice update.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

All sounds good! The only thing that never worked for me, was getting any of my birds to stepup from INSIDE their cage. All my birds learned " stepup", different ways. My Grey, from the door, my sonconure off the floor, my Amazon, off her play gym.( actually, Sophie learned 1/2 off the floor). Putting my fingers in their domain, was never an option. Of course, years have gone by, I can pick any of them off....... anywhere! Cages... are their domain, and the least place you want to start. Nancy

[chezron]

Wow! great progress! I think it is because Brutus can't stand to be in his cage that he steps up out of it--gladly.