A little advice please

[Tycos_mom]

I've had Tyco for about 8 months or so she is a rescue and nas severe trust issues as I'm her fourth home and she just turned 5 in February. That said most of her previous homes she was locked in a cage that was much to small 24/7 with no toys and on a basic seed diet. She is terrified of hands. I have a great deal of patiants when it comes to working with rescues as I have done this 3 times before Tyco.

 

I can pretty much do anything with the other three that I want they trust me completely I can touch them anywhere and Ilove them all unconditionaly.

 

Tyco and I have made huge progress latley she loves to give me kisses all the time she leans in so I can kiss the top of her beak. She steps up onto my arm when ever I ask her too and I can take her to a mutual training area when ever I want. We do our Training In the spare bedroom. I sit her down beside me and then I ask her to step up onto my lap and she does with no problem and then we play games with blocks to learn different colours or I teach her to count with number shapes also at the same time she learn what the number looks like. all this is wonderful she calls me mom mom when ever I leave the room she loves to be with me constantly. But the thing we can't seem to get past is her fear of hands. like I said she steps up onto my arm not my hand she will let me rub her beak with my finger but that the only thing she allows. Except when she's on the floor due to a fall or flying down off her cage to get somthing that dropped. When she is on the floor she will step up on to my hand that is the only time How do I get her to get over her fear of hands without loseing her trust again or getting bitten. She has never bitten me yet but I don't push my hands on her either someone tell me what I can do Ive tried putting her on the floor and doing stepups off the floor onto my hands for weeks on end it doesnt seem to work. some how she doesn't put it together when she is not on the floor help me what can I try next.

[siobha9]

I am not sure if this will help, but here is Liath's story.

 

Liath was absolutely terrified of my husbands hands. From day 1 really and she was only a baby. It used to be that she wouldnt even take a treat from his hand. What he did, in fact what he is still doing is a very slow process. He started on the treats. Just kept offering them to her. If she wouldnt take it, he gave the treat to another bird. Pretty soon she realised if she refused it, someone else got it, so she started taking it. This meant she had to step closer to his hand.

 

Then he made it that she had to let him touch her beak before she got the treat. She would have her eyes on the treat so this was ok too. Today she will step up for him and he can touch her beak without a treat in his hand. But he still cant touch her feathers in any way. While he is cuddling Oisin, he leaves his other hand beside Liath. Its sad really, because he could be sitting there cuddling Oisin, and you can see she really really wants him to cuddle her too, but she is still afraid. He has made amazing progress, but it has taken over a year to get this far.

[lovemyGreys]

Hi Pat,

 

If she is scared of hands she needs to learn to trust your hands & see them as a positive thing & not feel threatened by them, but as you are fully aware this may be a long process, Being scared of hands is usually a result of being handled incorrectly at some stage. There may well be something in her post that has made her terrified,perhaps manhandling or someone banging on the cage,it may have been a number of things.You have made wonderful progress with Tyco,if she is happy to step up on to your arm,then maybe that's her comfort zone & you may have to accept that.

[danmcq]

Pat,

 

It seems like you have made tons of progress to me. You are getting him to interact with you and go through training sessions etc. If if it is only to step up on your Arm ,thats Great.

 

God knows what this poor fellow has been through before he came to you. He could be and probably does have a hand phobia at this point.

 

With the love and patience you have, he will overcome that too. But, it will be when he feels comfortable with it. Just keep doing what you doing, giving him treats by hand, head scratch or whatever else he will allow you to do using your hands. He will come to trust you and your hands, sooner or later.

 

Great job in bringing him around to the point you have!! :-)

[bettyboop]

Pat ,I agree with LMG...Sammy uses my arm instead of my hand . I think he does this not out of fear of my hands but my arm is a much safer perch than my fingers. He is a pretty big bird. Also 8 months isnt very long .So with your love , and time , she will probably come around . Sally Blanchard advises with Grey's , do not rush things . Which I am the worst . I want to do it today , and Sammy continues to slow me down ...Lol....I bet Greys are great to help lower blood pressure.LOL..It will all work out in time.

Hugs,

Mary

[Tycos_mom]

I know it takes time love and Patiats for all neglected and abused bird. I just love Tyco soooo much and I want to be able to give her head scritches and pets and she just has such a fear of hands. She watches me everyday cuddle up to Fergie my Amazon and I know she wants that also I can tell by how intencly she watches. Something really bad must of happened in her past. because she takes my word for it usually If I tell her that its ok and its not going to hurt her I say its a speciel thing just for Tyco. she good with that. she's not afraid of anything except cameras and hands. She has wonderful confidence she not afraid of toys or new cages or anything her confidence since she's been with me has risen to great hieghts but there are those 2 things that she can't seem to get past. I guess its just going to take more love more patients and more time. and I have lots of that.