A little advise please

[Tycos_mom]

I've been making Gimo come out of his cage a come with me into the other room to hang out with me and the other birds. I have a hard time getting him off his cage but once he's off he will step up no problem. except he heads straight for my shoulder. he's really good up there and doesn't bite at all but I'm at a bit of a loss of how to get him off. He will step off me on to his cage of course or any other cage for that matter but once he's back on any cage he won't step back up again. I take him into the other room with me and the step him down onto the small travel cage that I take my birds out in and I sit that cage down beside me. but when I want to take him back to his own cage he won't step up. I don'r want to scare him constantaly just because I want to move him from one room to the other. I at a loss for what to do I have a small table top perch that I would love for him to use when he's with me but he won't step down from my shoulder onto anything except a cage. help I don't know what I should do about all this I have never encoutered a bird that loves cages as much as this guy does.

[Lyric]

Gizmo probably just feels more secure having a cage close by. He knows there is safety inside it. It sounds like you have come a long way with him already- I think if you continue the way you are doing it eventually he will come around. Perhaps try working with him in another room away from any cages and try using the tabletop perch with a favorite treat and see if you can get him to step on it for the treat. I think you are doing great with him and you should be so proud of yourself that he has come as far as he has so fast.

[LindaMary]

This is really interesting to me, Patricia - because Tanner also ONLY likes shoulders and cages. Altho he steps up readily off his cage onto me now, I haven't yet even been successful at getting him to step DOWN off of me onto ANYthing but his cage or Mary's shoulder. He's getting better about sitting on hands, but still prefers shoulders and yesterday was well-behaved enough that I let him back up there again.

 

Do you suppose Tanner and Gizmo are secretly members of www.humanforums.net - for severe macaws only? And that they are secretly e-mailing each other and planning how to drive the two of us nuts? :pinch: :evil: It's weird to me - Tanner has so much less history than Gizmo, but he seems to have so many of the exact same issues and behaviors! :angry:

 

In all seriousness tho, I'd bet Jen is right and it's just a question of more time and more patience. Hang in there!

[Tycos_mom]

I know Its probubly just a matter of time and patients. He really seems to enjoy his time away from his cage he looks around and snuggles againts my face. But he just can't seem to get past wanting to be near or on a cage. I'm really starting to think that I should just take his cage totally away from him for a few days except to sleep in at night. This may help him to realize that the world won't come to an end just because he doesn't have a cage.

[LindaMary]

I wonder, Pat. Let me know how that works if you decide to try it. You may end up with him on your shoulder for the whole day!

 

Too bad they don't have "half-cages" - like a cage with only three walls - then a cage with only two walls, then only one wall, then none, you know? So you could sort of remove his cage stepwise....