Wes keeps dropping her food

[Wes88]

I have a young African gray that I bought almost 3 weeks ago. She's around 9 months old. Thank god, she's healthy and now she's starting to play inside her cage (I take her out of her cage almost every day for 3-4 hours then put her back, which is really hard because she does not want to go inside or perhaps does not understand that she needs to go inside and I have a serious problem catching her because she would run away or try to bite).

 

The problem that I am facing with her is that whenever I try to feed her, she picks the food out of my fingers and then drops it. I keep doing this over and over with her, she would pick it up then drop it. When I go away, she would go and eat whatever she dropped from my hand.

 

Some breeders told me to starve her a little bit (decrease the amount a little). I try to avoid doing that but she seems to eat from my sisters hand when she's faced with such a situation then suddenly she would start dropping food from everyone.

 

I can't find what is her favorite treat. I give her sunflower seeds and peanuts (she likes peanuts more than sunflower seeds). Sometimes I would give her vigges and fruits but the bottom line is that she does not want to eat from our hands.

 

How can I solve this problem. I need to gain her trust (By feeding her) so I can teach her how to climb on my hands and take simple commands.

 

Thank you,

 

Wes

[Irishchicky]

It sounds like she is playing one of a grey fav games with you " How many times will you pick this up if I throw it on the ground"

 

It sounds as if she doesnt want to be hand fed so I would let her eat on her own. Never starve a grey it doesnt work.

 

You could try getting her to step up by holding your hand in front of her and holding the treat just out of reach with the other to entice her to step up.

 

You can bond with her other ways like playing with her with her favorite toy.<br><br>Post edited by: Irishchicky, at: 2009/01/13 19:33

[Wes88]

Thank you so much.

 

Is it really a game she plays or is she being stubborn?

 

Sometimes it is night time and I would have to pick her up with the towel to put her back in the cage. She was not too happy about it.

 

But right now she's whistling (have not started talking yet) and I really want to be able to feed her so we can develop that trust.

 

Is starving her a little bit an option?

[judygram]

Wes, do not starve your bird and you do not have to feed her from your hand to bond with her. Trust is something you have to earn from a grey and you don't get it from just having them eat from your hand, it is all your actions around her and interactions with her that determine if she learns to trust you enough to bond with you.

 

I would feed her in her bowls in her cage, they naturally waste some stuff and many are notorious for throwing out what they don't like but yes they like playing games and one of them is throwing something on the floor to see how many times you will pick it up for them, don't fall for that one.

 

Gaining her trust will take time and much patience, its not something that will happen overnight so work on it slowly but surely.

[LindaMary]

I am really surprised to hear that a breeder suggested starving a bird - even "a little" - to elicit cooperation, never mind trust! DO NOT withhold food to get her to learn to step up. Look at it from her point of view: how would that even make sense to her? I think she is already showing you some trust by playing the "drop-the-food" game with you - as Irish said : it's one of their favorite games.

 

I don't know if you have also tried getting her to step up on an arm rather than a hand - some birds are simply afraid of hands and take a while to get used to them.

 

I also would suggest not relying on food treats as the mechanism for training. Try elaborate praise and happiness as a reward for any progress instead: I honestly think it works at least as well if not better.

 

Keep us posted!

[Irishchicky]

Also my bird 9 times out of 10 will nto step up onto my hand. She just doesnt like it. she prefers to step up onto a stick. Have you tried that?

 

Is there a reason she wont go back into her cage? Maybe a new toy you put in that is making her uneasy?

 

I wouldnt continue toweling her. It will frighten her and make her loose trust in you.

[Wes88]

Thank you all for your great input. I really appreciate it and will continue to seek help from experts who truly love their birds.

 

I knew that the way to Wes was not by starving her. I will do my best to spend more time with her.

 

Irishchicky, you are right. She has not been the same since I had to use the towel to pick her up. If I had to use the towel, I will probably have someone else do it.

 

She would get into a stick, sometimes. Is that a positive sign that she would consider hopping on my arm in the future?

 

 

Regarding the cage issue. She would not go back into her cage. I really would not know why. But most likely, she really likes it outside. She spends around 6 hours out of her cage, daily. But lately I tried to keep her inside because of the cold.

 

I just got her a new toy a few days ago and today she started playing with it. I hope she likes it.

 

Thank you so much everyone.

[judygram]

Wes, why don't you introduce yourself in the welcome room and tell us some more about you and Wes.

[Irishchicky]

The fact that she like being out of her cage around you is a sign that she likes you!

 

Play with that new toy with her.

 

Btw I think stepping up onto a stick is a good sign. Im working on stepping up on my arm with my grey. She will step up onto my arm now and then but i think she feels too unsteady sometimes because she is used to sitting on a perch or a stick