Confusing behaviour shift during bonding exercise

So I'm in the process of building a relationship with a young Galah. We've gotten to the point where I can have my hand around 6 inches away and have Opal sitting happily grinding her beak. Given the short duration she has been with us this is very fast to get to this point.

So I thought I would move on to bribing her to come closer with millet. Yesterday it worked amazingly and she chose to walk up the perch to within about 2 inches of my hand to take the millet. While she was eating I would move my hand and reintroduce it when she was finished. Each time she chose to come closer for the millet.

This morning I repeated the exercise with her and she happily took a mouthful of millet like yesterday. I took my hand away, let her finish and reintroduced my hand. Millet was in the same place in my hand, hand was in the exact same place on perch but she did a runner and seemed to be afraid.

So I sat and talked at her until she calmed down and had settled on her perch. I pulled out the millet spray but as soon as she saw it even though it was outside the cage she started to show signs of fear. Needless to say that was the end of things for today.

I have to assume I'm doing something wrong. Maybe I'm moving too fast? Should I be getting her to come to the door rather than putting my hand in the cage?

Any tips, advice or suggestions from anyone?

I would wait on putting your hand in the cage- that can upset a lot of birds.

I'd be more focused on getting her comfortable coming out with you not around the door--just to chill on the cage top etc

Yesterday she was fine with my hand in the cage. She was fine with it in the cage the first time the millet was offered. Second time I offered the millet it wasn't fine. A little confusing really.

Happy to stop with the hand in the cage if that's an issue for her and work from the outside. Would love to know why the sudden shift from fine to not fine though.

Until she is OK with stepping up having her out of the cage would be problematic. How would I get her back in the cage if I had to or even get her out from harms way if I needed to without manhandling her? That would set any kind of trust back significantly. In my situation it's not feasible to let her loose without enough trust already that she will step up.

Talven said:

Yesterday she was fine with my hand in the cage. She was fine with it in the cage the first time the millet was offered. Second time I offered the millet it wasn't fine. A little confusing really.

Happy to stop with the hand in the cage if that's an issue for her and work from the outside. Would love to know why the sudden shift from fine to not fine though.

Until she is OK with stepping up having her out of the cage would be problematic. How would I get her back in the cage if I had to or even get her out from harms way if I needed to without manhandling her? That would set any kind of trust back significantly. In my situation it's not feasible to let her loose without enough trust already that she will step up.

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Not sure about the sudden shift-- could just be that she didn't feel like having you in there at the moment---She could have been cranky from lack of sleep (if it was noisy the night before). Maybe two days in a row felt invasive of her space, like, "woah man, this happened once and now you think you live here?" (especially if she was already moody due to being tired or something) LOL I have no idea- but as long as you were respectful of her cues (and it it sounds like you were) you don't have to worry. Cockatoos have a bit of a reputation for being a bit "fickle"--I am sure there is a hidden reason most of the time, but it can be hard to decipher-- it is wise though to always try (as you have been) to figure it out.



If it ain't broke, don't fix it-- if what you are doing keeps working- then stick with that!!!
It sounds like what you are doing is making progress/working -as what you are doing works, that's great--- I am not saying this would work for your bird or your situation--I will just tell you what I did with Noodles for roughly 3 months when I couldn't get her to step up (or even touch her initially). ..I DO think this method of mine made it less likely for her to resist the cage because coming out wasn't novel to her. I never have to chase her or anything to get her back in...but again- just sharing (you do what works for your house, your bird, your set-up!)

I let her out every single day, BUT only at times during the day when I knew I would be available to supervise closely etc (because she was unfamiliar with my home, she didn't really WANT to go exploring, so she stuck around her cage-top etc)...she came out after work each day, and on weekends (and if she went back in to eat, 99% of the time, she didn't get shut-in unless it was getting dark/bed-time)---she went in and out as she pleased, but she would go in every night at roughly the same time for bed and do this weird bob- so I would cover her for bed every time that happened. It is her signal to this day.

We established a bedtime song/dance ritual--- she ate dinner, we danced and sang to a few songs, then lights dimmed and USUALLY within 5-25 minutes, she would go inside (as long as things were pretty quiet). Like I said, I did have to usually dim the lights in the house/ shut the blinds to get her inside without touching her, but it almost always worked. So---during this period, I also wouldn't get her out in the morning if I had work because I couldn't necessarily bank on getting her back in in a timely fashion. Sometimes, if she went back in to eat in the evening and it wasn't bedtime, I would still lock the cage on her so I could run to the store or something) but never every time she went in.

When mine wouldn't step up voluntarily, there were a few times when she got startled and ended up on the ground (rare)..In those instances, she DID step up because she was unfamiliar with the room and trusted me more than the scary/unfamiliar floor...Mine also has a hard time flying well in a house---she CAN but yours probably does a better job due to size, practice etc.


I cannot think of any "danger" situations that ever occurred for me personally in which I had to pick her up other than the 1 or 2 times she was scared and accidentally flew to the ground/into a chair. Again, mine chooses not to fly very often, even though she can, so this made a difference in terms of what she could get into...and since she didn't know my home or me that well at the time, she tended to stick close to what was familiar (her cage).

Planning was my biggest thing during that "era" LOL---

1. teaching her right off the bat that just because she decided to go back into her cage to eat or sit, DID NOT mean I will lock her up again (because that seems to be a fear when they get out and like it for the first time). This keeps them from resisting re-entry in the future and can be helpful if for some reason you HAVE to go--then a bribe can sometimes get them back in, but usually only after they have established that it isn't going to sign them up for another prison term lol. I tried to shut the door on her with as little predictability as possible (excluding bedtimes), but I shut it FAR LESS than I kept it open.

2. Letting her out when I could "wait her out" and generally, I shopped before I came home or after she went to bed so that she could have quite a few hours outside the cage when I came home.

3. Letting her out when natural light and noise would decrease in my favor...and having a way to decrease them manually in the even that they days grew longer (blinds, curtains, lights, lamps, whatever)

4. Establishing a sleep/light/dark routine (and bedtime ritual)---They have very programmable clocks in their heads and they WANT to follow that 12 hours dark, 12 hours light cycle that they would get in nature...plus, in the wild, they go back to their trees to roost (aka cage). They are naturally inclined to follow that cycle (unless something super exciting makes staying up more appealing of course lol). She resisted going to bed sometimes, but ultimately, she put herself there every time (kind of like a kid who is exhausted and says they aren't tired, only to fall asleep mid protest ha)...so establishing the cage as a safe-space and mostly option place during the day was huge...and then setting up some cues so that she knew (in addition to the lighting) what we did each day around the same time. Play, food, nighttime song/dance, dim lights, bed.
^^^She doesn't require the song/dance anymore, although I found that it was a good alternative to that noisy evening burst that they often get right before bed-- which was why that started to begin with (it was a cue, but also an alternative behavior that served the same noisy purpose/energy outlet, without being as disruptive).

You’ll figure it out.

I ain’t no expert but I do know that patience and calm always helps, and sticking your arm into a cage doesn’t inspire calm at first.

I only moved on to having my hand in the cage as she seemed totally unconcerned by my presence close to her cage. She was quite comfortable with me having my hand on the same perch. So long as it was about 6in away she was fine. Would sit and grind her beak totally relaxed. Figured it would be a good time to try millet to convince her to come closer. Worked a treat the first few times. She'd take 2 or 3 steps up the perch to get the millet. Second day I tried it worked fine the first try and then on second try it was too scary and has been every time since.

She is making it very plain that she has zero interest in my overtures of friendship at this point. If I leave any sort of treat on a perch for her she will pick it up and throw it to the bottom of the cage. Cashew, almond, sunflower, safflower, Cheerios or even a small piece off the end of a spray of millet. Tossed with an air of contempt to the bottom of the cage. *sigh* Maybe I'm just not her type?

Whatever changed yesterday has set things back a fair bit. Possibly she has decided that she has been here long enough to really come out of her shell and be more assertive. She has also taken to charging the dogs if they walk past her cage with both wings out and squawking at them. So I guess being more comfortable and saying I don't like this is probably all that has changed. Strangely though she seems afraid of millet sprays now. Even if she sees one outside the cage she shows obvious signs of fear. Same with hands in the cage. Taken several steps backwards with no idea on what the cause could be.

Talven said:

I only moved on to having my hand in the cage as she seemed totally unconcerned by my presence close to her cage. She was quite comfortable with me having my hand on the same perch. So long as it was about 6in away she was fine. Would sit and grind her beak totally relaxed. Figured it would be a good time to try millet to convince her to come closer. Worked a treat the first few times. She'd take 2 or 3 steps up the perch to get the millet. Second day I tried it worked fine the first try and then on second try it was too scary and has been every time since.

She is making it very plain that she has zero interest in my overtures of friendship at this point. If I leave any sort of treat on a perch for her she will pick it up and throw it to the bottom of the cage. Cashew, almond, sunflower, safflower, Cheerios or even a small piece off the end of a spray of millet. Tossed with an air of contempt to the bottom of the cage. *sigh* Maybe I'm just not her type?

Whatever changed yesterday has set things back a fair bit. Possibly she has decided that she has been here long enough to really come out of her shell and be more assertive. She has also taken to charging the dogs if they walk past her cage with both wings out and squawking at them. So I guess being more comfortable and saying I don't like this is probably all that has changed. Strangely though she seems afraid of millet sprays now. Even if she sees one outside the cage she shows obvious signs of fear. Same with hands in the cage. Taken several steps backwards with no idea on what the cause could be.

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It's very early in the game-it can take many months to establish trust. I just worry that she has excess energy and not enough activity (not because the cage is too small, but because any cage is too small---heck- even a house is too small). Again- if you get to a point where you feel like it isn't working, I would urge you to try and find a way to safely let her out---but again, if you are stressed, she will pick up on that...HECK , that could be what happened today--- they are practically psychic in terms of reading anxiety-- so your apprehension about yesterday may be something that she has noticed.

It's almost impossible to fake it and only experience and exposure will strengthen your confidence (along with learning her signals) but I have found that the more you trust a cockatoo (genuinely) the more they trust you...again-- just my experience--it's a terrifying leap of faith but it has worked for me more than once. Again-- my whole philosophy on trust is based on Umbrellas because I have worked with them the most, so take it for what it's worth (I know they are very different in many ways)..he whole concern about pent-up energy is based on cockatoos in general tough, as is the picking up on anxiety thing.

The other thing I will say (w/regard to U2s mainly) is that they WILL eventually "test" you once true trust is built (but gauging that is tough)--so you have to walk this very strange line between respect and not allowing them to push you around--NEVER EVER push them (don't ignore signals early on), but learn to call their bluff over time without being disrespectful (that sounds so contradictory...but it is important-- kind of like when you have a kid who is upset a bit and just emotional, VS REALLY upset)...You have to have a really solid foundation if you are going to start calling their bluff, so remember that...but down the road, keep it in the back of your mind...Unless Galahs are totally different in that respect---I am not sure! I have worked with them, but again, I am a U2 person mostly (when it comes to cockatoos).

You are too early in the game for this in all likelihood, and you don't have a U2 (but I just wanted to share my experiences with them again)...I would NEVER suggest pushing a bird past its comfort zone, but to this day, sometimes Noodles will get a "wild hair" and try to test me (and then 2 seconds later, change her mind) but...these days, if she jerks her head at me, I do an over the top playful voice that I know she likes and basically change the subject to get compliance (kind of like a big brother or sister making a little sibling laugh or feel happy so that they agree...hard to explain...and again...TAKES A LOT OF EXPERIENCE TO DO THIS RIGHT---I wouldn't have dared for the first year at least-- but I am just telling you that there CAN be a certain amount of attitude (AFTER EASY STEP-UPS, AFTER TRUST, AFTER ALL OF THAT) that you basically have to overshadow with a new an different attitude to change the tone...BUT AGAIN--- that is Umbrellas and that works best when you have a VERY VERY VERY solid relationship and can read them well already.

Would love to have her out and able to roam about but her chasing the dogs would be a huge problem if I was unable to pick her up. They'd only take that for so long before retaliation.

As you said it's very early days and a slight setback like this is to be expected. Whatever happened isn't the end of the world, just another obstacle to overcome. Would be nice to have some insight as to what changed so I could avoid the same mistake but I can't work out what it was I did wrong. Easiest solution is to take the several steps back that she needs and go from there.

She's not quite 7 months old and has decades ahead. I've got plenty of time to build a relationship with her at her pace.

My guy is about 15 months, and not food motivated at all. He doesn’t really care about “treats” that will get him to do anything. So keep that in mind. Not all birds care about that.

I really don't understand the problem? She's a girl! She's allowed to change her mind just like any female.

T00tsyd said:

I really don't understand the problem? She's a girl! She's allowed to change her mind just like any female.

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Who says so?:17:

Ira7 said:

T00tsyd said:

I really don't understand the problem? She's a girl! She's allowed to change her mind just like any female.

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Who says so?:17:

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WOMEN like me hahaha! "It's a woman's prerogative to change her mind!" LOL That was a quote my mom liked to use when we said, "BUT YOU SAID!!"

T00tsyd said:

I really don't understand the problem? She's a girl! She's allowed to change her mind just like any female.

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Of course she is. It's a woman's prerogative and I have no issue with that. However just like every other mere male on the planet I am struggling to understand the reasons behind it. After all I am trying to win her over with sweet words and gifts so I need to know where I've gone wrong. I mean I can't rely on just my good looks . .

LOL! This thread cracks me up! Guessing dinner and a movie as out.. I mean, she is a unique "someone"..plus, cages aren't exactly discrete lol!