Gwynn stepped up!

Gwynn stepped up for the first time yesterday, when I brought my hand up from behind. He was relaxed, munching in his seed dish prior to coming out and it just felt 'right'. I brought him out of the cage, rewarded him and settled him on a chair back - and he immediately shuffled backwards onto my hand again. This was the big step forward for us, his declaration of trust.

Today we repeated it. He still prefers to step backwards although I know he stepped up forwards in the past. Settled on the chairback beside my computer chair, he soon shuffled down onto the arm and very pointedly showed that he'd really like to come onto my lap. Talk about leaps forward! He stepped up and came onto my lap and stayed there for about half an hour, content to be petted and to chew on my button. When I decided to move him back to 'his' chair, he was reluctant but complied. He wanted to come straight back but was pacified with a morsel of peanut. I suggested he might like to go play on his cage and put on some music for him. He strutted and bobbed and flapped and generally let off steam - a very happy bird!

I can hardly believe this is the same bird who before I had him sent a woman to hospital for stitches and had a man too afraid to be in the room when he was out, and only three weeks ago was launching flying attacks at my head for daring to approach his cage while he was out. Three weeks and three days and he's a lap snuggler!

that is great to hear! he must trust you now; which is amazing!

please use care though that something doesn't trigger his aggro or he does a 180* and attack. i've known some parrots that beg for scratches and to be picked up, but instead attack. do you know what these previous owners did to him to make him aggro?

good luck and continue your great work!

congratulations !!! its so rewarding when you gain an animals trust. you guys are making leaps and bounds

Conuregirl said:

that is great to hear! he must trust you now; which is amazing!

please use care though that something doesn't trigger his aggro or he does a 180* and attack. i've known some parrots that beg for scratches and to be picked up, but instead attack. do you know what these previous owners did to him to make him aggro?

good luck and continue your great work!

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Thanks for the warning, I hope that won't happen but he's changed so quickly I do wonder what's coming next! I'm betting on jealousy, but we'll wait and see. He's still not fully confident out of the cage, still getting up courage to explore and wary of my reaction to what he does. I can see that he still expects to be attacked in some way if he might do the wrong thing - and his defence is to attack first. Happily I soon figured that one out and when I see that thought in his head I know to reassure him that I'm not doing anything threatening. I have a feeling that when he is fully confident I'll have trouble of a different sort!

I wouldn't trust him out of the cage with anyone else yet, but my 88 year old mother - having been told on no account to put her fingers anywhere near his beak - was rubbing his beak and fingering his tongue through the bars the next morning. (No surprise really, I inherited my empathy for furred and feathered creatures from her.) He adores my grown up son and they practically kiss through the bars. His first owner apparently allowed him to taste his tongue.

His history, if what I was last told is true, is that he had about five years with his first owner and was given up for health reasons. Two years with owner number two and given up from lack of time. Three months with owner three, where the attention of a toddler "wasn't fair on him". From June he had two weeks in a temporary home where he upset the other birds, then a spell in a pet shop.

He was bought by someone who got badly bitten soon after getting him home. (After a three hour drive, she should have realised he needed some time and space.) After a week she was terrified of him and her mother took him while looking for a home. The young grandson seemed to view him as a clockwork toy. It was so easy to wind him up and set him bobbing and yelling and the kid thought it was fun. There were five dogs that ran around in a pack with no attempt to control them while we were there. So you can see how things got progressively worse. Owner two must have seen the start of behaviour problems to prompt the sale, owner three only lasted three months so that couldn't have gone well. After that the poor bird didn't know where he was or who to trust. I strongly suspect the last lot chased him with a stick since anything stick-like is attacked or run from. And yet, for all that - and including his flying attacks in the first week - all I've had is a couple of pinches from the first few days when I was figuring him out. He seems to be a gentle bird who wants to be loved and cuddled. I do hope that really is the case and if it isn't, I shall rise to the challenge because he is definately here to stay.

The poor thing Its amazing he is doing so well so early in your relationship !!
I Thank Goodness you have this bird now. And definitely pat yourself on the back , you have done great work with Gwynn !! Keep it up and enjoy her.
She will have her bad days though ,just like we do so just take caution when handling her.