Help needed for a newbie U2 guy--cockatoo won't "step up."

psycmeistr · Aug 17, 2015

Hello everybody--

As of yesterday, I am proudly owned by 15-year old Moses, a white cockatoo, who has been in a number of homes (I am his fourth home).

I have been told that Moses has a problem with men--that in and of itself doesn't bother me, as I am very patient by nature.

That being said, I have spent the last two days trying to gain Moses' trust. He will not step up on my arm.

I even got to the point tonight where I was able to pet him for two hours straight, while singing him a lullabye-- he actually almost went to sleep. He seemed to enjoy my singing to him very much, as well.

But when I tried to get him to step up onto my arm, it was back to the biting, and he refuses to do so. I tried the approach-back a number of times--but it only goes so far--he still won't step up so I can put him back in his cage for the night.

I'm not discouraged in terms of our being able to get along--I know it will eventually happen-- I was wondering if anyone knows of any techniques that I may be missing that may hasten that day.

Thanks in advance for your help!

**Upon edit he always 'stepped up' for his previous caretaker--but she was a woman--don't know if that had anything to do with it-

-Leo-

Allee · Aug 17, 2015

Hey Leo, Welcome to the forum and congratulations!

I don't know if you have a lot of experience with parrots but their concept of time is a lot different than ours. All birds have their own unique personalities, some move in and are comfortable from day one, others not so much. Toos in general usually take longer, those that have had several homes, even more so. Moses will need time to build trust and adjust to his new home. Toos are emotional creatures, it's better to think in terms of weeks or months rather than hours or days. I know you're probably itching to be best friends but your patience will be rewarded.

I would concentrate on making Moses as comfortable as possible, keep singing to him and interact with him as long as he's comfortable but let him set the pace. I've noticed with several re-homes, playing hard to get usually works like a charm. U2's are constantly curious, if you sit near him and pretend to be interested in something other than him, more than likely he will approach you to see what's so interesting. Give him treats, talk to him, get to know him.

Is he trained to step up on a perch, that may be easier for him at first? Instead of physically returning him to his cage, try tempting him to go in of his own free will by letting him see you put a treat or toy in his cage. Toos love to play, shreddable toys, soft wood blocks, plastic links, parrot puzzles, rattles, fresh drinking water, a fresh bowl of food, a cardboard box, a chair. A Too can transform just about anything into a toy, including the latches on their cages.

It may be awkward for a few weeks but I'm guessing Moses will come around pretty fast. Enjoy your new buddy.

sonja · Aug 18, 2015

I agree with Allee - slooooow down. He's only been with you one day! Give him time to get to know you and his new surroundings. Talk to him, sing the song he likes.

Is Moses your first bird?

Brody · Aug 18, 2015

Having the same probable, though he was neglected by his owners by not spending any time with him. He didn't have any plucked feathers so he apparently survived that.. Poor bird. Been with him for two months and he won't step up. He just side steps. Getting a Cockatoo to step up on the first day is nearly impossible, he has never met you until now and he is in a different place, all of that combined will make him anxious and scared. You should wait at least a week, if he doesn't then keep on waiting, even Toby doesn't want to have attention for a long time or he just moves away even though I had him for 2 months.

psycmeistr · Aug 18, 2015

Allee said:
Hey Leo, Welcome to the forum and congratulations!

I don't know if you have a lot of experience with parrots but their concept of time is a lot different than ours. All birds have their own unique personalities, some move in and are comfortable from day one, others not so much. Toos in general usually take longer, those that have had several homes, even more so. Moses will need time to build trust and adjust to his new home. Toos are emotional creatures, it's better to think in terms of weeks or months rather than hours or days. I know you're probably itching to be best friends but your patience will be rewarded.

I would concentrate on making Moses as comfortable as possible, keep singing to him and interact with him as long as he's comfortable but let him set the pace. I've noticed with several re-homes, playing hard to get usually works like a charm. U2's are constantly curious, if you sit near him and pretend to be interested in something other than him, more than likely he will approach you to see what's so interesting. Give him treats, talk to him, get to know him.

Is he trained to step up on a perch, that may be easier for him at first? Instead of physically returning him to his cage, try tempting him to go in of his own free will by letting him see you put a treat or toy in his cage. Toos love to play, shreddable toys, soft wood blocks, plastic links, parrot puzzles, rattles, fresh drinking water, a fresh bowl of food, a cardboard box, a chair. A Too can transform just about anything into a toy, including the latches on their cages.

It may be awkward for a few weeks but I'm guessing Moses will come around pretty fast. Enjoy your new buddy.

I'll tell you-- it was an ordeal.

Thanks kindly for your responses--I will try the things as you suggested.

I didn't want to leave him out of his cage for the night-- after three hours I finally attempted to put a blanket over him. He flew to the floor--after which he finally "stepped up" when I went to retrieve him. He then went back on top of the cage--the little twerp

I finally got the blanket on top of him--and after a bit of a struggle I got him in his cage.

I'm sure I did some damage to our relationship, but I didn't want to have him have free rein of the house overnight.

Until I can figure out a dependable way to get him back in his cage, it will be a while until I can let him out-- ::::sigh::::

Brody · Aug 18, 2015

psycmeistr said:
Allee said:

Hey Leo, Welcome to the forum and congratulations!

I don't know if you have a lot of experience with parrots but their concept of time is a lot different than ours. All birds have their own unique personalities, some move in and are comfortable from day one, others not so much. Toos in general usually take longer, those that have had several homes, even more so. Moses will need time to build trust and adjust to his new home. Toos are emotional creatures, it's better to think in terms of weeks or months rather than hours or days. I know you're probably itching to be best friends but your patience will be rewarded.

I would concentrate on making Moses as comfortable as possible, keep singing to him and interact with him as long as he's comfortable but let him set the pace. I've noticed with several re-homes, playing hard to get usually works like a charm. U2's are constantly curious, if you sit near him and pretend to be interested in something other than him, more than likely he will approach you to see what's so interesting. Give him treats, talk to him, get to know him.

Is he trained to step up on a perch, that may be easier for him at first? Instead of physically returning him to his cage, try tempting him to go in of his own free will by letting him see you put a treat or toy in his cage. Toos love to play, shreddable toys, soft wood blocks, plastic links, parrot puzzles, rattles, fresh drinking water, a fresh bowl of food, a cardboard box, a chair. A Too can transform just about anything into a toy, including the latches on their cages.

It may be awkward for a few weeks but I'm guessing Moses will come around pretty fast. Enjoy your new buddy.

Click to expand...

I'll tell you-- it was an ordeal.

Thanks kindly for your responses--I will try the things as you suggested.

I didn't want to leave him out of his cage for the night-- after three hours I finally attempted to put a blanket over him. He flew to the floor--after which he finally "stepped up" when I went to retrieve him. He then went back on top of the cage--the little twerp

I finally got the blanket on top of him--and after a bit of a struggle I got him in his cage.

I'm sure I did some damage to our relationship, but I didn't want to have him have free rein of the house overnight.

Until I can figure out a dependable way to get him back in his cage, it will be a while until I can let him out-- ::::sigh::::

I dont do this anymore because my Cockatoo goes everywhere I tap with my fingers but.. I used something big and would just slowly move it in and he would automatically move. It worked for me so It'll probably work for you. Anything that is an object and moves closer will make the Cockatoo step away unless its you which it likes.

Kyoto · Aug 18, 2015

My conure hates going in her cage. I've found baiting her with treats has made it a much more pleasant experience for both of us. Now sometimes she even sits on her door and waits for her treat to go in

psycmeistr · Aug 18, 2015

Oh--and I forgot to mention-- he's deathly afraid of sticks. That narrows the options quite a bit.

psycmeistr · Aug 18, 2015

Brody said:
psycmeistr said:

Allee said:

Hey Leo, Welcome to the forum and congratulations!

I don't know if you have a lot of experience with parrots but their concept of time is a lot different than ours. All birds have their own unique personalities, some move in and are comfortable from day one, others not so much. Toos in general usually take longer, those that have had several homes, even more so. Moses will need time to build trust and adjust to his new home. Toos are emotional creatures, it's better to think in terms of weeks or months rather than hours or days. I know you're probably itching to be best friends but your patience will be rewarded.

I would concentrate on making Moses as comfortable as possible, keep singing to him and interact with him as long as he's comfortable but let him set the pace. I've noticed with several re-homes, playing hard to get usually works like a charm. U2's are constantly curious, if you sit near him and pretend to be interested in something other than him, more than likely he will approach you to see what's so interesting. Give him treats, talk to him, get to know him.

Is he trained to step up on a perch, that may be easier for him at first? Instead of physically returning him to his cage, try tempting him to go in of his own free will by letting him see you put a treat or toy in his cage. Toos love to play, shreddable toys, soft wood blocks, plastic links, parrot puzzles, rattles, fresh drinking water, a fresh bowl of food, a cardboard box, a chair. A Too can transform just about anything into a toy, including the latches on their cages.

It may be awkward for a few weeks but I'm guessing Moses will come around pretty fast. Enjoy your new buddy.

Click to expand...

I'll tell you-- it was an ordeal.

Thanks kindly for your responses--I will try the things as you suggested.

I didn't want to leave him out of his cage for the night-- after three hours I finally attempted to put a blanket over him. He flew to the floor--after which he finally "stepped up" when I went to retrieve him. He then went back on top of the cage--the little twerp

I finally got the blanket on top of him--and after a bit of a struggle I got him in his cage.

I'm sure I did some damage to our relationship, but I didn't want to have him have free rein of the house overnight.

Until I can figure out a dependable way to get him back in his cage, it will be a while until I can let him out-- ::::sigh::::

Click to expand...

I dont do this anymore because my Cockatoo goes everywhere I tap with my fingers but.. I used something big and would just slowly move it in and he would automatically move. It worked for me so It'll probably work for you. Anything that is an object and moves closer will make the Cockatoo step away unless its you which it likes.

Well.. one object was me, the other object was my wife-- it did work to an extent

psycmeistr · Aug 18, 2015

Kyoto said:
My conure hates going in her cage. I've found baiting her with treats has made it a much more pleasant experience for both of us. Now sometimes she even sits on her door and waits for her treat to go in

Yes, we tried that--unfortunately he valued being out of his cage more than he did a treat :31:

psycmeistr · Aug 18, 2015

Thanks kindly for your ideas and your support-- being a newbie it's quite nice to be assisted and not to be lambasted-- I believe that this is going to be a long-term project for me-- a VERY long one

I have to go to work now-- I look forward to any feedback and I will respond when I return in about 6 hours or so-

Have a great day everyone!

Siobhan · Aug 18, 2015

Our Rocky won't step up on my husband without a nasty bite, but Hubby can pet him on his cage or when he's sitting on me. Rocky steps up on me easily. It might just take extra trust building to get yours to agree to step onto a man's arm. Have you tried turning the lights really low and leaving the room when you want him to go to bed? That often makes a parrot go into their cage.

psycmeistr · Aug 18, 2015

Siobhan said:
Our Rocky won't step up on my husband without a nasty bite, but Hubby can pet him on his cage or when he's sitting on me. Rocky steps up on me easily. It might just take extra trust building to get yours to agree to step onto a man's arm. Have you tried turning the lights really low and leaving the room when you want him to go to bed? That often makes a parrot go into their cage.

Thanks kindly for the suggestion-- yes-- Moses has had man issues in the past-- but I am in it for the long haul.

Like I said before, he finally *did* step up for me, but this was when he was on the floor and he wanted out of that situation-- he immediately climbed to the top of my shoulders and then again to the top of his cage (vs. in it where I wanted him to go).

When I got home from work just now, I approached him, put my hand inside the cage and again petted him--he seemed OK-- (although he got agitated again when I tried to hang a cob of sweet corn from the top of the cage).

I'm thinking that this whole kerfuffle probably had something to do with his wanting to express dominance, but who knows.

I think the plan for me now is to lay low as much as possible to allow him time to settle down---

Last night's experience was kinda traumatic for me-- I'm sure most likely more so for Moses, so it will be a while before I try taking him out of the cage again-- but I will try the "light" thing when it is time for bed.

It probably wouldn't be so much of an issue if I had an alternative means of getting him to do what he needs to do, but as I said before, he's deathly afraid of sticks, as well-- so I have no safe means of getting him back inside his cage once he is out.

Betrisher · Aug 19, 2015

Coming in late on this discussion, but I wanted to post a YouTube video of Barbara Heidenreich teaching a macaw to step up from his perch (which is a stick). I love this method! You can see that BH has all the patience in the world as she waits for the macaw to do what she wants him to do, yet he does it fairly promptly for her because he's concentrating on the yummy treat she offers him. I hope this might help you?

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIaDDSeZKnI"]Parrot Training Workshop Live Demo - Step Up Training with a Macaw - YouTube[/ame]

psycmeistr · Aug 19, 2015

Betrisher said:
Coming in late on this discussion, but I wanted to post a YouTube video of Barbara Heidenreich teaching a macaw to step up from his perch (which is a stick). I love this method! You can see that BH has all the patience in the world as she waits for the macaw to do what she wants him to do, yet he does it fairly promptly for her because he's concentrating on the yummy treat she offers him. I hope this might help you?

Parrot Training Workshop Live Demo - Step Up Training with a Macaw - YouTube

Thank you kindly--

I will try it, but the previous owner made it a point to say that Moses is terrified of sticks-- But I'll try it once, anyway-

Siobhan · Aug 19, 2015

Rocky is terrified of sticks and a long list of other things as well. I know he was abused but I don't know all the details. Don't try a stick if Moses is afraid of it. You'll damage the trust he's slowly learning to have in you and you'll have to start over. Treats in the food bowl might get him to go into his cage. Save something he really loves for bedtime and don't give it to him any other time or any other way than in his bowl inside the cage. The low lights even work on my starling, who absolutely HATES to go to bed. She'd stay up all night every night otherwise. LOL

I believe Moses will step up eventually, but you have to do things at his pace and on his schedule. Right now you should just concentrate on winning his trust and building a relationship. He has to understand that he's safe and loved and won't be harmed before you can even do that.

Betrisher · Aug 19, 2015

The point is, you don't use a stick, you use whatever your bird is willing to perch on. You could use the cage, a boing, a bit of tree, a rope perch, whatever. The objective is to get him familiar with stepping up. Desensitising him toward sticks is a different issue.

Jayyj · Aug 19, 2015

I got Alice to step up using millet. Step one, held out a sprig of millet in front of her for her to take bits out of. Step two, held the millet so she had to cross the cage to get to it. Step three, she had to step out onto a ledge outside the cage to get it. Step four, off the cage and onto my forearm to get it. When she first stepped into my arm I let her take the millet and step off again so she wasn't having to do anything that would put her in a position she didn't want to be. Pretty soon she was taking the millet and happily sitting on my arm to eat it.

By doing all the steps you don't rush things and it's tiny baby steps that aren't too much of a challenge.

I think it's a little early for dominance issues to factor in - it sounds like he's still figuring you out. The top of the cage is good for him because he feels safe up there and he can back away from you - same as the shoulder dodge where they sit on your shoulder then skuttle into the small of your back as soon as you reach up to take them off. I use a chair if I need to get mine off the top of the cage if she won't come down when I ask - she's fine as soon as she sees I'm at a height where I can reach her.

psycmeistr · Aug 19, 2015

Thanks everyone for your kind assistance--

Moses is trusting me more now, in that I can approach him and pet him now at pretty much anytime without his trying to bite me. This kind of surprised me after our little 'blanket' affair two nights ago. The "stepping up" part remains an issue, but I'm sure we'll get there with time. I was advised by another U2 person that I should have waited at least 7 days before allowing him to venture out of his cage-- it's a little late for that now (he was absolutely begging to get out of his cage last night, and I finally relented today)-- But now that I know better-- Live and learn...

psycmeistr · Aug 24, 2015

Well--after many hours of working with Moses, we finally got him to 'step up'--although he still won't do it when he's on his cage. When he is on the floor, he is willing to step up both with me and my wife--this is certainly progress, in my opinion, for a bird with a history of hating men.

Take the victories where you can get them, I say

Help needed for a newbie U2 guy--cockatoo won't "step up."

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Bird room is done.

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