Help for scared 'too!

Hello, I am new, and found this site in a search for parrot forums. I am hoping to get some advice for working with a terrified Umbrella. He is not mean, show NO inclination to bite, but is so scared of everything!
Background: Age-believed to be 7-8 years old
Sex-DNA'd male, previous owners-2 at least. He was sold as a breeding pair, but the new owners sexed him and both were male, so they separated and sold them. He acts as tho he was hand fed/raised, shows no signs of aggression, does not pluck or scream--yet. He eats well, destroys toys, and steps up nicely. But bring him out of his cage (a huge Kings macaw cage) and he shakes, tries to get back to his cage, and/or tries to get up on my shoulder. Any advice??

Welcome to the forum! How long have you had your Umbrella?

He has been through several owners and has yet another, so anxiety and fear of the new environment is normal. That he is eating and playing with toys is a good sign, but his cage is for the moment a refuge of safety. Might wish to take removal slowly, and for a time limit the physical distance from the cage in increasing increments. Any other birds or pets in his view?

Please treat the shoulder as a perch of earned trust! An Umbrella can do serious physical and cosmetic damage! Many of my Toos have shoulder privileges, but it was an earned reward and thus far they have not abused the privilege.

A Too's well being is also dependent on health and proper diet. A well-visit to an avian vet can be helpful. There are many threads and POVs regarding diet; I prepare fresh fruits/vegetables, provide pellets, and some seed.

Sounds possibly cage bound. Like Scott asked, how long have you had him? Sounds like building trust and training is in order.

I am certainly no expert, but when we got Sucre (6 years old), we had to let her just do things her way. She was abused, and very possibly exposed to inhalable drugs (meth). We left the door to her cage open, and she spent the first few days in or on top of the cage. Now, I wish I could get her to stay there for 5 minutes. It took a lot of patience on our part, but we knew she had been through a lot and it wouldn't change overnight.

The other male he was accidentally paired with may have given your guy a rough time of it.

Good luck!

My galah was like this for her first few weeks, and it took a few months to get to a point where she was happy with the cage out of eyesight. We just took things very slowly and let her set the pace.

My strategy for getting her out of the cage was to first find a treat she liked and which took her a few minutes to eat and start by offering it to her when she was in the cage, then getting her to step up and eat it whilst in my forearm stood next to the cage, then to sit down on the couch next to the cage and get her onto my forearm. I never stopped her going back to the cage when she wanted to - I didn't want her to think if she stepped up it meant she might not be able to get back - but after a few days of this she seemed happy to stay out for longer periods.

I would second not letting a large, unfamiliar too on your shoulder until you know the bird's personality a bit better.

If he's terrified of leaving his cage, then don't take him out! Let him settle in and get used to his surroundings and learn to trust you first. You want him to have *positive* experiences with you, NOT negative ones! And if coming out is negative for him, let him have the safety of his cage.

Hillary Hankey has a couple of good articles on gaining trust.

Working with Fearful Parrots: A Study in Videos | Learning Parrots
Parrot Behavior Myths: Building Trust | Learning Parrots


After that, you want to work on target training. You start within the cage through the cage bars, and working on targeting around the inside of the cage before you move on to target training outside of the cage.

https://larajoseph.wordpress.com/2012/08/21/a-bird-attacking-question/
https://larajoseph.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/a-question-about-an-issue-with-nipping/

First he has to trust you and feel safe. Sounds just like our Rocky was at first. Reassure him. Don't push too hard. Let him set the pace. If you have to stand or sit next to the cage, do that. It was weeks before we could step away, even a couple of feet. Now we can walk around the house. But it was in tiny increments.

Its great that you took him in I'm sure he'll benefit from a loving home like your's. Whenever I've had to train parrots and other aninals for work I've used soft mushy food warmed up just a little. For parrots I'll use plain oatmeal or mashed sweet potato. It works like a charm, I just sit with the bird in my lap, or some other place/position they're comfortable with and spoon feed it to them while talking softly. It really calms them down, and they associate you with their favorite yummy foods. From here I start target training like MoniacMc suggested. If they won't take the oatmeal or sweet potato, go with a food you already know they like. You can do this with him on/in his cage, your lap, perched on a chair or stool- wherever he's comfortable. I also find that holding them at eye level, but not close to your face, is helpful, but it depends on the bird. I've had birds who prefer to perch at my side or close to my chest. Just don't let him near your face yet, as they can be unpredictable. Just yesterday one of the umbrella's I work with, who I've known for weeks bit my ear, and wouldn't let go until I grabbed him. He's usually really sweet but definitely not a bird I let on my shoulder. Good luck, I hope it goes well ♡

Congratulations on your new 'too and welcome. As everyone else said cockatoos are very sensitive (some say temperamental) birds, and if he was a 'breeder' bird he may have been decorative, IE cage bound. Let your bird come out on his own and make sure you make him feel welcome by talking to him. I've found my shyer birds appreciate the communication. Once he's more comfortable with you, work on giving him scritches here and there, and maybe a treat. It's a slow process but it's extremely rewarding. I have several birds, but bonding with my Tiki 'too is the most rewarding of the lot because he's so smart and loving. He was a bird terrified to leave his cage and now he follows me to the bathroom if I don't take him with!

Don't let your bird on your shoulder, at least yet. Remember, this is a bird that can go through most hard nuts with that beak, and being that close to your face before that bond is solid is a bad business decision.