I hate to say it but my little angel is in a phase. 14 mos old today, and I had to take some of her freedom away. I put a perch above the outside of her door months ago, it was a 1/2" rope perch that eventually slipped out of the pastic end b/c of her weight. So I put up a larger rope perch and used a traditional straight perch under it to support it. It was her favorite spot outside the cage, she would go back n forth from the perch to the top of the open cage door for an hour.
It sat as high as 6'5", so she had high ground to sing, observe etc. But she has become reluctant to step up for me when I want her to come down. She would move quickly (and damn she is quickly) to get toward the top of the care (where she is smart enough to know I cannot easily reach her). She become wise to my tactics to coax her to come to my shoulder or step up. treats don't work as well and often I have to grab her with both hands which she doesn't like. She hunkers down and just sits there, debating whether to take a poke at me with her beak. Sometimes she does sometimes not, she is taking that poke more often now.
So I felt it was time for a change. I took both perches off the outside of the cage. I'll let this go for a day or two, then maybe add a straight perch to the outside but much lower, about chest high for me.
I personally think she was using the high ground advantage to take as much liberty and control and she could. She actually broke my skin for the first time ever last week trying to keep me from getting to her to take her down. She's been such a well behaved little baby that it bums me out she's resorted to this. I'm confident it is a phase and a little adjustment will help restore her typical and natural demeanor.
She's really taken some nice steps forward this past month in her ability to recognize my vocal commands and we've expanded our whistle language to each other. She seems to enjoy me whistling to her and attaching an English word to it.
I view this as the 1 step back amid the 2 steps forward progress.
It sat as high as 6'5", so she had high ground to sing, observe etc. But she has become reluctant to step up for me when I want her to come down. She would move quickly (and damn she is quickly) to get toward the top of the care (where she is smart enough to know I cannot easily reach her). She become wise to my tactics to coax her to come to my shoulder or step up. treats don't work as well and often I have to grab her with both hands which she doesn't like. She hunkers down and just sits there, debating whether to take a poke at me with her beak. Sometimes she does sometimes not, she is taking that poke more often now.
So I felt it was time for a change. I took both perches off the outside of the cage. I'll let this go for a day or two, then maybe add a straight perch to the outside but much lower, about chest high for me.
I personally think she was using the high ground advantage to take as much liberty and control and she could. She actually broke my skin for the first time ever last week trying to keep me from getting to her to take her down. She's been such a well behaved little baby that it bums me out she's resorted to this. I'm confident it is a phase and a little adjustment will help restore her typical and natural demeanor.
She's really taken some nice steps forward this past month in her ability to recognize my vocal commands and we've expanded our whistle language to each other. She seems to enjoy me whistling to her and attaching an English word to it.
I view this as the 1 step back amid the 2 steps forward progress.
