Gaining Trust.

Our newly adopted (today is his first full) won't step up when he's on his cage, but when he's on the floor he will step up. He's 4 years old and we knew this.

I think it's a trust issue, that's why he won't step up. So what is the best way to gain trust? We have been interacting, and I was able to get him to exit his cage and stand on the door perch. It took some cashew pieces, but it work.

I can reach in his cage and scratch his head, though he's tried to bit me twice.

With that, are small treats and lots of enthusiastic praise the best approach?

Even a totally healthy adult bird with no trauma or mental issues is unlikely to want to step up on a stranger in a new environment. This is normal...DO NOT PUSH the issue. My bird wouldn't step up for 3 months and I got her as an adult. Birds move way slower than dogs or cats, so please don't get discouraged or force things. For now, just do quiet stuff near the cage and go about your daily business. If you can do so safely, allow her to come and go from the cage as she pleases... This is a marathon...not a sprint.

I strongly suggest that you stop trying to touch the bird and let him/her be the initiator. You are going to get bitten if your disregard his obvious signals- including nervousness-- birds bite to communicate. Step back, chill, breathe, talk near the open cage. Do what you normally do. Let the bird start to see that you are the bringer of food-- and don't force him to take it from your hand. If he wants to, he will, but if not, just let him see you put it in the bowl. You do not want to give your bird practice biting, so you must watch carefully to learn when they will bite and what it is they are trying to convey. In your case, fear is very likely.

You need to build trust before you try to pick him up like that. Birds will sometimes step up when terrified in new surroundings...especially on the floor (very vulnerable/scary for a new bird). You will be fine, but you need to slow down 150%. There will be many ups and downs, but if you are patient and research bird behavior, you will be okay. Just don't take things personally, and know that if you are patient, you will be rewarded, but you must also be knowledgeable and consistent.

Treats work for a bird who is food-motivated, but some birds aren't. Praise works for an attention seeker, but has the opposite impact on a fearful bird. You really should look up ABA and parrots. All behavior has a function and reinforce (increase) a desired behavior, your "treat" must match that function (or you will miss the boat completely).

For perspective's sake, think about all of the things that you wouldn't do for candy or praise...and then think about how circumstances could impact your desire to do what you do....Almost all behavior is motivated by A)escape---the desire to get away from a person, task, or situation, B) Attention---the desire to attract the attention of a specific person (be it yelling, crying, a physical response, proximity, eye contact, praise, etc---all attention is attention), C) seeking tangibles---to get something like food, money, a car, a toy etc and D) sensory--- scratching skin to stop an itch, covering ears to block out noise, wiggling a leg when nervous etc.

The same is true of birds...If you want to build trust, you must be patient and become a master observer. These birds are so much smarter than dogs and cats.. so think about an elementary school class (where some kids are scared, and some kids are needy, and some kids cause trouble just for attention).

If you praise a bird who is terrified of you, you are doing the opposite of rewarding it-- you are terrifying it with your intense presence...See where I am going with this? I am not saying to completely ignore the bird, but being kind of passive the first week or 2 is a good idea. Just because we think of something as a positive reward, doesn't mean it is....For instance, I don't like chocolate and most people do. You will never get me to do anything for chocolate. Also, some people and animals are shy and praising them will made them feel upset internally. Similarly, scolding an attention seeker might seem negative to you, but all attention is attention and when someone wants a fix, they find a way.
You will see obvious signs when your bird is ready to move to the next level.
You can occasionally test the waters, but don't go from feeding the bird from your hand to trying to pet it in the same night.

Thanks. It's hard not to rush things, but I know doing that will only hinder things. We'll get there, slowly, but we'll get there.

On the off-chance you haven't run across these...
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html
General Parrot Information - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community
http://goodbirdinc.blogspot.com/2012...n-parrots.html


I really admire and support your caring efforts.

GaleriaGila said:

On the off-chance you haven't run across these...
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html
General Parrot Information - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community
http://goodbirdinc.blogspot.com/2012...n-parrots.html


I really admire and support your caring efforts.

Click to expand...

I hadn't. Thank You!

Gail beat me to it, great links.
I wish I knew about them when I first brought Levi home.
I watched your video: [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPMQksMfkGk"]Gandalf's First Day - YouTube[/ame]
and it's very impressive.
I couldn't get near my Levi for at least a month after I brought him home. He was always in attack mode. Your guy looks like he is lovely. I was shocked that he is not only allowing you to pet him, but clearly he is seeking and welcoming it. :smile049: Beautiful!
Be consistent and be patient. But I can see, you are already on your way.

Best of luck to you both.

Fantastic My experience with Enzo was much the same as yours, very willing to engage and be friends from the off. You may get a bite at the start as he may be 'pressure testing' you, gradual increases of pressure on a bite, let him know verbally if he gets too hard. I also found after the initial 'honeymoon period (lol)' Enzo started to push boundaries and i wasnt strict enough, thats one regret i have.

Hope this helps a little and good luck with your awesome, and VERY intelligent/emotional FID

One other thing, dont force him to do anything, encourage him to do so. Watch closely his body language, sometimes its subtle..... act accordingly and let the trust build.

Thanks Everyone.

A bit of an update. Gandalf has started flying around the house a bit. His gage to his playstand and back. Flew into the bathroom yesterday and bedroom today.

He's coming out of his cage more often, which is great. I'm set this weekend to make some more perches.

It's been busy.