MTG
Member
*Advice*
Hello,
So, about 2 weeks ago I brought home a 5-month-old Congo Grey. I have named her(?) Zelda. She is really sweet and very gentle. She seems very happy in her cage and LOVEs to whistle.
The issue that I am having is that she will not step up onto my hand or a perch from inside her cage. I have read a lot of material about training, but all seem to start with overcoming the fear of hands. But, Zelda is not scared of my hand at all. she will willingly and very gently take treats from my fingers. But she will not step up, she just looks at my hand. She is also very wary of my hand near her head, so no scratches currently.
I have tried a little target training which she is responding well to, she will touch the target to get a treat, but as soon I have my hand in there she won't... I never force her to step up as I don't want to give her a negative perception of the process. When I have my hand in the cage to get her to step up if, I get too close, she will have a little nip.
She comes out of the cage occasionally, I leave the door ajar so she can climb on top of the door. When she is already out she will step up without much prompting. However, she does seem very alert, and not completely comfortable, and will sometimes try to fly leading to a few crash landings(she was clipped at the breeders), which I am being very careful about.
I have another bird also(a Quaker called Yoshi), which is very well trained and happy. So I am not completely new to birds. Just to greys.
So I am tearing my hair out a little, as I just want Zelda to come out of her cage and play, but she doesn't seem to want to. I am doing anything wrong? or is it just a case of being patient? How can I get her to fully trust me? What sort of things can I be doing to aid the process? Like I say, other than her not wanting to come out very often, she seems happy, playing with toys and whistling.
I really appreciate any advice.
Thanks
Hello,
So, about 2 weeks ago I brought home a 5-month-old Congo Grey. I have named her(?) Zelda. She is really sweet and very gentle. She seems very happy in her cage and LOVEs to whistle.
The issue that I am having is that she will not step up onto my hand or a perch from inside her cage. I have read a lot of material about training, but all seem to start with overcoming the fear of hands. But, Zelda is not scared of my hand at all. she will willingly and very gently take treats from my fingers. But she will not step up, she just looks at my hand. She is also very wary of my hand near her head, so no scratches currently.
I have tried a little target training which she is responding well to, she will touch the target to get a treat, but as soon I have my hand in there she won't... I never force her to step up as I don't want to give her a negative perception of the process. When I have my hand in the cage to get her to step up if, I get too close, she will have a little nip.
She comes out of the cage occasionally, I leave the door ajar so she can climb on top of the door. When she is already out she will step up without much prompting. However, she does seem very alert, and not completely comfortable, and will sometimes try to fly leading to a few crash landings(she was clipped at the breeders), which I am being very careful about.
I have another bird also(a Quaker called Yoshi), which is very well trained and happy. So I am not completely new to birds. Just to greys.
So I am tearing my hair out a little, as I just want Zelda to come out of her cage and play, but she doesn't seem to want to. I am doing anything wrong? or is it just a case of being patient? How can I get her to fully trust me? What sort of things can I be doing to aid the process? Like I say, other than her not wanting to come out very often, she seems happy, playing with toys and whistling.
I really appreciate any advice.
Thanks
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