More updates on Stitch, pics, behavior Q.

Hello!

We just ended week two with Stitchy. He's hanging in there. I see little baby steps toward him getting more relaxed and comfortable with all of us.

It is appearing more and more that my husband has a general talent with parrots; Stitch is very secure with him and has picked him as his "person" for now, despite his track record of not being a single-person bird. Rick is much better with being calmer and less-easily startled by nippiness; I unwittingly "taught" stitch to be more aggressive with me by pulling away from him when he nips at me. I'm working on reversing that-- yesterday I taped up my one badly injured finger that is struggling to heal so that I'd be less nervous and it helped me a lot. I also put a little step stool in front of his cage for me to stand on so he's not taller than me.

One thing that is troubling me is that it is much more difficult to get him to relax around me if Rick is around, since he's just going to want Rick (the birds live in the living room so we're often all in there together). This morning when I uncovered him and was the only one there, he was so calm and relatively sociable with me; an hour later I heard him calling loudly and so went down to say hello-- he wanted nothing to do with me because Rick had been there and just left. I suppose this is par for the course-- am I overthinking it?

I've taken last weeks' convo about positive vs. negative reinforcement very seriously, it was very helpful. I would never deliberately do anything to upset or harm him, but am fairly inexperienced and so surely have been wrongheaded at moments.

here's a few pics from the weekend:




This is his new stand-- notice the shot-glass full of water He was afraid of it when I first got at first so it sat on the coffee table for a few days. He seemed used to it by yesterday and willingly hung out there for a bit while I gave him some banana.

I am glad that things are going well with Stitch! In response to your concern, I'd definitely encourage you to spend some alone time with Stitch (without your husband being in the same room). If he favors your husband, their relationship isn't going to change. However, your relationship with Stitch may suffer if the two of you don't spend enough alone time together.

I also want to say, that it just makes me smile to know how much effort you're putting into this = )

I'm glad Stitch is getting adjusted. He looks happy.

I agree, at times, hubby is going to have to go do something somewhere else and let you hang out alone with Stitch. It will probably make a big difference.

We have very different schedules, so I'm frequently home with DS for at least a couple hours before Rick. We're a very, uh, independent family, so it's not hard to make Stitch & Olivia time happen

I have to keep reminding myself that people spend months and years with birds and it's an ever evolving process. I was watching the Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill for the 10th time the other night and was struck by one part where the filmmaker is interviewing Mark Bittner's neighbors, and they tell about how it took him about a YEAR for the conures to trust him. He would go out on the balcony and stand there, totally still, and allow the birds to come to him, and over time made incremental changes in how he stood and the closeness of his interactions. And here I am at two weeks, fretting.

aww thanks for sharing, and please don't feel that you have taught stitch to nip! attack etc, i did all the pull aways and the don't pull away, when i didn't nut bit harder!

excellent advice from above about spending time with stitch alone! in the house is best, as nut use to know hubs was about an still not want to know me

let stitch take it at her pace with you, if she does not seem in the mood for it leave her be, is best tactic in the long run
even now i am wary of nuts biting, but the last time she lashed out all beak an caught my finger, there was no pressure! this is a yr on, and it is sooo worth the patiance, as i do have the most fun with the nut, and she seems to accept me and no longer see's me or my son as a threat, when my mans about

but reading there body language is the main thing, you'll pick it up as time goes on, as now i can tell nuts intentions or wants rather easily and that really helps

good luck with stitch