newly adopted seven yr old

[mtdoramike]

This is what I would do:

First off, get him out of his cage so that he can interact with you. I would slowly approach him when ever you want to interact with him. Put his playstand in a busy part of the house so that he feels part of whats going on.

Secondly, I wouldn't really attempt to pick him up yet. I would give that a few days and once he gets to know you a bit better give stepping up a try. If he shys away from your hand, use a stick and give him a treat each time he steps up without incident.

Thirdly, take him to a qualified vet for a checkup after you have had him for a few weeks. Also, it sounds like he might need grooming. These two things are good reinforcement things that you can do. Once he gets groomed or the vet is finished, he will most likely run to you for safety or to be consoled, which will let you know that he's accepting you.

But what ever you do, DON'T RUSH HIM, that is what it sounds like the previous owners have tried to do and you see how that turned out. Patience is the key here.

 

[maggenpie]

First of all, thank you, mtdoramike for your insight. Apart from a small patch on his chest his feathers are in good condition, thoroughly waterproof. He's happy for me to do his new head feathers. I've been watching him preen today, and he's been doing a good job at it - which he wasn't before, it was a bit half hearted. I think the poor bird has been through so much he was more distressed than first appearances revealed. Every day he's coming more to life and seeing him actually pick thingsup and carry them up to a perch today for the first time was very pleasing. In diet and activity changes he's done really well in just four days.

After this morning's successful outing I let him out again early in the evening. I planned two hours of activity and company before settling him for the night. It was going really well. He was flying across the room and back to take food from me, happy, talking, relaxed. But when I used a cane to move the curtains he turned into a flying demon. For the full story take a look at my post on the Behaviour thread.

I knew there had to be a reason for him going through so many people before he reached me, a reason why people were afraid of him. I was prepared for trouble, and it hasn't really phased me. I handled it the best I could think to do at the time. We're friends again, and he's gone to sleep happy after we had our little bedtime singsong.

I now know not to hold a stick when he's out and so I won't be trying to get him to step up on a perch. He nearly came onto my arm today but shied away. I'll wait and see what the experienced folk here can suggest while I gather my thoughts and work on the next plan of action. I want him to be able to come out but that means I need to have him go back in. All my other birds, not only the parrot types, go in when told 'go home' and it's never been much trouble to establish that but none have had this poor chap's background.

 

[Sarahtheumbrella]

It may take some time to see what really motivates him.

When you do, might it be food, toys, affection use that to get him in the cage. My Sarah refused to go in and I taught her that in a corner of her cage I will always pet for a long and luxurious time. then I went in that corner when she was out of the cage and she came running in waiting for the pet.

I associated (and am still associating it) with the words "come here".So I do "come here" several times a day, so she never knows what time I will actually close the door on her.

As you can't pick him up yet, try placing a very shiny, intriguing toy in there. Or a fav. food he only gets when he goes in. Then associate the word, and in some time he will learn and there will be no need for a toy or food.

I am no expert, but just sharing what worked for me. Hope it works with you! Great luck!

 

[maggenpie]

I've just found out a lot more about Gwynn's history - and I'm hopping mad! Basically all his problems, including the plucking, are due to the people who had him in the three weeks before I got him. I had a long conversation with the man who sold him to them - and he knows his stuff, he handrears various types of parrot and is obviously a great lover of birds - and he says that Gwynn wasn't a problem bird at all a month ago, apart from not wanting to go back in his cage. He's relieved that I've now got him and is ringing the earlier owners to get more information about his past for me.

I know now that he'd had five years with someone who doted on him, two years with his second owner who worked too much to give him enough attention and three months in another home before two weeks with this chap who said he wished he'd had time to work with him because he's a great bird that just hasn't had enough attention.
I'm hoping that since these problems aren't long ingrained we can hope for him unlearn those behaviours in the next few months as he settles in with me.