4 months and Raku still doesn't trust me

[BriansAWildDowner]

So I'm not sure why exactly, but Raku still doesn't like me. He likes me even less than he likes complete strangers. Them he'll step up for, usually bites afterwards, but at least that's something. Me, he just runs away from. I can get him to touch the end of a straw, but even then he doesn't trust me a whole lot so I can't use to make him get near my hands, or even to go back in to his cage. It's really becoming a problem.

I thought progress was being made but apparently not. I recently moved and spent 5 hours in the car with him. I'd occasionally put my finger in his cage and he'd run away. But after 4 hours I put my finger in and he pressed his beak against it. Then he lowered his head and let me give him scritches. I was ecstatic. But as soon as I got home it was like that had never happened.

I've heard one thing you can do is to go in to a really small bathroom with the bird and just spend a lot of time getting them to learn to step up. But i'm not sure exactly how to do that.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[weco]

Different people have different techniques, but I've always found that just being patient usually works for me, even when that patience takes over a year.....

There's got to be some impasse there, when he'll step up for strangers, but run from you...maybe it's you chasing him around...some birds like their cage & don't appreciate humans sticking their hands in their private space.....

If you were to change things around, quit chasing him, quit trying to get him to step up, sort of like ignoring him might get him to start initiating the approaches...him coming to you.....he showed he was interested when he wanted your attention on your trip.....just moving to new diggs takes some birds time to get acclimated & used to the new surroundings.....

Change your technique & let him make the advances, if he thinks he's getting ignored, he'll come looking for the attention.....

Good luck.....

 

[veimar]

Could you be too aggressive with your movements?

 

[BriansAWildDowner]

I do make sure not to chase him when he indicates he doesn't want to interact. I hold my hand up and ask if he wants scritches, and when he steps away I step back and make sure not to chase him. Then I do something else for awhile and ask again later.

I'd be alright with just waiting for him to come around, but it's really not safe for him if I'm not able to interact with him. I need to be able to put him back in his cage without having to wait for night time when he goes in on his own. I also need to be able to put him in his travel cage for trips to the vet.