Alex won't step up or come out of cage

[Xkwisit]

Cisco, my 2 yr old Alex, came to live with me approximately 6 months ago. He was a rescue. He came from a situation where he pretty much lived in his cage in an office that was open Mon thru Fri, 8 til 5. I got him after he began feather plucking and the previous owners didn't know what to do for him. I got him healthy again by changing his diet, putting him near a window, and letting him be part of our family.

He was fearful of me since the beginning. Each time I would feed him and water him he would lunge at me & bite me. Even "attack" if I walked by his cage. He is now at the point where he won't "attack" and he'll take treat from me very gingerly. I am allowed in his cage to change things around aNd clean without him freaking out. I can't however get him to step up for anything. He gets in attack mode, climbs around the cage to get away from me. I've tried using a stick and that makes things even worse. He is most definitely afraid of sticks. He won't come out of his cage for me to try working with him away from it. I'm not sure what to do. I feel bad he's couped up and want to give him freedom but he won't accept it. Any advise?

 

[khaiqha]

I would set up a table within climbing of his cage. Once he's comfortable with the table, start leaving food on it. Eventually his curiousty will give him courage enough to step onto the table. Once he realizes leaving his cage doesnt kill him, he will hopefully be better about leaving it.

 

[Timmah]

You may also find that his fear of hands comes from someone else maybe grabbing him out of the cage previously (possibly chasing him around the cage to take him out) If he's only gingerly taking treats, its a good indication that he doesn't like hands, but is slowly learning that yours are ok. I would continue to feed him through the bars while he's in the cage, from your hands. He'll learn then that hands aren't to be feared. It will probably take time, but if you continue to praise him and give treats when he take food from you directly, he'll learn that hands are fun, not scary.

 

[Violet_Diva]

Have you tried training him in the cage first? My female eclectus was very bitey when I first got her. My hands would enduce hostile reactions, causing her to lunge, growl and bite, drawing blood and extracting small chunks of skin!

I started by getting her to take a treat from a long thin spoon through the bars because I couldn't hand deliver treats through the bars as she'd bite me! I gradually moved my hand further down the spoon so my hand gradually got closer to her over a few days until I took the spoon out of the equation. If he's already taking treats through the bars from you, you're already one step ahead!

Anyhow, once I got her taking treats from me, I started holding the treat at her head height above a perch quite near to the perch she was already on.
I would gently tap the perch with a finger of my other hand, and added the verbal request 'Come Here'. I would wait a little while, then repeat the tapping and verbal request until she eventually came to the perch. Once she did this, I said 'Good Girl' and she took the treat. I repeated this a few times and started getting her to go to different perches inside the cage, gradually making her go further distances to get her treat.

Once this had become 'the norm', I got her to go to the perch that is on the other side of the door. I then opened the door, held out my arm like a perch and tapped my arm using the 'Come Here' request while clearly holding a treat above my 'arm perch' (sleeved). Once she landed on my arm, she'd get a 'Good Girl' verbal and her treat. I'd then go back to the cage door perch and put my arm just slightly below and behind it, holding another treat above the door perch while saying 'Step Up'. As the perch had already been established during the 'In-cage target training' as a positive location associated with treats upon arrival, she was more than willing to step up onto it. I then closed the door and carried on with 'the norm' in cage target training using the 'Come Here' request.

Each day I would mix it up a bit, always requesting different perch locations in different orders (including the door perch followed by my 'arm perch'.) Once this was the 'new norm' I increased my distance from the cage so she'd have to fly further to get her treat.

Eventually she started letting me know when she wanted to come out by sitting on the door perch as it was associated with coming out of the cage.

I hope this might be helpful. If not maybe someone else can offer advice based in their experiences. Good luck!

 

[Xkwisit]

Thank you all for the advice. I will try it all!!

 

[GaleriaGila]

Hello, and welcome.
Sounds like you're making great progress.
I admire you for rescuing this bird.
We love updates...
Glad you found us!!!!!!!!

 

[jiannotto9492]

Give him a bunch of fruit at the top of the cage and see if he hangs out there, talk to him while he is out and on top.

Once you get him away from the cage go to a different room. Take him far from the cage and just talk to him and pet him. Don't back off if he screams or bites because that will show him that he can win by doing that.

If the cage is the same cage that he has been in get a new cage for her or even maybe a sleeper cage.

Best of luck!