Getting BFA to step up from cage

[SlashGash]

Ive had Lola for 6 months now. And I have never been able to get her to step up from the cage unless I have a spray bottle in my hand. I dont know why, Ive never squirted her with it. Though I do squirt my cats with it when they start clawing up the furniture. One day I grabbed it to squirt the cats and forgot to put it down before going to try and get Lola. She saw the spray bottle and immediately stepped onto my arm.

Now, thats the only time I can get her to step up is just to hold it. If she sees me with it she steps right up, but only if i have that bottle. If i dont she will go like she's going to bite me, though she never actually does. The most she does is put her beak around my arm or hand, as a warning. But she has bitten my mother.

If she flies off her cage (or, flops as I call it because her wings are clipped and she can only fly enough to get onto the floor) she will step up no problems from anywhere else. Its just her cage.

I also have trouble changing her water dish because she will bite me if I reach into her cage.

How can I get her to be less territorial over her cage? Id really like to spend more time with her, but I dont like feeling like im threatening her with the water bottle.

 

[henpecked]

Welcome to the forum. I see you've posted before but i think this is the first i've seen. Is Lola 1yr old and you've had her for 6 months? I'll assume this and offer advice based on that. Alot would depend on her first 6 mos. Do you know her history? Did you pick her or did she pick you? I would offer more out of cage time and keep her near the activity center in your home. Does she have a playstand? It will take a while for her to warm up to you and your home. The fact that she doesn't bite you hard is good, it means she's biting to say no (more out of fear). If she was "beaking" while being handled then i'd say she was exploring her boundaries. Why the water bottle makes a difference ? I'm not sure, does she bath with it? Have you tried spraying water up into the air to let it fall on her? I'd love to help with your relationship with her but need more info. Hope to see you here in the zon section, that's where i usually hang. You can always PM me if you wish but i'd rather keep it here on the open forum so others can learn about their amazon.

 

[SlashGash]

Thank you for replying. I know you've commented on other threads of mine before, but I havnt been on here in a while. Lola just turned 2. She was about a year and a half when I got her. I got her from a friend who got her at 8 months old from a breeder. I didnt pick her and she didnt pick me, my friend couldnt keep her so he asked if I would take her. Her cage is in the middle of the living room and if someone's home her cage door is open, so she can go in and out as she pleases. Ive been looing for a cheap playstand for her, but havnt gotten one yet. She doesnt bathe with the water bottle, and i never spray it near her. When its bath time for her she gets a shower.

 

[SlashGash]

That makes a lot of sense, grey782163. Ill ask him next time I talk to him.

 

[SlashGash]

Another issue I have that I was hoping to get advice on is she will not take fresh fruits or veggies at all. I dont think she's ever been fed them and no matter what I give her she wont take it.

 

[SandyBee]

My amazon only likes his veggies cooked and does not like fruit at all.
I started mixing cooked veggies with whole grain, pasta, egg etc. Basically with anything he would it. Like a chop mix, there are some good recipes in the recipe section.
Can also make birdie breads with veggies.

 

[MonicaMc]

If she's not eating a healthy, varied diet, then she should be eating pellets.


I'm working with a conure atm that wont step up from her cage, will bite if a hand/arm is offered in or on her cage, and is clearly afraid of hands. On the flip side, she loves scritches (ok to be touched by fingers on head, not ok to actually sit on them!) and the only way to get her off her cage without scaring her off or prying her off is to encourage her to step onto my shoulder from the cage. It has to be from the side of the cage, the front doesn't work quite as well... she *wants* human interaction and attention, but is afraid of hands and has a biting issue. Oddly enough, she's fine with hands going in and out of her cage if it's to get her new food and water. My other conure (not afraid of hands, gets his beak dremeled, lays on his back, lays on his back as I toss him in the air/turn him, enjoys being swung around on my hand, etc) gets upset if I mess with his dishes!



You may find help in looking into clicker training and targeting, maybe placing some perches on the outside of the cage, putting a gym next to the cage and just using positive reinforcement. Reward him for coming towards you, reward him more if he comes even closer, reward him if he touched your hand, reward him if he puts a foot on your hand, etc. When doing this, it's best to make sure that your hand is stable - i.e. putting it on top of the cage or against it, trying to remove the "physical" part of stepping up and making it a smoother transition from one platform to another.