getting frustrated and confused

[conureconnie]

My 4 month old GCC has been here with my now for 4 days. I have not been able to handle him/her yet. Whenever I come up to the cage to open it to give the bird treats or to put food and water dishes in, he comes right up to me as if he is comfortable and wants to see what's up. If I open the door and have a treat in my hand, he comes right up and takes it from me. Sometimes, when I go to take the food dish out he comes up, maybe expecting a treat and goes up and bites my finger holding the food dish. He seems comfortable so I started to offer him treats with the door open so that he has to stand on the ledge to take them from me. After that I have started to try to put my finger by his feet and offer the treat on the opposite side trying to get him to step up. He will try to figure out a way to reach the treat without stepping on my finger or give up and not come out. At the place where I got him, the lady had him out on a perch and he would step up for me with no biting and also let me pet his head.
I know all of you guys keep saying it will take time to get comfortable but he seems comfortable and if I am by his cage and leaves, he calls out, he also takes food easily from my hand and it seems like to time to get his trust.
I just now decided I would just open the cage door and wait and see if he wanted to come out. I sat on the floor and just waited and he crawled onto the ledge with the cage open and then jumped out, tried to fly. His wings are clipped so he landed on the floor and I grabbed some treats and started giving them to him. He took them, and I tried to get him to step up because he was wanting to fly and bump into things in my room. Every time I tried to get him to step up, he would bite at my finger. Eventually he landed on a belt and I picked that up and got him back in the cage.
Is the answer really just wait more and more weeks and try again? It seems like if I leave him in his cage won't that make him more aggressive and less likely to ever warm up to me?
I know yall are gonna say it takes time but is that really it? I wait more without trying to handle him and then one day he will decide he wants to be handled?
Confused...
Thanks

 

[conureconnie]

Also, his cage is getting dirty quick and I would like to clean it but I can't peacefully get him out of the cage and on to a perch!

 

[noodles123]

Connie,
have you owned birds before?

 

[wrench13]

You have to learn to proceed at your parrots pace, not your expectations pace. If he eats a treat from your hand, that's a good start for 4 days. WHy not let him do that for awhile and make up his mind a bit about his new home and you etc. After only 4 days, you hardly can be expected to be able to read his subtle body language. He will be with you for many many years, nice n steady is the ticket.

 

[noodles123]

Wrench is correct. I didn't want to condescend, but imagine (not in a rude way, but for example) a mother birthing a child and saying, it has been 4 days, and he isn't eating with a spoon. Now, having been in your shoes, I get the feeling, but the issue is that parrots are soooooooo muuuuuchhhh slllllllooweeeeer thannnnn ppppppeeeopppleeee.....
As in, one human week=1 parrot day...IF THAT!
Pretend like you are back in middle/highschool and you have a crush on someone but you want to keep it a secret. What do you do? Ignore annoying things, spend a lot of time nearby and present frequent gifts, as well as opportunities for shared (but quiet) activities. Unlike your childhood crush, your bird will likely reciprocate (in time)-----forgive me if your childhood crush was mutual. Mine was not LOL!

 

[conureconnie]

No, I haven't had a bird before which is why I am asking ignorant questions I guess. It just seems like the more time goes by isn't that going to make him used to just living in the cage and not wanting anything else?

 

[noodles123]

My analogy won't work if you aren't familiar with Annie(the play/movie). Either way, the character I compared you to is a good guy,but your bird just doesn't know that yet because not enough time has passed. With birds, nothing is as cut-and-dry as it would be with a cat or dog...all I can do is speak generally because without knowing your bird, anything else would be a shot in the dark.
When the light goes on, you will know, but DON'T depend on yourself as the timer.
If you do not give up (and learn about ABA) things WILL get better!!!!!!!!!!

 

[conureconnie]

I dont know what ABA is or your metaphors.

 

[noodles123]

Applied behavior analysis....It's what my degree is in. I can answer your questions post-Google. I swear, I am not trying to be a brat and I do appreciate your reaching out to the forum!!!!

 

[noodles123]

You haven't seen Annie?!!? (kind of a crappy classic...I never really cared for it anyway..)

 

[ChristaNL]

It will come... no worries.

My macaw is a sturdy 10 year old, she has had multiple homes/ places to live, so she is used to a bit of change.
It took her weeks to get out of her cage when she arrived.

Your bird is doing great (well apart from flying of course ).
Sometimes step-up is difficult for them because fingers wel...are a bit squishy and if to keep your hand not very very still it is kind of scary for a new bird that is still building trust in you.
Have you tried a smallish stick?
Your bird will still be very close to your hand and you can switch from stick to finger later on.

Oh and did you ask him to step (higher) up or straight ahead?
Stepping downward or straight ahead is more difficult, while climbing 'up' is natural for them. I would start with a finger not at toelevel, but a fingerwidth higher.

If your bird is not scared of your hand outside the cage... you can clean the bars first, and if your bird is okay with that .. try working in the cage. Keeping things clean is important (and is also makes it easier to check if they are eating& pooping well every day).

It sounds you are doing great!
Just keep it up- you are already listening when you bird tells you "enough".
There is no rule against trying the things you want him to learn as long as you let your bird decide if he is ready to go along ...

Slow and steady is the trick - and I think you've got it.

 

[conureconnie]

so you aren't really answering my questions just saying dont give up. I dont know what specific steps to take to bond with my bird and I am asking for help, not just "hey you dont know much about birds so learn"
I dont really understand why forums are always like this.

 

[conureconnie]

Thank you Christa

 

[noodles123]

Google: Applied Behavior Analysis-----
If it took me 5+ years (for a degree etc), I can't really just summarize it in a paragraph, but parrots are more complicated than humans (even though the same ABA is used with humans), so yeah....Don't give up!

And also, know that I mean what I say...I am not a jerk...I have a lot of experience....I am sorry you feel this way, but it will take work..This forum is a great start, but you need to dig as deep as it takes, as you adopted the bird.

 

[Laurasea]

What you don't see as progress, really is. Four days after a huge change in his life and he is willing to take treats and is interested in what you do. That's awesome! There's good info in bonding and trust building. Sit next to the cage and read outloud to him. No one has a magic pill.. take the weekend to do some reading and research while you sit with him.

 

[GaleriaGila]

conureconnie, you just hang in there, and love that little bird with all your heart. Stick with it, and stick with us, and this will work out.
There are days when my bird acts a LOT like that, still. I swear. Lower your expectations, keep working at it, dump some of that pressure off yourself, and breathe. Quit frnknly, I think you have made some wonderful progress already. Some people ait ages for a bird to take a treat in their presence.
I know what it means to ache with love and wish an animal would realize that and bond fully and wonderfully with you. I know, I really do. Sometimes the greatest love is accepting.
I'm glad you're here.

 

[itzjbean]

Hi Connie. We understand your frustration and confusion. This is a common issue when getting a new bird, so let me walk you through it.

First, be sure to read this thread - Tips for Bonding and Building Trust

Remember that birds are not like cats and dogs who will instantly love you and shower you with kisses and affection. Sometimes you get lucky with a very friendly, trusting, affectionate bird that wants to trust you right away, but sometimes you get a bird that is unsure of being handled and is not as trusting.

What your job now is to work on gaining his trust.

What you should be doing during this time is simply this -- making sure every single interaction with your new bird is POSITIVE so he can learn to trust you and associate you with only good things. When he trusts you, he will begin to be more accepting of your hand, and will be more willing to train and step up onto you. So sit by his cage and talk softly to him. Continue to feed him treats through the cage bars. Whistle at him. Offer treats inside his cage with your hand, but don't force him to do anything just yet. Remember, 4 days is not much time! Some birds take WEEKS or even MONTHS to trust their new caregiver enough to let them handle them. Just be patient and know this is a marathon, not a sprint.

If he has a treat he realllllly likes, put that in a part of the cage away from his food bowls so it will keep him busy for a few moments while you switch out food and water. Work calmly always around him, don't get upset if he tries to bite or lunge.

If you're getting bit a lot, you're not listening to his body language and need to respect his boundaries. Birds bite for a number of reasons but biting can be essentially eliminated if you remember to watch for the right signals -- beak open, eyes pinned, wings spread, defensive posture, that's the sign to back off and take a step back.

As long as you continue to do what you're doing without pushing his boundaries, then he should learn to trust you in time (could take a couple weeks, months, but just be patient.) You sound like you are doing all the right things, your new bird just needs some more time to get to know you.

You can always leave the cage door open and watch as he comes out on his own. You can encourage him to come out on his own if he likes, so let him choose to stay in or come out. After you've earned his trust (and he's readily taking treats from your hand, stepping onto your hand) then you can begin some more training like target training, flight recall, step up and things like that!

 

[conureconnie]

Should I leave the cage door open when I am not able to get him back in the cage?

 

[ChristaNL]

Yup - birds know / remember where they find food and water.
So after a while they will try to get back there.

Your bird does not fly, so maybe a ladder or branch can help him get to the cage.

(Sorry if we overestemated you... you decribed what you did with your bird and you did so great I just asumed you already knew a LOT!
Sometimes I read people not very well - but I think you are a natural, you are doing all the right things already. Read the link itzjbean gave you- it's a really good one!)

 

[Laurasea]

Dont chase him if he gets out. Approach calmly and offer your hand, or a short perch or stick for him to step up into. Most all birds want to be rescued when they are on the floor or unfamiliar space. Just wait till they settle the aprouch him calmly talking softly. When you get him perched on you or something take him back to the cage slowly and let him jump back in. You can even then keep the door open and sit in a chair near the door, and talk to him offer him a treat, they love saffel flower seeds , those all white ones. If he feels safe he may come back out to say hi again. Keep your body sideways, they get fearful if you stare at them intently. When you look at him make your eyes soft, blink slowly a long slow blink. To prevent him spooking in the first place, give him a treat, then open the door give him a treat, place your hand just inside the door, wait if he moved away, move your hand further in slowly and wait. Don't chase with your hand wait. If he moved to an area in the cage he feels safe in, keep that amount of space between you while you slowly while you empty a food bowl or water bowl. If you are trying to clean with a paper towel or something in your hand that may be to Scarry for him right now. Instead wait till you have him trusting stepping on your hand and place him in a perch on top of his cage then clean. Birds are very fearful of new objects. I can't clean with palertowels or rag unless I move my bird to a PlayStation even though I've had her for six years. She sees palertowels as green cheek killers. It's a lot of repeating steps. It's taken me weeks to have a parakeet step into my hand. I just placed my hand in the open cage and waited till the freak out was over then removed my hand, repeated in fifteen minutes or a half hour , or several times a day. When they stopped freaking out about my hand being in the cage just barely, I out it further in and repeated untill they weren't scared, then closer till they were scared. You already have him coming for treats, each small step is progress, you are shaping his behavior towards you in a positive manner. . I hope this helps you.