Keiko's Perches and other things

[ParkersMom]

so I have now had Keiko for 2 weeks
she will only use her perches for sleeping and eating
also she uses her breeder box door to come out of her cage...the only time I even open her cage door anymore is to put her back in
she is very nervous of new things...toys and perches... I took her to the pets store to pick out some stuff for her cage and she was not happy about it. Should I continue to take her places so get her use to new things or will that make it worse
we have an appt with the new vet tomorrow for a beak and nail trim
She is starting to mumble so hopefully she will be talking soon...
any who just though I would give some updates
also I can now get her to step up from in the cage and off the playstand

 

[henpecked]

No , keep taking her to new places/things. She'll be nervous at first and need you to reassure her more often. But it will get better. Keep outing short and fun at first. Try to avoid trauma and plan ahead. Be aware of things that startle her. I practice putting my hand over the birds back and wings if i see something might scare her. If my zon is unsure of a situation she'll look to get under my hand for comfort/protection. Just get them used to having your hand on their back. When i ask my pet zon if she "want's to go?" she jumps to go. Socialization is the key to a well behaved pet. When introducing new toys/perches,,i put them near the cage for a few days and occasionally show some interest in them myself. Maybe attach them to the outside of the cage until she shows interest in them. When getting her to step up,,only have her step up when you think she will, pick your battles, She needs to learn to trust you more. When she does step up, quickly put her down to where she wants to go. Praise and reward her. Be careful not to turn "step up" into something like, "I'm going to try and pet you now". Step up should only be used to transport her, not something else. Practice stepping up/down on her cage/playstand without taking her anywhere , just up and back down.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Well I'd say you are making remarkable progress with Keiko. To be with you for only 2 weeks, she's certainly adjusting quickly.

Don't worry about her being afraid of new things. I've had Niko since he was 4 months, and depending on what new thing I put in his cage, he is VERY shy and/or nervous about it at first.

For instance, I bought him a "waterfall/rattle toy" a while back, and when I put that in his cage, he did NOT want to go back in there. It took him WEEKS to even start playing with it. Now he smashes the thing all over the place.

The same applies to perches with Niko, too. When I got him a new manicure perch, I guess he didn't like the color, because he avoided it all all cost. And instead of every perching on it, he destroyed it within 3 days. CHA CHING. (It was a sandy perch)