Looking for advise on how to handle issues with my B&G

[s_car_go]

Summary for those who do not need all the details;

I have a B&G who is seriously cage bound. The only way is get him out is a wrestling match which is risky for both of us. He wants out because when I get the other birds out I can read that he wants attention to but obviously feels threatened somehow when he is out. All he wants to do is go back in.

How do I get him to be out with the rest of the flock? He seems to want out but just wont do it.


The nitty gritty details;

A bit of the bird's background for what its worth.

I have a B&G that is about 5-6 years old named Lulu. The original owner was a Mexican national who did not speak any English. He owned the bird for abut 2 years. Not much is known about the Lulu during that time. I suspect he came from the wild as a chick but I don't know for sure.

I rescued Lulu from his second owner who had him for 2 years. Lulu was not handled much and would bite the owner (a man). This owner worked out of town a lot in oilfield so he was not home much. He stated that the wife hated the bird and the bird hated the wife. Anyway I found him in a craigs listing for a garage sale. I spent 3 hours with him there just to get the "story" from the owner and to observe the bird. Anyway I ended up trading some junk for the bird and cage toys etc. I quarantined him and had the usual vet stuff done. He is a rather beefy boy and very healthy which is lucky since all he was fed was Wal Mart bagged parrot seed mix and peanuts. It took a while to get him off the crap and on a proper diet but we were able to do it.



Initially he was afraid of my hands. If I was within 3 feet of him and I simply opened my hand he would react. It took a lot of work and after a year things were going great. I could scratch his head, back and handle him without fear of being bitten. Then out of the blue he got to the point that he would not step up on my arm to come out of the cage in the morning however he would if I used a perch. Then after a month or so of that he would not step up onto anything to get out. He actively threatened me if I tried to get him to step up on anything. However he would step up for my assistant for about several weeks. So I let her get him out. Then he would not step up for her either. So I let him stay in the cage and after 1 months of not wanting to get out I took him back to the vet to see if anything was wrong. Vet says everything was normal. I attributed the behavior to hormones. When I approached the cage to talk to him he would strike at me and even reach out through the bars to grab my hand in an attempt to pull me closer so he could bite me. I mean he was vicious. After about 4 months of this behavior he seemed to slowly calm down a bit. I was determined to get him out daily and start all over again with him. However after about 4 times wrestling him out I decided that strategy was counter productive and risky to both of us.

I could go on but I think you get the point. I am looking for ways to end this cage bound situation with him. When I am able to get him out he is a completely different bird. Not handle able again yet but I am sure I can get back to where we were before the great reversal.

I would love to hear from anyone who has some suggestions on how to achieve mu goal of having a great B&G companion.

Thanks. Dave

 

[1500]

That is very strange, did anything about your appearance change: Hair, glasses, beard, smell? What about his environment? Load neighbors? Music? There could be a number of things that are stress triggers that happened in his first 4 years of life, and something from that is happening again.

Something I would try would be target training in his cage, get him to go back and forth and run around his cage to get his treat. Then open the doors and put the stick just at the edge, then just very slowly move it more and more out of his cage. His focus on doing the "trick" to get his treat will distract him from his fear.

 

[macawluv]

I also HIGHLY recommend target training. I really underestimated how effective it is. It could really solve a lot of issues with him as it opens up a line of communication for you. Chris Biro has some good videos on YouTube.

 

[Birdman666]

Cage bound birds need to be handled away from the cage.

Macaws that haven't been handled in awhile, DON'T necessarily stay tame, or remember how to act.

BOUNDARY SETTING. Establish the handling pattern. Get him used to a routine. Once the routine is set, the bird will be more comfortable.