scared of everything?? help!!

[hawkeygirl5151]

so precious (17yo goffins) is scared of almost everything, she was in a cage that was way to small for her when I got her and was updated to a nice big cage that has a perch and food/water dishes on top, she will only stand on the door or the very front top edge of her cage,( shes been in this cage for over a month now ) I have a nice play stand she wont go near it (trying to slowly get closer to it got to about 2 feet away and she flies away):33: she likes to be on the TV however not the ideal spot for her as she is not potty trained and very messy so I am trying to keep her from the tv. I am making some hanging perch swings and a foraging basket swing lets hope she will try those but with they way its been not very hopeful. any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[Scott]

As I recall you've had Precious for about one month? Still fairly new by any standard, though a parrot who may have lived a compromised life ranging from neglect to abuse will require a much longer transition.

Not sure if anyone posted this in your earlier threads? http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

You may find it best to return to the beginning with basics of welcoming her and spending time to build trust and better bond. In my experience, Goffins are capable of intense closeness yet be boldly independent. Every bird is different, and they cannot relate the "baggage" carried from prior homes. Many cockatoos the age of Precious have been shuttled between several homes.

 

[eagle18]

It sounds like not only was the cage too small but also likely she was never out of it too much. Of course she is scared, be glad she is not showing her fear in an aggressive way.

Just be patient and keep working with her. One day it will click in her mind that nothing is going to hurt her and then she will start to loosen up.

 

[riddick07]

A bird showing fear in an aggressive way is easy to deal with. Just plain old terror is a pain in the butt to work through and requires an insane amount of patience. It’s the one thing I hate doing and generally left them to others to work with when we had them at the shelter. I don’t generally have that much patience.

When I got Folger I thought bigger was better for cages and that was wrong for his situation. A traumatized terrified bird can’t handle the open space. There’s too many areas for him to watch his back and he feels exposed. I dealt with that when I brought him home. I got him a huge cage that he spent all of his time in the back corner terrified. I downgraded him to a 30x20 stacker cage and stuffed it with toys and perches. He started venturing out more. I was able to upgrade him back up to a 40x30 stacker cage after a year or two at home. I still stuff it with toys and line the back corner to make it more secure for him. Folger after 4 years home still has trouble handling open spaces. Being on a stand is terrifying but he settles down after a few minutes now.

It’s sounds like your guy is handling the big cage and changes easily compared to Folger. Just leave the stand at the edge of her comfort zone all the time. You don’t want her terrified or anything but at the edge of the zone where she starts to side eye it is the best description I got haha. And move it a little closer every time she starts to ignore it again until it’s up against her cage. Once it’s not scary she might wander onto it herself. You can also put food on it or interesting toys she might not be able to resist. She probably just needs time to adjust and get used to everyone!

 

[hawkeygirl5151]

Yes almost 2 months now...she spends quite a bit of time on my lap preening and getting scratches. She definitely isnt as nippy as she was in the very beginning so getting better there...I just feel so bad for her she is scared of toys stands the top of her cage, I o the ow it takes lots of time and patience. I just want her to be happy

 

[hawkeygirl5151]

Omg thanks so much, that's a great idea with the stand I will try that, she doesn't seem to be scared of humans might try to be nippy at first but not bad at least in my experience YET lol....she just seems to be scared of things...she does really well inside her cage she will move all around inside...just wont get on top...she was always on top of her old cage but it didnt have the perch either tho....I will just have to have patience . ..��

 

[EllenD]

You have to realize that this poor bird has probably seldom or never had any toys or stands or swings, etc. So it's quite possible that she doesn't even know what they are, or what she is supposed to be doing with them...you need to show her how to play with toys, how to play on her stand. Cockatoos very much mimic their people, and even though she's only been with you for 2 months, she's obviously getting close to you now, so she'll likely pay attention to what you are doing with the toys, the stand etc.

 

[hawkeygirl5151]

yes I absolutely agree that she probably has no idea what to do with them. I am playing with them and trying to get her to play also mostly she just watches me play with things if i try to get close to her with stuff she starts backing away puffing up etc so I back off.
the only "wood" that i have seen her chew on is a foraging perch I put into her cage other than that no blocks or sticks, also she likes paper so i will give her egg cartons printer paper cardboard etc I think I might just need to stick with what she likes for now and just pick 1 toy every couple weeks to a month to try and introduce her to..IDK ..I just want my baby to be happy shes such a good bird

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

yes I absolutely agree that she probably has no idea what to do with them. I am playing with them and trying to get her to play also mostly she just watches me play with things if i try to get close to her with stuff she starts backing away puffing up etc so I back off.
the only "wood" that i have seen her chew on is a foraging perch I put into her cage other than that no blocks or sticks, also she likes paper so i will give her egg cartons printer paper cardboard etc I think I might just need to stick with what she likes for now and just pick 1 toy every couple weeks to a month to try and introduce her to..IDK ..I just want my baby to be happy shes such a good bird

Also try a paper towel/toilet paper roll. ALL of my fids loved those Smokey (TAG) would latterly RIP it out of my hands to chew/shred it to bits in minutes.
The "little beady-eye'd monster" Jonesy (Goffin) would roll it around on the living room floor,hat high in the sky,and run/hop and dive on it..better that,then my hand


Jim

 

[GaleriaGila]

Gee, she *IS* a good bird, and full of potential!
I foresee a beautiful relationship...
Thank you so much for sharing her with us.

 

[ChristaNL]

After 3 and a half months in her new and larger cage - Sunny finally decided the bottom half was not very scary anymore ... and she put foot on the bottom!


Sounds like you are doing great here


You could try a little 'jealousy' or "hey, *everybody loves this ***** ".
I let my friends play with the uninteresting birdtoys (they are manly men 40 y. old and up with a healthy sense of humor) near the birds and you would not believe how fast the unwanted toys get te be ''gimme these!" material.


LOL sometimes it pays to advertise

 

[noodles123]

Mine was very fearful when I got her from her last home as well (she also is still learning to play and didn't like toys for the longest time). Take it slow. Set things nearby if you want her to get used to them, but don't push it. Build your trust with her slowly and the rest will (even more slowly) fall into place. Also, I have found that talking about what I am doing (using the same words) helps. Mine is terrified of large objects, so whenever I am moving something, I say "I am going to move the chair" or "I am going to use the big vacuum". Mine definitely has learned these words and I think knowing what to anticipate helps to ease anxiety.