lochnessa33
New member
- Sep 29, 2024
- 1
- 0
- Parrots
- lovebird
Hi everyone,
About three months ago, a beautiful bird unexpectedly flew onto my dadās head while he was outside talking to a neighbor. My parents managed to get her inside by showing her some food, and ever since, sheās been a part of our family. Even though my parents were the ones to catch her initially, sheās bonded closely with me. She spends her days with me, sleeps near me at night, and her favorite spots are my shoulders or head.
Hereās where I could use some advice:
Iām trying to teach her to "step up." She will do it willingly when sheās in unfamiliar territory (like if sheās flown to a place sheās not used to or ended up on the floor), but if sheās just out and about, she refuses. Sheāll even shake her head and sometimes make a noise. Occasionally, sheāll attempt to nip (she doesnāt really bite hard unless Iām too persistent), but Iāve learned to read her cues pretty well and back off when necessary.
I feel like I may have started backwards, as most people teach their birds to "step up" first and then introduce petting and perching on shoulders. With her, I did the opposite. Iād love to get her comfortable with stepping up consistently. Sheās also become quite territorial with anything in her surroundings, which Iām not sure is normal or not.
My goal is to work towards flight training and build her confidence to come to me on command. But for now, Iād love any tips or suggestions on improving her "step up" behavior and any advice on dealing with her territorial tendencies.
Am I rushing things? Should I just be happy with the progress so far and take it slow? Iāve never had a bird before, so I want to make sure Iām doing things right!
Thanks in advance for any help!
P.S. Last week, she slept with her neck back and one foot up for the first time, but she hasnāt done it again since then. Does anyone know what this could mean or give me a rough idea of how old she might be? My mom mentioned something about her transitioning into adulthood.
About three months ago, a beautiful bird unexpectedly flew onto my dadās head while he was outside talking to a neighbor. My parents managed to get her inside by showing her some food, and ever since, sheās been a part of our family. Even though my parents were the ones to catch her initially, sheās bonded closely with me. She spends her days with me, sleeps near me at night, and her favorite spots are my shoulders or head.
Hereās where I could use some advice:
Iām trying to teach her to "step up." She will do it willingly when sheās in unfamiliar territory (like if sheās flown to a place sheās not used to or ended up on the floor), but if sheās just out and about, she refuses. Sheāll even shake her head and sometimes make a noise. Occasionally, sheāll attempt to nip (she doesnāt really bite hard unless Iām too persistent), but Iāve learned to read her cues pretty well and back off when necessary.
I feel like I may have started backwards, as most people teach their birds to "step up" first and then introduce petting and perching on shoulders. With her, I did the opposite. Iād love to get her comfortable with stepping up consistently. Sheās also become quite territorial with anything in her surroundings, which Iām not sure is normal or not.
My goal is to work towards flight training and build her confidence to come to me on command. But for now, Iād love any tips or suggestions on improving her "step up" behavior and any advice on dealing with her territorial tendencies.
Am I rushing things? Should I just be happy with the progress so far and take it slow? Iāve never had a bird before, so I want to make sure Iām doing things right!
Thanks in advance for any help!
P.S. Last week, she slept with her neck back and one foot up for the first time, but she hasnāt done it again since then. Does anyone know what this could mean or give me a rough idea of how old she might be? My mom mentioned something about her transitioning into adulthood.
