Standstill in training/taming

[Shrub]

I feel like I am at a standstill with Giggles. We got her late November last yr when she was about 14 weeks old. We have come a long way. She would try and hide from us, try and get away from us. We did get her untamed, she was use to people being around. But not much interaction. I guess unless they grabbed her to handle her maybe.

We do allow her to free fly around the house and she puts herself back in the cage in the evening for bed.
So I think I have trained her and tamed her the best I can and not sure what else I can do.
She will eat from our hands, she will jump on our hand to get her fave seed then go back to her cage (she likes to eat them on her roof, sometimes she grabs seeds from inside her cage then climbs to the roof to eat it)
We can get our hands close to her (especially when we have food for her) We can get out faces really close to her as well. My hubby and I have both earnt her trust in this way. Some of her "talking" changes when I whistle to her like she replies to me. When I sit on the couch she will now often fly over and play in the curtains. She likes to sit at the top of them and play up there until she slips down. (when she slips/falls she will fly off she doesn't fall to the ground) She will only be there when I am sitting on the couch.

Same with when I am in the kitchen, she will come sit on the table and watch me or make me stop what I am doing and she will want a bath. Sometimes she will sit on the couch near me, watch me but never for very long. She has landed on my shoulder a few times but never stays very long. I think the longest has been less then a minute maybe slightly over.

But we can't touch her, or handle her. If we bring out hands to close to her she will start walking away watching our hands or if she feels they are to close she will fly away.
I would like to be able to handle her, and be able to harness train her.
Have her sit with me on the couch without flying away.
Most the time her fave spot to sit is in a corner on the rood of her cage. She feels safe there, can see everything, easily get to her food and water quickly. And there is a mirror next to her cage where she can see herself in the corner (loves talking to herself in the mirror)
I spend a lot of time with her and talk to her often. She I walk near the cage she "hops" to the front like she is excited to see me and I always stop and talk with her sometimes give her little treats but I am not sure how to have her trust me to the point I can handle her and pick her up.

I don't want to cut her wings, never did want that. I love watching her fly, sometimes she circles the room quickly to get my attention. But not sure if I should consider it just til she allows me to handle her more, but it wold be same thing hands coming towards her she doesn't want to be grabbed.
She will fly onto my hand or finger for a treat then soon as she has her reward she will fly away so we have allowed her to come to us.

Sometimes I wonder if I knew someone with a trained bird if I was able to organise play dates if it would help her seeing another bird sit and get handled by people.
Even talked to hubby about getting her a friend, but we both agreed not til she is properly trained
Just not sure where to go from here with her to get to the point of being able to handle her then to gt to harness training.

 

[Laurasea]

It sounds like you have done very well. Fear of hands is hard to get them over. lots of treats by hand. I'm not sure of this species?? Some species don't like touching as much.
In my bonded GCC of eight years I caused a bteif fear of hands, by shooing her with my hands. I fed lots of treats by hand to get her back letting me touch her. I guess what I'm saying is even a tame bird can become afraid of hands. Birds just don't seem sure that hands are really us....

 

[SailBoat]

It sounds like you have done very well. Fear of hands is hard to get them over. lots of treats by hand. I'm not sure of this species?? Some species don't like touching as much.
In my bonded GCC of eight years I caused a bteif fear of hands, by shooing her with my hands. I fed lots of treats by hand to get her back letting me touch her. I guess what I'm saying is even a tame bird can become afraid of hands. Birds just don't seem sure that hands are really us....

The above statement is just so very true. Parrots connect quickly with our face /head. The rest of us takes time, sometimes very long for them to connect everything together. Hands are difficult because they are involved with good things and bad things. The goal is for only good things to happen when Humans are around! That is ever more true for Hands. Hands are spooky because they can look like a snake. Parrots are hardwired to fear snakes and as a result anything that looks like a snake. So it takes much longer for them to be comfortable around Hands.

It just takes time to develop a trust bond. Try starting from a different Vantage Point:
- It is never the fault of the Parrot!
- It is always the fault of the Human!
When you view everything from this Vantage Point you will more quickly see what you are doing wrong and correct it sooner.

Slow down. Parrot's have no good reason to trust Humans! We have to daily provide those reasons. Very tiny steps over time provide huge rewards.

I assure that it is worth the time and energy.

 

[ChristaNL]

Only since last november?


In 3 months you have already done SO much!
You are doing great, just keep being her best friends etc.

(I took Sunny in as a 'reasonably tame macaw', it took her longer than that just to let her come out of her cage and only after about 10 months she stopped punching holes in my skin regularly ...)