How could I do better?

[Polly-anna97]

I am trying to take things reeeaallllly sssssslloooowly with my new pionus, but am concerned about a few things.

I gave up on the whole trying to get her used to sticks thing. I placed near to ( not REALLY close to, but close enough), to her seed bowl, which she frequents regularly, so that she would have to come into relatively close contact with it and see that it will not hurt her, but she just stayed away until I moved it. I was scared she would eventually starve.

Instead, after reading many posts on here, have concentrated on bonding. I sit with her for half an hour at a time, and sing to her with the cage door open. She seems to really like this- particularly today and sings and talks a lot while I do it. She only said hello once in the entire two months the previous owner had her, so I am very heartened by this

She intermittently takes a treat from the palm of my hand- although today, so far she has taken it every time it has been offered : ) : ) : ) : ) And always take it from between my fingers or through the bars of the cage. Some advice that Wolf gave recently about someone trying to tame a scared cockatiel is what I have been working from here.

When I first met her at the previous home, she wanted head scratches from me, and the owner told me she had never come across a bird so into head scratches. For the first few days I very tentatively scratched her head while in the cage, but I stopped after reading stuff on here, and thinking I was going too fast. Today for the first time since then I gave her a head scratch, and she seemed to enjoy it, but apparently pionus body language is very easy to read, and I did not get any obvious sign of her really wanting me to do it, so I stopped. I think she tapped into how nervous I was about making a wrong move.

We had a bit of a nightmare the other day when I removed a perch from the cage to clean it. She spooked and flew out of the cage. She landed on the curtain rail, and I managed to coax her onto my arm, but when I, very slowly tried to walk her back to the cage so she felt safe, se flew off again, and landed on the the top of the book case. After a little while I managed to get her on to my arm again, but I fear I really messed up during this bit, because I chased her around a bit. But she was SOOOO gentle, didn't even try to bite. After I got her off here and started to move her to the cage again, she flew off and flew into a glass door! It wasn't a mighty impact, and she was fine, but naturally, shaken. I got her onto my arm easily after this, and managed to get her to the top of her cage, that although she had never been on before, seemed quite happy, and where she stayed for the rest of the evening,until I managed to get her inside at bedtime, without too much agro. I offered her a treat from my hand once she was inside, to see if we were cool, and she accepted it readily.

I am soooo worried about breaking what is clearly going to be, her very hard earned trust. I don't want to do this by introducing sticks to her again once (oh happy day), her trust has been established. Also I want to take her to the Avian vet for a check over, but don't want to break her trust again by putting her in the travel cage etc, etc.

Apparently she was very fond of showering with the previous owner, and did so, not very long after she arrived with them, I don't remember actual time scales. She also told me that she would take sprays form the bottle. I tried this the other day , as getting her onto my shoulder and carrying her up to the shower seems inconcievable at this time. Anway she hated it, and ran from it, and the last thing I wanted to do was chase her around with it, so now it has been two weeks since she last had a shower, and I know how much pionus love water, so I am obviously very worried. Does any one have any advice on how I can give her a good soaking?!

How does it sound like I am doing with the bonding? She does DEFINITELY seem a lot happier here than she was at her last home, if singing and talking is anything to go by....

Thank you for reading.

[Pajarita]

Don't worry about her not bathing. She will do it when she feels like it and it's not as if she is going to get sick from not having a bath.

I would just keep on doing what you are doing, spending time with her, talking, singing, offering treats, etc. During this bonding time, open her cage (put a perch right outside her door and something to climb on on top of her cage or right next to it) but don't worry if she doesn't come out, she will in her own sweet time. The most important thing you can do is establish a steady schedule with firm routines and stick to them so do and say the same things every day at the same time (this doesn't mean time by the clock, it means 'parrot time' so it's after sunrise, after breakfast, after noon rest, before dinner at sunset, etc)

She crashed against the glass because she was scared. Next time she flies, don't panic (the room should be birdproof and the door closed and with a sign on the outside warning people to knock and wait for you to invite them to enter), stay where you are and don't rush after her - then, calmly walk over to her and offering her a high value item (you need to find a couple of things that she cannot resist -with my parrots it's a peanut or a cookie -I get organic graham crackers made with fruit juice instead of sugar- but there is one that would only come with cheese -something I don't recommend feeding to parrots but which I would still use as a bribe) ask her to step up in a calm voice and always keeping the treat on the other side of the arm or hand you are putting up for her to step on.

[Polly-anna97]

Thank you Pajarita. I know it's going to be SOOO wonderful and so gratifying when I start to see some real tangible progress. I will put your advice into action with immediate effect!

[Tman007]

Polly, here are some things that I have notice or have done that might help you. First as for a bath I did the same thing you did got a spray bottle and thought that a good spray would do them good NOPE! they hated it. I now use the spray bottle to spot clean the cage once in a while when they are not in their cages. They like to take a bath in their water bowls. You just might not notice that she has done this and dried off before you have seen her. check the water bowl fill it full and if you see that it is half way full, then there is a good chance that she might have done this and you just missed it. Also so you might be moving to fast when you walk with her to put her back in her cage. I have a jenday that I have to walk slow for or he will sometimes fly off my finger. Another thing try giving her a treat as so as she steps up on your finger ( and make it one that my take a few bites to finish.) that way when you go to put her up she will be busy eating her treat. And she will see that a treat comes with going back into the cage. Try one more thing don't put her back in her cage when you pick her up go ahead and set up a perch half way to her cage and put her there first so that way she doesn't feel like you pick her up to put her back every time. And give her a treat when you put her there. Then after a few minutes on the perch try and put her away and again give her a treat just for stepping up. Well that's my 2cents. Hope this will help.

[Polly-anna97]

Thanks for your advice Tman007. Oh to be at the stage I think you think I'm at! Alas, the time I mentioned her leaving the cage came about because I moved a perch to clean it, she spooked and flew out.
The most she will do now is take food from the centre of my palm. I was so anxious about what effect not having left the cage for over three weeks would be having on her mental health, that I hired a behavioural expert who basically expert who I hoped would be able to give me more in depth advice, but he really didn't tell me anything particularly new to me, although he was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. He told me to concentrate on trying to get her to step onto my hand to get a treat. She will lean right across my hands so that her belly and beak are on top of them, but she hasn't come anywhere near close to putting a foot on my hand.
My next step is to try Michaels steps outlined in his 'how to get your parrot to come out of the cage'. He says if the bird is afraid of the target stick, to hold it still, and click and reward if she makes any movement in the direction of the stick. So I'm going to start doing this. I really need to get her checked out with a good avian vet, so I need to get her out without damaging the bonding process asap.

[Pajarita]

If I were you, I would get her checked asap because her having an overgrown beak means liver issues and a sick bird is not a happy and/or confident bird (sick birds hide in the wild because putting themselves 'out there' means certain death to a weakened bird). Get her healthy and strong and then and only then start your training. You are putting the cart before the horse.

[Polly-anna97]

Thanks Pajarita ( ah, fantastic! My phone now automatically writes your name when I write Pa, so I don't have to keep checking if I've miss spelt it, ha!).

What would you recommend as the least stressful way of getting her into a travel cage??

[Wolf]

Make an early morning vet appointment and the day before the appointment set up the travel cage with food and water dishes and a perch. When you feed her that evening fill the water dish and set up a low light night light and after she goes to sleep go in and with just enough light to see what you are doing open the travel cage and then open her cage and reach in and pick he up and transfer her to the travel cage close it and let her go back to sleep. In the morning give her breakfast and then remove the food and water when you go to the vet, replacing the empty water dish so you can give her water before leaving the vets office. Then empty the water , replace the dish and take her home.