Hello,
I have a Meyer's Parrot. He's more like four years old but he's been really wild lately. Something happened last week, not exactly sure what he saw as a problem. He REFUSED to step up or go in to his cage. He refused to let us come near. He refused to be touched.
We've had him for about two years now, and there was just this sudden change where he no longer wanted anything to do with us. I tried to get him back in to his cage that first night, but he panicked and clipped a corner of a wall...he fell and chipped his beak.
After that I refused to try to do anything to him that he felt uncomfortable with and felt as though I may have traumatized him from the experience. Again...all I was doing was approaching him and gently asking him to step up.
After a week of being out of his cage, because he refused to step up or even go near his cage, we were able to get him in there. Now that he is in his cage, I hate to say, it but I'm uncomfortable with taking him out again. If he spooked during the night he might hit a wall and we wouldn't be there to save him.
So what I have been doing is going back to basics with touch training through the cage bars. At first he has been reluctant but he started to respond to the "touch" command again. I'm hoping in time he will be confident and trusting enough to come back out.
I believe what may have caused the issue is that about a week before this (maybe less?) my standard poodle got a hair cut and it was his first time seeing the birds fly. As a result he was bouncing around the hallway (French doors so there are windows) and he may have spooked the birds. We have since remedied that situation.