Had a great weekend with Lucy (Red-Bellied)

[lzver]

We've had Lucy, our Red-Bellied, for 4 years now and while she was a cuddly bird as a baby, she changed once she hit 2-years old and became very much a hands off bird. She loved her scratches for a couple minutes, but always seemed to be happier hanging out and doing her own thing. She went through a phase where she would bite very hard ... broke the skin every time she bit. Then she settled down and would just lightly nip to let you know she'd had enough. If I'm honest, for a while I didn't trust Lucy. Damn terrible two's!

I've been doing a lot of work with her lately to see if I can break her out of it. For the past several months I've been giving her lots of scratches (which she is enjoying lately because she is molting) and getting her to step up and give her kisses (just on the top of her head) but only for a minute or two at a time. For for the last few days, Lucy readily stepped up and came and cuddled with me on the couch without putting up a fuss at all. She cuddled right into my neck while she was perched on my shoulder. I wish someone was around to take pictures. I'm going to have to keep this up on a daily basis. I enjoy my cuddle time every day with Jessie and it would be nice to enjoy the same with Lucy every day. Just goes to show that with time and patience you can turn things around. I'm going to work hard to bond even more with Lucy and continue to build a two-way trust.

Just thought I would share because this was quite a breakthrough with Lucy.

[Kim S]

Briliant! I'm very happy you have been able to turn it around. Sounds like the two of you have a lot more happy times (and training!) ahead of you.
Just keep in mind that not all birds are the cuddly type


Cant wait for that picture btw

[Natacha]

Fantastic! It's always nice to hear such stories