First "training/taming" day with Jovie.

[Azure Hanyo]

Today was discouraging. Jovie seems to think that when the cage is opened, she needs to be immediately on the defensive. (Not that I blame her.) I have been giving her treats through the bars without issue, and she would come over to me when I called her and take a treat, very gently. I think I mentioned she has tried to regurgitate for me, and she did it today before I opened the cage but... The moment the cage is open it is a different story. She does a loud beak-click and HISSES at me. Her eyes pin. She is clearly afraid. This is going to be a long road of getting her to trust me to not towel her. She doesn't move away though, she holds her ground and acts tough, so at least she isn't fleeing in terror.

I guess it's back to leaving her in the cage until she doesn't act out with aggression when I open it. Once she is calm with that we will move on from there, to getting her to accept treats from my hand while the cage is open to eventually stepping to my palm.

[Kathleen]

It will be very interesting to see how you go about taming and training with this bird.

[Azure Hanyo]

It will be very interesting to see how you go about taming and training with this bird.

I hear that! I am at a loss. First I want her to trust me, that is all. Just so she's knows she will be safe and not forced out of the cage when she is scared. Targeting would be kind of mean given her current itty bitty cage and limited moving space. I am going to have her new cage set up soon though! I am sure that will help a great deal.

[Azure Hanyo]

Your advice and input is very much welcome everyone. I will need as much information as I can get, I have already scanned through and read a ton of the training blog but so much of that just doesn't apply in Jovie's case, and really a lot of the techniques I used to tame Archimedes are moot. I have never dealt with a bird this terrified of its cage simply being opened.

[Chicklet]

My senegal is very cage aggressive with me and in order to keep a happy bird and a happy me I let her climb out of the cage and then step up from there. It could work for you, Jovie might feel more comfortable out of the cage and out of her perceived area of being toweled.

This is just my opinion, but for me a birds cage is their home and I don't ask them to step up from inside their cage, even with my sun conure, who will do anything for me. With my sun conure, he goes to a perch on the door and when I open it, he hops from there to my hand. By the way, my sun conure is in no way cage aggressive.

Anyways, maybe it could work for you because Jovie has been so traumatized when coming out of her cage, it might be better to let her climb that hurdle on her own, to give her more confidence.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Chicklet's suggestion is interesting. I guess I'm a hopeless optimist, but I'm guessing if you are patient and break the cycle of door-open=towel-grab she may come around to letting you handle her with the door open the same way she does with the door closed. I guess if it were me, I'd go for that, and then sit on it for a while before trying the step up. But what do I know? I'm totally confused by the Scotty/Bill dynamic.

[Mr.Darcy]

i agree with Chiklet too. I think if you open the cage and she freaks.....just calmly go sit down nearby until she comes out. I bought the book clicker training for birds by Melinda Johnson and it is about helping birds move past these kinds of issues not all about tricks. You might take a look at it because it has all kinds of suggestions on how to deal with screaming, plucking aggression etc. And how birds learn and why they do the things they do.....just a suggestion.

You will be great the two of you because you have the best intentions....can't wait to hear all the bloody updates!!

good luck

[Kathleen]

Actually, the clicker and target training method which has been fully detailed and discussed numerous times on this forum would probably work for this bird if it's able to get around for targeting despite its foot problem. Either way, you could use a clicker to approach the bird.

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[Azure Hanyo]

Kathleen- I have mentioned the possibility of targeting already and don't feel it will work with her current cage and limited mobility. I am going to get her a better cage set-up first. I already addressed that issue, too.

As for a clicker, I want her to be calm in my presence before I start any kind of training at all. I am of a mind of taking things at the bird's pace, particularly in this instance where she is, quite clearly, TERRIFIED. I am not going to put any kind of targeting object into a cage with a bird who has pinned eyes, is clicking its beak, and hissing. That just seems plain cruel. I am going to have her cage set up very soon, and after intoducing her to her new environment, I am going to let her get used to it and learn how to move around. And THEN I will start targeting, but only if I feel she can get around well enough without the possibility of harming herself.

Please keep in mind she isn't an average parrot and has obvious and very severe phobias of the cage being opened at all. Forcing her to work with me is just as cruel as tossing a towel over her and forcing her to sit with me. I am going to go at her pace, and let her guide me so she gains confidence and trust in me. I know from seeing it that once out of her cage she shows more confidence and sass, and is quite a charmer. She just needs to know she can behave in kind while she's in her cage, too.

[Mr.Darcy]

I am certain you are doing all the right things, I just suggest the book because I was surprised that it dealt with all types of issues not just tricks!
And you are right, being a mother you know the tortoise and the hare very well I am sure