by Pajarita » Thu Nov 30, 2017 4:23 pm
Put his cage high enough that his roosting perch is at your eye level [parrots are all prey animals which only predator avoidance mechanism is flight so height means safety to them and they dislike being lower than our heads].
Place the cage in such a way that it is in front of a window [or to the side] but has a wall behind it. If you cannot do this, drape a material covering the back to simulate a wall [having a side covered means that no predators will come from it -again, makes the bird feel safer].
Keep him in a spot where there isn't a whole lot of human traffic [no screaming children running by his cage!] but where he can see and hear quiet human activity [but NEVER in the kitchen].
Never stare at the bird [only predators do that]. Look at him from the corner of your eye.
When you approach his cage, don't go in a straight line, always do it as if you were casually strolling and not as if the cage is your goal.
Sit as close to him as you can [see next paragraph] for as long as you can while calmly talking, singing, whistling for him - offer him a treat every now and then but, if he doesn't take it from your hand, just leave it within its reach and walk away [this is NOT a reward but a gift, a token of friendship].
The distance where you should sit is determined by the bird's reaction. Walk as close as the bird stays in the same place and, as soon as you see him moving back, stop and take a small step back - THAT's where you should sit and not closer than that [this distance will become shorter and shorter as time goes by]. Of course, you will need to get closer to clean his cage, feed and water him so do try to do it as quickly as possible and always let him know what you will be doing so he is prepared by using the same phrase over and over {I use "Excuse me - excuse me - excuse me" when I am reaching into their cages while they are in it but you can use whatever you want].