|
HELP!
Apr 7, 2019 19:17:30 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by cyclonekick on Apr 7, 2019 19:17:30 GMT -5
Hi all, I'm new here and hoping to get some much needed help. I just brought home Pistachio on Thursday. He's about 8 m.o., he was hand fed but then left in a cage with four other quakers at a pet store. I left him alone to just get used to his new surroundings for a few days and talked to him quite a bit. Yesterday i began opening his cage and letting him hang out outside of it so he knows he's not confined to living his life inside his cage. I noticed he was acting a little neurotic chewing his cage bars when he was locked in. After he got comfortable outside the cage, i began working towards getting him to step up and handle him a bit. I can get him to step onto a perch I am holding but he flat out refuses to step onto my hand. I've tried standing in front of something he wants, and nudging his chest with my finger but he just bites at it and shimmeys down the stick away from my hand. He WILL allow me to pick him up if i grasp him from behind and will even calmly rest against my chest but just will NOT step up. Any suggestions??!!
|
|
|
Post by cnyguy on Apr 7, 2019 20:12:02 GMT -5
Welcome! Just give it a little more time. When I first brought Ralph home, he would only step up onto a spare perch, just like Pistachio. It took a little less than two weeks before Ralph was ready to climb onto my hand. Now, 9 years later, if I open the cage door, Ralph hops onto my hand right away, whether or not I'm inviting him out (fortunately, he also knows how to step down ). So just let Pistachio set his own pace, and before long, he'll be stepping onto your hand.
|
|
|
HELP!
Apr 7, 2019 20:49:24 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by cyclonekick on Apr 7, 2019 20:49:24 GMT -5
Thank you for the feedback! I'm glad to hear its a timing thing and not just me. Should i be approaching the training from inside his cage to my hand or while he is out? I also noticed he hasn't eaten much since i brought him home. I didn't see him touch his food until yesterday and then more today. I bought a little of what he was on but also bought the Zupreem pure fun and Higgins Safflower gold with the intention of getting him onto those. Ive offered fresh spinach and a slice of apple as a treat as well as some Lafebers nutriberries to try and motivate some training but he doesn't seem interested in any of it. Is he maybe just not comfortable enough yet to be interested?
|
|
|
Post by cnyguy on Apr 8, 2019 20:50:16 GMT -5
Training usually goes better outside the cage. Parrots think of their cages as their personal space and often object to anything intruding into it, though, of course, sometimes it is necessary. Advanced training usually works better away from the cage entirely, but that has to wait until the parrot is ready to venture farther from the cage. It's typical of a new parrot not to eat much during the first few days in the new home. It's a good idea to continue feeding what the parrot is used to, as you've been doing with Pistachio, and gradually introduce new foods. With unfamiliar foods, it can help to eat the same thing and act like it's the most delicious food you've ever tasted (you don't have to do that with the seed mix or pellets ). Parrots usually will want to try foods their human companions are obviously enjoying. You can offer a variety of vegetables, and most can be served either raw or cooked (most beans need to be cooked). You can offer them prepared in different ways; some birds will prefer larger pieces, some will like things finely chopped (as my QP Ralph does) or mashed up. When you're introducing new foods, you need to be prepared to waste a lot of food. It can take lots of time to get a parrot to even try something new, and longer for them to decide they like it. It took eight months to get Ralph to try broccoli, but he likes it now and gets it now and then. Ralph's absolute favorite food is fresh green peas; if you can get some, try them with Pistachio. No guarantees-- my other parrot Scooter the CAG likes to chew up pea pods, but won't eat the peas. Cooked pasta, cooked grains like quinoa and barley, and fruits are good foods to try too (though neither of my parrots like fruit all that much). Just be patient and persistent, and eventually you'll find things that Pistachio likes to eat.
|
|
|
HELP!
Apr 9, 2019 4:49:02 GMT -5
Post by biteybird on Apr 9, 2019 4:49:02 GMT -5
Cnyguy is right, just give him lots more time and don't try to train him in or near his cage. Our blue quaker, Bonnie, didn't eat for a couple of days when we brought her home, then she was fine. Don't force Pistachio to interact if he doesn't wish to - let him come to you. He needs to feel safe in his new environment. Like cnyguy said, all parrots are different with their preferences, but if you are patient you will be rewarded with a a great relationship with your new friend. And - welcome to the Forum!
|
|
|
HELP!
Apr 12, 2019 12:37:41 GMT -5
Post by siobhan on Apr 12, 2019 12:37:41 GMT -5
He has probably developed a fear of hands after being poked at in a pet store all that time. Clyde was afraid of hands when he found us, too. He was in a tree in our yard and I could NOT get him to step up, though I could tell he desperately wanted to be rescued. I finally backed up to a low branch and he stepped onto my head. It took quite a while of always having him step onto my head or shoulder before he finally started stepping on my hand. You might try that for a while first. Once he gets the idea that "step up" means he gets to hang out with you, it will be easier. Just bend down and tap your shoulder or head and see if he'll hop on.
|
|