Izzy update

[xafsmom]

The glorious two week mark is upon us!

Well Izzy still won't allow touching, but his biting has scaled back considerably. The only thing that seems to work well for him is a stern "no bite!" and a sharp glare at him. He hates that and will duck his head and make a low clucking sound, wanting to step up lol. He still gives baby noises and loving looks to my Mom, but doesn't like to obey her at all, and will bite her more than he will me now lol.

We've been taking it slow, but now we're starting to attempt to touch him. He makes growly noises when I try, and tries to avoid the touch, and if he can, he bites - not really hard, but hard enough. It feels like he likes it how it is, wants things his way and isn't willing to see that change lol. However, I like things MY way also! So the battle has begun.

I tell him "I can touch you" and then touch his leg or his back and let him bite. When he does I tell him no bite, when he allows the touch, he gets a treat. After the 5th time, I think it clicked in his brain and his biting became quick beaking, nothing worse. It's going to take a while, but I don't mind slow progress.

He still won't willingly touch us, no beaking to explore our hands or hair, or whatever, but he likes being around us. He'll chase after us if we leave the room to use the bathroom or something, and he's on his play gym. So, I know he enjoys people and seems to like everyone from my Mother (his love), me, and my daughter (they play with his toys together lol).

I hope he's not one of those birds that just can't stand any physical human contact at all, but if he is, ah well. I don't expect him to ask for scritches or anything but I do want to be able to touch his body to make sure he's a proper weight or if something happens and I NEED to touch him. Any advice on getting him more interested in physical contact would be appreciated.

He's still addicted to sunflower seeds, but so far we've got him weaned off it as a food staple and he only gets 5 seeds as a treat a day. We tried cold turkey but he couldn't handle that. He has to have his fix. lol

There's the update, comments and advice always helpful and wanted.

[LoveMyBeak]

Hey Have you read my thread on my CAG? Lisa B told me to just get him out of the cage and into another room preferably like a bedroom with out any type of other distractions (bird wise) and then lay a big blanket (one that you dont mind gettin poop on on the bed)and then get a few of his favorite toys, and lay them out on it. Then just set him down on the blanket and you and even other family members can sit on the bed with him, and just let him do whatever he wants, explore, play with his toys, get curious. Believe me this works!!!!! I mean I am on the second week of having this little guy around, and the first week all he did was bite the snot out of me, we had to use a towel to get him out of the cage. on Saturday morning within an hour he was exploring me, my wife and my daughter! that whole day NOBODY got bit! Make sure you do the alone time with him as much as you can, he will love it.

Now we have it so that if he wants out of the cage then it is to be by stepping up onto our hands and no other way, he realizes it. Dont get me wrong though, you still need to read his body language 'cause he STILL gets in one of THOSE moods and doesn't want any thing to do with you, so you have got to give him his space................LMB

[xafsmom]

I've actually tried that with Izzy. He gets farthest away and stares at us like we're crazy. I redecorated my office today, moved his cage to the opposite wall, so I can have my drafting board/easel closer to the lights and now he's climbing down off his cage and waddling over to me and demanding to be picked up. I think I confounded him lol, he can't watch my computer screen so much now and it makes him want to see what I'm doing. /win! He's spent the last 30 minutes on my shoulder making noises at a movie I was watching (Izzy enjoys netflix instant watch documentaries lol). So far, the move has brought out his vocal side. Whistles mixed with "What?!" "No!" "You're joking!", which is hilarious when it coincides with whatever I'm watching at the moment. My current favourite is his "Oh dear, oh dear."

After this morning's battle of "I can touch you", he let me pet his back and just ground his beak at me lol.

I also did the whole "you're not coming out of your cage by yourself" routine. He imperiously sits with his foot raised in the mornings, demanding "Up!" lol, but he won't exit the cage by himself at all. Smart little boy, is he.