What if the bird won't come?

[girly]

I guess this isn't funny but I have to laugh. there's a smell of paint wafting into my apt. from another apt. in the building. I decided to move jezebel and her cage into my room, away from the smell.

Well, she won't come! she simply doesn't feel like stepping up. She's pushing my hand away and making an annoyed sound. I can't help but laughing.

But seriously, do I keep pushing the issue until I have to grab her with a towel?

[girly]

Never mind, I kept up at it until she stepped up.

[jenseits]

In a situation like this, I would resort to luring and bribing.

I don't believe in physically pushing a bird into doing something they clearly don't want (unless we're talking about an emergency, of course). Your bird is communicating something and I think it's important to respect that. As much as possible, birds should be allowed to exercise choices. That said, there's nothing that says you can't tilt the balance of that choice in your favor. Perhaps she'd rather stay on her cage than step up; but would she rather stay on her cage if stepping up meant she got an almond? What's her favorite treat? Use that to get her to step up and then move her. It's a win-win. She thinks she got to choose, and you get to move her without having to force her. And next time you ask her to step up, she may just do it because she knows there's a goody in it for her.

[girly]

thanks jenseits! First, I did consider this an emergency because the paint smell was right where she was playing (not on her cage but in another place). I had to get her away from there immediately.

I do believe in not making them do something they don't want to do, but I believe even more strongly in establishing that I am the boss and not her. If I let her have her way in that instance, she may get the idea that she's the boss.

Anyway, she came up with a little more persistence from me!

[KDK241]

Monty gets like that all the time. I just keep trying until he steps up. He will actually sit while I'm pushing on his legs and lean as far away from me as he can without moving a foot. Birds are STUBBORN sometimes!

[girly]

But isn't it funny in a way?

Jezzie just tried pushing my hand away again, lol.

[r2rusmc]

Who's the boss?