updates on cage aggressive IRN

[Andie]

Hi. Thanks to reasurrance from people here, I decided to go ahead and use peanut to retrain my bird called Grover.

I will post descriptions of what I am doing and how he is going here :) I am totally making this up as I go along so please offer more suggestions! I am trying to lead him out of the cage 'carrot' style then ultimately have him come on his own for a peanut then just for me.

I have been doing 2 or 3 short (5min) sessions each day. If he makes a massive lunge for me, I pack up and say "no peanut!" and leave the room for 30seconds. Then I come back and we pick right back up. I always end on a positive note.

Day 1. Offered peanut granules in cage on a long handled spoon. LOVES them. Offered them one by one, gradually moving my hand closer to him until I was holding the spoon by the spoony part. No biting me!

Days 2-3. More of same and lots of praise.

Day 4. Beginning to get him to move around the cage after the spoon + nut. Doing this with the idea of gradually leading him out the door to me Went well!

Day 5. More of day 4. Also decided to try some model-rival (as used on the famous Alex) using my lovebird. Don't laugh, it can't hurt. I put Squiz on a perch. She steps up without command but I say 'up' anyway to teach Grover then I say 'Good bird!" and pat her and giver her a nut. Grover was definitely watching.

I plan to continue in this way, leading him closer and closer to me each couple of days.

Will post more updates in a few days.

[catschair]

Good luck! Once he is not afraid of you, he may just come out to visit because he is curious. It sounds like you are making great progress. Keep us posted.

[Chicklette]

You are doing a great job! Keep at it. That is how I train my birds, little steps and each day a little more. Another suggestion that works for me is if they bite gently blow on them. This helps them stop.

[Ringneckmom]

Wonderful! Sounds like you are doing a great job. I think he will get the idea eventually.
The Rival/model stuff does work regardless of what bird is being used for it.
I honestly believe that having other birds that loved to be rubbed on and loved on is what helped Indy get to the point that he is at now. He just loves some rubbing now (on his terms) and will actually make a purring noise when I am doing it.

After you get him out and start working on the step up, you will have to work on the step up in his cage. Something that helped me with this was to have the perches facing the front of the door. When I went to put him in there, I immediately told him to step back up again and brought him out. You have to do it as soon as you set them down on the perch and don't give them a chance to think or take off anywhere.
It will take time to get to that point where he will step up onto your finger but it can happen if you continue as you are.

Course one step at a time. :)

I will say that he may always be aggressive in terms of biting when he is in and you try to pet him - but as long as he lets you get him out then you are doing great.

[Andie]

I had forgotten about this thread I started! oops!

He LOVES peanuts so much that he is very responsive to them. He comes down to the door very quickly now and will sit on a perch by the door then jump onto my bed. I can then pick him off from my bed with no trouble.

The good news is that the new play area I made for my birds gets none of the aggressive reactions from him. I can pick him right up from there with no hint of lunging or biting.

He really is a lovely bird.

[Ringneckmom]

Yeah, most times it happens in the cage but they are fine out of the cage.
They just need to have a firm hand or a person that is more stubborn than them.
I think it will get better as long as you persist with him. It just takes a little time.