Need help with training a 30 year old Moluccan

[Gav]

Aww what a beauty and so glad you got her out of that situation. I don’t have too experience but I do have a large rescue macaw who came from an absolutely horrible situation.

With him I found that warm mashes and bird bread was the way to his heart. There’s just something comforting about warm food served consistently. Aside from the food, he began to feel more at ease when his cage was filled with a variety of brightly colored toys. I think of the larger parrots as having needs similar to a child and being surrounded by fun toys to destroy and tussle with helped my guy come out of his shell quickly.

Thank you for rescuing this little one and I hope to see many more updates.

True, my dad kept reminding me that they're a lot like children, haha. I plan to get her a bunch of toys to keep her entertained. Warm food sounds like a good idea. I tend to eat malt-o-meal from time to time. Perhaps I'll offer her some.

For now I'm wondering what the best way to train her to come out of her cage is. I don't want to force her any time soon, especially since when she was removed from her cage originally she seemed to fight it. It's probably her safe space so I assume once she warms up to me she'll want to start coming out on her own, but is there any way to tell/show her that it's okay to just come out and stretch her wings?

 

[Monica]

Remove the mirror. Easy toys could be 2x4's cut down for her to chew up.

Feathers - a good soaking bath will do her wonders!!! Trust me!

Food - warm foods aren't necessarily a good idea as it could stimulate hormones. The only place they would get warm food out in the wild is from their mate.

Coming out of her cage - first off, it helps to find a perch you can place on her door. Place a metal treat cup next to it. Any time you walk by, drop a favorite treat of hers into the cup. (whatever she loves! this could be nuts, dried fruit, or?) You could teach her to station on the perch, then slowly open up the door and then she's technically out! Also work on target training through the cage bars and around the outside of the cage. If possible, get a playgym for her and set that up next to her cage. Once she's more comfortable coming out, you could have her on the stand next.

 

[NirAntae]

When I'm trying to get a nervous birdy out of a cage, I usually take a favorite treat, like millet, put it on top of the cage (assuming the top is wires/see-through), and open the door. That's it. Yeah, at first they'll just eat it from the bottom most likely. But eventually, they almost always venture out to get at the rest.

Thank you so much for giving this darling a second chance. I am sure with your commitment, experience, and all the advice you're getting, she will blossom in no time.

 

[Gav]

Remove the mirror. Easy toys could be 2x4's cut down for her to chew up.

Remove the mirror for training purposes? I'd like to let her keep it for now because it's the first thing I've seen her positively respond to and actively enjoy. I have another one I plan to keep on top of her cage to help encourage her to come out. The one she currently has is on the outside of the cage where she can't reach it so there won't be any chewing of the plastic frame.

I know the stick method is suggested a lot, but she seems to harbor a hatred for it. Her original owner used a stick to get her out when I was visiting her but it was very forceful and she wasn't really given the opportunity to choose to step onto it. You could say more accurately that she was scooped onto it. I tried it for myself yesterday, slowly, to see how she'd take to it and she tried to push it away with her beak, and when I didn't remove it she tried to chew through it. I'm not usually one to use side methods such as gloves or sticks, so I don't mind waiting until she chooses to come to me herself, but in the future if I do need to use the method, is there a better way to handle it so she doesn't associate the stick with stress but at the same time show her that she shouldn't avoid it?

Also, I have some questions regarding her health but should I perhaps make a new thread in the health area of the forums or post the questions here as they regard the same bird and potentially her attitude?

 

[Monica]

Mirrors are not psychologically healthy, and potentially even not physically healthy, for birds. Therefore, I do not recommend mirrors. They can sometimes even result in aggression.

The Problem with Giving your Bird a Mirror | Feisty Feathers

I don't recommend any "stick" method to force a parrot to step up, however if the bird is *trained* to step up onto a stick, that's a different story!

Instead, I recommend using positive reinforcement training techniques. Methods based on the science of behavior.

Free Training Resources | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum


As far as health goes... you could ask here or in a different location, but sounds like an avian vet would also be a good choice?

 

[Gav]

Money is a slight issue for me which is why I'd never planned on owning a cockatoo any time soon, but currently I'm looking around at some bird professionals/sanctuaries in the area who may be able to help a little. If I don't find anybody by next month then I'll take her to the vet regardless. Last time I was there I believe they offered some sort of credit/month payment option. She doesn't seem in need of anything urgent, and if anything she's brightened up a lot in the last couple of weeks. I removed the mirror as recommended and she was angry about it for a few moments but then got over it.

I've been trying to get closer with my hands and she no longer fluffs up or hisses and sways, but she is still wary. She did however let me pet her head the other day when I held my hand to her so I'm happy to see progress with her. She seems like she'll be really sweet when she does decide to trust me. She even screamed at me once and I felt my ears vibrate, haha. It was good to know she still has some voice in her.

 

[Monica]

Care Credit? I actually have this myself and often use it for any expenses over $200. Used it once for an expense under $200 and that was a bit of a pain to resolve... other than that though, it can be a real life saver! And helps to build up credit, too! I've been using it long enough that they have now sent me a credit card which I can still use normally, but I haven't' activated it. I don't want any more credit cards... lol The only differences is that the regular card you can only use on specific things that relate to human or animal health vs the actual credit card can be used anywhere plus you get the benefits of the regular card.

Veterinary Financing | Healthcare Financing | CareCredit

Sounds like she'll be a sweety, just need some time!

 

[Gav]

She's been sweet and is letting me pet her head more and more often, but now she's starting to try chewing my fingers it seems. She isn't biting, but some of her 'chewing' is a bit rough. I let it go the first couple times because I wanted to be sure she knew I wasn't going to react or hurt her and that it's okay to touch me, but I don't want her thinking it's appropriate to chew on fingers. Is there a reason she's doing this? And how should I respond? She isn't being aggressive about it as far as I can tell and she'll let me go right back to petting her, but I don't want it to develop into a problem.

 

[Sarahmoluccan]

She's probably trying to preen you. Fingers seem to be a favorite spot for that. If she is hurting I would try to redirect the behavior in some way. Foot toys come to mind, if she is interested in them. Gentle correction may also work. Simply tell her not to and praise when she stops for a bit and slowly increase the time that you wait to praise her.

Preening your fingers isn't necessarily a bad thing. If you're lucky enough to develop a certain trust with her beak and your fingers it can help in the future. If you ever have to medicate her, it's really helpful with that, for example.

 

[Gav]

She's probably trying to preen you. Fingers seem to be a favorite spot for that. If she is hurting I would try to redirect the behavior in some way. Foot toys come to mind, if she is interested in them. Gentle correction may also work. Simply tell her not to and praise when she stops for a bit and slowly increase the time that you wait to praise her.

Preening your fingers isn't necessarily a bad thing. If you're lucky enough to develop a certain trust with her beak and your fingers it can help in the future. If you ever have to medicate her, it's really helpful with that, for example.

How do I redirect this? She's starting to really chew to the point she's leaving indents in my skin. Her interest in toys is extremely poor so far. She's only chewed one toy and it was the one I kept near the mirror before I removed it, and she hasn't touched it since.

 

[Sarahmoluccan]

Hmmm... what kind of toys have you tried? You might try softer woods if you haven't already. Balsa or cork would work well. Usually these are for smaller birds but having something easier to chew and destroy can help motivate slow chewers. So continue to experimenting with toys and offering them to her.

In the meantime try to communicate to her that you don't like what she's doing. It's hard for me to say what will work as I'd have to see how you two interact with each other. Does she know how to step on on command? You might try having her step up as soon as she starts to do something you don't want. Also try and find if she at all food motivate.

 

[Porter]

Newspaper, Old phonebooks.

I used to take sheets of newspaper wrap treats in it and then scrunch it up into a ball and stuff it in the side of the cage for my sister's Macaw when I got baby sitting duty. Cut down 2x4's Popcicle sticks, Plastic cups all stacked up.

Baby toys that are things like nesting cups, a favorite of Porters are rubber ducks.

All relatively cheap.

Heck Charlie loved those plastic red cups.

 

[Gav]

She won't let me near her feet, which is a slight problem because her back toe nails are curled 360. I need to get them trimmed but I didn't want to force her into anything until she'd settled, although now might be about a good time.

So far she's chewed the popsicle sticks off her toy and some of the yarn, so I'll look for softer shed toys along those lines. And at what point would I offer her the toy/treat? Because so far she doesn't stop on her own. I've been having to pull away slowly and luckily she doesn't chase after my hand. I can't tell if she thinks it's a game or actually doesn't want my hand near her. Her personality seems a bit odd. I've only really see her socialize submissively, so I don't actually know if she bows her head because she wants me to pet her or because she feels she has no choice.

 

[Porter]

Ya don't hand it to her you stuff it into the cage bars, make a biiig old fuss about it and get that natural cockatoo curiosity revving.

As for the popcycle sticks... I shove an entire handful into a cup that I have handdrilled holes into and hung from the side of the cage. Even my budgie LOVEs to drop the darned things out of the cup.

Give her things to make a mess with!

Charlies favorite toys were his cups. I just dumped whatever stuff I felt like into them and watched him drop them at the end of the day. Was funny.

Everything from children's building blocks, to doggy rubber ball thingies.

 

[Sarahmoluccan]

Has she been to a vet yet? They sould be a great to help you with her nail. Plus they should be able to help with behavioral issues too.

Personally I praise my U2 Echo whenever he does something I like, even if I have to physically help him. Like if he won't give an object when I say "give" and I have to pull it away from him. Still I'll praise him when he let's go of it. So even if you have to physically pull away from her, praise her when she has done something you want. If she is food motivated you can can her a treat too.

You've only had her for a short time. It took years for me to get Echo where he is today. He went through a biting phase but we figured each other out and have a great relationship now. You'll figure her out, it just takes time. You'll learn her body language and her calls. You are already doing it it just takes time to really master it.