Absolutely terrified of us!

[8BitGhost]

Hi, again! So I got my boy Taro several months ago as a companion for my girl (as I now know) 8-Bit. Bitty is kind of a menace and full of attitude and Taro is a nice balance to that in that he is sweet and mild. However, he's not warmed up to us at all. We've done everything we did with Bitty -- spent several hours a day with the cage open, often sitting/standing by the cage, talking to him, attempting to handle him... I should mention Bitty is only the way she is because she got terrorized by an overly affectionate (as an understatement) budgie for the first year of her life (see my previous threads for more on that). She used to be a super clingy baby. She does like to sit with us still though.

Anyway, yeah, Taro is sweet and cute and very happy when he's in the cage (which is almost always open when we're home, providing my girlfriend is in the mood to "deal" with Bitty's attitude since Bitty prefers her to sit with). He's very happy and healthy and very vocal... but just terrified of us!

He'll "fly" out after 8-Bit but he's trimmed and young so he just flutters to the floor, and then he'll run around, scared, until we rescue him. He lets us do that and willingly steps up but then immediately starts panic-beeping and looking for somewhere to "fly" to, so we have to "hamster" him, as we put it, aka treadmill him through curled hands (never grasping him, just making sure he can't fall and hurt himself). If we try to keep him out with us on the couch, where Bitty is most of the time, he just poofs repeatedly and open-beak pants in fear. So we usually have to put him back -- again, he'll step up but then panic until we get him into the cage again.

Inside the cage, he'll talk to us through the bars and occasionally allow a beak-boop or two, and will eat from our hands, but otherwise he will back into a corner away from hands.

Is it possible 8-Bit's sassiness/attitude is making him think we're bad people? We're doing everything we can to win his trust, from soft talking to attention to treats and attempts to pet. Is he just an anxious birdy? Can birds have anxiety? I feel so bad for him!

 

[Dona]

Since Taro is clipped, could you attach some things to the cage, so he can leave and return on his own? Ladders, boings? Maybe get a play gym that he can reach. I would try to interact with him without my hands and see if he calms down. You could try a hand held perch too.

My female Gigi, despite being well socialized and in love with all of us, is very hand shy. It's a common Linnie trait. She will spend lots of time on my shoulder, knee and lap, but she would prefer that I keep my hands to myself. No petting except when she hangs out of the food door in the morning and I'm allowed to touch her beak.

I do think some bird species and individuals are more anxious than others, but Linnies are generally pretty friendly and resilient.

 

[8BitGhost]

@Dona I actually used to rig up stuff before Bitty could fly so she could easily get back into the cage, I don't know why I haven't tried with Taro yet, although he never seems too eager to get back to the cage. He usually just bolts under the nearest piece of furniture or finds us and climbs up onto one of us if we wait a bit. It's like he really does like us but is also terrified! It's definitely mostly hands he fears... but he's also got the issue of the hyperventilating on the couch. I know he isn't sick or hurt cause that's the only time he breathes like that (rapidly, beak open).

Hopefully he'll grow out of this, maybe if I just keep trying. I do have up to 20 years to get him to trust me, haha!

 

[NorthernGannet]

I like @Dona 's advice! Does he eat from your hands through the open door of the cage, or only through the bars? If not through an open door, that's something to work on as well. It builds trust of course.

When he's on your hands/couch, does he have a favorite toy or treat or piece of fruit or something you could try to distract him with? Maybe if he could be convinced to focus on something he likes it might help. Also if he sees Bitty eating something nearby, he might be tempted to join.

 

[budgieluv3]

Some birds are more scared of hands, and that's ok. I suggest giving affection in other ways, (talking, feeding millet through cage bars) then eventually working up to stepping up.

 

[8BitGhost]

I like @Dona 's advice! Does he eat from your hands through the open door of the cage, or only through the bars? If not through an open door, that's something to work on as well. It builds trust of course.

When he's on your hands/couch, does he have a favorite toy or treat or piece of fruit or something you could try to distract him with? Maybe if he could be convinced to focus on something he likes it might help. Also if he sees Bitty eating something nearby, he might be tempted to join.

He does eat from our hands inside the cage, in fact if he sees you have food he will even come to your hand from all the way across the cage. Interestingly, if we're booping Bitty's beak, he will also come for at least one boop before realizing what he has done and running away. What a tool!

I have given him millet on the couch before and it's helped, depending on how much of a panic he is in. Sometimes he's just frozen and hyperventilating and unresponsive to anything. Bitty is a little mooch so we share any (bird safe) scraps of whatever we're snacking on with her -- usually corn chip crumbs, veggies, bread crust, etc -- and sometimes if Taro is on the couch with us he'll get inspired by her eating and take some. His biggest comfort "item" is definitely Bitty herself though. We had him with us on the couch a few days ago and after a while (once she realized she should comfort him instead of being a lil piggy/seagull) Bitty went to him and they just started to happily preen each other! It feels cruel just making him sit with us when he's so clearly distressed, his little chest just pumping, but I feel like it's good for him to see Bitty being with us and being just fine...

Some birds are more scared of hands, and that's ok. I suggest giving affection in other ways, (talking, feeding millet through cage bars) then eventually working up to stepping up.

I can feed him without it being through bars and actually have once or twice "tricked" him into stepping up by having the millet between my middle finger and thumb and offering my index finger. I figure it's just hand fear and hey, that's ok, I have irrational fears too, and if a 300 foot giant was offering me food and shelter for free, I think I would still be afraid of their hands!