Yeah, 2 weeks is short compared to some of these stories I have read. What so strange is a few days ago, she would shriek in his presence and poof up real big and tell him to "go!" and now shes coming over to him when he goes up to the cage, he said scratch scratch to her and she lets him touch her. He did this once and she did bite but almost every time she lets him. He is too scared to ask her to step up and honestly I think its bc he doesnt want to hurt my feelings further when she does it. But its just so strange to me. The only time she really comes to me is if I have a massive thing of millet in my hand. Ill give her a little piece and she runs back to the perch. A lot of the time I will go to talk to her and sit next to her and she will turn her back to me.Two weeks really is no time. Your bird is still adjusting to her home. A bird will pick as their person who they want. There's not much you can do about that but that doesn't mean you can't have a good relationship with your bird too. You just need to work on building trust with her. Take things slow and be patient.
I don't think it's a bad idea. She should be wherever most of the household activity is. And sometimes who a bird is initially most comfortable with depends on who took care of them before. Was her former owner a male? My cockatiel Sunny was technically my fiancé's bird. However, Sunny didn't know that. He picked me and that's all there was to it. He eventually developed a relationship with my fiancé. If I wasn't home, Sunny was fine hanging out with the fiancé but once I came home he pretty much ignored the fiancé's existence. My cockatoo on the other hand initially picked my fiancé. He could give all the cuddles etc and Elvis basically tolerated me. We've had Elvis for about a year and a half now and that's changed. The relationship between Elvis and the fiancé has become complicated including the fiancé getting some bad bites. Whereas I can basically do anything to Elvis, including holding him like a football tucked under my arm and he'll let me. So, I think you just have to give your bird time to sort things out. You never want to force her to do things (unless it's for safety reasons) but time, praise and attention can usually win a bird over to some degree.
Yes i have heard of this before, my sobbing around her probably isnt helping. My husband and I are sitting here chatting and she just started hissing ... ( I am calmed down at this point) and since were both in the room, idk what shes hissing about either.
We are mostly in the computer room about 98 percent of the time. Litterally all day, so thats where we have her is in there with us , but if she continues to bond closer and closer to him, I may have to move her to the living room and sit in there with her and move my desk in there so its just her and I. I dont mind her liking my husband and I dont mean to sound bratty about it, Its just important she has a bond with me if possible because he will be starting his new job monday and I will be the one home with her almost the whole day. Her former owners was an elderly couple. Im not too sure who did all the caring for her but I believe it was the man. Hes the one who gave me a lot of the info about her and always talked about changing her food, etc. I used to have a goffins cockatoo that loved us both dearly. I am hoping that patience and rewards and praise will change the situation for us and she will bond to both of us. Elvis is just the cutest name! Haha!I don't think it's a bad idea. She should be wherever most of the household activity is. And sometimes who a bird is initially most comfortable with depends on who took care of them before. Was her former owner a male? My cockatiel Sunny was technically my fiancé's bird. However, Sunny didn't know that. He picked me and that's all there was to it. He eventually developed a relationship with my fiancé. If I wasn't home, Sunny was fine hanging out with the fiancé but once I came home he pretty much ignored the fiancé's existence. My cockatoo on the other hand initially picked my fiancé. He could give all the cuddles etc and Elvis basically tolerated me. We've had Elvis for about a year and a half now and that's changed. The relationship between Elvis and the fiancé has become complicated including the fiancé getting some bad bites. Whereas I can basically do anything to Elvis, including holding him like a football tucked under my arm and he'll let me. So, I think you just have to give your bird time to sort things out. You never want to force her to do things (unless it's for safety reasons) but time, praise and attention can usually win a bird over to some degree.
Thank you. We didn't name him. We adopted him and that was the name he came with. And he says "Elvis" like 50 times a day so there's no changing it. LOL. Although I wouldn't have named him that initially, his name certainly fits him.We are mostly in the computer room about 98 percent of the time. Litterally all day, so thats where we have her is in there with us , but if she continues to bond closer and closer to him, I may have to move her to the living room and sit in there with her and move my desk in there so its just her and I. I dont mind her liking my husband and I dont mean to sound bratty about it, Its just important she has a bond with me if possible because he will be starting his new job monday and I will be the one home with her almost the whole day. Her former owners was an elderly couple. Im not too sure who did all the caring for her but I believe it was the man. Hes the one who gave me a lot of the info about her and always talked about changing her food, etc. I used to have a goffins cockatoo that loved us both dearly. I am hoping that patience and rewards and praise will change the situation for us and she will bond to both of us. Elvis is just the cutest name! Haha!
Aww I can imagine "Elvis! Elvis! Elvis" I was considering naming my daughter Chloe if I ever had one, like dead set on it, and I have endometriosis so its been hard to have children. I told my husband I would adopt a bird just in case we couldnt have kids, and I would just treat my bird as my child, and spoil him/her rotten. And sure enough this little grey is for adoption and they said her name was Chloe. I felt like it was meant to be! (another reason im sad she isnt bonding to me as well) Now we dont know if Chloe is a boy or girl for sure, but she knows her name so its here to stay! Yeah I think I will just leave her for now. See how things change in the next couple weeks.
Haha! I would be satisfied if that happened in our situation too! Just PLEEEASSE let me have one little head scratch! Just one! What is it with our birdies liking these sexy men? Its not fair. Arent we sexy too!?Lucy(CAG) took one look at my husband and was in love. However if he was not around I was ok in her book
Thank You for the information! I will read the article. I know this process will take time. I am not sure how this has happened, but it has! I went over to her cage a few minutes ago to sit and talk next to her. She gets out of her cage, runs to the oppisite side on the top, I get up to leave her alone because I found she was frightened by me, and as im walking away, shes inching to go back into her cage, by time she reaches the door of her cage, my back is next to her at that moment and she leans back and runs away quickly like shes terrified and starts shaking. For whatever reason, I cant seem to understand what I have done wrong. I am calm with her, give her treats, I change her food every morning, and the only time I ever try to touch her before is going up to her and wiggling my finger very slightly and saying "scratch scratch" (advice from previous owners" and she acts terrified, tries to lunge and bite me. Hubby does this, she runs to him and lets him scratch her. But two days ago, she was scared of him too. Weirdest thing is she rarely sees any part of my husband other than the back of his head as he sits there playing his games. He very occasionaly, maybe 3 times a day will walk by and say "hello bird". Its just unfairYour relationship with the bird will never be like your husband. You can and will establish your own unique relationship with him "in time". Not weeks or even months. You will establish this relationship when hubby is nowhere to be found. If he is "known" to be close by, even out of sight you need to step back and put your guard up. Whatever you do, do NOT flirt with the enemy in front of the bird. Don't be showing hubby affection or be touching/sitting close etc. Them's fightin' words in bird world.
I've lived this scenario for more than a decade. You will persevere.
If you haven't read this you should. Lots of insight and ways to move forward.
Site Name - Articles - Behavioral - Sex And The Psittacine
Okay, I just read the article , especially the part about "my bird loves me but hates my husband" . So correct me if im wrong, but does this mean we both dont need to be in the same room at the same time with the bird? Does this also mean that when my husband starts going back to work next week, and im the only one home with the bird , she will then become more trusting of me? Possibly? haha. I will try to get him to read it, but I can barely get him to read anything. I think hes just currently a little agitated with me for crying all day about this and seems to be fed up with it all so I will have to just explain it to him the best I can for tonight and hopefully he cares to listen
If he is in in the room. You are the competition/intruder. If he is not around then you are just another flock mate. But if hubby is in the kitchen clinking dishes the bird will know he's there and you are instant be demoted to dirt level again. The bird needs to think in his mind that lover boy is not there so you can work on the relationship. It's a mind game and trickery can be used.
That is the only way.
