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Felfel (Harligold Macaw) has stopped leaving his cage.

PurpleFeathers

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Hello All,

My macaw, Felfel, has stopped stepping up off his cage entirely. He has no problem sitting on the door or on top of the cage. He will climb down and walk towards me or another family member, but he does so rarely and at random times. This has been going on for about a month. I know he wants to spend time with me because he will play and clown around when I'm standing next to the cage, but for some reason, he won't step off of it if asked to step up. It's problematic as it makes cage cleaning a hassle and prevents me from spending time with him.

Have any of you dealt with this before? If so, how did you deal with it?

Thank you for your time,
Omar
 

PurpleFeathers

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Can you buy a stand that goes beside the cage? Maybe he would warm up to that?
I have a stand that I tried putting next to the cage, he didn't really care. I even offered some cashews and pistachios (his favorites), but he chose to stay near his cage rather than come out for them. I've been trying that for the past week with no changes.
 
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Macawnutz

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Well, new behaviors always prompt me to do a vet check. I so often find some little bacterial something and maybe that should be ruled out.

Cbc, chem panel, fecal gram stain
 

PurpleFeathers

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Well, new behaviors always prompt me to do a vet check. I so often find some little bacterial something and maybe that should be ruled out.

Cbc, chem panel, fecal gram stain
I already ruled that out, he's already gotten a checkup this month and my vet said he was pretty normal. I asked about the behavior as well and she said something might have scared him into his cage and now he is just afraid to venture away from it. However, I can't recall any incident that could have done something like that. So I still don't know why he started doing this.
 

macawpower58

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Will he step for up you from inside the cage?

If so, this way you can gradually get him used to being away for short times.
He may just have become so comfortable there, he's become wary of venturing.
 

PurpleFeathers

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Will he step for you from inside the cage?

If so, this way you can gradually get him used to being away for short times.
He may just have become so comfortable there, he's become wary of venturing.
He will not step up at all if he is on top of or in his cage. He acts normal as soon as he steps off of it though.
 

Begone

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How long have you had him?
For me it sounds like you are demanding things when their is no trust.

I know he wants to spend time with me because he will play and clown around when I'm standing next to the cage, but for some reason, he won't step off of it if asked to step up.
That can also be a anguish behavior.
And it's obvious that he don't want to step up so stop demanding things that will make him feel uncomfortable.

Be his equal freind.
Share some food with him.
Play with something that he likes next to his cage.
And no step up for months.
 

PurpleFeathers

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How long have you had him?
For me it sounds like you are demanding things when their is no trust.


That can also be a anguish behavior.
And it's obvious that he don't want to step up so stop demanding things that will make him feel uncomfortable.

Be his equal freind.
Share some food with him.
Play with something that he likes next to his cage.
And no step up for months.
He has been with me for a year and a half, maybe more. He was stepping up normally up until a month ago. I don't really "demand" anything, if he chooses not to step up I don't force him to. As for playing with him near his cage, that's all I've been doing the past month since he doesn't really want to go anywhere else.
 

Begone

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But as long as you continue to ask him to step up he will continue to feel uncomfortable.
It's so easy, be his friend.
And stop all those step ups.
They will always be for what I say some kind of helplessness and not their own free will.
When I want my girls to come to me I call them. So they always will feel that it's something they chose to do or not.
 

Mizzely

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Can you give him a ladder or similar?
 

Monaco

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Monaco has been a little like this too, for about a week. I've shifted bed time, a little bit at a time for about that long, so I assumed it was the change. But, she's also doing a lot of nesting behavior lately too. It can be any little thing that changes her demeanor... My blanket in the wrong place, definitely reducing her seeds, adding food to her dishes, there have been several little things like those. It's taken me a lot of observation to figure out each one and then figure out how to undo/redo/not do/do whatever her highness wants! I would really examine the room from his line of sight, and try to recall any changes that may seem insignificant that were made.
 

MiniMacaw

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My macaw goes through periods of time where he only enjoys his aviary, specifically his most favorite spot...the cage door. He has access to most rooms in my house, is flighted and can fly very well down a hallway if he’s so inclined, but sometimes he just prefers his aviary. He also may not leave the aviary space all day. That’s just his preference. If for some reason I need him off his area I may try to sweet talk him to fly to a perch or go to the kitchen for berries. He does not listen all the time lol. That’s how he’s always been though and just my experience.
 

TikkiTembo

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Our cockatoo has times when he just wants to play on his cage. I figure if he's happy there, I'll leave him be. I always offer a playstand nearby, and if he wants to hop on, I'll roll it to the living room since he doesn't yet step up well.
 

PurpleFeathers

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Monaco has been a little like this too, for about a week. I've shifted bed time, a little bit at a time for about that long, so I assumed it was the change. But, she's also doing a lot of nesting behavior lately too. It can be any little thing that changes her demeanor... My blanket in the wrong place, definitely reducing her seeds, adding food to her dishes, there have been several little things like those. It's taken me a lot of observation to figure out each one and then figure out how to undo/redo/not do/do whatever her highness wants! I would really examine the room from his line of sight, and try to recall any changes that may seem insignificant that were made.
I'll make sure to look for any changes, thanks for the suggestion.
 
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