Update:I feel like I’m ending my day with a different bird! So many mind boggling steps forward today...I don’t know how to wrap my brain around it
Lovebug flew to me again! Then she just sat on me and hung out....I had no idea this was going to happen so soon! She has been stepping up on a stick which I have offered because she has been scared of hands but today I offered my hand and lured her onto it with some millet, SHE STEPPED UP! I went back to offering the stick because I did not want to push her and she spent the rest of the evening with her on the stick. When she would lean a certain way I would slowly move her on the stick in the direction I felt she was leaning, she seemed so relaxed and happy! Anytime she did something I wanted I gave her millet to reward her. normally she comes out of her cage for a short period of time and then she returns to the cage but tonight she did not seem to want to go back to the cage. She wanted to be with me! It’s so crazy that all this happened in such a small amount of time! When it got to be 7pm I gave her a ride on the stick back to her cage and I could tell she did not want to go back so when she did I let her have a good amount of millet. After she was back in the cage she watched me intensely and seemed to be calling to me. That new as well!
It feels like zero to 100! It’s like she woke up this morning and decided today was the day she was going to come out of her shell. I’m in shock. I’m so grateful to have earned her trust. It means so much to me
Im going to be VERY carful not to push her past her comfort zone because I‘m worried of anything that might hurt our relationship.
Up until now I’ve been letting her come out of her cage when she wanted too nearly all day because I work from home 4 of 5 days a week and when she would come out and explore the room I just let her do her thing and I just kept an eye on her and she would put herself back when she wanted to go back. I basically let her do what she wanted when she wanted. It payed off! I’m just amazed.
I am predicting that I will need to make LOTS of enrichment toys for her cage so that she is happy in the cage as well as out, from tonights experience I think this could be a Velcro bird and I might need to be careful not to cause her to hate her cage in the event I need to spend multiple hours away from home like I do on Mondays when I go into the office.
Shes even playing with toys tonight....climbing all over the inside of the cage, she was not doing all this! It’s like a different bird! This bird and I are going to be like partners in crime, I could not have asked for more....