will not step up

[Al and Roxy]

My bird Roxy is starting to have issues whith not wanting to step up on my hand when out of her cage. She spends time on her gyms then it looks to me as if she wants back home (her big cage). She and I have done this before without issue. She kinda barks at me and makes like she wants to fly pointed towards home.I have helped her home many a time. She has me trained if you ask me!:rofl Right now if I go to get her to step up , she kinda hunkers down.:confused: I take my hand away and she again looks like she wants to go home. Repeat above hunkering with a grind of the beak. She looks happy or something. :whistle: It can go on for a while. What to do? I give her tons of attention and it doesn't seem to help.
One time I was bending down near her for some reason and she hopped up on my shoulder. It seems to be that she will only hop up on my shoulder instead of my hand. The reason I'd like some adivice is that I have her trained to go potty on command:blush: and , well , we can't practice that if she won't step up. I am a bit concerned she will eventually stop stepping up all together.

[lemonypickett]

She sounds hormonal.

I would be patient, and hope she snaps out of it.

Are her wings clipped? When Eddie's grow out, he seems to get a lot of attitude.

[linda040899]

Do you have Roxy trained to step up onto a perch? If not, that's the way to go. Many lovebirds have issues with human hands, even if it's not all the time. The alternate method is to offer a wooden perch or dowel. She's going to be stubborn if hormones are in control and she's also going to want to spend a lot of time in her cage. Reason? Nest building activity....

[Al and Roxy]

Yup , her wings are clipped . I have never used a dowel before but did this past week. Roxy is very hormonal right now - for sure - she raised her rump to the dowel so , not sure how to get around that one! how long do hormonal stages last? Would she be better off actually laying eggs? I tend to rearrange her cage a lot, move it around the apartment, bring her out a lot, give her lots of sleep- to name a few . I know these are all things that can help to deter egg laying. She has not had a clutch (ever) and is almost two. I do not think I can control her nature but am I hindering her from being able to move on from the hormones? She has been like this for over two months now- hence the vet visit. I thought hormones lasted weeks not months.The vet gave her the a ok but with a sly smile said to call when we get an egg. How can you tell if it is on the way behaviorally ? The vet showed me how to check her daily for eggs to ensure I could tell but nope not a thing and still ... i see more of her rear these days! Alida

[linda040899]

Hi Alida,
One thing about a determined hormonal lovie hen is that they don't give up easily! Not sure what to say about just letting her have a clutch of eggs. I think your vet is right that, eventually, it's going to happen and it's perfectly natural/normal for a female of the species. It can only be delayed for just so long. Unfortunately, spay/neuter is generally not an option with birds.

I can't tell you how long to expect this stage to go on, as it's a matter of just how determined she is. Sounds like your doing a great job of putting it off but I'm not 100% sure you're going to be able to do it forever.