new lovie

[epritcha]

Hi everyone!

So I was recently given Yoshi who is under a year and hand fed, but kept in an aviary typed environment. When I first brought him home I let him fly around my room doing his own thing for most of the day. He flew around perching on anything that was high up and if he saw a mirror he was all over it. It has taken a couple days for him to warm up to me but now I seem to be his perch of choice most of the time. My first big question is that Yoshi seems to be terrified by the "second hand". He is getting better at stepping up but this usually leads right to him hopping on my shoulder (and hiding on my back and neck), but when he does stay I find that he gets spooked if another hand comes in to pet him. He has allowed me to scratch his little head occasionally, but he looks all tensed and I don't want to stress him out. Is there a way to work with him so he is less spooked?


My second question is about his cage. As soon as I place him inside and close the door his battle to escape begins. Except when he is sleeping he climbs all over the sides of the cage looking for a way to escape! He acts like he hates it in there! I am a student and study at home most of the time so Yoshi gets hours of out of cage time a day. He has multiple perches, a flat wood square in the top corner to sleep in, and lots of toys/ shreddables but he just seems to ignore them in his constant quest to break free. What can I do? I want my little guy to be comfortable in his new home.

Sorry this is so long and thank you for the help!

Everett and Yoshi
http://epritcha.myphotoalbum.com/vie...umName=album01

[bookworm0550]

i think yoshi needs more time to settle in and to get used to you and his new home. as far as the second hand goes, i would slowly and carefully reach up to him and make sure he sees your movements rather than surprising him. my birds will fly off together at any new noise or movement. sometimes they scare themselves by dropping a toy! or i could just accidently drop something, move my leg too quick, or the tv has a scene where there's a new noise (sirens for example) and mine are off.

it's great that he's already letting you touch his head and whatnot. that means that he trusts you enough to touch him, but he's still unsure of you. so that's a good sign. just keep at it, but stop when he seems like he doesn't want anymore petting, and treats are always helpful in gaining trust.

you said he came from an aviary? could be he's just not used to a regular cage. i would let him spend a little bit more time in his cage just so he gets used to it a bit.

he sounds like he's settling in though :) that's really good.

[bird-brain]

Congratulations on your new baby! bookworm is right. Time and patience are everything. He will become used to the cage if allowed time. Keep rotating toys until he finds one he can't keep his beak off of. You may try some foraging toys to see if food in the toy will get his mind off of wanting out. I found some very cheap shredder toys at Foster's that hang and have places to hide treats. Cabo played with his first one under the cover until I took it out at 2 in the morning. A swinging shredder full of food just could not be ignored!

With the second hand, patience will be key. Give him an opportunity to explore both of them on his terms. Perhaps let the second hand always have a treat for a while. Food...the great motivator! :D