[Anya]

Lin, make sure not to start training too soon after he eats. He probably wasn't hungry and that is why he showed little interest in the millet. Are you holding the millet at one end and offering Sunshine the other end? Try this training for 5 minutes, once or twice a day. Do it ever day, and over time, when he is comfortable with that spot, move your hand a little closer to him. Continue doing this and eventually he should step on your fingers or hand to get at the millet. It will take time with Sunshine (weeks, months, perhaps). You just have to keep doing it every day and never give up. At any time he moves away from you, stop what you are doing. Either back up a little, or if he freaks out and starts flying around, stop entirely and try again later. At that point he has shut down. You want to start training at the point/place he is comfortable with. So keep watching his body language like you have been doing. Give him options to say "No, I don't want to do this right now."I don't know how many times I have told Pugsley that it is "okay, we will try again later/tomorrow" It is all on their time, not ours. Birds like having choices. They hate feeling dominated. Trying to get them to do something they do not want to do will give you setbacks. And try not to stress. They pick up on our emotions and if you are on edge it signals to them that something is wrong. Be as cool as a cucumber while being persistant. He is going to come around. He loves you and deep down he wants to be near you. Just step back sometimes if you have to, and one day he will come to you. This is your year!!!!

 

[ginziputzi]

I love that you admit he’s not unhappy with the lack of physical contact - you are. It’s so true. You just want to cuddle them and it’s kinda sad when they don’t want to. My dog Paris was like that. I adored her and I know she loved me, but she wasn’t a cuddly, welcoming dog. When I came home from work, she would come out, look at me (happily) then trot to the kitchen. Dinner time. My purpose was clear.

 

[rizzie5022]

@Anya I do this when I first uncover him right after I change food and water, and again in evening when Im home so he has not eaten yet in the am. When he flies away I move my hand to the doorway and he comes right back to the perch. Then I do it all over again about ten times. He does not act like he is afraid, he just flies away to the other side of cage.
When I got him he would step up and if he is out of his cage he sometimes will step up. The issue is he is such a good flier he just flies away. I really dont want to clip him, he is such a sweet bird compared to Huey who was a monster lol. Now when he comes out of his cage and is hanging to get closer to me both hubby and I put our arms out for him to land on... he just looks at us like we are nuts and climbs back into his cage. he will hang on the cage repeating my sounds for a long time, doing fly bys and chilling.

@ginziputzi I had a lovebird who was really cool, would cuddle and hang in my hair and visit both me and hubby. Huey who was a monster would step up outside of his cage and hang on us chilling. Sunshine is just so sweet, maybe Anya is right 2023 will be our year!

 

[ginziputzi]

Absolutely it will be your year! Your efforts will pay off. I can’t wait until we get that victory post that he has landed on his nutty parronts! Lol! He won’t be able to resist as some point, I am sure.