STEVE MARTIN
How do you regain an African grey's trust?
 My African grey was loveable until he fell off my hand while sitting outside and broke a blood quill. I am unable to coax him calmly out of his cage. He bites, yet wants to be petted. Talks all day. Should I try and hold him even while he bites me? I'm not sure how bad his bite could be which makes me reluctant and he senses it. It has now been two years. He has come out of his cage by opening the door but as soon as anyone moves, he flips off the cage, breaks more feathers, bleeds and runs like a maniac. Do you have any suggestions? I hate to see this intelligent pet stuck in his cage day in and day out. He's just too smart for that.
-- Patricia Cole, colec5029@aol.com
 I understand your dilemma and your frustration with this perplexing problem. It is not uncommon for a parrot to lose its trust in humans (or even one particular human) after a traumatic experience. Usually, the bird's fear is temporary and his behavior returns to normal soon afterward. However, sometimes the negative experience leaves such a strong impression that it is difficult to regain the bird's trust. This is what appears to have happened with your bird. Here's what I suggest.
First, I would avoid anything that might lead to more falls off the cage and more trauma. Don't let your bird out of his cage for the next few days or weeks as you rebuild your relationship with him. I would also avoid anything that frightens him, such as holding him or forcing him to do anything that he does not want to do.
Be sensitive to his body language and avoid anything that makes him appear anxious or nervous. Make feeding him and cleaning his cage less threatening by moving more slowly or raising his cage higher so he's above your eye level. This will make him more comfortable with your presence - it will not cause a problem with so-called "height dominance," which does not exist. Raising his cage should result in an immediate positive change in his behavior.
Next, I would give him reasons to like you. Right now, it sounds like he has no reason to look forward to you approaching his cage. If you begin associating your presence with positive experiences he will soon begin looking forward to you being near him. You might start by simply placing a piece of one of his favorite treats in the food bowl every time you approach the cage. To keep these treats really special you should limit them to only these sessions and not offer them as part of his normal diet.
Once the bird begins associating you with his favorite treats he will begin to accept, and even look forward to, your approach. Soon, he should begin taking the treats out of your hand instead of waiting for you to drop them in his bowl. Then, you might try opening the door just wide enough that you can reach your fingers inside the cage to offer him the treat. Once he is eating out of your hand without hesitation you can put both hands inside the cage and encourage him to step on one hand to receive the treat out of the other. Once he is stepping on your hand without hesitation you can slowly begin moving him around in the cage as he sits on your hand.
After the bird is completely comfortable moving around the cage on your hand
you can slowly take him out of the cage a few inches then put him back into the cage for a treat. It is important that you build his confidence with being out of his cage through repetition and positive experiences. Repetition builds confidence. The key is to progress only at the bird's pace. Never force the bird to move any quicker than is comfortable for him. Watch his body language. If he appears the least bit nervous, stop what you are doing or move him back to a point where he is comfortable. If the bird will not take the food treat out of your hand, he is probably not comfortable. Remember, at this stage of your training, the treat is the reason he is on your hand and if he does not want the treat he should not be on your hand.
Think of your efforts this way: they should encourage the behavior you want and then reward that behavior when it occurs. Make sure consequences are always positive; for instance, if the bird steps on your hand and your hand is unsteady, you've just provided a negative consequence instead of a reward. Work at the bird's pace, reward him, and you should be on your way to rebuilding the relationship you once had.
World-renowned animal trainer Steve Martin established one of the first free-flight bird shows in the country at the San Diego Wild Animal Park in 1976. His international consulting company, Natural Encounters, Inc., now helps zoos all over the world train all types of animals using positive reinforcement.
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