How do you/would you handle passive resistence?

I rarely complain about Scotty. He's easy to keep entertained, he dotes on me, and he's never bitten me. But I am getting a little frustrated with the doe-eyed gaze while steadfastly either refusing to step up or offering used goodies as an alternative. This is generally when he suspects I'm going to put him back in his cage and he's not ready to go. (When he's ready to go, he goes himself and closes the door behind him!). I can, and do, just scoop him up. I make a fuss over him, give him some scritches, and generally try to reinforce his stepping up, but he remains... inert when he's not fully on board. Short of formally re-training the command and generally trying to make going back into the cage a positive thing by adding something enjoyable, any ideas on how to handle it? Should I just continue to bodily coerce him? He doesn't really object, he just keeps giving me the "this is your idea, not mine" look. It's not as if he doesn't like his cage, he very often goes in and out of it on his own when the door is open... I think it's more that I usually put them up before I leave the room to go do other things or to leave the house.

Scooter, on the other hand, has taken to putting himself away when I give verbal warning that it's time, about 80% of the time! But he's the one that sits in there and begs to come out if I'm in the room and the door is closed.

Ah, birds. Wish I knew what the inside of their heads was like. Subjectively, not anatomically...

I'll have to think on a solution to your problem, but I'll only be able to do it after I quit giggling over this description!

ScooterNScotty wrote:

...the doe-eyed gaze while steadfastly either refusing to step up or offering used goodies as an alternative.

You have SUCH a way with words!

...mmmmm!!!! Hey Hot Momma! Instead of me going back in the cage, how 'bout I feed you some regurgitated beans and pellets??!!! Isn't that a MUCH better alternative???

I guess i don't understand what the problem is ???Yes they have different personalities but deal with it and that's the way it is.Scotty just happy to be loved and your mate.Scooter is behaving,be thankful for that,LOL.They're allowed to say no in their own way,and know your going to win out in the end.Things are good if your the flock leader.

I'm with Capt. Sounds fine to me. It's like being annoyed with your kid who says, "Aw! Do I have to?", but they do what you ask anyway. The parent's just annoyed with the response, but the result is still the one that's desired.

I think that when you present the finger and ask him to step up, he takes that as just that: a request. You ask him if he would like to step up, and he decides he'd rather stay where he is.

I agree that there doesn't seem to be a problem to fix. Your scooping him up fixes the problem, because it's your way of saying to him "I'm not asking, I'm telling", and since he obeys it's not like he's willfully disobeying you. I don't think there's a way to retrain him to not give you dirty little looks when he's unhappy with the request. He'll always decide whether he wants to step up or not, whether or not he actually does it.

OK, I'll stop worrying about it then! It is pretty funny, really. Vicki got it right on! Said creature is currrently on the chair back preening my hair... I'm going to look like Anne Burrell pretty soon.

Not that it matters at this point, but I agree with the above. Now that I'm out of giggle mode, when I read your post again I just couldn't find a problem to solve. What a good problem to have!

I guess I just have this idea that he should be more obedient. I know, I know, what planet am I from?

ScooterNScotty wrote:

I guess I just have this idea that he should be more obedient.

LMAO!! Good luck with that! No skin/blood loss - he is obedient. It's like asking a hubby to take the trash out. Grumbling or no grumbling, just be happy it's being done.

We have several birds like this and you have to use a forced step up. Basically hold out your perch finger at chest level and sweep. Given the choice of stepping up or being knocked off the perch, they will step up. Just don't stop at the chest if he resists, push through the motion otherwise you are letting him make the choice.