Emma was very quiet and standoffish for a couple of days after the clipping. She wouldn't come to me for sunflower seeds, but I gave her some anyone, and she took them from my fingers. She mostly stayed in her cage, on the highest available perch.

I gave her space!

This afternoon Emma took the initiative to come over close to my chair. She perched on the handle of a wicker basket, and I chatted to her.

I gave her a sunflower seed every now and then while I was talking to her, and she was all ears!

Then, I offered my arm. She hopped up and got some more seeds and conversation. It was very nice! Then, she walked up my arm to my shoulder and perched there for a while.

Then, she started looking over at the cage. I offered to take her back, and got up with her on my arm, walked toward the cage, and about halfway there she flew over to it.

So, she's definitely adjusting to how much she can now fly.

Today was a success in the getting-comfortable-again phase.___

That's wonderful Dianne! She sounds like she's come a long way.

It's interesting that she actually WANTS to go back to the cage now, and is relying on you for transportation.

Being a bird who has suddenly lost her most cherished gift, I am not surprised that she feels safer in the cage.


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Since my bird Caspian knows he can't fly, he will scream at me till I come over and put him back on the perch. If I'm right by the cage, sometimes he'll even get on my feet! Congrats Diane, and good job Emma!

cockatiels are very forgiving! thank you for the update

It's a little hard.

All the birds were on top of the cage, and I misted them. They enjoyed it.

Something must have startled them all of a sudden as they all flew off. Emma ended up on the floor. She wouldn't let me pick her up, either with my arm or with a perch. She behaved like a cat that doesn't want to get caught. She went under the bird cage stand (under the shelf that is 10 inches off the floor) and walked back and forth under it, flock calling, but refusing to step up.

I waited for her to get tired of this and after every minute or so offered the perch again. She refused.

After several minutes of this she found her way over to a basket next to my chair. I slowly sat down. She stayed put and I talked to her a bit, then offered my arm, and she jumped on, then went up to my shoulder, and I gave her some seed.

It's hard to figure out. She doesn't want me to pick her up from the floor, even though she clearly wants to get back up to the cage. But, then, she'll come to me from the basket handle.

I got up to take her back to the cage, and she flew over, barely making it. Then she went up to the highest perch and stayed there.

In some ways she reminds me of a toddler who keeps saying "I want to do it MYSELF!" even though she can't.

We've got a long way to go.

Any ideas about why she won't step up from the floor and what to do about it?

She's basically a combination of a toddler and a teenager right now. She's pushing her limits to find out what she can and can't do, and she wants to do it HER way. She'll grow up and get used to it, and in the meantime she'll be more manageable and less of a hazard to herself because she's clipped.

I think she's still the hump because you clipped her. She is still adjusting to her new condition.

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