First towleing attempt

[Pinky]

Hey there.

 

Pinky is almost turning 3 years and even though he is starting to behave better he is still not "tame" and I have not been able to train him to step up.

So tonight we decided to try to "towel" him.

 

I'm not sure we were all successful but we learned some things.

 

Towels need to be really thick, he can bite quite hard through a normal towel.

 

He got his wing in a jam inside the cage so next time we will get him out and the put him in the towel.

 

I also have some questions.

 

Can it be too hot in the towel for him (I guess it can, but when should I get worried)

 

Can anyone share their experience with this kind of "bonding". At the moment he is sitting in the cage and won't talk to me.

 

What do you do when you have your parrot in the towel? Do you just sit with him? Feed him, stroke him ?

 

Is this a method that you would even recommend ?

 

Thanks

Roland / Pinky

[judygram]

This wasn't the best of ideas and should have been done very slowly and carefully, I would imagine he is not terrified of towels and it will be a long drawn out process to get him used to one now. A towel should be introduced slowly and you should try to make a game of it so they do not fear it. You will never "bond" with a bird by toweling him, trust has to be earned and you are back to square one after this episode.

Yes it can get hot for them in a towel, they have a higher body temperature than we do anyway and can overheat wrapped in a towel plus if you hold them too tightly they can suffocate as they have to be able to expand their diaphram to breathe.

[Pinky]

Thank you very much for your reply.

 

First of all, I want you all to understand that I tried this method with the very best intentions. There is a lot of contradicting, some confusing, and a lot of incomplete information about how to best go about this process.

I have tried for the last year to get him used to me and my hand with goodies but progress is slow.

I think I'll go back to the slower method and at the same time try to get him used to the towel a little bit by little bit.

[danmcq]

Toweling is normally used to restrain a bird to 1) capture 2) hold in while doing nails, wings, an exam etc. It is not a pleasant or natural experience they will enjoy for the most part. As wild creature, being "Captured" normally means certain death and terrifies them.

 

It takes a long time to get an older bird to ever accept toweling. First they need to just learn the feel and texture of it, plat with it etc. Some will never accept a toweling willing due to it always being associated with a terrifying experience.

 

Yes, they get hot inside the towel especially due to them fighting to get the heck out of it. Some have actually died of a heart attack if toweled for too long during a procedure. Greys are VERY anxious to begin with and startle at the slightest odd thing most the time.

 

We have to towel our grey to trim his nails. He becomes very hot from struggling while we do so. He is not terrified of a towel though because we have played with towels with him since he was very young and he will roll himself up in one playing with it.

 

Also, the towel does not need to be thick. You just need to learn to hold your thumb and index finger lightly around his neck with the towel and gently hold his wings to his body too much. With your thumb and index finger around and under his beak, he cannot bite you at all.

 

Lastly, which is the hardest, is you must remain calm yourself. I would imagine you are stressed and afraid of the bird and it can sense that instantly. So his anxiety escalates, yours escalates etc. continuing to build until you both need a break due to it becoming to much to handle.

 

This experience is going to seriously make the trust level a longer wait. Your trying your best, but just know know is not the time to stress this grey in any way. You need to build trust foremost in the beginning.

 

I have a conure that I have had for 5 years. It took 3 to get a marginal step-up and 4.5 to have him do so willing 90 percent of the time. That little lion heart will still bite if I miss read his body language of "NO".

[Dave007]

Bonding can't be done when using a towel. As Dan said, a towel is used to do a specific thing such as putting a bird in a carrier to go some place such as a vet, doing nails, beaks. The time that the bird remains wrapped in a towel is very short and as Dan also said, it doesn't have to be thick. For trimming, the reason to use a towel is to expose the head and putting your fingers around the beak so he can't bite. Training, bonding will never happen by using anything that's wrapped around a bird, towel, cloth etc. Training, bonding have absolutely nothing to do with toweling. And yes, most people towel a bird when it's out of a cage. Using a towel in the cage is inperpeted by the bird as being attacked or captured. Basically, a towel is a restraint and should be taken off a bird as quickly as possible.The act of toweling will just make a bird more angry.

***There is a lot of contradicting, some confusing, and a lot of incomplete information about how to best go about this process.****

If this information that you saw was saying that training and bonding were somehow connected with using a towel, then the information was wrong.

[Spinner]

Hi Roland,

How long have you had Pinky? Is there a reason that he isn't stepping up at three years?

 

I'm hoping you can find some solid and good guidance from the folks here. I've rarely found advice here that is counter to good parrot rearing practices. Read around and soak it in.

 

As for the toweling, I'll say it: don't. While my greys enjoy playing towel with me, it's part of an ongoing attempt to keep them trusting in me so I can use the towel for caring for them, as Dan has said.

 

And don't be discouraged by our comments. We hope to help you and Pinky gain trust in each other so training can begin. Forcing yourself on him with something like toweling isn't going to gain trust. In fact, it likely has set you two back a little. Ask questions as often as you can.

 

Look into Barbara Heidenriech's training material at http:///www.goodbirdinc.com (no affiliation with the site). You might find her "Training for the Veterinary Exam" especially helpful. It shows some basic training and acclimation steps to allow easy handling, such as getting Pinky in and out of a cage, and getting him used to toweling. Personally, I recommend all her videos as great material for anyone owning a Grey.

 

Hope this helps!

 

And, welcome to the forum!

[Pinky]

Pinky is almost 3 years old and I have had him for about 1,1/5 years.

He was going to be used for breeding and therefor there has not been made the best attempt by his previous owner to make him tame. Also he has been bullied by his siblings and the other parrots he has been with.

So he is shy and the only way for him to socialize is to nibble/bite and that is no fun for me :-) Because of the shyness, we have not yet found a way to play together that do not hurt me.

 

I have started again to gain trust and confidence from him today but he holds a grudge (usual last 2-3 days).

 

As for the toweling, he is not going to be toweled anymore unless there is a very very good reason for it.

[judygram]

Roland, please do take it slow and easy gaining his trust, it may take quite a while but keep at it, expect small setbacks from time to time but consistency is key. Sit by his cage and talk to him, read a newspaper or magazine to him and let him get used to being around you, offer him treats and you will learn when he is ready for more interaction.

Yes the towel is best not used unless you absolutely have to, like taking him to the vet as I doubt he will be wanting to even see a towel in the near future without freaking out.

Keep him in the part of the house where the family spends most of their time when home as they like to know what is going on and it will help to encourage him to want to be a part of what is going on in the household.

Remember this can take months or even a year or more but it will be worth it.