Training problems

[Joe Bachi]

Hi everyone,

I've had Miko for 12 days now, and up till day 9, everything was fine, he would eat out of the palm of my hand and out of anyone's hand and never bit me.

However, on day 10, I decided it was time to move on with the training and in hope of getting him used to my hand and fingers(so that the step up would be easier) I started training him to shake my hand,and that's where the problems began:

Sometimes he does the shake perfectly, and other times he attacks my finger and bites me. If I take out my hand, he gets mad and scared, but if I let him bite me, he will do the trick :confused:

He starts out by biting gently (nibbling if you will) and then he starts to put more power into it until finally stopping at some given point and laying his foot on my finger.

He has also started to refuse taking treats from me: he takes the seed then throws it away

What should I do?

And does anyone have tips for training?

Regards

Joe

[Shelly Yokum]

Sounds like he is testing his limits. Just tell him easy or gentle, and put a little pressure, down on the bottom beak, when it starts to get to hard.

[Luvparrots]

Hey Joe, perhaps Milo just needs a break from training. He has started to settle in and get use to things and training is not something he wants to do all the time. What is the schedule you are using. Perhaps a little time out is needed. My Ana Grey will shake foot to hand and give me kisses on request, but I have never really "trained" her. It is just something we do and praise is all I have ever given for the pleasure of her cooperation. I totally love it when she flies to me and gives me kisses on the cheek. It makes my day!

[birdhouse]

Birds explore everything with their beak. They hit, kiss, preen, taste, play, test, balance & communicate using it.

 

It might be better to limit the word "bite" to openly hostile action. It will help to learn when he's nibbling, mouthing, grabbing, etc. because these all have very different motivations that should get different responses.

 

A young bird in particular doesn't always realize how sharp & powerful the beak is. So, even when a fid draws blood, he may not have meant to "bite" you. Acknowledge it when he asks you to stop doing something. Ask him, in so many words, to respect your pain tolerance.

 

From what you've described I think he may be checking out your hand (nibbling) & he's a little unsure about all this (he has only been around for 12 days) so he isn't really convinced that he should cooperate (escalating beak pressure) but he thinks you might be ok so he eventually does what you ask. If you walk away in the middle of the process, it confuses him & he gets a little upset. More even if he thinks you're frustrated or angry.

 

It sounds like he's just going thru the learning and adjustment processes. He is doing it sometimes & he's not trying to rip your fingers off. He's really doing very well for how soon he's coping this well with this level of interaction. He just needs you to slow down to his speed.

 

And just because it can be a real problem to have a fid with feet issues, you might back up a little. Instead of taking that HUGE hand & grabbing that fragile little foot which he is trying to stand on, maybe just rub his toes & nails gently. This will not only be a good step towards step up, but also doing his nails.

 

Oh, and if he eventually starts trying to peel your fingernails off he's really gotten comfortable with your hands because he is actually just playing.

[Joe Bachi]

Thank you all so much for your advice, things are actually starting to get better, and I'm happy to know that he is not attacking me

However, my CAG is definitely NOT a baby, I will post a pic of him so that you guys can help me guess how old he is:

(sry for the bad pic quality; he actually has more yellow than the pic shows)

According to the guy at the pet shop he's 1.5-2 years old, what do you think?

Regards

Joe