How do I learn to tame my bird

[JoePanic]

I have a beautiful CAG named Elmo. (He was named before we got him.) When he arrived he was silent and mostly naked. Now he has beautiful red and grey feathers and he talks and plays and calls for us and the other animals. He says TA-DA when we turn on the lights and will sing Row Row Row Your Boat... when we run a faucet in the kitchen. He is an adult bird and must have heard quite a bit of swearing in his life because he will start with the f-you and f-ing jerk stuff if we raise our voices at each other... he doesn`t do it much anymore because we`ve stopped responding when he says it... He has a pretty good sized cage, and lots of toys... he seems happy.

My question is... would he be happier if we tried to handle him? Should I let him nibble on me and see if he wants to step up? He`s bitten me when I`ve reached in to touch him Not hard, didn`t draw blood, but scared me silly, and I`ve not tried again. I`ve opened his cage door but he doesn`t seem to want to come out. Which I guess is okay because I`m afraid to try to put him back. I dont` want to be afraid of him. He seems to like us, he whistles and talks a lot.

What are your suggestions?

[Tatjana, Fairy Princess]

him? Have you tried feeding him treats from your hand, so that he can see that hands can offer good things?

[Moddy]

I don't see much point in owning a parrot if your not going to handle it. You might as well sell it, because eventually he is going to get very lonley. Parrots will take time to take to someone but they rather work twards trusting you for the reward of a nice companion then to not have anyone to play with at all. You're going to get bit.. So I would understand that and learn that you will need to take it and not react to it, don't pull your hand away or even scold him at this point. Keep him in his cage and maybe go up close not enough for him to touch you and talk to him for awhile, then soon after try reaching your hand in like your going to pick him up and talk to him some more. If he knows that you talking to him outside of his cage wasn't harming him. Then it's faster for him to learn your not going to hurt him when your hand's in the cage and your talking to them. Gradually get closer with your hand not like the first time.. But over a week or two and still continue to talk to him. And eventually after that try getting him to step up maybe once or twice a day.. after doing that for awhile take him out and let him sit on his cage and eventually i'm sure you will be able to handle him regularly.

[Guest Monique]

Hi! If you haven't handled your bird yet, I would recommend finding a good parrot book and reading that to get more affiliated with some of the recommended ways. That would be a wonderful investment.

 

I agree with most everything Moddy says above.

 

It might take longer than what you would expect. Just be patient with him - you will see progress. And I would highly recommend feeding him a treat from the hand at least once a day. This will also get him more used to your hands, and associate you having your hands inside his cage as a welcome event. You can start by feeding him through the bars instead of via inside the cage if you need to.

 

The only thing I disagree with on the above is I don't like my birds to sit on top of their cage. Usually that makes them taller than me, which in turn makes them think they are boss. Also, some birds get territorial about their cage - and if you have another place to perch him instead this is ideal. It also gives him a great new place to play!!! Starting out, I would only put him on your hand, though, for a little bit. Especially if his wings are not clipped!!!

[Ryan13]

joePanic - I have submitted a couple of threads online and I will say right now I am far from a bird expert but I was in the same situation you are in. THis is the question you have to ask yourself, Are you happy with where you are at with ur bird? IF so, leave him be and let him run the show. If not, Start by working with him. The first thing you have to do is to get him in another room away from his cage to he cant see his cage. Alot of people will say, Be patient and he will come to you eventually, and I will you the odds of an adult bird doing that? It wont happen. You have to make the bird uncomfortable before he gets comfortable. he is just as scared as you are. You absolutely cannot react when he tries to bite because this forces negative reinforcement. So Take him in another room with nothing in it. Try petting him and getting him to step up even if u r following him around, so try in a corner. ONly do it for 30-45 minutes and let him rest by takin him back the his cage. Within a couple of weeks if u follow properly, u will make good gains. Keep my posted.

[scotsmun]

You have to start to handle your bird......you are only getting a fraction of the pleasure these birds give you. i agree with ryant13, you have to get him away from his territory, be patient and persistent......the rewards are great when it starts coming together

[scotsmun]

sorry.....doubled it up<br><br>Post edited by: scotsmun, at: 2007/04/07 09:32

[trevazellers]

:silly: Hi there, I bought a great training program called Taming, Training, and Tricks, and I love it. It gives several great tips. I can't yet handle my parrot, but we've gotten much closer, and I have a great road map to train him to want to step up, etc. I've heard that there are many training programs which do not work, but I think this one's pretty good.

[TheGreyMiester]

My baby TAG has punched a few holes in my hand and I haven’t even brought him home from the breeder yet. These were not anger bites but rather "test the material" type of bite. I have to admit it was very hard for me not to jerk my hand away. I calmly took my other hand and gently pushed his beak aside as more of a distraction than anything else. The very tip of his beak is very pointed and usually will break the skin but barley.

 

It's important not to let your grey scare you or you could wind up on the lower end of the pecking order.

 

Best thing to do I guess is try leaving the room when he bites. I have also read that when holding the grey and he bites, to lower your hand enough to cause your bird to let go of your hand and begin flapping his wings. You don’t want to cause your grey to feel like you are dropping him but lower him with enough speed to make him begin to flap his wings. He should let go almost immediately.<br><br>Post edited by: TheGreyMiester, at: 2007/04/08 03:29

[lovesbirds]

Hey Joe, I saw your post while looking for info to help me on my recently re-homed CAG, Harley. I also have a SI Eclectus and a Sun Conure. I didnt have any birds until Feb of this year, but I have spent a lot of time researching once I got my first colorful new "flock-member" I can recommend to you a book that helped me immensely: Parrot Training by Bonnie Munro Doane. Get it and read it cover to cover. It explains normal behavior, how to bring up a baby from a weanling, working with older parrots, how your behavior affects your parrot and gives info on obedience training, potty training, trick training while explaining why these are important. For instance, the primary reason for teaching a bird how to shake, or "high-four" isnt to impress your friends (or shouldn't be) but for you to spend quality time with your companion parrot. 15-20 min, twice a day staring with "step-up". I hope this will help you as much as it helped me

[MARIR]

Hi, I had gotten a quaker parrot from a pet store and the little booger drew blood every time I got near it, even to change the water and food...let alone "play" with it...I think when he bit you, he was just "testing, the waters"...think about a child and how they really want you to pay attention to them and act out to get attention. If he didn't ruffle his feathers, or screech at you, did his pupils dilate? Then he wasn't trying to hurt you. try slowly talking or singing row row row your boat...and see if he will let you get close if he shows any agression then slowly remove your hand. good luck.