about petting

[stavmylo]

i know that every bird is different and needs time, attention and patience to earn their trust..im just wondering ..is it possible that a bird will never,not matter how hard ,or correctly you approach,let you pet them?(sorry about my english)

[Wolf]

Regent parrots are classed as aviary birds so it is entirely possible that it doesn't want human contact. Be for we go so far as to think that this is the case could you tell us about your bird and what you have done to win its trust so that you could interact with it? Also what does it eat, not what you give it but what it actually eats and what is its lighting schedule.

[stavmylo]

Thanks fo the reply..i got Jack almost two months ago,so its pretty soon to have expectations.I focus on making him comfortable in the house.There is a training session (target training ,step up-down,recall)every morning and afternoon and he has already started to learn tricks and seems to really like the process..he is also comfortable standing on my shoulder and follows me everwhere.
Since he is not comfortable with me petting him i try to take baby steps and now im able to touch his beak and sometimes the head..but i dont want to push too far if it disturbs him.

The Man who owned the pet store i got him from told me not to feed him fruits and vegetables cause he may even die ..but small amounts of biscuits almonds and nuts...but im concerned about that.

[Wolf]

The man at the pet store knows nothing about parrots and should do his research to learn about these wonderful creatures before running is mouth. Here is a link to The world Parrot Trust about these birds including diet although I don't totally agree with it. http://www.parrots.org/index.php/encycl ... nt_parrot/
I would probably make sure that I didn't do more than two short (15 minute ) Sessions per day for this type of training as I feel that any more than will be rushing the bird and actually prove to slow the bonding process. At this early stage of your relationship, I think that building his trust through one on one physical contact is more important, there will be ample time for other training later on after you have gained his trust. This process of building trust takes time, lots of time so the more you spend with him the better.
I would start feeding him some whole grains, cooked al dente, and as soon as he starts eating that I would start adding various vegetable chopped small. This in addition to small pieces of fruit and raw veggies for all day eating and then I would give a small ration of a budgie seed mix for his dinner and remove the seed after he goes to sleep.

[liz]

The first touching of Myrtle was "tickle tickle". When she would climb up to my shoulder, I would wiggle one finger and tell her "tickle tickle". I was able to touch her feet with one finger. That went to tickling both feet then a response that she lifted her foot and wiggled her toes to tickle back. It then went to tickle legs, tickle belly, and tickle chin. I always said "tickle tickle" first and she would get ready. She knew when I said it that one wiggling finger was coming at her.
We went to kiss from there. Because she leaned the words to her body parts I was able to say "kiss feet" and so on.
After 3 years she still doesn't want me to touch her head or back but she is starting to let me pet her tail.

[Pajarita]

Are we talking about a clipped, not yet an adult parrot? Because that's the only way a regent would perch on your shoulder for a long period of time... And yes, the man knew nothing about parrot's diets so PLEASE! don't listen to him!

But, to answer your question, yes, there are many, many parrots that don't like to be touched. Even hand-fed, captive-bred ones!

[stavmylo]

Pajarita, First of all he is is not clipped he flies a lot ..he perches on my shoulder when i play music and he gets sleepy..i dont wanna push him too hard.. thanks for the advice:)

Wolf ,i agree with you,and by traning i mean 10 or 5 minute(basicly thats how long he remains interested) target training or other basics like step up, cause thats a way to make sure there will be no problems or safety issues when he gets out of the cage..I've read the article and many others ,but his words kinda scared me..i guess i have to try what you suggested cause its sad and unhealthy for a bird to be able to eat only biscuit and almonds as treats..what about pellets?

Liz, same here..i guess baby steps and a lot of patience is the key..and never more than the bird can stand.

[Wolf]

Many vets and web sites on birds and some people who have birds recommend pellets, I really don't recommend them as I don't like them. I know that they are convenient and easy to use but that is not my issue with them. Pellets or crumbles are basically ground up seeds and some have other dried plant material in them but I can't say for sure how much or what kind, but a large percentage of them contain soy which must be processed to be safe, and I mean more than simply cooking them like you have to do with beans. Many people and birds seem to have an allergic reaction to the soy and for that reason I don't use soy. Also there are many additives in the pellets, some of which are vitamins but the wrong type of vitamin or the wrong amount of some of these vitamins can be fatal to your bird. This and the fact that they are so dry, requiring the body to pull moisture for proper digestion from the surrounding tissues, these are why I don't use or recommend pellets as a food source for birds.
So I can't recommend pellets to you, but I would suggest that you take some time to research the subject for yourself and then decide whether you wish to use them or not.

[liz]

Several years ago Roudy Bush pellets were the in thing to give to birds. I was glad when it was decided that they really were not good for them because mine don't like them anyway. Rambo and Myrtle just used them to throw at the dogs as they went by and the cockatiels just scratched in them to see what was in the bottom.
Birds are afraid of hands. Hands can hurt little birds.
We have all agreed that I only have half a brain when it comes to birds so "don't try this at home".
After 3 years of doing everything I can for her, Myrtle still won't let me touch the top of her head.
I need to because Rambo does not preen her head. While she is distracted playing foot tickle I have been using my chin to rub the top of her head. She tolerates that and hopefully she will get used to the touch, but don't try this until you have mastered foot, beak and neck touch.

[Pajarita]

The degree of physical interaction varies with the species. Some LOVE to be touched, hugged, cuddled with, etc (like cockatoos and GCCs, for example), others would limit the areas you can touch and how (amazons don't like to be hugged and usually only like their heads, necks, cheeks and feet touched), others prefer to just perch on your shoulder and get a light touch on their heads every now and then -they would kiss you but they like to be in control of the 'closeness' (aratingas tend to be like that), then you have what is known as aviary birds and those tend to be flighty, independent and a bit aloof when they mature because they would much rather be with another bird than with a human. It's not that they cannot learn to care for one, they can, but, given half a choice, they would gladly leave you behind and go with a bird companion so it only works half way for their human and just because the bird has no other choice - which is a sad commentary on the quality of the relationship.