Starting to tame and little bit of training.

[Millsy]

So as some of you may know i have just brought a baby senni 12 weeks old named Zebbadee.
Anyhow, i want to start getting him tamed to me and the family members in my home and start doing a few basics in training such as targeting...
So most of my family have been handling him - me mostly as i am his Guardian so to speak.
So here's the lowdown first upon entering my hand in his cage he likes to nibble on my fingers until he climbs up onto my finger then he enjoys a scratch on the head and a rub on the belly yet now and then he still likes a little nibble, which does kind of hurt when he gets in-between the nail and your skin. Is this just because he is still a youngster or can i tame that little nibbling out of him?
So i wasn't to unhappy about this nibbling so i thought earlier i would start doing some Target training, I found out that his favorite treat is apple so i prepared some small slices of apple got a kebab skewer out and cut the pointy end off and got to work. Started inside of the cage at first i would say target held it in front of him and he would try to bite but as soon as his beak touched the skewer i pulled away and treated with a little nibble of one of the apple slices praising zebabdee with "Good boy" so i started varying the places where i wanted zebbadee to "Target" and low behold he was doing it evey time getting a little nibble of an apple slice and a praise. However when i targeted him to the other side of his perch and he had to walk past this lovely new toy i brought him he would start playing with that. and completely forget about targeting the skewer so do you think it would be a good idea before a training session to remove the toys from his cage?. and i feel that now and then he is also uneasy on his talons has a little wobble now and then. nothing to serious just think cause he is still a youngster.
Do you think I'm training him to early on as he is only 12 weeks. I thought to myself to start him of young. Also do you have any ideas how i could tame out the nibbling?
Also i was looking for pellet food but couldn't seem to find any over here in England. does anyone have a brand of pellets or a link to buy some over the internet.
Sorry for long explanations and many questions i have, have read through this forum many a time now
Look forward to hearing from what you guys have to say and if you think that i am doing something or anything wrong in that matter please say!
Thanks in advanced.

[Pola]

it is natural for young Senegals to bite you. Mine did too.
i used 2 different techniques for doing this:
1) for my conure, when he bit me i just lightly blew on his beak he just let go right away.
2) for my senegal, when she bit me i took her off my hand and left her for a minute and then she came flying back to me and was being really nice.

[localpigeon]

This article is interesting if you want to know why it's difficult to find bird pellets in the UK and opens up a good discussion - for another topic - on how each person may choose to feed their flock -

http://www.birdcareco.com/English/Arts/ ... d/POS.html

[Millsy]

Thanks for that localpigeon you learn something new everyday 'eh.
Ok so i am feeding my sennie on a "parrot mix" from my local independent pet shop which consists mostly of black and white sunflower seeds which I'm sure i have read somewhere that these can be bad for your bird if to much consumed. And guess what that's what my bird eats the most.
is it true or am i reading something that is not there if ya know what i mean.
Also like to keep on track about the taming and training of my little young zebbadee.
Owned the parrot now for 2 days and I'm learning something new almost every hour of the day its amazing.

- think i forgot to say in my previous post that i clipped Zebb's wings if this makes a difference to anything.

Thanks in advanced!

[lzver]

Millsy,

Unforunately, a mix of sunflower seeds is probably the worst thing you could feed your new Senegal baby. My two love their sunflower seeds, but they are fed in moderation because they don't have a lot of nutritional value and they are very fattening. I would stop providing this as his primary food right away.

If you can't find a good quality non-colored pellet mix, you're better off feeding him a mix of fresh vegetables and fruits. Here is a link that outlines what is healthy and what is toxic to your bird -
http://www.itsagreysworld.com/diet/food.htm

Good luck with your little guy.

[localpigeon]

Yes that's quite true for me too. Something new everyday. My 2 cockatiels arrived to me with clipped wings. I think that makes the taming process a bit quicker and easier. But later I have allowed them to grow back and there's no better feeling than to see how happy they are now they can fly. They love it. And I have trained them to fly to me when I call.

My budgie on the other hand never had his wings clipped and was completely wild when I got him and it hasn't taken long to tame him down.

But they are not nearly as tame as Natasha's. I wonder if birds that weren't hand reared can ever get as tame as that.

Perhaps Natasha could answer that for me and give us some tips how she gets them to be so cuddly.

Please? : )