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He's too scared

Discuss the methods and techniques of clicker training, target training and bonding. These are usually the first steps in training a young parrot.

He's too scared

Postby lekibshk » Sat Mar 25, 2017 12:20 pm

It's my very first bird.
I don't know if every bird was like him when you first brought home.
He's not curious at all. When I'll change his food and water he freaks out. I tried to take him out twice but he doesn't explore the enviroment, he just waddle off to the high place and stay there forever (He's is one legged.).
I putted a few toys in his cage to see if he plays and he doesn't touch it. He just stay on the perch and back off everytime that anyone come close to the cage. I leave the food on the door of his cage to see if he'll get out to eat and he doesn't. He doesn't get treats through the bars either.
I read in some tame tips that be alone with your bird in a small a safe bird place helps to bond. But he doesn't get out of his cage and I don't want to grab him to frighten him more than he already is (More than I already did like 3 times).
I have him about 1 month now. (I know it takes time. But I feel that I'm doing something extremely wrong and I want to fix that)
I talk, read, or just put him where everyday. I try to put him in a routine (I read the bird like that.)
I don't know if he start to reconize me as less predator and more like a friend because eveyday he squawk to wake me up to clean his cage or When I leave him in the backyard in the morning to get some air he squawk non stop until I get to him. what I should do to get him confortable, to gain his trust?

(The guy in the pet store said to me to take his food out during the night and when it's morning offer the food in your hand and just put the food back when he comes to eat. I just want to check if thi guys is saying a absurd or if he holds some truth in his word.)

(Before hand I'm sorry for the english. it isn't my first language and I'm still learning.)
lekibshk
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 2
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Masked Lovebird
Flight: No

Re: He's too scared

Postby Bird woman » Sat Mar 25, 2017 1:07 pm

Is your bird flighted ? Understand a month is no time at all. Back up a bit in time and let him be in his cage so he understands it's his and secure and nothing scarey will harm him. Continue to talk visit play music and offer treats while not invading his space only to clean and provide food. He is handicapped and if he's not flighted he feels double vulnerable. It takes a lot of patience and time especially if he's known a hard life or has been passed around. As far as the food thing forcing him to eat out of your hand because he's so hungry I don't think it's a good idea. Taking food out at night generally is used for them to be hungry in the mornings so they eat veggies and good stuff and not free feeding all night . Be patient grabbing him only sets you back from any progress you may have made. Hope this is helpful keep us posted . :thumbsup: BW
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Bird woman
Amazon
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 869
Location: Southern , Oregon
Number of Birds Owned: 10
Types of Birds Owned: 2 mollucans, 2 LSC'S, 2 macaws, 1 bare-eye, 1 grey, 1 goffin and max the quaker
Flight: Yes

Re: He's too scared

Postby liz » Sun Mar 26, 2017 7:10 am

Please put your location in the info box.

Bird woman is right on all things.

I would tell you that you have basically taken in a refugee who has been through a lot. If he were a child from the same back round you would give him more space and not try so hard to be his friend but wait for him to adjust and make the first move to you.

Try to give him a perch at face level so he will forget that you have hands. You are a preditor with big hands who might want to eat him. Put him in your busiest room then ignore him so he can have time to watch and hear. When he learns enough about you he will make the first move.
I don't know how long it will take but that is the best method that I have found.
I have a little one with only one leg and the other is twisted so he can't even perch. He was just a fat pile of feathers when I got him but that all changed when his flight feathers grew back. He has buzzed me and even landed on me but I still cannot touch him. He does like having conversations and will get as close to my face as he can and tweet to me. I asked nothing more of him than to be happy. He has made me happy.

Our dear Wolf is gone but bring up the thread on Mimi.
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liz
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 7234
Location: Hernando FL
Number of Birds Owned: 12
Types of Birds Owned: DYH Amazon Rambo
BF Amazon Myrtle
Cockatiels: Shadow Tammy Flutter Phoenix Jackie
Andy Impy Louise Twila Leroy
Flight: Yes

Re: He's too scared

Postby Bird woman » Sun Mar 26, 2017 7:21 am

THANK YOU LIZ, :D
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Bird woman
Amazon
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 869
Location: Southern , Oregon
Number of Birds Owned: 10
Types of Birds Owned: 2 mollucans, 2 LSC'S, 2 macaws, 1 bare-eye, 1 grey, 1 goffin and max the quaker
Flight: Yes

Re: He's too scared

Postby Pajarita » Sun Mar 26, 2017 11:17 am

Don't use his hunger to make him your friend. Parrots are highly intelligent animals and they know very well you are the bringer of food so, if you take it away and force him to take it from your hand, you are not endearing yourself to him - quite the contrary! This is what we call a 'flooding' technique. We used to use them years and years ago but that was because we did not know any better. Now we know that, although they might work in the short term, they backfire in the long run because you are forcing the bird to accept something he doesn't want to accept.

If this bird is a baby, you need to give him soft food (warm and served fresh twice a day), if he is not, soft food is still recommended (it's the best way to make sure he is eating a good diet with veggies and fruits) but only once a day, early in the morning. But, baby or adult, a lovebird is a parent-raised bird and they never really bond to people. They can learn (with a lot of patience) to trust you and even like you but they will never love you the way they would love another bird. This is especially true of species like lovebirds which are extremely pair oriented so the best thing for them is to have a mate (it's the only thing that makes them really happy).

I have a pair of lovebirds. The female is tamed and will step up to my finger, kiss my cheek, come out to fly and perch on my shoulder, etc but the male is an ex-breeder which is not tame at all. He used to act like yours (freak out every time I put my hand inside the cage for cleaning or feeding) but he no longer does -he even stays perching right next to the bars when I am standing next to the cage and I can now touch him through the bars without him scrambling away but it took a long time to achieve this (all I did was talk to him and keep the same exact routine, ignoring him when he would fly away from me, and he slowly calmed down).

Put the cage high up so he is at the same level as your face when he is perching. Don't stare at him, look at him from the corner of your eye and talk, sing, whistle to him as much as you can. Get him a LARGE cage and put branches inside for him to climb up and down. Put him on a fresh food diet (lovebirds are very good eaters, they love all greens and fruits and quite a number of vegetables) for the morning and just give him a good quality seed mix at night for dinner. Keep him at a strict solar schedule with full exposure to dawn and dusk and a good light source for during the day.

Once you see that he is no longer scared of you (he will not scramble to get as far as he can from you when you get close to his cage), start offering him treats through the bars of the cage but, if he doesn't take the seed you are offering, just put it into his food bowl (it's supposed to be a token of friendship, he is not supposed to do anything for it). Mind you, for the treat offering to work, he can't be free-fed seeds or it will never work. Once he starts taking the seed from your hand (it's going to take a looooong time so don't get impatient and give up before you get any results), you can start target training him from inside his cage.

But, above all, I suggest you get him a mate. There is absolutely nothing better for him than having a mate or, at the very least, a companion... it's the only way they are happy. But you need to make sure you end up with either two males or a male and a female because you can't house two females together.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: He's too scared

Postby lekibshk » Sun Mar 26, 2017 11:00 pm

Now, I see i was doing things to corroborate to frighten him. I'll patiencetly follow the tips. I swear. They are very helpful.

Is your bird flighted ?


He's not flighted, both of his wings are clipped. The man at petstore clipped one of his wing and when I came home my dad thought would be dangerous if he lose his balance and gets hurt while trying to fly away if anything happens, so he clipped the other one. I dont know if he did the right thing because everyone seems to have a different opinion about this.

But, above all, I suggest you get him a mate. There is absolutely nothing better for him than having a mate or, at the very least, a companion... it's the only way they are happy.


I didn't take the DNA test for him yet (We are calling He while we don't figure out if it's a male or female). I'm not sure if I'd be able to get him a mate anytime soon because money issues . But I'll work on this.

Thank you guys!
lekibshk
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 2
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Masked Lovebird
Flight: No

Re: He's too scared

Postby liz » Mon Mar 27, 2017 6:57 am

Look on Craigslist or RescueMe for a bird. Some are still babies but I would suggest one that has already gone through puberty. If they are on CL they really need new homes. On RescueMe the owners can tell you about the personality and some history. There may be adoption fees but they are small.
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liz
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 7234
Location: Hernando FL
Number of Birds Owned: 12
Types of Birds Owned: DYH Amazon Rambo
BF Amazon Myrtle
Cockatiels: Shadow Tammy Flutter Phoenix Jackie
Andy Impy Louise Twila Leroy
Flight: Yes


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