Bunch of frauds

[Lori]

... We can tell how upset you are. Birds, are fragile in body and temperament than other types of pets we own, they just don't come around as quickly or ever.
Re read marie83 post she telling you it may not Ever happen, but you can give them a better life just by lovingly caring for them. That can be the training You are giving.
Now you are right, there are some people out there making a buck on birds, there are people out there making a buck on everything! Keep reading and searching don't give up the information is out there its sometimes just really hard to find.

[Pajarita]

Yes, please, do watch your language. We can debate this subject to our hearts' content without resorting to insults.

Now, in a way, I agree with you. Yes, all trainers tell you they have the magic trick but these are people who are selling a product and any informed consumer knows you need to take these type of claims with a grain of salt. But, the other mistake you made is to rely on the experience of people who only worked with either babies or neglected parrots which are vastly different from wild-caught and/or abused ones. Target training will do very little for these fellows in terms of taming them... And, I might as well tell you that 99.99% of birds that were caught as a juvenile or an adult or were severely abused (and I don't mean bad husbandry or carelessness, I mean hurting them on a regular basis, keeping them in a dark closet for years, etc) will never really fully trust humans no matter what you do. But, although you might not be able to scratch their heads, allow them on your shoulder, etc. you can establish a relationship of trust where the bird will not attack you, will even allow your hands in front of his beak without him moving and will take treats from your hand gently. It takes time, patience, consistency, persistence and constantly tweaking the 'method' but it can be done. I take in wild-caught and abused birds and, like I said, it takes time and experience but if you want to give me specifics, I might be able to give you a couple of pointers.

[liz]

They are not really wild. They are scared half out of their minds.

I rescued a 1 year old Amazon who's first year was hell. I decided if I could never touch her I would at least give her a better life and some happiness. It was a year of letting her just be a bird before she would actually want to step up.

I have been taking in the unloved, abused and neglected Maggie, the breeder bird, does not want to be touched but seems to enjoy touching me. Phoenix, with a chopped wing, is the first to the fresh food I put down while I am still putting it down. I am happy that they are happy. I now have a one legged bird, Gimpy, who cannot walk. As if that was a wasn't enough to do to him they trimmed his wings. I doubt I will ever be able to touch him but he is enjoying being with the flock when they go to the food tray on the floor.

I would never have tried to work with these birds if it had not been for the forum. Not only do these member have experience they also do the research when something new comes up and they don't have the answers. They care about all birds and not just their own. You can also get different opinions from different members. That is when you need to decide for yourself.

[Pajarita]

Liz, some of them are, indeed, wild. Some of the old wild-caught that were used as breeders for years end up in rescues and, although I do agree with you that they are scared, they are also wild and VERY mean. You simply cannot compare a hand-fed bird, even a neglected and scared one, to a wild-caught -they are day and night.

[liz]

The birds are not wild. They are scared. Until they feels secure they cannot bond with you. A flighted bird feels safer and usually bonds faster.

[Pajarita]

Liz, if you had ever dealt with a bird that was trapped as a juvenile or an adult, you would see the difference between them and a handfed one.

[Blu]

I am going to have to disagree with you Liz. They may not even be scared just don't trust humans, like a wild animal.

[Michael]

I have not encountered a parrot that cannot be trained. We were doing target training with a wild caught parrot a couple of days ago in Russia. What I have encountered is people who are either too impatient or too ignorant to let knowledge work for them. One of the things I say is that the only advantage we have over parrots is that we can exchange knowledge behind their back! Otherwise they often have the upper hand in training.

[ParrotsForLife]

I have not encountered a parrot that cannot be trained. We were doing target training with a wild caught parrot a couple of days ago in Russia. What I have encountered is people who are either too impatient or too ignorant to let knowledge work for them. One of the things I say is that the only advantage we have over parrots is that we can exchange knowledge behind their back! Otherwise they often have the upper hand in training.

Your right its like me I used to do training everyday then I start getting lazy now im doing it everyday again and im still teaching Rocko flight recall but he will only learn it if I train everyday.

[marie83]

Agree with Michael, that's where the patience part comes in but not only that you need to know when to take a step up from having patience and know when you are pushing things too fast or far and take steps back.