Bonding?

[Kayleigh89]

I wasn't really sure where to put this thread.

I recently got a hand fed, 4 month old Senegal, who is a doll. He loves to come out of his cage, cuddle, chirp cutely at me, and he is a bit beaky..in that he sort of nibbles on my skin and pokes his tongue out. Nothing that hurts! Only once did he hurt me, and I believe it to have been a total accident. He was messing with a ring I wear, a wider silver band (so there aren't stones he could dislodge and swallow), he nipped a little of the inside of my finger. I just grimaced and redirected his beak to a toy. This was a big step for me, since I am afraid of larger birds. He is a perfect step up from a parakeet. Anyways, he has been nothing but sweet. My question is, how to bond? What works best? What is the aim? How long does it take? Any and every question about bonding, lol.

[William]

Me and my quaker parrot bond alot by preening. Every night I scratch him on his neck/head and he loves it so much that he just cuddles up with me and closes his eyes. Then he likes to climb up to my shoulder and preen my face and mustache hairs xD

Another thing you can do is eat together. When you eat dinner, eat in front or with your Senegal, and that will strengthen your bond alot. Birds eat together within their flocks, so this shows your bird that you are part of his flock. Offer him some of your food also but make sure that it is not something that is toxic to birds. He may try to regurgitate to you sometime, this is very very special and shows that your bird has chosen you as his mate.

Talk to him alot too, in a soft voice. Maybe read him a story or tell him about your day. Birds really like music too, so sing him some songs!

Good luck with your Senegal! You guys will be best buddies for life!

*Squawks and flies away*

[JimH]

I would say it's probably already happening just through the time you spend with your bird. This is just a novice opinion of course. Bishop and I bonded through preening each other, eating together, and just being close and including him. When he sits on my shoulder and grates his beak I press my cheek against him to show my intimacy. This is especially nice when he's tired just before bedtime. I also take him along a lot when I go from room to room. We stop at every window and look out together and I talk softly to him, asking what he sees. Sharing experiences has made us true buddies.

William must be a better singer than I am (everybody is!), but though I don't sing to Bishop I play music for him and kind of groove with him for fun. Bishop loves African music, which is funny since he's a Senegal of course. The stuff that doesn't have loud drumming in it seems to have instruments and voices he really responds to. Neither one of us have much rhythm but we love to sway to it together.

One other thing that comes to mind is that we play a lot of games that develop trust. When he stands on my fingers and leans forward, I put my hand on his back and gently flip him over, saying "wheeee!" Once he's on his back in my palm I hold him still and talk to him for a few seconds before "wheeeing" him back upright again. Once he began to like that I could see he was trusting me more in general. Now he deliberately leans way over so I'll flip him, over and over again, and he has started saying "wheeee!" with me. I would suggest you only do this when your bird is perched firmly on your fingers. If he doesn't feel secure it could be distressing.

[Kayleigh89]

Bixlow lives only in my bedroom right now. There is a cat in the house (temporarily living with parents) that isn't mine, who is known to a be a killer. I lost my veiled chameleon to that pest, she broke the cage to get the lizard. Since this incident I ALWAYS check my room over every time I open the door for any reason. So, sadly there will be no walking around the house for Bixlow since I won't risk his safety.

Thank you William! Bix and I had a great moment sharing an apple today! He sort of had this 'you're sharing this tastiness with me?!' look of surprise and happiness about him. I listen to a lot of music and he seemed to enjoy Katy Perry and Bon Jovi. I also spent several hours with him listening to music played on a ocarina, I want to make him his own mixed CD to listen to if I am ever gone.

I am still new to interpreting bird behavior. He does this thing sometimes where he opens his beak at me and stretches his neck up. I am not sure if he is aiming to snatch my glasses or something? He also nibbles my hands then rubs his beak on them? What do these behaviors mean?

[William]

I am still new to interpreting bird behavior. He does this thing sometimes where he opens his beak at me and stretches his neck up.

He probably wants you to scratch his neck and head. He just wants your attention.

He also nibbles my hands then rubs his beak on them? What do these behaviors mean?

This is good! He is preening you. He knows you are in his flock! He is showing affection and loves you. Parrots also rub their beaks on stuff to clean them, and also to show affection.

Your bird really loves you, so you must be bonding pretty well with him! You're doin' great!

Good luck with Bix!!

[Kayleigh89]

Yay! I have only had him for 3 days and I expected him to go through a shy phase. Or to be a little more slower at accepting me and bonding. Everytime I am in my room I open his cage so that he has the option to come out, and he has started to exit the cage, fly/flutter (he is clipped but somehow manages to get some air), waddle over to where I am and climb my pant leg to come see me. He often does this after a "Hey Bixlow, wassup?"

I am super excited to go to the Farmer's Market tomorrow to shop for fruits and veggies. I also am thinking of starting a 'Toy Box' under his cage (which are where his supply box is too) that would have extra toys to replace damaged toys, because I know that I will become a sort of shopoholic of 'Oh this toy looks fun'.

[LadySaphine]

I live with cats and dogs too, so I would recommend keeping Bixlow flighted. If he's clipped, he can still fly off of you and land, but he can't fly away from the cat.

As with bonding, Steve took to us in the first few days. Now he demands attention and likes to cuddle. When I got Peanut she was quiet the first few days, then I started to play with her, etc. They are always a bit more bitey in the beginning, I noticed. I think it's to get to know you better (a few months ago, Peanut would test my finger to step up. Now she doesn't need to).

[cml]

I live with cats and dogs too, so I would recommend keeping Bixlow flighted. If he's clipped, he can still fly off of you and land, but he can't fly away from the cat.

I must stress that while it is your own choice, you should NEVER EVER EVER keep parrots and cats/dogs out at the same time. Its an accident waiting to happen, no matter how docile the cat.

It only takes one second, one mistake or fright and your bird will be dead. You will have no time to react when the day comes, period. People who think this seriously over rate their own reaction time, and mobility. A cat can move from sleeping to a kill in less time it takes for you to realise the cat has moved.

Ive previously owned both dogs and cats, many years back prior to owning parrots.

[LadySaphine]

I'm well aware of the danger. The cats never even get to see Peanut, and the dogs rarely. Pretty much we restrict the cats to one half of the house, and the birds to the other. I never let the cats in the birds' room, and I have a spray bottle handy. We've made it work out, and we've had Peanut since November and she's never made contact.

And by the way, I'm not one of those people who say 'Oh, my cat is so sweet, she'll never hurt my bird'. I've seen what they can catch, and made as many precautions as I can (I've also seen terrible pictures of what a cat can do through cage bars as well).

[Kayleigh89]

For now I am going to keep him clipped, my cat (the only one that matters in the long run) is uninterested in a bird that does not fly. Cheese (my cat) is allowed to sun himself on the screened in back porch, on a few occasions a finch or wren has stumbled in because someone left the door open. After many observations of cat vs bird (with human in the background trying to shoo the bird towards the door) I saw that he had no interest and ran from birds that stayed on the ground, whereas the birds that flew instantly became a 'target'/'prey'.

That being said, the door to my room stays shut all the time. Every time I open and close the door, by coming in or out, I check the room over to make sure a cat has not snuck in. This means, check the closet, check under the bed, etc. I do this in a rather somewhat OCD style before opening Bixlow's cage and when I leave I do the same check just to be sure. This is a habit to me, because I own a bearded dragon who requires the same level of 'security' from the cats and dogs in the house.

Once I move out, the procedure will very much the same. With the exception that Bixlow will have access to the entire house for a few hours. During this time, the dog (a Pomeranian) will be in his crate and Cheese (the cat) will be placed in a bedroom where he will be content to sleep. I a bit of a newb to birds but am no stranger to prey drive and instinct.