- Joined
- 8/19/16
- Messages
- 287
- Real Name
- Schnitzle
Hi All!
Now that we've decided on a parrot I'm trying to find the best way to handle the ride home from the bird store and how to proceed during the first few days. I've been searching the forum, but haven't come up with the best combination of search words to find this information. A lot of what I've found seems geared toward gaining the trust of a new bird who is less accustomed to human interaction. It's very interesting information for sure, and I am learning things from reading those posts as well.
However I'm not sure that this same method should be used for a hand-fed bird that we'll have been visiting and handling for a few weeks before it comes home. If we left it alone to observe us for 3 days after coming home, I'm worried that the baby will think that we're ignoring it when it has become used to getting attention from my partner and I. I also only want to use positive reinforcement with this little one. Can anyone tell me what to search on or give some ideas for where to find reliable info on what to do during those first few days?
Is it true that we shouldn't talk to him/her or comfort her on the car ride home to make sure it doesn't associate our voices with something bad?!
I'm probably placing too much emphasis on the beginning of the relationship, and doing that "new parront" thing where I worry that I will ruin my perfect little bird baby by doing some small thing wrong. I'm trying to keep in mind that it's a marathon, not a race
Oh and I've ordered Barbara Heidenreich's videos "A Good Start To A Good Bird" and "Parrot Behavior and Training".
Now that we've decided on a parrot I'm trying to find the best way to handle the ride home from the bird store and how to proceed during the first few days. I've been searching the forum, but haven't come up with the best combination of search words to find this information. A lot of what I've found seems geared toward gaining the trust of a new bird who is less accustomed to human interaction. It's very interesting information for sure, and I am learning things from reading those posts as well.
However I'm not sure that this same method should be used for a hand-fed bird that we'll have been visiting and handling for a few weeks before it comes home. If we left it alone to observe us for 3 days after coming home, I'm worried that the baby will think that we're ignoring it when it has become used to getting attention from my partner and I. I also only want to use positive reinforcement with this little one. Can anyone tell me what to search on or give some ideas for where to find reliable info on what to do during those first few days?
Is it true that we shouldn't talk to him/her or comfort her on the car ride home to make sure it doesn't associate our voices with something bad?!
I'm probably placing too much emphasis on the beginning of the relationship, and doing that "new parront" thing where I worry that I will ruin my perfect little bird baby by doing some small thing wrong. I'm trying to keep in mind that it's a marathon, not a race
Oh and I've ordered Barbara Heidenreich's videos "A Good Start To A Good Bird" and "Parrot Behavior and Training".