"But that is just how this bird is...."

[Chicklette]

Absolutley. If you are willing to work with them and give it your best shot it will happen. Lots of time needs to be spent on it. My birds were wilad and Boomer abused, now they are different birds. With Aly I could not even get her out of the cage when she came here but now she jumps out. We sunggle at bedtimes and I rub her neck and pet her back. Chiquita was given no attention what so ever now she is all over me. Boomer was severly abused now he steps up for me sits on my shoulder. So yes, it can be done. Time and patience.

 

[Theresa]

Absolutely they can all my birds came with different baggage.
Lucy is a former breeder, now she likes nothing better than cuddling with her daddy.
Corkey was very standoffish when I got him, and didn't want a lot of hands-on interaction. Now I can touch him anywhere, blow on his belly, and chew on his toes
Mojo was only handled with a towel before she came here. At 15 years old, she didn't know how to step up. Now she steps up like a champ and enjoys cuddling

It's all a matter of time, patience and lots of love. It also depends on what your expectations are, if you're expecting your bird to change over night you will most likely be very disappointed.

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

Agreed, not every bird will turn into a cuddle bug and it definitely is up to the bird how much interaction he will allow. I do not push them to be more cuddly or allow my touch, but I do insist they follow some rules; like going into their cage when I need them to do so, not biting me when I change papers or provide fresh food and water. I try to teach these behaviors as gently as I can but I do enforce these few rules; with a net if I need to. I haven't had to use the net on anyone except Pedro in years. If Pedro bites me and makes me bloody then he is immediately put back in his cage, usually with the net. If he only pulls hair and clothing, I require he place himself in his cage for my time out. The only rules he has to follow. I never expect him to become cuddly or even allow me to touch him, ever. He is who he is and I will not try and force myself on him. He is Precie's bird, not mine; and he has a home with me for as long as he lives. I allow all my birds to determine their level of interaction with me and I do not require them to allow strangers/visitors to touch them. They have the right to say no with their behavior and I will not change them from who they are. Pedro knows where I have drawn the line about his behavior and he will immediately cage himself when he crosses the line. Sometimes I have trouble not laughing at him when he makes a beeline for his cage after biting me.

 

[Vicky Chai Tea]

I think there is nothing wrong with a bird not letting you pet him or cuddle him.

It actually drives me crazy when I see people forcing birds to step up or be touched.

^ This this a thousand times THIS! You should NEVER force yourself on a bird! (unless it is an emergency situation.) That is one of the worst things you can do to a bird, I think. It doesn't want to be touched sometimes, and you have to respect that.

The only birds I think that won't become at least partially hand tame are probably wild caught birds. I think that with time, patience, knowledge, and the right person, almost any bird can be rehabilitated. Doesn't mean they'll turn into cuddly love bugs who love everyone, it just means they can be tamed down enough to be handled by at least one person.

Kind of like dogs, really. When a bird has a behavioral problem, it is almost always directly related to the way it's been treated by humans, not because it's just born ornery.

 

[Birdasaurus]

Those people are the same people who think they should be allowed to pet every dog they see on the street. I love dogs, a lot. I don't run up to every strange dog on the street to pet it. My dog does not allow strangers to touch him. He's not mean about it, he just backs away from them. I can't tell you how many people have asked me to hold him still so they can pet him. They are shocked when I tell them he doesn't want to be touched and I'm not going to make him put up with it. My dog does not have some sort of psychological disorder, he loves being touched by people he knows, but he does not immediately accept strangers. There is a short introductory process you have to go through first. Then he will be stuck to you like velcro because for all his standoffish behavior on the street he is a cuddlebug.

I feel you on this one. I grew up with the most adorable shih-tzu. He was so gorgeous and people asked about using him as a stud more than once in his lifetime. Of course his beautiful fluffiness meant that every little kid on earth wanted to touch him, and this dog had ISSUES. He was very unaccepting of being touched EXCEPT by me. And of course I wouldn't do it to him all the time, he was hugged and petted by me on his own terms...as in when he came up and climbed in my lap. (I learned that young when he bit me for surprising him with a pet...)

People on the street though actually thought I was rude for telling them to not pet my dog. People would come near him and I would have to tell them, "please do not touch him, he's very jumpy and he bites." And I would get the nastiest looks! And of course if I DIDN'T warn them and they touched him and he bit them...guess who would have a lawsuit?

Long story short...I agree about not forcing an animal into our touches and cuddles. I wouldn't want someone grabbing me whenever they felt like it. If they want to bond with us that way, they let us know.

 

[Holiday]

I think it depends on the bird. I do not think some parrots want much contact with humans, and I don't think any amount of further contact would change that. Sonny is an example of this. He will still head bob for a syringe of formula, loves to be talked to or sung to, and likes to sit on my shoulder. But if I reach out a finger to scritch him, I'll get a nasty warning nip. Will he ever change? I doubt it. Hahn's tend to be much cuddlier as babies (Max was, for instance). As they mature, they get less hands-on. Since he started out this way very young, I don't think there's a lot of room for change in the cuddly direction. But, that's okay with me. I don't mind that he's like that and am glad he's willing to sit on my arm and coo at me

I've built better relationships with all of my birds since I got them, including a fairly loving relationship with a large macaw that doesn't like most women, but what I see with Sonny seems to be a natural disinclination to be touched. Of course, I'd love to be wrong on this and wake up some day and have him put his head down for scritches. But, I'm not going to be too surprised if it never happens.