Handling Questions

[gravy]

Hi! I’ve had my bird for about 4 or 5 months and the bonding process has been difficult. He is very hesitant about hands and won’t step up even with treats. I can tell he is used to me by now because he still allows me to scritch his head sometimes and give him seeds by hand but just never wants to step up. I’m currently target training him, which is going well he’s very seed driven. I feel like how i’m going about this is really good for never owning a bird, but I get a lot of critique like “You should just grab him because eventually he’ll let you handle him” and “If you don’t force him he’ll never do it.” I really want my bird to have a choice in wether or not he wants to be held, I don’t want to force him but at the same time I really want to be able to handle him.

So basically i’m just asking what the correct way to handle and build a bond with a bird is.


For more context, these people have never done any training research or talked with people who have actually done their research and have had birds before. I know my bird and i’ve tried to force handle him before and I know it doesn’t work, it makes the bonding process worse by far.

 

[Shezbug]

Sounds like you’re doing things the right way, don’t listen to those saying to just grab your bird- they have no clue what they’re talking about and it’s quite damaging to your bird to be forced and also very damaging to the trust you’ll have built up so far.

Take things at your birds pace at all times.
Maybe instead of trying to get your bird step up you can just encourage him to walk over your hand while it’s laying flat and still on a table or other flat surface?
Stepping up onto a floating wobbly arm/hand is often a touch scary as we don’t tend to stay perfectly still, it takes a bit of trust as well as balance for our birds to perch on our arms- walking over your flat still hand will be much easier so you can target him over your hand till he’s confident.
Baby steps work well, try to look at everything you’d like to teach your bird (such as step up) and break it into a heap of little steps that you praise/reward for so that the lengthier task isn’t so scary.

 

[Hermesbird]

What a handsome boy your parrotlet is! How old is he?
Shezbug gave you very good advice! Take your time, some birds just don’t like hands and it’s ok. If he lets you give sctitiches then that’s a good sign of trust. He will let you know when he’s uncomfortable.
Since target training is going well maybe try adding on stepping up to a long stick or dowel to help make moving him easier since fingers may still be scary.

 

[gravy]

Sounds like you’re doing things the right way, don’t listen to those saying to just grab your bird- they have no clue what they’re talking about and it’s quite damaging to your bird to be forced and also very damaging to the trust you’ll have built up so far.

Take things at your birds pace at all times.
Maybe instead of trying to get your bird step up you can just encourage him to walk over your hand while it’s laying flat and still on a table or other flat surface?
Stepping up onto a floating wobbly arm/hand is often a touch scary as we don’t tend to stay perfectly still, it takes a bit of trust as well as balance for our birds to perch on our arms- walking over your flat still hand will be much easier so you can target him over your hand till he’s confident.
Baby steps work well, try to look at everything you’d like to teach your bird (such as step up) and break it into a heap of little steps that you praise/reward for so that the lengthier task isn’t so scary.

Thank you so much! This really reassured me. I’ll try your trips

 

[gravy]

What a handsome boy your parrotlet is! How old is he?
Shezbug gave you very good advice! Take your time, some birds just don’t like hands and it’s ok. If he lets you give sctitiches then that’s a good sign of trust. He will let you know when he’s uncomfortable.
Since target training is going well maybe try adding on stepping up to a long stick or dowel to help make moving him easier since fingers may still be scary.

Thank you! He is 9 months now. I’m completely okay with my bird not ever wanting anything to do with hands, I still have a lovely experience with him without it. I’ll try that, thank you!!

 

[Fuzzy]

but I get a lot of critique like “You should just grab him because eventually he’ll let you handle him” and “If you don’t force him he’ll never do it.”

OMG!!! This advice is terrible - it is using flooding and is the old fashioned way... of losing trust.

Yay for target training! Stepping up is actually one of the last behaviours to teach as it takes a HUGE AMOUNT OF TRUST! Keep pairing yourself and your hands with good things like favourite treats.

My Ollie had a phobia about hands which was fine... I still absolutely adored him - he was the perfect parrot. Like you I eventually managed to skritch his head which was bliss for both of us!

Your instincts are absolutely correct. Stick with them!

 

[Hermesbird]

Thank you! He is 9 months now. I’m completely okay with my bird not ever wanting anything to do with hands, I still have a lovely experience with him without it. I’ll try that, thank you!!

Your welcome!! Any chance we can get some pictures of this handsome lad?

 

[fashionfobie]

Giving your bird choice is the perfect thing to do!!!

I am sorry you were given such poorly advice. I am glad you found this forum. You clearly know and respect birds.

Target training is a good start. Ensure that you have tinnie tiny crumbs as treats, as parrotlets can fill up quickly. It may also help to experiment with high reward treats for stepping up, it may encourage your little one. Sesame seeds are a good training treat for parrotlets since they are a good tiny portion. Maybe see if your bird likes them. A good way to find their fav treat is to lay several options out and see which they go to first.

Take it one day at a time and things should improve. If your parrotlet is excessively timid I may check around the room to see if there is something scaring him that is unrelated to you. A figurine or a animal print pattern can be enough to make a bird feel unsafe. Sometimes it can be something we don't expect, my parrotlet as example is terrified of butterflies.

Let us know how you go.

 

[gravy]

Your welcome!! Any chance we can get some pictures of this handsome lad?

 

[Yuki Shiro]

Your gut feeling should be correct.

Only listen to people who trained parrots.
for example:
- parrots are not dogs
- parrots should ALWAYS have a choice in training
- stop before exhausting/boring the parrot. stop when your pet has fun (~5 minutes/5 repetitions)

That being said, I myself have not much experience yet.
But those are some basic things.

 

[FeatheredM]

My tips for taming and bonding with a shy bird

Many people ask about how to tame and bond with their bird, and I don’t blame them. Bonding with your bird can be hard sometimes. Some birds love you in a snap, while others decide that because you sneezed you must start your relationship all over again. This can happen in particular with...

forums.avianavenue.com

Your doing very well, and it seems you should keep doing what you are doing.

 

[fashionfobie]

Only listen to people who trained parrots.
for example:
- parrots are not dogs
- parrots should ALWAYS have a choice in training
- stop before exhausting/boring the parrot. stop when your pet has fun (~5 minutes/5 repetitions)

I like your post in general. Though I think repetition is always the incorrect way to train. It should be spontaneous and infrequent to keep it exciting. Training isn't about making a bird stay or fly in a circle, it is about preparing them for future needs. Like familiarising them with a tool used to give medication, practicing how their feet may be touched at an exam or reinforcing that humans respect their space and aren't pestering them to a point of biting. Birds really should have full freedoms and not be considered to need have the sort of manners we may expect from a dog. Let birds be birds.