How to tame 4 linnies at once

[emzymayzy]

Hello basically my nan got 3 linnies from a petshop that were already a year old and later got a 4th one they are now 2 yrs old very hand shy. my nan only want them for companionship but when they come to stay with my I like to tame them I get so far then they go back to her then when they come back to me back to where I started plus they are willed to me so I don't want to eventually have 4 birds I can not handle is it ever too late to hand tame 4 linnies??

 

[sunnysmom]

You may have to try working with them one on one. All together it may be hard to tame them.

@Lady Jane ?

 

[expressmailtome]

A good first step is to drop a small treat in their food cup every time that you walk past their cage. For a lineolated parakeet, safflower seeds would work well. Also, you can sit next to their cage and calmly talk to them. This will help them to become more comfortable with you being around them.

Matt

 

[wyrinth]

How are you trying to tame them?
I don't handle or try to tame my linnies every day. What I do is offer them treats from my hand from time to time. They seem to remember where they left off. In the beginning, I tried to "make" Stitch to step up and he got better, but if I missed a day in "training" he would revert to very shy again. Now that I am working with him, he expects treats from my hands, not training sessions. I could do more with target training and positive reinforcement but I don't mind Stitch the way he is. The babies I've kept have always associated me with food, so now, sometimes they'll fly off if I move too fast, but the moment they see my hands they come back for treats.
The babies are a lot less handshy, even though they were parent raised. Although I don't think linnies like hands, because my more shy of the two babies will pinch my fingers a few times before stepping on, not hard, just like "eewww, that perch is squishy "

 

[karen256]

You probably will never have a strong bond with them, since they will have known each other longer than you, but you can tame them to the point of them accepting you as part of the flock and you should be able to train them to step up.
They tend to be very interested in food, so bribery with treats always helps.
Depending on how often you visit them, you can try some clicker training, too. They will probably remember formal training a little bit longer.

 

[Lady Jane]

Lucky you! Do you have all four in one cage? That will give them a flock mentality and they will be rather resistant to taming. I have had my two for several months now. I would same they are semi tame. I take each one individually in a small room (bathroom) where I have a suction perch on the mirror. When they are there they will step up just fine but when they are together inside the cage they will not. If you can get a play stand for them it would be a safe place for them to fly too. That is if their wings are not clipped. They absolutely adore apples and millet so use them as a bait to get them on your finger. Again one bird at a time. Do all you can to get them comfortable with seeing your hands and the treats they hold.

 

[wyrinth]

I am currently working on my two that were parent raised. The way I approach it is I hold the millet in my hand and offer it to the birds. When they get comfortable eating the millet, I move my hand in such a way that they have to step on my fingers to get to the millet more comfortably. At this point I keep my hand still. Then I start to move my hand a little higher, a little lower. My next step will be to move my hand a little further and have the bird jump on. Then hide the millet so the bird gets on an "empty" hand before getting rewarded.
It also depends on the personality of the bird. My mauve baby, Thor, is already jumping on my hand if he sees I have millet in the other hand. Loki, is still hesitant and needs to be coaxed, but would prefer to stand on a perch. He's the one that will give an occasional pinch on my finger to test the "squishiness " of the perch. Stitch, the mauve dad, is still very hand shy and is still working on taking the millet from my hand...usually, I have to curl my fingers in because he doesn't like it when they stick straight out. Pikachu, my lutino female, is very tame and will step up readily, even in her cage.