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Making Progress

QB1rd

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Glimmer is still biting me hard (she draws blood almost every time), but we're making progress. She's eating pine nuts out of my hand and on my shoulders, and she eats millet too. If I hold her water bowl in my hand she'll drink in my hand too. This afternoon she sat on my arm for about two minutes before biting while I wasn't holding any treats.

Is there anything else I should be doing, or changing about my training now?
 

Craftydan

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Two days in, keep up the positive interactions -- LOTS of positive interactions ;)

You can try to start clicker training if you've got a reliable food to motivate with -- trigger sound, provide treat immediately, repeat -- but at 2 months old, odds are, little Glimmer has yet to meet the food she truly loves.

For our little Essie, she started out loving millet, but now she can't be bothered to even chomp down on a stalk if it's pressed into her open beak. She's never met a grape she didn't love. It took us a month to find that out. It's messy as a training treat, but she's motivated enough by it for us to put up with the mess.

Naturally, Glimmer will have her own tastes.

So my advice, keep chillin' with your birdie, try a few new foods when you get a chance -- some she'll love, some she'll hate -- and take your time relaxing into life with your new birdie :)
 

Wardy

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If she is biting hard enough to draw blood i would be keeping glimmer in her cage and doing some target training whilst she is in the cage you can offer treats through the bars when doing this, i know you will want her out of her cage with you however if she is biting and drawing blood that isnt good at all it may just be curiosity but clearly it''s quite a bite she is giving you.

Taking a little step back imo will be well worth it in the long term Mojo can be quite nippy and at times has bitten quite hard but never to the point of drawing blood if she does bite hard she gets put down on either her play gym or the coffee table and told biting is naughty.
Watch glimmer being on your shoulder as well you cant see what she is doing and could do some damage to your ears and face before you can react if Mojo gets to much she does get a time out on occasion back in her cage.

targer training will be positive and teach her to earn her treats by doing something you want her to do if she is biting you whilst getting she might learn to associate the treats with the bite ?

Mojo was initially hand reared but then returned to the aviary ( so potentially different than Glimmer ) she didnt come out of her cage for near a month no need to rush things she will be with you for many years to come she is still a baby but needs to understand biting this hard is not acceptable a little nip hear and there whilst playing i wouldnt worry about.
 

QB1rd

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If she is biting hard enough to draw blood i would be keeping glimmer in her cage and doing some target training whilst she is in the cage you can offer treats through the bars when doing this, i know you will want her out of her cage with you however if she is biting and drawing blood that isnt good at all it may just be curiosity but clearly it''s quite a bite she is giving you.

Taking a little step back imo will be well worth it in the long term Mojo can be quite nippy and at times has bitten quite hard but never to the point of drawing blood if she does bite hard she gets put down on either her play gym or the coffee table and told biting is naughty.
Watch glimmer being on your shoulder as well you cant see what she is doing and could do some damage to your ears and face before you can react if Mojo gets to much she does get a time out on occasion back in her cage.

targer training will be positive and teach her to earn her treats by doing something you want her to do if she is biting you whilst getting she might learn to associate the treats with the bite ?

Mojo was initially hand reared but then returned to the aviary ( so potentially different than Glimmer ) she didnt come out of her cage for near a month no need to rush things she will be with you for many years to come she is still a baby but needs to understand biting this hard is not acceptable a little nip hear and there whilst playing i wouldnt worry about.
Thank you, @Wardy. You always give such good advice.
 

Wardy

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How are things going with Glimmer ?
 

QB1rd

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She's doing well! Her vet encouraged that I take her out of her cage for a few minutes at a time, so we've been doing that as well as target training, and she comes out for a few minutes before biting if I set her on my arm. If I set her in my lap she can last about five minutes before she gets overwhelmed and I put her back regardless of if she bites. She isn't drawing blood anymore either fortunately.
 

Wardy

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She's doing well! Her vet encouraged that I take her out of her cage for a few minutes at a time, so we've been doing that as well as target training, and she comes out for a few minutes before biting if I set her on my arm. If I set her in my lap she can last about five minutes before she gets overwhelmed and I put her back regardless of if she bites. She isn't drawing blood anymore either fortunately.
How are you managing to get her back into her cage ? Is she going in willingly ?
 

QB1rd

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For the moment I’m just picking her up and putting her back in the cage since she definitely prefers to be out of the cage, but when she wants to go back in I just hold her up to her favorite perch and let her step up. I can usually tell when she wants to go in versus when she wants to stay out. Sometimes I get it wrong, but I try to read her body language.
 

Wardy

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For the moment I’m just picking her up and putting her back in the cage since she definitely prefers to be out of the cage, but when she wants to go back in I just hold her up to her favorite perch and let her step up. I can usually tell when she wants to go in versus when she wants to stay out. Sometimes I get it wrong, but I try to read her body language.
Just be cautious of handling her to get her back in the cage that will potentially undo any good work you have done.
I cant profess to be a bird expert at all but i dont understand your vets rationale in advising to let her out.
 

QB1rd

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The vet said the more I handle her the quicker she’d be to imprint on me. That’s the only reason she gave me.
 

Wardy

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The vet said the more I handle her the quicker she’d be to imprint on me. That’s the only reason she gave me.
My understanding off imprinting is this happens when a chick is removed from its parent and hand reared thus becoming imprint on humans as glimmer was hand reared this will have already happened.
You want to be getting Glimmer to gain trust in you and this pace should be set by Glimmer.

The following is only my experience was near a month before Mojo come out of her cage all training up to that point was done with her in the cage.
Its important not to overwhelm and force things.
 

QB1rd

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Thank you, Wardy. I’m not really sure what the vet meant then. I think I’ll go back to just the target training and see what happens for a while.
 

Wardy

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Thank you, Wardy. I’m not really sure what the vet meant then. I think I’ll go back to just the target training and see what happens for a while.
I think it will pay off long term
 
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