Petting in the Dark???

Sarah13 · 1/26/14

Hey parronts,
I heard this technique for taming birds who fear being touched. Tori is not this way but I still found it interesting and wanted to see what your experience and or opinions are on it if you don't mind please.

The idea is simply....birds cannot see in the dark very well at all. They say, for the initial pets, they say use the dark and your bird being slightly sleepy to your advantage. Just lightly touch, then reward. They say the dark allows you to have a fighting to physically touch the bird so it can see that nothing bad happened and that it was positive. In the daytime, they are too alert and touching besides the beak isn't really a possibility or it takes a very long time to slowly work your way to another body part.

Personally I think in a way, it makes you look like you're sneaking. Then again, if you are consistent with the action, click, then reward, it'll no different from a training situation during the daytime. It can get the bird over that initially hump of trust and then when you return in the daytime when it can see your hands, it already knows that it has nothing to really fear. Pros and Cons I guess. Thoughts?
Thanks
:smug:

Laurul Feather Cat · 1/27/14

ABSOLUTELY NOT! Parrots are prey creatures and in my personal experience anything touching them in the dark elicits an immediate and violent fleeing panic reaction. Have you never heard of night frights in parrots? Well touching one will cause the absolute same reaction. You would never have a chance to 'reward' anything, as your parrot is instantly on guard, fleeing and afraid.

The worst idea I have ever, ever heard. :wtf:

InTheAir · 1/27/14

I don't like that idea. It seems a bit underhand and is still a way of forcing oneself on an unwilling bird. Also I want my birds to feel safe, especially on their sleepy perches at night!

JAM · 1/27/14

All of ours have taken fright if I have tried to pet them in the dark and I have been bitten doing that.

Anne & Gang · 1/27/14

Ridiculous idea..don't attempt this!!!

Sarah13 · 1/27/14

Great. No worries, I have no intentions of ever doing this. As I said, I found it very sneaky. I just saw it a few days ago and found it very bizarre and I didn't know if anyone else knew about it or tried it.

lupe · 1/27/14

It's probably the very best idea if you wanna loose some fingers and have a neurotic parrot..

Sarah13 · 1/27/14

HAHAHAHA! Agreed! I've always wanted a ticked off macaw. I should try it! :rolleyes:

JAM · 1/27/14

I was going to say, the ferocity that the lorikeets will bite in the dark is effective, I'd hate to think what a macaw would do in that situation.....amputation of limb springs to mind!!! :jawdrop1:

Sarah13 · 1/27/14

Hhhmmmm...I guess if we really wanted to find out....I do have a GW macaw....muuahahahahaha......poke :scared4:

Knowing my luck, it would probably be anti climatic and she would just sit there and make that weird rawr sound she makes and scurry away.
There's a cute CAG video. He pets his bird and it says in the clearest and snobbiest voice "Don't touch me."
:coffeescreen:

Hankmacaw · 1/27/14

The second worst bite I ever received from Hank was when I came home one night late and missing him I reached in his cage (after talking to him a minute) and tried to pet him. That one took several weeks to heal.

macawpower58 · 1/28/14

Yep, I never try and pet at night. Mine don't like being disturbed at night, and if they couldn't see me, they'd panic for sure.

saroj12 · 1/28/14

At breaking dawn, Big Scooter grey will lie down voluntarily on my chest and let me pet him.In daylight he only allows his head and beak to be scritched. No touching his back or side. But we are working on that with a strategy improvised by the parrot wizard at our last consult.

Sarah13 · 1/28/14

Hankmacaw said:
The second worst bite I ever received from Hank was when I came home one night late and missing him I reached in his cage (after talking to him a minute) and tried to pet him. That one took several weeks to heal.

Yee Haw

Sarah13 · 1/28/14

macawpower58 said:
Yep, I never try and pet at night. Mine don't like being disturbed at night, and if they couldn't see me, they'd panic for sure.

Yeah, I don't mess with Tori. I may walk around (shutting shades, grabbing a drink etc) She doesn't really care. She dances and hisses sometimes at first but when I talk she stops. She sometimes says hello back....then she won't stop! Good night Tori, I love you....HELLO.....bye.....HELLO....go to sleep....HELLO(rattle toys)....no playing for now, get some sleep....HELLO
:lol:

Sarah13 · 1/28/14

saroj12 said:
At breaking dawn, Big Scooter grey will lie down voluntarily on my chest and let me pet him.In daylight he only allows his head and beak to be scritched. No touching his back or side. But we are working on that with a strategy improvised by the parrot wizard at our last consult.

Very neat. I've never really tried to pet Tori. I just do training and I play with her and her toys. I usually just go about my day practicing, cleaning, sleeping, etc and she just chills. She pets her self ALL THE TIME so I'm willing to guess that she would enjoy being pet.

StacyMadl · 8/19/14

My amazon is really picky about being pet during the day, but when I put him to bed sometimes he'll stand right next to the bars and let me scratch his tummy and wings. There is always light and he can see, it's just just as bright as during the day. Also during the day the only place I pet is his head and neck, before he goes to bed while in his cage I can scritch his tummy and wings. And he has a huge cage, he could easily walk to the other side of his perch or even move 3 inches and he doesn't. I wouldn't attempt the whole petting in the dark, seems sneaky to me as well.

Sarah13 · 8/21/14

Val is weird. She has always stepped up and has never cared if she was being pet in total darkness. If I'm in the basement pantry, outside, in a room without any lighting, nightime, she just sits on me or steps up off of her tree/cage/stand/whatever she's perched on, onto me and doesnt care where we go or if she gets pet. She has never acted differently with the lights on or off. She does this my brother and other people too.

I know tori is long gone since I made this thread but I found it kind of funny how Val greatly contrasts the general consensus of avoid interacting in the dark due to fear response. I do a lot of desensitizing as a part of her training so that's probably the bulk of why she isn't very fearful.

Cinnyluver · 8/22/14

I had incredible success with my cockatiel Cinny using this technique. When I got him as a youngster he bit hard and was horrified of me. I tried everything to tame him and nothing worked. So I brought him in a dark (not black just dim) closet and would have him step up and down and lightly touch him. I wasn't pushy and if he got uncomfortable I'd step back and leave him alone. Within weeks he was working with me nicely outside the closet, never bit me again, and he became one of my most closely bonded birds

I know some people don't agree with this method, and he's the only bird I've ever used it on, but I feel like with Cinny no harm was done and we became best friends and had an incredible relationship because of the trust he gained in me from doing this. I definitely wouldn't do it with a bigger bird tho.

Mizzely · 8/22/14

How is this not the same line of thought as flooding?

Petting in the Dark???

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