akrodriguez
New member
- Feb 16, 2015
- 2
- 0
Earlier in January, I bought a 4-month old parakeet who had been hand-fed, but due to fighting with other flock members, was removed from the group after he was weaned and I believe his hand interactions were stopped then, which is unfortunate. Why would someone stop putting effort into maintaining the friendliness of a parakeet just because he had to be moved to a different cage? When we got him, he was a bit hand-shy, but not a biter. The store owner assured me that with some TLC, he would go back to hand-fed friendliness.
I spend a few hours a day trying to train him to step up consistently and associate me with pleasant things, as soon he will be out of quarantine and in the main house area. My BIGGEST problem is that I seem to have the pickiest parakeet on the planet. He will only eat his pellet food. While his pellets are offering him complete nutrition, I am frustrated because I feel like we would be further along in training and bonding if I found a treat he liked. What I have to do is take away his food for a time and then train before I bring it back. I can't do this everyday, especially when I have errands to run. I have tried broccoli, hard-boiled eggs, nutriberries, almonds, and millet. Yes, he doesn't even like millet. He rolls it in his mouth and then spits it out. I've tried mixing various treats in with his pellets in the hopes of tricking him into trying something new, but he picks around them. I leave millet hanging around the cage because many parakeet owners have said that eventually they "come around" and start eating it.
The parakeet is content, eating, drinking, and preening, so I am blessed that he is a functional and happy bird. He doesn't flee from my hand as long as it is underneath him (understandable) but he is so stoic towards me, never moving, interacting, or responding with I try to command "step up" or even approach the cage. I accept that all parakeets have different temperaments, but I would love a companion bird and am not willing to give up just yet.
Have you had a picky parakeet? What are your suggestions for birds that are slow to warm up? Are there any other ways to train besides food rewards?
Thank you for your time!
Amaya and Blizzard
I spend a few hours a day trying to train him to step up consistently and associate me with pleasant things, as soon he will be out of quarantine and in the main house area. My BIGGEST problem is that I seem to have the pickiest parakeet on the planet. He will only eat his pellet food. While his pellets are offering him complete nutrition, I am frustrated because I feel like we would be further along in training and bonding if I found a treat he liked. What I have to do is take away his food for a time and then train before I bring it back. I can't do this everyday, especially when I have errands to run. I have tried broccoli, hard-boiled eggs, nutriberries, almonds, and millet. Yes, he doesn't even like millet. He rolls it in his mouth and then spits it out. I've tried mixing various treats in with his pellets in the hopes of tricking him into trying something new, but he picks around them. I leave millet hanging around the cage because many parakeet owners have said that eventually they "come around" and start eating it.
The parakeet is content, eating, drinking, and preening, so I am blessed that he is a functional and happy bird. He doesn't flee from my hand as long as it is underneath him (understandable) but he is so stoic towards me, never moving, interacting, or responding with I try to command "step up" or even approach the cage. I accept that all parakeets have different temperaments, but I would love a companion bird and am not willing to give up just yet.
Have you had a picky parakeet? What are your suggestions for birds that are slow to warm up? Are there any other ways to train besides food rewards?
Thank you for your time!
Amaya and Blizzard