Petting help

Huda_bird · May 13, 2019

My little guy will often fly to me and land on me. He'll step up whenever I want him to and will even fly into whatever room I'm in. He doesn't like to be petted. He'll step away, fly away or even step on to the other hand that's trying to pet him.

How can I get him to be comfortable and let me pet him? I know I need to be patient and I will do what it takes.

:greenyellow:

Flboy · May 13, 2019

I have had my JoJo just under 5 years. His #1 rule, you pet, I bite!

itzjbean · May 13, 2019

You have to remember that parrots are not like dogs and cats that want to be pet and cuddled. A lot of birds do not want that unless a strong trust bond is established. Even then some birds still don't allow petting and you have to just love them the way they are, they want their space respected.

Do not attempt to pet your bird. Don't force the issue and only do it if the birds bends their head down to allow it, never force petting on your bird. You'll have to wait until he accepts you and wants it from you.

OutlawedSpirit · May 13, 2019

Some birds also just aren't very touchy feely birds no matter what. Indian ringnecks are good example of this as a general rule, although there are exceptions. They love to hang out with you, ride on your shoulder, be involved with whatever you're doing, but they don't want to sit and snuggle or be pet. Just like some people don't like a lot of physical contact.

Birds are individuals and have their own likes and dislikes. He might decide he wants you to scritch his head on occasion, he might not. Just be patient and wait for him to tell you.

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Flboy · May 13, 2019

Flboy said:
I have had my JoJo just under 5 years. His #1 rule, you pet, I bite!

Same as humans, touch my ears, I am yours forever! -or- Touch my ears, you will get punched!!

Jen5200 · May 13, 2019

Agree with everyone above....I have 5 birds in my flock and they are all different in how much petting they like. Tango (GCC) only VERY rarely wants a head scritch but loves to ride around on my shoulder or on top of my head. Screamer (cockatiel) loves my husband to pet her head, but gives me the “dragon” face if I try. Stanley, Bindi and Baby generally like their heads petted. They each have their own preferences and you find other ways to have a good relationship with them if they don’t love to be petted

.

Huda_bird · May 13, 2019

I can accept that he might not want to be petted, but more importantly, I need to be able to handle him. I need to get him harness trained and I figured being able to pet him would be the first step in making him comfortable.

Thank you guys for your assistance. I'm new to the forum and please be sure to let me know if I'm making any posting mistakes. I will have a lot of questions in the future.

Jen5200 · May 13, 2019

I can’t remember how long you’ve had your bird...is he relatively new to living with you? If so, you’ll definitely need to move at his pace. You can work up to touching for the purpose of putting on a harness, but he’ll need to trust you first - hands can be scary

.

I tried briefly to work on a harness with Tango and it was an absolute no-go for her. I ended up buying a nice backpack and a few other carriers for transporting my crew outside. I may try the harness training for Bindi and Stanley and see how that works...they’re much more amenable to being touched.

Aspie_Aviphile · May 24, 2019

Try your nose and face instead, and cue the action with a "tickle tickle" or something, so he always knows what you intend to do before you move towards him. It might not work but it has a higher rr chance than using your hands. My Bo begs for face snuggles all the time but hands are only to be used as perches, gift bearers and nibble toys.

texsize · May 24, 2019

Aspie_Aviphile said:
Try your nose and face instead, and cue the action with a "tickle tickle" or something, so he always knows what you intend to do before you move towards him. It might not work but it has a higher rr chance than using your hands. My Bo begs for face snuggles all the time but hands are only to be used as perches, gift bearers and nibble toys.

Pinky

my lutino Cockatiel was very much afraid of hands.
She did like my face (a bird with good taste

).
She liked to groom my eye-brows and bite at my mustache.
IIRC it took 2 years before she would allow me to pick her up/step up onto my finger.

I started by picking her up when she needed to be rescued from crash landing in a place she could not get out of. Even now there are some days she wont step up. I use the food dish as a pick-er-up-er for her and she steps onto it just about every time.

Petting help

Huda_bird

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Flboy

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itzjbean

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OutlawedSpirit

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Flboy

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Jen5200

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Huda_bird

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Jen5200

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Aspie_Aviphile

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texsize

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Are medium parrots and rodents safe together?

Happy gotcha day!!

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