Hi everyone, I'm DoodlesMom

I'm grateful to have found this forum. I'm SOOO new to this so please bear with me! I'm a g-mom of 2 teens, mom to 4 humans, 1 dog and an abandoned green cheek conure. A neighbor by me was moving and asked could I keep the bird while she settled......that was 3the months ago! No answer on phone..NADA!! I haven't had a bird in over 20 years, 2 'teils. Well...its been quite the adjustment. I named birdie, Doodle. Problem: Doodle WILL NOT get on my hand,finger...PERIOD. Doodle calls for me, is happy, will sleep on arm of sofa by my head, play with my hair.......but wants nothing to do with ANYTHING on the hand!! Any suggestions would be appreciated & welcomed!!

I have a conure that is kinda like that. They call it "hand hatered" It comes from being man handled and forced to do things they don't want to do, like being taken out of or put back in cage, clipping wings and nails ect. I have been working with Sunny and he is getting better slowly, very slowly.

"horrible hands" to Doodle

THANK YOU CFellow.....I have no clue what or how Doodle was treated. I do know she worked LOOONG hours and was caged with a 'teil. Hence a chip in his beak by nostrils I'm assuming. I take by with yourSunny I just need to be REAL PATIENT. Probably no hands except cleaning cage or feeding and LOTS of sweet talk!

Welcome to the forum! I just can't even comprehend how someone could abandon their bird like that The 2 times we've moved (once cross country) since we got our bird, getting him setup ASAP was a top priority on our moving checklist! Unbelievable what people will do....

Anyways, I'm glad Doodle (cute name BTW) is with you now. I'm sure his fear of hands is probably a big reason he was abandoned with you. Sounds like the prior owner never put the time and effort into properly training and socializing him. I would suggest you look up some videos on youtube covering target training, as it seems to be a rather effective method of teaching nervous birds to get on hands and opens up human-bird communication The good news with birds, is they have an amazing capacity to forgive humans and learn to love and trust at any age. It will take time and dedication, but it certainly can be done! Stick around here and your sure to learn all you need. Best of luck!

Thanks Kiwibird.....like I said before....I'm ..(AHEM)...a mature chick and not tech savvy so didn't even think about youtube.....g-sons 1 & 2 only watch it for silly stuff! I will look up some helpful videos. I so want to have Doodle trust me and realize I'd NEVER mistreat or abandon her. I got lots of patience.

Hello and welcome to the forums! Doodle sounds like a special little bird, I'm glad he found his way into your home and your heart.

Even if Doodle takes a while to get past his fear of hands, you will still be able to get to know him and build a level of trust. You might find this link helpful.

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

Good luck with your new friend. Please keep us updated on your progress and share photos.

I SOOO appreciate ALL the suggestions from everyone so far. I'm feeling better knowing Doodle WILL get less fearful of hands. I appreciate how WELCOMED everyone makes me feel. I am such a greenhorn here!LOL! Thanks, ALLEE for the link. I definitely post updates and pix.( when I figure out how to do it) LOL!