Kinny
New member
Why is it that so many people sell 'hand-raised' birds, and the birds have awful vices! Isn't it the point of hand-raising to tame it down and begin teaching do's and don'ts from an early age? (amongst many other things).
I distinctly remember when I bought a male Jenday Conure a few years ago (I named him Kozue). I paid $400 for him because he was 'hand-raised'. When I went to check him out he seemed quite well-behaved, so I left with him.
The next couple of months were so frustrating! After a few days at home after Kozue had settled in, he began biting us and HARD! He slit my husbands thumb open in fact.. however his biting wasn't aggressive.. it was like as if he thought it was a perfectly ok thing to do, just normal. He had a lovely docile nature, but he just kept biting. Then I told him to step up (which he must have just done as a fluke at his breeders home), and he gave me this odd look... he tried nibbling at my finger, when i said "No, step up." he tried something else. He tried many different things and then put one foot on my finger to inspect it, so i said "Good boy!!! Step up." and he got this bright "OH MY GOSH I DID IT!?" look in his eyes. When he finally stepped up with both feet he got such a praise he was so happy and proud of himself. He stepped up perfectly after that.
I talked to his breeder/hand-raiser, quite dissappointed that he hadn't been taught ANYTHING. She told me he was like her own son, so she let him do anything he wanted, whenever he wanted. She never made him do ANYTHING... >.< Well. Found out ALL she did was hand-feed him, then let him roam as he pleased through her entire house doing what he wanted. If he bit, she just patted him.. so obviously rewarding that behaviour.
I feel so sorry for birds who do bad behaviours thinking it's a 'good and rewarding' behaviour.. Poor Kozue couldn't understand why he was being told off for badly biting people. And he snapped one of our birds necks in half... completely unprovoked... I asked his breeder a series of questions as to why he acted this way, if something had happened when he was younger that he was allowed to get away with... but she avoided my questions and then ignored me.
I just couldn't believe it.. since when I hand-raise i make sure to teach my birds that biting is a no no, screaming is a no no (there are other ways to get attention/what they want), to step up, to have good manners (because when they behave well they get praised and treats... they love it!) and most of all, not to be fearful of people especially hands, and to explore things. I try to teach them that TV remotes and phones are NOT for eating, but that doesn't always work out lol.
Has anyone else noticed this 'trend' of 'hand-raising'? I've checked out many hand-raised birds recently and so many aren't taught ANYTHING! It's not raising at all..just feeding and setting the bird up for a disappointing and confusing start to a new home. I personally find it a minor form of cruelty...
I distinctly remember when I bought a male Jenday Conure a few years ago (I named him Kozue). I paid $400 for him because he was 'hand-raised'. When I went to check him out he seemed quite well-behaved, so I left with him.
The next couple of months were so frustrating! After a few days at home after Kozue had settled in, he began biting us and HARD! He slit my husbands thumb open in fact.. however his biting wasn't aggressive.. it was like as if he thought it was a perfectly ok thing to do, just normal. He had a lovely docile nature, but he just kept biting. Then I told him to step up (which he must have just done as a fluke at his breeders home), and he gave me this odd look... he tried nibbling at my finger, when i said "No, step up." he tried something else. He tried many different things and then put one foot on my finger to inspect it, so i said "Good boy!!! Step up." and he got this bright "OH MY GOSH I DID IT!?" look in his eyes. When he finally stepped up with both feet he got such a praise he was so happy and proud of himself. He stepped up perfectly after that.
I talked to his breeder/hand-raiser, quite dissappointed that he hadn't been taught ANYTHING. She told me he was like her own son, so she let him do anything he wanted, whenever he wanted. She never made him do ANYTHING... >.< Well. Found out ALL she did was hand-feed him, then let him roam as he pleased through her entire house doing what he wanted. If he bit, she just patted him.. so obviously rewarding that behaviour.
I feel so sorry for birds who do bad behaviours thinking it's a 'good and rewarding' behaviour.. Poor Kozue couldn't understand why he was being told off for badly biting people. And he snapped one of our birds necks in half... completely unprovoked... I asked his breeder a series of questions as to why he acted this way, if something had happened when he was younger that he was allowed to get away with... but she avoided my questions and then ignored me.
I just couldn't believe it.. since when I hand-raise i make sure to teach my birds that biting is a no no, screaming is a no no (there are other ways to get attention/what they want), to step up, to have good manners (because when they behave well they get praised and treats... they love it!) and most of all, not to be fearful of people especially hands, and to explore things. I try to teach them that TV remotes and phones are NOT for eating, but that doesn't always work out lol.
Has anyone else noticed this 'trend' of 'hand-raising'? I've checked out many hand-raised birds recently and so many aren't taught ANYTHING! It's not raising at all..just feeding and setting the bird up for a disappointing and confusing start to a new home. I personally find it a minor form of cruelty...
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