Please help O Pionus Veterans

[sarahmcrawford]

Just adopted a 2 yr old Pionus today from a lady who obviously has not had time to spend with him which is why she is re-homing her parrots. He was hand fed/raised at a pet store but is now not interested in being handled. he is my first parrot but definately not my first pet. I work from home and am here about 80% or more of the time. What are your suggestions for getting him to step up and out of the cage. How far should I push him and when let him be? It is important to me that he feel good about being here but also that we get him to be part of the family and not a living room decoration. I also plan to search around for some bird language lingo as I am not comprehending any of it. I've waited a decade for a parrot and want to make it work. Thanks everyone...

 

[MonicaMc]

If you don't have to, don't force him to do something he doesn't want to. Look into positive reinforcement and clicker training! Barbara Heidenreich even has a video on understanding parrot body language!

Here's a blog with a video in it showing how to teach a budgie to step up.

Living With Parrots Cage Free: Bucky and Strider - Millet Eating Fiends!


Here's a video of a woman working with a young greenwing macaw.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYYtI8Hr_jE]Parrot Training: making new friends - YouTube[/ame]


And a video showing you what *not* to do in training.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr4QrTLKzjw]Parrot Training, Bird taming: What not to do - and helpful Tips - YouTube[/ame]

 

[sarahmcrawford]

Thanks Monica. I really like those videos. They will be great to show my kids. They are 7 and 4 and don't quite get the whole 'we have to wait on the bird to be ready' thing. When we got home yesterday he stayed on his perch and accepted a piece of apple from me but today when I approach the cage with a blueberry he just climbs around the sides and won't settle. My instinct is to stand and talk to him without entering the cage until he settles down but I don't know how long to push that without stressing him out.

 

[Eloy]

My instinct is to stand and talk to him without entering the cage until he settles down but I don't know how long to push that without stressing him out.

Give him first 1 week to acclimatize. You can of course talk to him but no pressure. Wait this week come back here for more advice. (if you need them)

 

[friedsoup]

Welcome to the world of parrots, First off you have to let hem settle in and get used to the day to day speed and sounds of life in your house, but you can put a comfortable chair near to (not right next to) his cage and read, watch Tv or listen to the radio (eating a snack he can hear you eating Popcorn maybe) and watch him for getting interested in you and what your doing then speak to him in a friendly tone offer a piece of what your eating just let him set the pace. Other than that I'd suggest videos by Good Bird Inc. and stay away from the ones from by the Walmack Brothers.

 

[sarahmcrawford]

I moved him (Max) from the living room to dining room this afternoon. He was kept in a porch/breezeway type setting at his old home so I dont' think was much part of home life. My four yr old jumping around on the couch freaks him out so I put him in there in the bay window area. He will still have a good view of things like the kitchen where I spend most of my time and the front yard which is nice and quiet since we just moved in to the boondock end of a new neighborhood. There's also a 60 gallon fish tank in there which he might like to watch. Hopefully so. I stood with my hand next to the perch with a piece of apple tonight for about 15 minutes and only made glancing eye contact with him. He stopped climbing circles and came on the perch for about 10 seconds with his back to me then was off again although at a slower pace and no alarm noises today. IOther than trying that daily I will let him be as you all suggest. The cage he came with is only a dome type top with no play place so we went out and found some good branches to screw together and strap on so he will maybe be interested in coming out of his cage a little when we're not in the room. I left his door open all day with a perch on the outside wall today but no luck. I know it may take a while for him to warm up to us and hate for him to be cage bound until he will step.