3 Short Questions. Need help.

[RainbowRose]

Hello all,
I tried to search for answers to my questions but couldn't find any direct questions like mine. So mine may be variations of others. I have 3 short questions.


1. My senegal does not like to be put back in his cage; he will try to bite if I attempt to get him off the top of his cage, but then he realizes I am just going to pet him (for now). Then I go to put him back and he tries to nip me so I pull him back out. I will push him up against his perches so that he is forced to step up but he only tightens his grip on my hand/finger with his feet/nails or tries to nip me with his beak.

Question 1: How can I get my senegal to go back into his cage without a fight?

2. My senegal will puff up his feathers and shriek and lower his head if my man enters the room. I have encouraged him to do this mimicking game with the bird so that they bond. My senegal will sometimes respond to the clicking and chirping mimicking game. However, he typically shows apparent aggression towards him. One time I took him out to try to let my man pet him but he just puffed up and lifted his wings like usual. He bit his finger once and didn't let go and it made him bleed. I try to reinforce the good behavior by petting him and giving him attention if he doesn't puff up at my man. Still no progress though. I will add I have had him for 1 month since he has been rehomed to me at the age of 15. I don't know if he is weary of others and attaching to the one person (me) that he knows he can trust, or if he's a one person bird (praying he's not).

Question 2: How can I get my senegal to stop getting aggressive and loud the moment my significant other walks in the room and moreso to allow my significant other to pet him?

3. My kakariki has been with me for almost 3 months. She was 8 months old and wild (not hand tamed) when I got her. I have been working with her and as of right now I am at a stand still for quite some time. She will step onto my hand for millet but will jump back to a perch the moment she feels to close to the exit of her cage. I have been slowly trying to move her more and more out of her comfort zone to get her to come out of the cage. No luck. Without millet, I can't really get her onto my hand either.

Question 3: How can I get my kakariki to feel comfortable being removed from her cage, when I can barely move her around inside the cage without her getting spooked?


**Please help me! Thanks!**

 

[RavensGryf]

Hi Valerie, is your Sennie stick trained? If not, sounds like time to get him trained to do so. Also, try to entice him with a favorite treat. Save one 'favorite something' just for going in the cage. Lure him onto your hand in with it, or into the cage with it.

I'll just say it.. You MIGHT NEVER get your SO to become fully accepted by him. With Poi's, I strongly believe through experience, that their "one person" tendencies DON'T so much have to do with socialization or lack thereof, as it does with other species. It's more an integrated part of their nature. You can try for him to only receive treats from your SO while your SO is there, and see if he at least is willing to get treats from him, but there's no guarantee he'll start liking him.

Your Kak probably just needs more time to get used to things. The wilder nature of parakeets including Kakarikis just require more patience. I'd let her go at her own pace. Give it more time. I know she is more wild than Tiki was, and will require more time is all. They don't get tame as fast as a parrot, but you know kaks have good pet potential and I believe you'll get there with Cleo

 

[RainbowRose]

Hi Valerie, is your Sennie stick trained? If not, sounds like time to get him trained to do so. Also, try to entice him with a favorite treat. Save one 'favorite something' just for going in the cage. Lure him onto your hand in with it, or into the cage with it.

I'll just say it.. You MIGHT NEVER get your SO to become fully accepted by him. With Poi's, I strongly believe through experience, that their "one person" tendencies DON'T so much have to do with socialization or lack thereof, as it does with other species. It's more an integrated part of their nature. You can try for him to only receive treats from your SO while your SO is there, and see if he at least is willing to get treats from him, but there's no guarantee he'll start liking him.

Your Kak probably just needs more time to get used to things. The wilder nature of parakeets including Kakarikis just require more patience. I'd let her go at her own pace. Give it more time. I know she is more wild than Tiki was, and will require more time is all. They don't get tame as fast as a parrot, but you know kaks have good pet potential and I believe you'll get there with Cleo

Thank you for a great response! This was super helpful.

Regarding question 1, I have put things in his bowl before to get him to step off my hand instead of clinging to it which has worked. But I am trying to stick train him now as you mentioned. He will go onto the stick but sometimes he is scared of it (or rather he gets angry at it) and won't go near it. But he seemed mostly willing to go on the dowel and I practiced him stepping up from finger to dowel to finger to dowel etc like stairs. He did well and I put him back in the cage with it.

He definitely has a tude. He was on my shoulder and I was scratching him and giving him attention and one move out of place and he gets temperamental and tries to nip. I'm like no no, then back to the cage you go.

Regarding question 2, I REALLY hope he will take to my S.O. I will continue to try to reinforce him when he is behaving nicely for him and when he does not puff up all angry. That one time I took him out on my arm and wanted to let him pet my senegal he puffed up really big and looked angry. Is it wise to stop at this point because he will bite? Or should we push through his angry looking displays and show him that this hand (my S.O.'s hand) is not dangerous like mine. I don't want him to get bit again but technically it's the only way to establish trust right? I just know he's not a bird person like I am so I don't know how much effort he's willing to put in. Of course he doesn't want to get bit again, who does, but he is able to withstand pain better so I've asked him for help with training past birds (even Tiki when he was hormonal) because they suddenly like him. I just wonder if even though he appears like he is going to strike should we try to let him pet his back anyway. Or maybe do it simultaneously as I pet him so that it's me AND my S.O... I have no clue.

Regarding question 3, I will keep working with her! She is afraid of dowels which is unfortunate, I would love to stick train her to make it easier but she's just skittish. I'll keep at it though

 

[RavensGryf]

If he looks like he's going to strike or is posturing, by all means keep all flesh away!! Many times Poi's don't have clear body language and you might miss it and get bit, but that's different. If he IS looking threatening, he's trying to tell you keep your hands away. Let him calm down first.

Sometimes the shape, size, or look of the stick might scare a bird. Raven's breeder had him stick trained, but when I started doing it here, he'd freak out. I found out the stick was a much bigger one than he was used to! When I used a dowel, he wasn't as freaked out. He still doesn't like it though.