Hand raised or not?

[SilverSage]

I am just trying to get a feel for some things, would you please do me the favor of answering my poll? If you have more than one bird, please answer for the bird you consider to be your "best pet."

 

[Scott]

Overall, IMHO a hand-raised parrot makes the best pet. A few caveats from my experience with birds born in my home:

2 Timneh Greys; well handled by parents for several weeks, then hand fed. Mixed results: one remained fairly tame, the other hates people!

3 Goffins: All three almost immediately rejected by parents beyond a day or so. Hand-fed by the same person with identical technique offered the above-mentioned Greys: Wonderful results, now extremely tame well-adjusted adults!

The Goffin parents were wild-caught over 25 years ago. They are now separated due to male aggression; the female is remarkably tame, loves to cuddle, and has free-flight with 2 of her babies and other parrots. (she hates her first-born, the sweetest of them all) The male can be touched and is overtly friendly, but will not perch on hand or cuddle.

 

[riddick07]

So I can do all of mine too

Both green cheeks are hand raised. Both are tame. Both are very friendly with me and fly over to me when they wish to talk. Before Monster became flighted he was the most skittish bird I had and acted like the stereotypical image of a parent raised bird.

My sun conure is hand raised and very social. He is pretty bonded to me but as no problem chilling by himself for long periods of time.

My cockatiel girls were hand raised by me. They treat me like flock just like my green cheeks do. They come talk to me when they feel like it..

My boy cockatiels were parent raised. They are both flighty but the one is better then the other. My one, Renji, was never socialized with people until I got him so he is just a flighty guy. He would make a good breeder except for the whole plucking the babies thing. Dante would make an excellent pet with more time spent in socializing him he would act a lot like my girls if given more one on one time. He is happy in the flight though and likes to come out and hang on the stand.

My second to last one is my amazon. He is most likely a wild caught or parent raised the likely hood of being hand fed isn't high at all. He is my most bonded and he acts super attached.

Folger is unknown but wouldn't be surprised if he was hand raised. He is a severely abused rescue so honestly hand raised/parent raised has nothing to do with him...

I know this might be a little controversial and I don't want to create some kind of argument but I found it interesting when typing this up that my most normal non dependent but still social with me birds are flighted and paired up with another of their species...My gccs and female cockatiels. Everyone else has some behavior quirk that keeps them off that completely normal list...

 

[Scott]

I know this might be a little controversial and I don't want to create some kind of argument but I found it interesting when typing this up that my most normal non dependent but still social with me birds are flighted and paired up with another of their species...My gccs and female cockatiels. Everyone else has some behavior quirk that keeps them off that completely normal list...

I can relate! My primary bird-room at times has 3 Goffins, a Moluccan, a Citron, and Timneh Grey out of cage and fully flighted. While the Grey keeps to himself and loathes people, the others fully interact and are extremely social with me, the Moluccan less so. Very interesting to watch the Moluccan groom a Goffin. The 7th occupant is my most tame Goffin, but isn't liked by his mother and younger brother, so they either rotate time out or occupy different rooms.

A small aside to grooming, the Goffins are interested in my female Eclectus, but have no clue how to groom her - they try to pull the single-strands on her head and receive a rude retort!!

 

[veimar]

How do you do this poll with multiple birds? 3 of mine were parent raised, one hand raised and one unknown.

 

[SilverSage]

I find a huge connection between which of my birds are flighted and which get along as well, though mine are not paired up with other species. Most of my birds have same species mates, and the others are single.

 

[Kiwibird]

In a GENERAL sense, I think hand-raised babies who have been with the same, loving owner their whole lives probably have the most desired qualities overall. Of course every bird is an individual and each birds behavior is a bird-by-bird thing paired with environmental factors. Also, every person wants a different experience with their bird, so it's a very subjective thing.

I will never know for sure, but I would bet money Kiwi was parent raised and no one ever put the time into taming him before we got him. He was pretty feral when we got him. Took time to earn trust (he was also older, may be easier with a baby) but once we did, he is quite attached to us. He doesn't enjoy being touched (except to step up) and while friendly with me and my husband, he is NOT typically very friendly when strangers are around. And while I adore him and was willing to accept the challenge of taming him when we got him, he probably wouldn't be everyones ideal pet. I *wish* we could turn back time and get Kiwi as a baby. I bet he would have been those friendly, talking, loves to do tricks birds if we got him young...

 

[Kisota]

I've had three.

My first tiel was hand raised from day one. The breeder actually incubated the eggs and fed them herself right from the start! I think that's a bit risky and probably unnecessary, though. I believe I've heard that letting the parents raise them for the first 2 weeks or so results in plumper, healthier babies.

But she was a perfect bird, so relaxed, sweet, and chill about being handled.

My GCC was hand raised as well, and quite tame when I got him. He's far less "sweet", but super interactive and bold with people, which is great.

And my new tiel is a mystery. I don't really know if she was handfed, though I suspect she was based on how tame she is. She's still settling in so it's hard to see for sure what she's like overall, but she too is very social, unafraid of new people, and good with handling.

I have heard arguments that parent-raised birds are better adjusted and more confident. I don't have enough experience with that to know. There was a wild-caught Amazon I used to work with. He was over 60 years old. He wasn't flighty, but biting was a game to him and he'd let you scratch his head, but couldn't be picked up without a stick and would often lure you in for a scratch so he could try to get you. I loved that guy! He was awesome, but not a super tame pet or anything. Can't blame him, after the life he had, though.

 

[Timothy]

i think the best way to go is to leave the chicks with the parents for the first 2 weeks because the babies get necessary enzymes from premastication feedings. I have seen great results with birds left this way and then removed to begin hand feeding. I don't see any negative impact on successfully hand feeding. And you get stronger healthier chicks in MY personal opinion. Of course everybody has their own technique, but this is just what i've seen from my very limited experience. (8yrs)

however i had a lovely tiel that i got from a friend that was parent raised until he weaned completely, he was handled from 4 weeks on. and he was The Best i freaking MISS Jackie. (RIP, boarding accident) The vet killed him. (I don't use that vet anymore)

But what i'm saying is that each individual baby will be different, and everyone's experience will be difference based soley on the fact that different personalities in people mixed with different personalities in birds = a totally different pet every time.

There is no right or wrong answer. But i prefer babies that were with parents 2 weeks then hand fed and socialized plenty

Edit: What i mean by "2 weeks" is the period of time when the babies begin pushing pin feathers to the time those pin feathers begin to shed and you get some feathery tips on them. which is different for every bird/species

 

[NiRD]

Both my best and my worst bird were hand raised. My best bird is still young. He was raised with love by a breeder, and I got him at around six weeks old.

My worst bird is only about sixteen months, and was also hand raised. He, however, was raised in a pet shop where somebody would come around every so often and squirt a syringe into his mouth and walk away. His human interaction was limited. When he could fend for himself he was tossed into a massive room with a lot of other birds. He got the added benefit of learning all of their bad habits, as most were older birds. He bites, he's spooky, he hisses.... The plus side is he isn't a screamer. I have no idea why he isn't. Ha.

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that hand raised birds don't always make great pets. Not only is it how they are fed, but also what they're exposed to after.

Here's another example. I'm currently working with a macaw who is a wc/ltc. He is the sweetest, most snuggly macaw I have had the pleasure of meeting. Yes great with everybody, including small children and smaller birds. I'm currently training him for a commercial.

 

[ErichT]

My sun and GCC were both hand raised from the same place. My sun is very tame.We actually got her while she was still being hand fed and did that ourselves. My GCC is less tame and more hand offish and we got the lil nipper after she was past the hand fed stage.

 

[bonita]

Dear SilverSage, Happy to respond.For future it's hard to choose a best bird.Emmy is my tame cuddle bug hand raised took to me at the breeders. Paddy was a 2yr. old rescue whom I rescued from the rescue. He was vicious drew blood first time I was near. He needed me. He's loving now but not a cuddle bug.He means as much ;I gave him a new life. Just like kids you love them differently.

 

[veimar]

Most of my birds have same species mates, and the others are single.

I know it's a little off this topic, but how do you deal with the babies if you have pairs of the same species? I would love to get boy- and girlfriends for some of mine, but I really don't want them to breed.

 

[SilverSage]

I personally only pair up my breeding stock. However, it is possible to have opposite gender pets without babies by taking steps to keep hormones under control. 12 hours of sleep, low fat foods, no snuggle huts, etc. there is also the option to keep same sex pairs.