New Bird, Hand Shy

[joeparrilla5790]

So we had our first bathroom step up session today, and I was very happy. I got him onto a perch and brought him to my bathroom. We spend 10 minutes stepping up and down with a sunflower seed reward and he seems to be getting it. There was no biting, but then again there was really no finger usage. I did make sure to keep my hands very close to him on the perch though and also when he was walking around. All he did was nibble at my legs... he seemed to like the hair My question is, how to I turn this perch step up into a finger step up? I eventually want him to step onto my hand obviously, but Im not sure how to transition.

 

[TurquoiseMel]

Hey there. Sorry in advance if this has already been suggested I haven't read the entire thread but along with patience and super yummy treats (mine LOVES grapes) I've noticed my hand shy bird of the two that I have, feels a lot more comfortable if I ask him to step up onto an arm or a closed fist. I guess it's the fingers that creep him out for whatever reason.

Good luck !

 

[tab_xo]

great job with your improvement so far !

in my experience with my quaker: he was very scared of my fingers, so i used a stick for him to step onto, which he did... each time i would move my finger along the stick a bit further... and just kept practicing this... soon after my finger was right next to where he was stepping up, and then after that my finger was the same place he was stepping up.. and he was stepping onto my finger! then it was slowly removing the stick each time,, and then he would step onto my finger perfectly

hope this helps... im sure monicamc will be along to help soon!

 

[joeparrilla5790]

Great advice, that makes a lot of sense. Now that the bird has had out of cage time, it wants to be out all the time. He runs to the front when I open it and just goes crazy to get my attention when Im in my room. How do I know when he is ready to just be allowed to hang in my room freely while I am doing work, reading, playing a game and other things? I obviously cant be in a training session constantly, but I dont mind him hanging out. I feel bad leaving him in the cage when Im right next to him. I spend 6-8 hours a day, 4 days a week at work so he has plenty of alone time. Is it a bad idea to let him out before I have established a 100% step up command and other things? I dont want to move too fast, but he really seems to be turning around rather quickly. I guess it is good that he is craving time with me. The short training sessions are sort of a tease I guess

 

[tab_xo]

ummmm im not totally sure with that question.. with fargo i let him out each day and he would just sit on his gym,, so it was good that he was out of his cage... he didnt establish a great step up until a few days after.. i also covered all the windows so he couldnt hurt himself if he did fly.. Letting him out actually made him like me more i think, he would climb down the cage and sit next to me... when he was on his stand i would ask him to step up,, and he didnt, so i ignored him and he wanted my attention! so climbed down with me again haha you just have to be confident you will be able to get him back in the cage when you want him to.. fargo will come immediately if he sees a nut lol fargo didnt want to sit with me for the first few days when he was out of his cage, but now he doesnt leave me alone

but like i said im not sure with that !
but that is great that he is wanting your attention! thats a good step, he is showing he is starting to trust you and wants to be with you

 

[Birdlover11]

I don't think theirs a prob with that

 

[joeparrilla5790]

ummmm im not totally sure with that question.. with fargo i let him out each day and he would just sit on his gym,, so it was good that he was out of his cage... he didnt establish a great step up until a few days after.. i also covered all the windows so he couldnt hurt himself if he did fly.. Letting him out actually made him like me more i think, he would climb down the cage and sit next to me... when he was on his stand i would ask him to step up,, and he didnt, so i ignored him and he wanted my attention! so climbed down with me again haha you just have to be confident you will be able to get him back in the cage when you want him to.. fargo will come immediately if he sees a nut lol fargo didnt want to sit with me for the first few days when he was out of his cage, but now he doesnt leave me alone

but like i said im not sure with that !
but that is great that he is wanting your attention! thats a good step, he is showing he is starting to trust you and wants to be with you

THanks. I guess it cant hurt. I am pretty confident that I can get him to do almost anything for a sunflower seed, he is crazy about them. I think since I had two successful 15 minute training sessions today, Ill let him sleep and let him out tomorrow. Thanks for the help, its good to have people to help me out here. Its pretty stressful knowing that every decision and reaction you make could determine the birds nature...

 

[tab_xo]

no problem! oh i know what you mean, and there is so much information but they all end up contradicting each other ! Best way to learn is from experience,, you will know your bird better than anyone else good luck!!

 

[MonicaMc]

I don't think much of my help is required at this point! LOL

The only way to know for sure if your bird is ready to be out, is to let him out! And that's after making sure the bird has interest in you! If the bird is frightened of you, and tries to get away, the bird isn't ready! But if the bird comes to you from inside the cage, it's worth a try!

 

[joeparrilla5790]

Well everything seemed to be going well, but we are back to aggressive biting again... I just cant understand it. He will step onto my finger sometimes with no problem, other times he will look like hes going to test my finger for security, but he will bite hard and not let go. It is so hard to understand why he is doing it when it appears so random. Now he is even being more aggressive in the cage. I just cant help but feel like I am somehow enabling the behavior.

 

[MonicaMc]

I'm sorry to hear you are getting frustrated! I've never owned a green cheek, but I've heard far too often how nippy these guys are! And my limited experience with them has only shown me that they can be handled without nipping. I don't know if it's just me, the birds, or a combination of both.

It is best to be patient with him, but now that he's starting to settle in, is there any way you can set up a place for him to play at with toys and treats, allow him to come out of the cage and take him to this area so he can have some time out of the cage? And see if he'd be willing to interact with you on a more friendly basis? Maybe playing with the toys with him? Handing him some other goodies?

 

[joeparrilla5790]

I'm sorry to hear you are getting frustrated! I've never owned a green cheek, but I've heard far too often how nippy these guys are! And my limited experience with them has only shown me that they can be handled without nipping. I don't know if it's just me, the birds, or a combination of both.

It is best to be patient with him, but now that he's starting to settle in, is there any way you can set up a place for him to play at with toys and treats, allow him to come out of the cage and take him to this area so he can have some time out of the cage? And see if he'd be willing to interact with you on a more friendly basis? Maybe playing with the toys with him? Handing him some other goodies?

The thing is, his biting is strange and not really aggressive. He will step up onto a perch 99% of the time with no problem, and will even step to my finger sometimes. Before stepping to my finger, he will always put his beak to it. Sometimes he just puts a bit of pressure and then steps up, but most of the time he just continues to bite until he gives up. My problem is that I have no idea how to react to the biting. I know not to pull away or make a big deal of it, so what can I possibly do? I know how to praise his positive behavior, but I cant seem to understand how to let him know something is bad without making too big of a deal.

 

[MonicaMc]

I'd tell him to be "easy" or "gentle", try distracting with toy or treat.

Does he react any differently if its a finger vs your palm held out flat (up or down) or your hand in a fist?

 

[joeparrilla5790]

I'd tell him to be "easy" or "gentle", try distracting with toy or treat.

Does he react any differently if its a finger vs your palm held out flat (up or down) or your hand in a fist?

Yes definitely. He will often attempt to bite the closed fist or palm, but once he realizes that he cant grab anything, he quickly gives up. When he gets his beak around a finger or a soft piece of palm flesh, he continues to bite it harder and harder... usually until it hurts me too much and I kind of push him off. He can almost draw blood.