Taming a bird with food

[swong66666]

Does taming a bird by using the time specified feeding schedule help the bird trust me as their food source so that they will not be afraid of me anymore? A breeder told me to withhold food from the bird until it is hungry and it will have no choice but to eat from my hand therefore becoming tame.

 

[Owlet]

No, all it teaches that bird is that food is unreliable and it might begin going overboard with food. What's better is to keep on schedule. Feed food at specific times throughout the day so the bird looks forward to seeing you and thus its food. It knows when to expect it and can trust you to bring it.

If you are feeding a pelleted food and/or fresh veggies/fruits you can additionally use high value foods such as seeds as treats to further gain trust and the bird begins to see you as the giver of BEST treats.

 

[swong66666]

No, all it teaches that bird is that food is unreliable and it might begin going overboard with food. What's better is to keep on schedule. Feed food at specific times throughout the day so the bird looks forward to seeing you and thus its food. It knows when to expect it and can trust you to bring it.

If you are feeding a pelleted food and/or fresh veggies/fruits you can additionally use high value foods such as seeds as treats to further gain trust and the bird begins to see you as the giver of BEST treats.

This YouTube video shows that rosellas can be tamed through food:

 

[Owlet]

Just because it CAN be done doesn't mean it SHOULD be done. Withholding food isn't healthy for the bird mentally or physically. What I described is much healthier.

 

[swong66666]

Just because it CAN be done doesn't mean it SHOULD be done. Withholding food isn't healthy for the bird mentally or physically. What I described is much healthier.

So is that video fake news for you? Maybe you should tell that person in the video that they are wrong!

 

[Owlet]

So is that video fake news for you? Maybe you should tell that person in the video that they are wrong!

They're not wrong. It is taming the birds but not in a healthy manner and it's essentially taming the birds through fear. If they don't accept this person they don't get food. Does that sound fun? Not really. It's much more enjoyable for the bird if you give them a steady supply to a normal food but then use a special treat to tame them. That makes it fun for them and they will CHOOSE you rather than believing its that or starve. It's not a true bond, it's just based out of necessity. A bird that actually trusts you and chooses to be around you, you will have a much better bond with and it will be easier to train away negative behaviors and other neat behaviors. They will be more willing to engage with you as it will be a relationship built on a trust, not necessity.

 

[Cottonoid]

One of the great things about being part of a forum like this is getting perspectives from different people with different experience levels and different cultures and different methods.

Being respectful of these differences is an important part of being part of a forum with differing opinions.

I haven't worked with an extensive number of parrots, but I have worked with wild and feral animals in the past, as well as pet mammals. In my experience withholding food of a captive animal never worked as well as meeting their basic need for food at meal times, then withholding only the favorite food for training.

Behavior theory and training methods have changed over time, so if you find something is working for you, that's awesome! There's no "fake news" when it comes to observing  your animal and how their bond with you is developing.

 

[Terry57]

So is that video fake news for you? Maybe you should tell that person in the video that they are wrong!

All it took for me to see that this is not someone I would listen to about anything was a few seconds into the video. Anyone who keeps their birds in dark cinderblock dungeons and only providing a couple of dowels as perches should be learning basic husbandry rather than doing training videos.

I would also like to remind you that respect when speaking to people who take time to answer your posts is required here. Between the laughing emojis and your abrasive post you are being disrespectful, and that won't be tolerated here.