Birds 12 to 14 weeks old are the easiest to tame. They have not become set in their ways, and usually have not already been trained by another human.
House separately the bird you want to train. This way she can focus on you as her companion, rather than her housemate. Leave her in solitude so she can accustom herself to her new housing.
Feed and water her as usual, softly talking or whistling to her as you do so. Gradually work yourself to where she accepts your hand touching the perch beside her. After a few days she may chatter or whistle when she sees you approaching the cage. When this happens she is ready for more training.
Softly and gently grasp the bird around the body, holding the wings cupped naturally against her. She may bite and nip at you. Younger birds bites usually do not hurt as much as an older bird. Maintain your hold and she will soon stop. If she bites and refuses to let go, you can gently thump her under the chin. Do not punish her, this is natural, and if punished she may become harder to train. Keep talking to her.
There are two views on wing clipping. Some believe this helps to train a bird, enabling you to keep up with her until fully trained. Others think this deprives the birds of needed exercise.
If you decide to clip her wings, remember that clipping the wings still enables her limited flight. If you do clip, the feathers will grow back in about six months.
Using two people to clip the wings is easier and safer than just one person. One holds the wing extended out while the other cuts the feathers. Clip from the middle of the wing outward, but don't clip to close to the covert feathers, which contain the blood vessels. If you do cause bleeding, watch closely, dab with hydrogen peroxide. The cut will clot soon. You can also contact the pet shop owner to see if they, or someone they know, can clip the wings for you, if it makes you too nervous.
To hand train the bird, offer her food through the bars. When this becomes natural to her, now offer her the food from your hand inside the cage. It may take several days before she will take the proffered food. Don't worry, keep it calm and be patient, she will finally take it. Keep talking to her!
When she takes the food from your hand several times in a row, now try taking your index finger and touching and stroking her breast, head and back. She may jump or nip you at first. Just keep trying, as she begins to understand you are not going to hurt her.
The next step is to slightly push at her breast with your finger, trying to force her to step onto it to get a treat. She may again bite and nip at you. Even if this hurts, do not move back! If you do, she has learned how to make you retreat, it may also frighten her. Either way, you might have lost training ground and will have to start over. Keep doing this until she will perch on your finger. When she does, gradually move your hand around inside the cage, don't jerk or make sudden movements. If she flies off, let her stop and rest, then try again. Keep offering treats to her. It is again time to mention: Keep talking to her!
She will begin to think of your hand as a natural part of her treats. Finally, cup your other hand over her (but not touching) while she perches on your finger. When this is accomplished without fear on her part, you can now gradually bring her out of the cage. Don't worry if she flies off your hand when this happens. Reach down, and press your finger against her breast so she'll hop back on. Slowly lift her back up to you.
Most birds will want to climb to the highest point on your body. Don't be afraid when she climbs up your arm, and onto your shoulder or head. Speak soothingly to her as she climbs and inspects you. Relax and enjoy her curiosity in you.
Do not feed her anywhere except in her cage. She needs to associate the cage with food so if she is let out for free time, she will want to return back when hungry.
Some birds require free time outside of the cage. If so, make sure you cover windows, mirrors and large glass panels to prevent her from crashing into them. She does not know there is a barrier there to hurt her, she thinks it is all open spaces. She has to be supervised during the exercise flying time. She will peck and chew on almost any surface. If you have toxic plants, either take them to a room where she won't be, or give the plants away.
After her first time out of the cage, she may not return to it on her own, preferring to find the highest point in the room to rest on. You can try to offer her your finger lower her down. If that fails, wait until dark, turn off the lights and throw a cloth over her to capture her. Do NOT chase her and try to capture. Not only can she be hurt, but it just may ruin the relationship between you.
As she becomes more tamed, and learns about the house, she will return to her home when tired or hungry.
Some birds can mimic sounds. Start off by simple short whistled notes or words. The "secret" to teaching them to talk is repetition. At first, she may sound raspy when trying to make that sound, but gradually she'll be more and more clear.
Many birds are sociable, especially when caged alone. When sharing a cage with another, they will transfer the need for companionship to that bird, making it harder to tame them. But, if you do have only one bird, or in a separate cage, make sure you give her daily attention. A lonely bird will become agitated, noisy and maybe destructive.
NEVER! EVER! allow your bird to fly outside! She will get lost. She is not accustomed to the outdoors and will die.
The rest of the training methods and abilities depend upon the bird. Check the links provided for more information.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Correcting Bad Behavior in Birds
Although at times your pet may behave in a way that annoys you or makes you downright mad, it's important to remember these rules when responding to the transgression:
Never hit a bird. Birds are extremely fragile creatures and even the slightest force can cause severe injury or death. Physically abusing a bird can also lead to irreversible psychological problems, and can promote aggression and viciousness.
Don't hold a grudge. Birds are extremely intelligent, but also very sensitive creatures. When you express displeasure with your bird's behavior, make the lesson short and sweet. Prolonged negative attention can cause undue emotional stress for your pet.
Never compromise your bird's health. "Punishing" a bird by witholding food or neglecting cage cleaning is never a fit way to deal with a behavior problem. Such actions are not only cruel, but can cause serious physical and emotional damage for the pet.
Responding to Bad Behavior
In order for your bird to understand you when you catch him acting up, it's necessary that you remember the correct way to respond. While a normal "human" response to an unpleasant discovery would be to loudly declare your grievance, a bird can interpret this reaction and body language as excitement -- meaning that he may actually think you are praising the behavior. Conclusively, dealing with a bird's behavior problem can be just as much about training yourself as it is about training your pet.
In order to respond properly to undesirable behavior, it's helpful to keep the following steps in mind. With consistency and patience, you may find that it won't take long for your bird to catch on.
Have the bird step up onto your hand. When your bird misbehaves, have him step up onto your hand and hold him at eye level.
Be very expressive. Don't be afraid to frown at your bird. Avians are capable of picking up on facial expressions, and most get the idea if your body language expresses your distaste for his actions.
Speak softly, but sternly. Use a tone of voice that is low but not loud when you tell your bird that he has done wrong. Be as "matter of fact" as possible, but keep it short. You will be amazed at how effective it can be!
Place your bird on his cage or perch. After you've conveyed your dissatisfaction, have your bird step off of your hand and onto his cage or perch. Allow him to stay there for a few minutes to reflect on what happened, and then go back and interact playfully with your pet -- he should know that you are no longer upset with him, and that he is now being a good bird.
Consistency is Key
All birds are individuals, and some may catch on quicker than others. Don't get discouraged if your pet's behavior doesn't change overnight. As long as you stay consistent with your training methods, your bird will likely understand you sooner rather than later.
Remember that positively reinforcing good behavior is just as important than pointing out and modifying bad behavior. If you notice your bird acting exceptionally well, don't miss the chance to lavish praise on your pet. Birds respond much more readily to training techniques that focus on the positive rather than the negative, so don't forget to incorporate lots of fun and praise into your training methods.
With a little work, patience, and love, your bird should be acting like an angel in no time. Your effort will be rewarded with a beautiful, intelligent, and well-behaved pet -- and who could ask for anything more?
Source: http://birds.about.com/od/behaviorandtraining/a/badbehavior.htm
Never hit a bird. Birds are extremely fragile creatures and even the slightest force can cause severe injury or death. Physically abusing a bird can also lead to irreversible psychological problems, and can promote aggression and viciousness.
Don't hold a grudge. Birds are extremely intelligent, but also very sensitive creatures. When you express displeasure with your bird's behavior, make the lesson short and sweet. Prolonged negative attention can cause undue emotional stress for your pet.
Never compromise your bird's health. "Punishing" a bird by witholding food or neglecting cage cleaning is never a fit way to deal with a behavior problem. Such actions are not only cruel, but can cause serious physical and emotional damage for the pet.
Responding to Bad Behavior
In order for your bird to understand you when you catch him acting up, it's necessary that you remember the correct way to respond. While a normal "human" response to an unpleasant discovery would be to loudly declare your grievance, a bird can interpret this reaction and body language as excitement -- meaning that he may actually think you are praising the behavior. Conclusively, dealing with a bird's behavior problem can be just as much about training yourself as it is about training your pet.
In order to respond properly to undesirable behavior, it's helpful to keep the following steps in mind. With consistency and patience, you may find that it won't take long for your bird to catch on.
Have the bird step up onto your hand. When your bird misbehaves, have him step up onto your hand and hold him at eye level.
Be very expressive. Don't be afraid to frown at your bird. Avians are capable of picking up on facial expressions, and most get the idea if your body language expresses your distaste for his actions.
Speak softly, but sternly. Use a tone of voice that is low but not loud when you tell your bird that he has done wrong. Be as "matter of fact" as possible, but keep it short. You will be amazed at how effective it can be!
Place your bird on his cage or perch. After you've conveyed your dissatisfaction, have your bird step off of your hand and onto his cage or perch. Allow him to stay there for a few minutes to reflect on what happened, and then go back and interact playfully with your pet -- he should know that you are no longer upset with him, and that he is now being a good bird.
Consistency is Key
All birds are individuals, and some may catch on quicker than others. Don't get discouraged if your pet's behavior doesn't change overnight. As long as you stay consistent with your training methods, your bird will likely understand you sooner rather than later.
Remember that positively reinforcing good behavior is just as important than pointing out and modifying bad behavior. If you notice your bird acting exceptionally well, don't miss the chance to lavish praise on your pet. Birds respond much more readily to training techniques that focus on the positive rather than the negative, so don't forget to incorporate lots of fun and praise into your training methods.
With a little work, patience, and love, your bird should be acting like an angel in no time. Your effort will be rewarded with a beautiful, intelligent, and well-behaved pet -- and who could ask for anything more?
Source: http://birds.about.com/od/behaviorandtraining/a/badbehavior.htm
Teaching your bird to talk
The first step to teaching your bird to talk is to bond with your feathered friend, and form reasonable expectations of him.
Not all bird species can talk, and even those that have the ability sometimes choose not to use it. To determine is your bird is a good candidate for speech training, do a bit of research on your pet's species. Some birds are known to be better talkers than others, so you shouldn't expect your pet to say more than he or she is capable of.
Not all bird species can talk, and even those that have the ability sometimes choose not to use it. To determine is your bird is a good candidate for speech training, do a bit of research on your pet's species. Some birds are known to be better talkers than others, so you shouldn't expect your pet to say more than he or she is capable of.
Teach Your Bird to Talk
The fastest way to encourage a bird to talk is to set up a training routine and work with it every day. Even this method, however, is not entirely guaranteed to work. While some birds pick up on human speech quite readily, some birds take months or even years to say their first word. Some will never talk at all -- even owners that work with their pets diligently sometimes end up with a bird that won't say a word.
If you feel like your bird is taking too long with his speech training, try teaching something a little bit easier, such as whistling. Many birds find whistling much easier than mimicking speech, and some may be more willing to give it a try for this reason.
With love, patience, and plenty of practice and training time, most birds that are members of the parrot family will learn to mimic something.
Pay attention to the vocalizations that your bird makes during the day. You may be surprised to find that you recognize some of them as environmental sounds that you hear every day in your home, like telephones, microwave buzzers, and doorbells.
Even if your bird never speaks a human word, you shouldn't feel slighted. Speech training, interaction, and socialization all help to strengthen the bond between you and your pet, so if your bird remains silent, you can still be assured that you'll get a loveable, intelligent, and interesting companion out of the deal -- and as far as owning a bird goes, that's the best part!
If you feel like your bird is taking too long with his speech training, try teaching something a little bit easier, such as whistling. Many birds find whistling much easier than mimicking speech, and some may be more willing to give it a try for this reason.
With love, patience, and plenty of practice and training time, most birds that are members of the parrot family will learn to mimic something.
Pay attention to the vocalizations that your bird makes during the day. You may be surprised to find that you recognize some of them as environmental sounds that you hear every day in your home, like telephones, microwave buzzers, and doorbells.
Even if your bird never speaks a human word, you shouldn't feel slighted. Speech training, interaction, and socialization all help to strengthen the bond between you and your pet, so if your bird remains silent, you can still be assured that you'll get a loveable, intelligent, and interesting companion out of the deal -- and as far as owning a bird goes, that's the best part!
Birds Personality
Personality
Birds are not like dogs, who generally like petting and will take contact from just about anyone. Birds vary greatly in how they like contact: some birds like physical contact while others like their personal space, and most are more likely to accept contact from people they know well. If you have a bird that does not like to be touched, you will need to approach your bird very slowly in order to make your bird comfortable with contact. Ultimately, you may just have to accept that your bird is not going to be a cuddly bird, since persisting in petting a bird that just doesn't like contact is going to erode your bird's trust. If you do have a cuddly bird that likes human contact, it probably won't take much effort at all to get your bird asking for cuddles by lowering its head to you.
Birds are not like dogs, who generally like petting and will take contact from just about anyone. Birds vary greatly in how they like contact: some birds like physical contact while others like their personal space, and most are more likely to accept contact from people they know well. If you have a bird that does not like to be touched, you will need to approach your bird very slowly in order to make your bird comfortable with contact. Ultimately, you may just have to accept that your bird is not going to be a cuddly bird, since persisting in petting a bird that just doesn't like contact is going to erode your bird's trust. If you do have a cuddly bird that likes human contact, it probably won't take much effort at all to get your bird asking for cuddles by lowering its head to you.
Getting Comfortable with Petting
Getting Comfortable with Petting
You can do a little bit of training to get your bird more comfortable with the idea of being petted. As with other forms of training, practice in short frequent sessions and stick to small steps at first.
Choose a quiet time when your bird is relaxed.
Keep your hand in full view of the bird.
Speak to your bird before petting him or her.
Try just lightly touching and petting the beak at first.
If your bird lets you touch his/her beak, try gradually moving your fingers to the skin on the face just behind the beak.
Use a very gentle touch.
Work your way around the side of the head.
Work with the natural orientation of the feathers -- petting the "wrong way" can be irritating. Pet either in the direction the feathers naturally lay down, or gently scratch side to side between the feathers.
Eventually, as the bird relaxes (a bird that is enjoying being petted will often ruffle its feathers and bow its head) you can work your way around to the back of the head and neck.
Don't try to force your bird to like petting.
Don't expect your bird to accept petting from strangers.
Not Too Much, and Stick With the Head
A good cuddle is nice for you and your bird, but it is a good idea to avoid excessive petting and to avoid petting the back and body of your bird. A mature bird may find this stimulating and may result in a sexually frustrated bird, which in turn may lead to behavior issues. Make sure petting doesn't become the only way to interact with your bird; ensure you are socializing with your bird in other ways (tricks, games, exploring, toys, talking, just being together).
You can do a little bit of training to get your bird more comfortable with the idea of being petted. As with other forms of training, practice in short frequent sessions and stick to small steps at first.
Choose a quiet time when your bird is relaxed.
Keep your hand in full view of the bird.
Speak to your bird before petting him or her.
Try just lightly touching and petting the beak at first.
If your bird lets you touch his/her beak, try gradually moving your fingers to the skin on the face just behind the beak.
Use a very gentle touch.
Work your way around the side of the head.
Work with the natural orientation of the feathers -- petting the "wrong way" can be irritating. Pet either in the direction the feathers naturally lay down, or gently scratch side to side between the feathers.
Eventually, as the bird relaxes (a bird that is enjoying being petted will often ruffle its feathers and bow its head) you can work your way around to the back of the head and neck.
Don't try to force your bird to like petting.
Don't expect your bird to accept petting from strangers.
Not Too Much, and Stick With the Head
A good cuddle is nice for you and your bird, but it is a good idea to avoid excessive petting and to avoid petting the back and body of your bird. A mature bird may find this stimulating and may result in a sexually frustrated bird, which in turn may lead to behavior issues. Make sure petting doesn't become the only way to interact with your bird; ensure you are socializing with your bird in other ways (tricks, games, exploring, toys, talking, just being together).
Bird Body Language
Bird Body Language
When approaching training your bird to accept petting, the first step is to read the cues your bird is giving you. Remember that reaching for your bird's head to pet it may be perceived as a threat by your bird, especially if you try to reach the back of the head. Does your bird assume a stiff posture and stare at you when you approach it? Does he or she run away, or try to push you away or even try to bite? These are clear signs that the bird is not comfortable with what is happening. If you ignore the body language of a stressed bird, you may get bitten! On the other hand, a bird that likes being petted is relaxed, and will often turn its head a bit to the side or even bow its head down for scratches and petting. Some will bow their heads down and close their eyes, a sign of a happy bird that fully trusts that petting is not a threat.
When approaching training your bird to accept petting, the first step is to read the cues your bird is giving you. Remember that reaching for your bird's head to pet it may be perceived as a threat by your bird, especially if you try to reach the back of the head. Does your bird assume a stiff posture and stare at you when you approach it? Does he or she run away, or try to push you away or even try to bite? These are clear signs that the bird is not comfortable with what is happening. If you ignore the body language of a stressed bird, you may get bitten! On the other hand, a bird that likes being petted is relaxed, and will often turn its head a bit to the side or even bow its head down for scratches and petting. Some will bow their heads down and close their eyes, a sign of a happy bird that fully trusts that petting is not a threat.
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