Help taming rescue bird!

[rosellalover]

I got this poor rescue rosella 3 days ago; I believe it is about 3 years old. I can put my hand in its cage for a few minutes, but if I move too quickly it flaps its wings frantically and clings to the side of its cage. I have tamed a dove before and I want this poor rosella to have a happier life with me. Any first thoughts? Also, I held a seed between my first two fingers and put the seed between the bars of the cage. It kept backing up, then coming forward. This is a good sign, as I know from my doves. Should I be doing anything else to encourage trust? I know it also needs to settle itself.

 

[jenphilly]

I got this poor rescue rosella 3 days ago; I believe it is about 3 years old. I can put my hand in its cage for a few minutes, but if I move too quickly it flaps its wings frantically and clings to the side of its cage. I have tamed a dove before and I want this poor rosella to have a happier life with me. Any first thoughts? Also, I held a seed between my first two fingers and put the seed between the bars of the cage. It kept backing up, then coming forward. This is a good sign, as I know from my doves. Should I be doing anything else to encourage trust? I know it also needs to settle itself.

I don't advocate feeding millet much, but when working with the smaller birds, millet is an awesome bonding tool. Put the millet in the palm of your hand and leave your hand in the cage for however long til the bird comes over to munch. Not many birds can refuse millet oh and pull up a chair to the cage, you may be sitting there for a bit. But, be prepared, you are in for a long road. But, with time and patience you can win the trust to at least be able to interact on some level. Some birds are just not social hands on birds, so if you can't get to the hands on stage, don't think you've failed, your little rosella may simple be one that does not want hands on. I have a budgie I worked with for what seemed like forever, and never got very far with him, but he loves his other special needs budgies that have come home from the shelter, so I just accept him for who he is.

Best of luck!! Once you get past the first step, much may come naturally between the two of you.

 

[Astorch]

My 7yo parakeet Messy won't step up on my finger, I think it remembers when I used to clip the wings, I haven't clipped in six years but the bird won't step up, but will sit on my shoulder all day. Maybe the Millet in my palm will help, messy will eat millet from my hand if I hold it in my fingers, but won't step up.

 

[rosellalover]

Thank you! She accepts seeds from a tweezer dropped into a little cup inside her cage now when I am sitting about a foot away; I didn't want to use my fingers, because she began to panic. Juniper has also begun vocalizing very frequently.

 

[rosellalover]

She now accepts seeds from my hand, thrust through her cage bars; my sister has begun whistling in the mornings to Juniper, and she often responds,

 

[Kiwibird]

Nice to hear you are making progress with her. Rosellas are generally considered "aviary birds", so dedicating yourself to working with her to earn her trust and have her be a companion bird is awesome!

 

[rosellalover]

Thank you!

 

[rosellalover]

I want to keep working on having her be more confident in accepting seeds from my hands; after that I think teaching her to step up would be good, but I'm afraid if I put my hand in her cage it might undo some of my work. She does learn very quickly though (my doves took 2 years to sufficiently tame so they would sit on my fingers). Any suggestions on how to get her to not be scared of my hands in her cage?

 

[rosellalover]

I practiced step up with her today though it was more like bite me. She thought I was food or something. Sometimes she clings so tightly to me with her beak I have to lightly shake her off. However, I did get one of her feet on my finger about 2 times out of 60.

 

[wrench13]

IMHO, if you're getting bit that much, you're going at your pace and not the birds. And you are not helping things if you have to shake her off your hand. Teaching her 'Hands = bad. Consider experimenting a bit, will she step up to a stick? a perch? Now that you know her fav treat, use that ONLYfor this and other training. You want to teach her that Hands = good things ( like treat). Good luck

 

[rosellalover]

I'll experiment with dowels and sticks.

 

[rosellalover]

Juniper eats from my hands now. Not a lot of progress stepping up, but the magnitude of her bites has abated. Hopefully more progress in the days to come. :60:

 

[Terry57]

That is wonderful progress that Juniper is eating from your hands! You are building trust, and I have no doubt that the progress will continue

 

[rosellalover]

Thank you! I was feeding her today and forgot to close the door. She flew out onto my finch's cage (died yesterday RIP) and looked confused for a minute. I'd like to think she was saying goodbye to him. I fed her a few times and she flew around a little before returning (by herself) to the cage. I'm wondering now if she was clipped by the store where I bought her.

 

[rosellalover]

Juniper now happily perches on a container. The pictures are of my eldest daughter holding the container. We let her out each day to play and roam around. She seemed quite interested in the sofa yesterday! Slowly, she's getting to trust us. Hopefully a few more times and she'll want to try sitting on our hands. In the first picture, she was just an inch away from our hands! I can't believe the progress, from a frightened rescue bird who cringed away from us and flew wildly around her cage to a partially tame bird. :01: She's helping me deal with the grief of losing my finch particularly.