For about three months I have had a male Opaline Rosella who just turned seven months old and is extremely hand shy. He has never been handled and it was apparent when I received him that he had never had had extensive amounts of time out of his cage for flying. I have let his flight feathers grow out and he is now pretty good at getting around although he lacks substantial endurance. I have gotten him to step up only a couple of times after lengthy sessions of coaxing with millet - his favorite treat. He will also come eat out of my palm after making a dozen or so flybys although he won't abide me trying to touch him in any way while doing so.
For the past couple of days I have simply been picking him up and putting him underneath a sheet with me to deny his ability to escape. I've done this as opposed to clipping his wings. So far he will not accept any type of bribery and simply runs around chirping his protest and displeasure. Is there another way to encourage a positive response to handling? He simply flies away if I do not have the sheet above him.
One particularly bad behavior I would like to get past is his biting. He will often come to investigate whatever I am doing and then bite me hard enough to draw blood. At first I thought it may past as he was exploring, but he continues to exhibit this behavior after several months. If I protest his biting he makes a sort of clucking nose and becomes much more aggressive. He seems to actually enjoy 'playing' like this but I have been avoiding it as to not encourage biting.
For the past couple of days I have simply been picking him up and putting him underneath a sheet with me to deny his ability to escape. I've done this as opposed to clipping his wings. So far he will not accept any type of bribery and simply runs around chirping his protest and displeasure. Is there another way to encourage a positive response to handling? He simply flies away if I do not have the sheet above him.
One particularly bad behavior I would like to get past is his biting. He will often come to investigate whatever I am doing and then bite me hard enough to draw blood. At first I thought it may past as he was exploring, but he continues to exhibit this behavior after several months. If I protest his biting he makes a sort of clucking nose and becomes much more aggressive. He seems to actually enjoy 'playing' like this but I have been avoiding it as to not encourage biting.
