sabrecat666
New member
- Jul 20, 2011
- 37
- 0
- Parrots
- Guido - Jenday Conure, Nunzio - GCC and Kiwi - IRN
So I have been trying to get Guido to let me work with him but he has been so hand shy of me. Well a while back he started coming on to my shoulder to get his sunflower seed. This was great as far as it goes but it didn't seem to progress at all from there. Well ok... I can deal with that. He is at least a little willing to "Hang out" a bit with me.
Well recently that changed. I decided to sit on the couch for a while and not at the computer desk. Guido's cage is between the two. I put him there so he would feel like he is part of the family and it seems to have worked. In any case I sat down after letting Guido out of his cage, and call me stunned mullet, he came and flew right onto my chest and hung out there, all the while wanting his seeds
Great!! he appears to be getting less afraid of me! So I let him wander around and eventually I have to try and stop him from biting holes into my shirt and he flies away. This goes on for a little while.
Well a few days ago he got so excited to get the seed I had that he landed on my hand!! With coaxing (and out right bribery with a sunflower seed ) I manage to get him back on my closed fist. He wont go out on a finger yet though. That's ok. This is progress!
Yesterday I think Guido may have finally made a decision about me. He will is now flying onto my finger on command! Still no progress with "Stepping up" but hes getting there. Today however was the crowning moment. As usual I was getting him to fly to my finger, but this time I tried to get him to "Step up" to my other hand. As usual when I got to close to him he would fly away, but that didnt last. Eventually he started taking a hop/flap to get to my other hand, and by the time that he was no longer interested in being trained ( I have about an hour a day where he is willing to be "trained" - the rest of the time he wants to play with the 'tiels and play on top of his cage ), I had him literally stepping up from one hand to another with him NOT flying and letting me get close enough to have him just step on to the other finger. He looked like he was enjoying it because he kept looking at me and cocking his head and making little chirping sounds.
This is just great because I finally feel like Im able to interact with Guido in a way that is more than just a seed vending machine. For a while it felt like he was frightened while on my hand because I could feel what almost felt like shivering coming from his feet. After a bit though he was rock steady and looking like he was feeling very secure on my finger.
So I think Im finally starting to bond with the little guy ( well I always loved him but it seemed very one way for a while ), but Im also a little confused. He STILL wont let me touch him. I know that he isnt afraid of me. Quite the contrary he flies up to me now when I have made no indication for him to come over, and he cant be afraid of my hand because he will very willing sit on them, and be transferred from hand to hand, even when I dont give him a seed
Is there something else that I need to be doing to get to the point where he will let me touch him, or even reach out to him close enough to get him to "step up" on to my finger when he hasnt first flown to the other hand ? He just went through a molt ( his first I think... just feathers around his head, no tail or flight feathers came out ), and I would love to help him with all the pin feathers that he has, as they seem to be bothering him.
As usual any help that anyone can provide is most appreciated!
Well recently that changed. I decided to sit on the couch for a while and not at the computer desk. Guido's cage is between the two. I put him there so he would feel like he is part of the family and it seems to have worked. In any case I sat down after letting Guido out of his cage, and call me stunned mullet, he came and flew right onto my chest and hung out there, all the while wanting his seeds
Great!! he appears to be getting less afraid of me! So I let him wander around and eventually I have to try and stop him from biting holes into my shirt and he flies away. This goes on for a little while. Well a few days ago he got so excited to get the seed I had that he landed on my hand!! With coaxing (and out right bribery with a sunflower seed ) I manage to get him back on my closed fist. He wont go out on a finger yet though. That's ok. This is progress!
Yesterday I think Guido may have finally made a decision about me. He will is now flying onto my finger on command! Still no progress with "Stepping up" but hes getting there. Today however was the crowning moment. As usual I was getting him to fly to my finger, but this time I tried to get him to "Step up" to my other hand. As usual when I got to close to him he would fly away, but that didnt last. Eventually he started taking a hop/flap to get to my other hand, and by the time that he was no longer interested in being trained ( I have about an hour a day where he is willing to be "trained" - the rest of the time he wants to play with the 'tiels and play on top of his cage ), I had him literally stepping up from one hand to another with him NOT flying and letting me get close enough to have him just step on to the other finger. He looked like he was enjoying it because he kept looking at me and cocking his head and making little chirping sounds.
This is just great because I finally feel like Im able to interact with Guido in a way that is more than just a seed vending machine. For a while it felt like he was frightened while on my hand because I could feel what almost felt like shivering coming from his feet. After a bit though he was rock steady and looking like he was feeling very secure on my finger.
So I think Im finally starting to bond with the little guy ( well I always loved him but it seemed very one way for a while
), but Im also a little confused. He STILL wont let me touch him. I know that he isnt afraid of me. Quite the contrary he flies up to me now when I have made no indication for him to come over, and he cant be afraid of my hand because he will very willing sit on them, and be transferred from hand to hand, even when I dont give him a seed Is there something else that I need to be doing to get to the point where he will let me touch him, or even reach out to him close enough to get him to "step up" on to my finger when he hasnt first flown to the other hand ? He just went through a molt ( his first I think... just feathers around his head, no tail or flight feathers came out ), and I would love to help him with all the pin feathers that he has, as they seem to be bothering him.
As usual any help that anyone can provide is most appreciated!
