My first hand rared parrot

[Sean_22]

Hi everyone im new member to this forum and i have just purchased my first parrot he is a Red collar rainbow lorikeet who i have named rocky .
i have had him for 2 days now and am trying to gain as much information and tips as i possibly can to make my life and rockys life as happy and stress free as possible . i am unsure of his age but he is still young as his beak is still half black . so far i can get him onto my hand most of the time and he goes straight onto my shoulder and hides behind my head to start off i wanna teach him to
*jump onto my hand with a "up" command and to not bite or get savage when trying sometimes when i try he gets agrovated and nips me . as far as i can see he is very skittish of me and when i put my hand into the cage he trys to keep as much distance as possible .
so any tips or tricks will be greatly appreciated as i said i am a green horn when it comes to handling birds .

also any other tips or advice would be more then welcome

thanks in advance for your time

 

[antoinette]

Congrat's on your new bird, welcome to a great forum.
Browse around, many interesting post, worth reading.
Will assist you soon, busy now.....
Good luck

 

[Sean_22]

Hello and thank you for the warm welcome . i know you people hve probably seen post from a 100 people like me only just got my first parrot and am asking why it doesnt like me me . well i am only worried for the parrots sake as i dont want to scare it and make it not like me for a long lenght in time im worried that if i dont handle it enough it will turn savage and that if i handle it to much it will get sick of the attention . how much attention should i give it ? should i just open cage and let him go until he feels comfotable ? i heard that lorikeets are nippers and like to try and show who is boss i just need to know how long of time is sufficent to handle the bird and what kind of handling will be best to start with ? he loves crawling in behind my hed and hiding .. plese help if possible

 

[antoinette]

Oh the red collar lorikeets are such beautiful birds, the colouring is amazing !!!
Below I have posted a link, great advise.
Red-collared Lorikeets: Species Information and Photos

Will catch up with you later, browse through the link in the meantime

 

[Sean_22]

just wanted to say thanks for the link it was very informative . i am in the process of teaching rocky that i or my hand are not a threat as when i go to put my hand in the cage and put it to his feet/ chest he gets aggrovated and 50% of the time he tries to nip , how to i go about getting him to trust me and my hand better without scaring him ??

 

[antoinette]

just wanted to say thanks for the link it was very informative . i am in the process of teaching rocky that i or my hand are not a threat as when i go to put my hand in the cage and put it to his feet/ chest he gets aggrovated and 50% of the time he tries to nip , how to i go about getting him to trust me and my hand better without scaring him ??

Rocky needs time to settle down, getting used to his new surroundings and of course his new guardian.
Try sits near the cage, just talking to him, let him get familiar with your voice. Offer him a treat, through the bars at first. He might be hesitant at first. When he starts taking the treats, leave the cage door open. Talk and interact with him. Do not attempt to handle him at first. Leave a treat near the opening, curiosity will get the better of him. Continue with this routinely every day. Be patient, when he gains your trust, he will come out, in his own time. When he comes out on his own, praise him, let him see how happy you are. Each time, place the treat nearer to where you are sitting, near the open cage. When he is comfortable with this, hold the treat in your hand. Tell him yummy yummy, and offer the treat.
Make no sudden moves or noises, birds do scare easily. When his is familiar taking the treat from your hand, offer him a treat, saying uppies uppies. Gently offer him your pointer finger to climb onto. He will probably refuse, and step back. Continue with this a few times a day, if possible. Believe me, when he wants a treat, he will begin to uppies.....

Sorry so long...... only way I could explain it thoroughly
Let us know how it goes
Good Luck

 

[Spiritbird]

Excellent information from Antionette. What a beautiful bird you have young man. I would not start out by putting my hand in the cage if it bothers Rocky. Please do not be in a hurry with the bonding process because it does take time. He needs to get used to your voice and your presence. Keep a calm voice and calm actions at all times. They are very keen on watching you. My bird does not like my hand in the cage either so I have to test how she is feeling first. Have you read up on the care and training of parrots? The step up and step down will come easily once Rocky trust you. Good luck

 

[Auggie's Dad]

I was about to write up a reply, but looks like Antoinette covered it pretty well.

Be patient, let him come to you on his terms, but be around. Interact at the distance he is comfortable with and before you know it he'll be coming to you.

For getting him out of his cage I always encourage people - no matter how long they've had their bird - to not reach in to get them out; instead open the cage and let them come out, or lure them out with a treat.

 

[Sean_22]

thanks for your advice peoples ... i have already noticed that today when i went in to greet him in the morning he was right up at the cage door where as before he would be in back corner , so i opened the cage door and just sat my hand at opening sure enough he rushed out onto my arm ran up onto my shoulder then jumped onto top of his cage . i have put a small dish of his food and water up there and i have just been sitting down next to cage at eye level talking to him . and making silly noises and he seems to be very interested in my voice and facial expressions . thanks for the tip on not putting hands into cage from now on i will try sitting hand at door if he doesnt jump on my hand i will just leave door open with some treats on his cage top and let him do his thing . a couple of times while sitting next to cage he jumps onto my shoulder and tucks in behind my head nibbling my hair ( its so cute ) . and he loves being right near my window as he listen's and talk's to the wild rainbow lorikeets that hang around in our trees out the front

thanks again for your advice and any more tips or advice is more then welcome . and if im doing something wrong just flat out tell me im fond of constructive critisim

p.s took my first pic's with him today and am in process of posting them on here

 

[antoinette]

Keep up the good work........ be patient and persevere
Rocky is sure a beautiful bird.
The pic's are awesome.
Ps... give me a few tips for a great pic...... Mishka does not sit still for one sec

 

[Sean_22]

thanks for the nice comment and yes rocky sure is a little cutie . im so happy with him , today he diecided to take a jumpy jump wiithout a rope from top of his cage to the bottom and has now snapped a tail feather its all bent and hanging out towards his head it has me worried will be pluck it him helf ? will it heal ? or do i cut it . im scared to cut it because i heard they can have severe bleeding from it if not done properly plus i dont wanna do that to him for pain reasons ?