Re-Taming Harry..

[Parro]

So my little male cockatiel used to be tamed before. and you'll be shocked to see what I'm going to say. but I wasn't able to let him out of his cage for a MonthS.I am VERY sorry if this got you mad at me but it was because I had loads of exams, quizes and home works. So my days at that point were all studying. Harry wasn't able to get out but his little friendly personality had COMPLETELY changed. He became untamed and instead of backing off. He would LUNGE at me and give me the 'breathing' noise. I tried my best to calm him down, I tried to approach him slowly to show him I'm coming. also, at the time when I was studying his wife, Lora. laid some eggs. At that point was when he started behaving aggressively, My Indian ringneck has his cage next to Lora and Harry's cage. and from what I saw Sunny (the Indian ringneck) would climb to the wall of the cage that was next to Harry's cage and stare at them. Lora wouldn't mind sunny watching her but Harry tries to bite sunny whenever he tries to stare at them.


any help? I dont want ANY of my birds to suffer

 

[MonicaMc]

Harry has a mate/family to protect. He's aggressive to protect that which he holds close to him. Pretty normal.


Do they still have eggs or a nest?

 

[Parro]

Harry has a mate/family to protect. He's aggressive to protect that which he holds close to him. Pretty normal.


Do they still have eggs or a nest?

His eggs were laid a long time ago. it was when he started behaving aggressively even when the eggs did not hatch. (the eggs were not fertile, no babies inside them because my birds are too young to have fertile eggs)
He stayed aggressive even after that event. my poor bird

 

[MonicaMc]

Alright, then find his favorite treat (millet is often a good one!) or use his food and see if he'll eat from your hands. I've actually have had great success just feeding birds by hand in order to get them over their fear of hands! (and humans!)



[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9w9w8nMRmw"]Hesitant Faye - YouTube[/ame]



[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH9ZWxhCSAE"]Not So Hesitant Faye - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Parro]

Alright, then find his favorite treat (millet is often a good one!) or use his food and see if he'll eat from your hands. I've actually have had great success just feeding birds by hand in order to get them over their fear of hands! (and humans!)



Hesitant Faye - YouTube



Not So Hesitant Faye - YouTube

I'd LOVE to do that However, when i meant aggressive i meant REALLY aggressive, if i approach him. He would turn to a devil.
Alright. Here is what happens:

1.I approach the cage.
2.Harry will start opening his beak (I know, this is a sign of a near bite)
3.Once Harry fully opens his beak. He will prepare for a bite. Harry gives me a look saying "If you get an inch closer, prepare for a world of pain"
4.I move more slowly, but then he LUNGES at me like a runaway hippo.
5.I back off then he calms down.

I live in Asia, Jordan. In jordan, some parrot stuff doesnt exit there. I dont know if there are no millet. But ill check. The problem im trying to explain is that as long as my hand is close to him he will keep his beak open and he will stay angry. So i dont know what to do. I've been bitten by Lora one time. And oh boy, she peeled of a lot of skin from me until it revealed my flesh. I ran the whole house screaming for a while.
If im about to find out How powerful Harries bite is, i dont want to stick around to find out

 

[MonicaMc]

Millet does have other names, but I can't recall what they are at the moment. What you are looking for is something like this.....


http://healthnutnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/millet2.jpg


It may be easier to use millet as you'll be able to feed him while keeping your hands at a safe distance away.



Bird bites aren't fun! And I think it's ridiculous when people tell you to "ignore the bite", as if offering your flesh as a sacrifice to your bird is ok! It's better to avoid the bite, by trying not to put the bird in a position that will result in a bite. Easier said than done, I know! Harry is at least clearly telling you he's going to bite before he does! Better to back off and try to figure out a way to get closer to him without him biting.


I would recommend to look into Good Bird Inc's blog (a lot of great training advice in there!) or Lara Joseph's blog!

 

[Parro]

Yeah..I will try that tomorrow, its nightime now good night everyone!

 

[Parro]

Ok, Um. .. Harry isnt exactly like cute faye over there.
My Dad wasnt getting me out for some millets. So i tried seeds. But he kept moving away from me whenever i put a treat between the bars. But even if he doesnt move he will show a sign of discomfort. So its a hard situation here.

 

[Allee]

Parro, it sounds like Harry and Lora are becoming a bonded pair if they aren't already. It sounds like you really want to interact with Harry. Have you considered putting them in seperate cages?

 

[MonicaMc]

Parro, Faye is just one example.


I started this with 5 adult, flighted budgies. None of them tame.


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUx81WHTUwk"]1 Bird in hand Leads to Many - YouTube[/ame]


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlSm4uFZzVU"]More Budgies!!!! - YouTube[/ame]






I had no intentions of doing this with the cockatiels, ranging from completely wild and freaks out if I get too close to previously tame. However, Sunshine was watching me feed the budgies. Then she decided that she wanted to be fed, too. For two weeks, she followed me around the room when it was feeding time. She even landed on me, twice! I didn't know what she wanted at first... until I offered her food by hand.


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q88bN30qOjo"]Sunshine in the Morning - YouTube[/ame]




And then after I had been feeding Sunshine for a while, I got Faye... and Faye, new to the flock, was watching me feeding Sunshine.... so Faye wanted to be fed, too.



Which then led to me feeding the rest of the cockatiels by hand, too! This includes Pistachio, Pistachio is an ex-breeder (in fact, Sunshine is his daughter!) and not a pet. He was so skittish that he'd freak out and try to get away from me whenever I got too close. He did not like the idea of coming close to me, but I didn't force the issue. Over time, he got ok with eating from my hands... then worked on him touching my hand with his foot. That was pretty scary at first! Then he got ok with that, then it was stepping onto my hand. One day, he decided to fly into my hand from the ground, and he couldn't even see if there was food in my hand or not! Another time he actually flew to my shoulder - something I never taught him to do or tried to teach him to do... and he waited patiently for me to *very slowly* walk over to the food and get him some!



[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjKmHswgiHs"]Cockatiel Feeding - April 24th - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Parro]

Ok, finally I can focus on the thread for a while, because I just finished my latest exam.
Allee, I think they have bonded already. Will this affect?

MonicaMC, Spray millet does not exist in Jordan... I went to a parrot shop owner, he said he tried to get spray millet before but it turned there were no ones in Jordan..
I find your way to tame a great way! And I'm actually trying it. But if they have bonded, should I sepererate them in different cages? I can't do it. It breaks my heart to see two birds that love each other seperated
The way I'm doing it is by feeding sunflowers to Leo, my TAG. While harry and Lora watch.
However, I don't see that they are 'very' interested.
I can't make it through this adventure myself.

 

[Allee]

Parro,
If your birds are happy sharing a cage then it's up to you to decide if you want to separate them or not. As long as they are sharing a cage and focused on each other, I'm not sure how much progress you'll make working on a bond with the male.

 

[Parro]

Oh, well I'll separate them and put them a little bit far so I feel less sad.

Also, very very very very very very important notice!

Today I forgot to lock Harry's cage (Pardon me ) and he flew out! I tried a shot at getting him up to my hand a few times. He was scared at first, I put something behind him. And then he automatically jumped to my hand
I knew he had some trust in me still, however he is still aggressive whenever I try to get him up to my hand when he is on top of the cage, this doesn't mean the thread is closed yet! I can't get him out of the cage, he only came out himself when the door was open. And when he is on top of the cage he will not come to my hand, instead his crest will go down and he will try to bite me (he did bite me recently, and he would gladly come onto my hand EXCEPT if he was on top of the cage or inside it.) Any fixes? I want him to be able to stand up on my hand anywhere. Whether inside the cage or not. Plus he is still aggressive.
Here is some of the stuff he did:

1.he flew out of the cage because the door was open..

2.he sat on top of the cage.

3.I tried to get him to my hand a few times, when I put something behind him and touched him with it he would jump to my hand (No, I don't push him, I just touch)

4.If harry wants, he would climb to my shoulder and believe it or not, he Start PRANKING me, he would scream in my ear, and if I try to close my ear he would bite my hand. and then he waits for me to open my ears again and then he would start screaming in my ear again.

5.he flies to the cage himself, what a smart birdie

 

[MonicaMc]

Coercing him onto your hand is not positive reinforcement.

For the most part, I actually used my birds own food. At first, I only used seeds, but after they got more comfortable with me, I even used pellets! They still ate from my hands! With Pistachio though, it was a lot better using millet with him.


You could grow your own seeds and use the plants as a reward... however, if a bird isn't used to eating food like that, it may freak them out at first.




The trick is to find something that Harry and Lora will eat from you.



I have a female African Ringneck that wont eat from me right now, but then again, my goal isn't to get her to eat from my hands just yet... instead, I'm trying to get her comfortable with my presence.... and of course, I recently found out that she is an import, and might be a wild caught bird. She's definitely going to take a while!

 

[Parro]

Yes, he would eat his seeds mix from my hand then stop. Or if I feed him by finger he would take it too. Instead of millet I bought a stick with mixed seeds in it coated with honey. At the first day I inserted it in the cage. Like after 3 hours Lora started eating from it. So can I use it as an alternative?

 

[MonicaMc]

If you want to, sure.

Use whatever food that may help you form a closer bond with Harry.

 

[Parro]

Is it ok to train Harry even if he is in the process of breeding? I don't want to scare Lora so much she cancels egg formation (possible?)

 

[MonicaMc]

You can try.... but it's not recommended.


I've never separated Pistachio and his mates when I worked with him. In fact, I've worked with both at the same time in earning their trust. However, I don't encourage my birds to breed, so they don't have a place to nest and raise chicks.

 

[Parro]

Ok, will try to do something about it tomorrow and give you updates.