Stronger bounding!

[Murii]

Hello!
I bought a male red rumped parrot on the 13th of this month. Its name is Paco and I like him a lot!
But I got a few questions that I'm looking forward to answers.
-I managed to make him eat from my hand, without problems.Sometimes when I approach him he's scared but after a few seconds after he sees my face he calms down quickly. Is it normal?
-I also managed to make him step up when I tell him to even though he does not do it all the time but he does it enough to make me happy . I'm not exactly sure why but he does not like to stay on my fingers but instead on my arms or shoulders.The problem is that he stays a period of time but not that much. After a certain ammount of time sometimes even seconds he flies away back on his cage or somewhere high enough so I can't reach him :| .That really bothers me to be honest.I'd like to make him stay more with me.
So basically what I'm asking is how can I create a stronger bound between us and make him stay more on me or on my hands .
Thanks!

P.S: He's somewhere around 1 years old. At least that's why the pet shop owners told me.

 

[RavensGryf]

I think it's great that a 1 year old Red Rumped is even that tame. They're typically an aviary species, and while they have pet potential, they're just not the cuddly type. Sounds like he is bonding to you, just not exactly as you expect in your mind and not as fast as YOU would like. Birds naturally like the arm or shoulder, but the fact that he goes to your hand at all is positive. Praise him for going there, give him treats while on your hand. You are hoping for progress faster than he is comfortable with. Don't have too many expectations. Keep consistently working with him as you do, don't send out the vibe of frustration, and let him go at his pace. When he's on top of his cage, he's still observing you, and getting used to things. In time you will have a little companion who will probably fly to you and want to sit with you.

 

[Murii]

Thanks for the reply!
So basically red rumped parrots are wilder than lets say cocktails? Should I worry about this?

 

[BrookeB]

Yep... They are... I breed cockatiels and in my opinion cockatiels and budgies are the only true "pet" parrot... Not because other parrots are not totally awesome, pretty, or even super tame, but cockatiels and parakeets are some of the only parrots bred generations from the wild. most parrot species, are closer in generation to there "wild" ancestors then any other animal we call pets. We don't keep a wolf in our yards, we keep dogs... Which are 100s of generations from there wild wolf, fox, or canine ancestry. Even pet rats are not wild rats.. Parrots are not really domesticated animals, they are wild animals we choose to live 'With'.

So in short a cockatiel or budgy is "a dog bird" a conure is "wild dog" a Amazon is a wolf and a cockatoo or macaw is a "bear"

But people are crazy (I'm in this group of crazy) and we like our bird family even if they aren't pets but more like loving, pain in the a$$ wild critters who again aren't really pets at all.

 

[BrookeB]

Oh and I wouldn't say you need to worry about it... As it seems like he or she is already warming up to you.. Just keep on it and give it some time and treats.

 

[RavensGryf]

You shoudn't be "worried" lol, but just as I said before, be careful of having expectations of what you think your bird should be or what you think he should be doing. It sounds like he is not at all as wild as he could be, and you DO have a nice pet who is adjusting to a new home, environment, and owner. This is all normal, but generally speaking, grass parakeet species do not accept any sort of handling as readily as a "parrot" and unless they are an individual that is very different from the norm, don't expect him to ever accept or petting or cuddling. It doesn't mean they can't be good pets.

Again, what you can hope for with consistent work, and some positive reinforcement through praise or treats, is a nice pet who will show his bond to you by coming to you at will, and enjoying hanging out on your body or near you. That's something to strive for and look forward to with your little buddy! Good luck

 

[Murii]

Thanks for the info guys!
And you're totally correct, I can't really touch him because he wont let me, and by that I mean that he will try to move away gently, but it's fine as long as he's not scared of me and I can make him stay with me
Here are some pics with my bird Let me know if you find him beautiful
Oh, and I almost forgot,Paco does not bit at all. It does not matter what I do to him but he wont bite. I think it's because of it's specie or something. Anyways I like that about him.