Training Eva

[angiemw]

I found a link in the forum a while back about how to train your bird. Well, the breeder didn't really work with Eva since she was born on March 4th. In fact, Eva is afraid of hands. So I went to that site and read down to how to get them to take seeds. Being Eva is on an all pellet diet, it was so easy to coax her with the millet seeds. Within a minute she was eating them from my fingers. It took all the strength I had not to jump up n down with excitement. LOL
Tomorrow I'm going to put my hand in the cage and see if she will take it from me that way. I gave her the weekend to kind of get use to things. I figured now it's training time. I am hoping I can at least get her to take a seed from my hand inside the cage by the time we have her vet appt. If we achieve more than that, I'll be grateful.

 

[angiemw]

I forgot to ask if I was going too fast. Should I wait longer before getting her to take seeds from my hands? Or is starting now okay since she's so young?

 

[jaimmorr]

I am definitely no expert, but I would think that getting her to take seeds from your hands is a great first step.

 

[angiemw]

I hope it's okay! I don't want to go too fast and make her nervous or anything.

I still can't touch her. When I put my hand in the cage she runs away from me.

I'll stick with the feeding threw the bars for a while until she starts coming to me willingly, and not when I have seeds in my hand.

 

[BillsBirds]

Go at her pace. If she is agreeable to whatever you are doing, go on with it. If not, hold back and see why. If you push too hard, they let you know. You cannot make a bird do something it doesnt want to. You're doing fine, as long as the bird is happy.

 

[mrob]

im not sure is she gets out or not but i would do you trust training outside of the cage at first. The cage is sort of their security blanket and many birds get very stressed if you put your hands in.They have no escape you see, its a bit freaky.
With my hand-skittish birds I used to sit in from of the cage (not facing directly in but parallel with it),feeding them through the bars, with my knee at about door level, and leave the door openand a treat on my leg and just wait for them to climb out onto my knee. Millet treats and sunflower seeds work really well!! As i recall it took one of them about 3 months to make that big step....you are making GREAT progress!!
If they do make a big step,and you want to jump up and down!!! just leave them be until they get used to it. Lots of praise and soft talking is good. Over a period of months, they learn to trust you. Just sitting next to the cage talking to them (and eating in fornt of them) without trying to touch them really helps them get used to ya
My Alex took nearly 18 months to come around!
Good luck, be patient, and take it slow!! And dont lose faith!! It will happen eventually!!

 

[angiemw]

Thanks for the tips and advice. I'm just working on feeding her threw the bars right now. She still gets a little skittish with that. I notice she hesitates to come to my fingers. But she's doing really well. She loves it outside. She sings her heart out when she's on the front porch. I have wild birds that come to the feeder and she really watches them. I think she's watching them anyway. LOL