Ask Lafeber

Question:

December 2, 2020

Taming


Wondering if anyone’s got any tips for me please? (I kind of have an idea already but it’s sometimes best to have an outside opinion too), this little fella is okay with hands when they are on the outside of the cage he comes upto them & just gently nibbles your fingers through the bars, yesterday & today when I put my hand inside the cage with seed & treats to see if he’ll take them from my hand he wasn’t too sure but he was calm & did get close to my hand a couple of times, I’ve heard of some birds being easier to tame outside the cage so maybe this is the case for him? I’ve had him since 12/11/2020 & he’s 12 weeks old.


Answer:

Hi John,

You didn’t mention what species of bird you have? As far as taming and training, the method and time it takes varies a lot, and is based on whether he was hand fed or not. If the bird was not hand fed, it is much harder to tame. Some birds never become very tame unless they were hand fed. Keep in mind that birds are prey animals, so never grab a bird as this will trigger a fight or flight response and cause him not to trust you. Keep talking to him and offering treats. It is much safer and easier to work with a bird if the wings have been trimmed by a professional. The feathers will eventually molt out and grow back, so this is not permanent. I’ll give you some links to our training and bird behavior pages to help you out. Mainly be patient and understand that this can be a slow process depending on the bird. Since he doesn’t seem to be scared of your hands, this is a good sign.

Teaching Your Bird

Pet Bird and Parrot Behavior

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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