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becky
Egg
Joined: 16 Oct 2006
Posts: 1
Location: kALAMAZOO MI |
| Help with new parrotlet |
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Hi my name is Becky and I am new to Fluffies.
I am concerned. I brought a 6 month old beautiful american yellow pacific parrotlet home 2 months ago. He had been in a good pet store the women has alot of birds and takes good care of them. She explained to me that he had not been handled alot but that he was hand fed.
Since he has been home with me he will jump onto my shoulder when he wants to and now is eating out of my hand but he will only step up when I catch him and then imediatly jump on my shoulder.
He rarely chirps and is not really very active unless I try to get him to step up.
I am not sure if this bird is just really quiet or if it takes them a long time to acclimate. He has also been molting since I got him and I heard that is a hard time for them.
I spend at least 2 hours a day with him usually 4 and on weekends all day.
I want him to warm up and I want to tame him..HELP!!
one good thing is that he never bites. He did let me pet his neck once for a while but backed away when I tryed again.
Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Thank you
Becky |
Monday October 16, 2006 2:11 pm |
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musicjan
Egg
Joined: 16 Oct 2006
Posts: 1
Location: Minnesota |
Hi Becky,
I'm just reading forums to learn - I'll get my parrotlet in about 2 weeks. I see nobody has answered your post. I think if you'll post on this site, someone will help you with your problem. Good luck:
Jan |
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Saturday October 21, 2006 12:55 pm |
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Cathy
Kamikaze pilot
Joined: 02 Apr 2005
Posts: 6673
Location: Omaha, NE USA |
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I'm sorry I've missed this post until now  Some times I get busy & have to get off the forum before I'm able to check all the new posts & then I lose them!
Hi Becky! Welcome to Fluffies & congrats on your new family additon 
I think it might just take some time before your bird learns to trust you enough that she is stepping up onto your finger.
I do think the first thing you need to do is stop "catching" her, as this may give her a great fear of hands.
6 weeks after my sennie came to live with me, she still was not stepping up on my finger, even tho she would step up on a wooden dowel, but would bite my finger terribly hard when it was offered!! I decided not to let her out of her cage (she LOVED coming out of her cage!!), unless she stepped up on my finger to come out. She was stepping up within about a 1/2 hour!
But she does have to learn to trust you before she'll start stepping up willingly & that takes time & patience. You may want to begin by getting her to step up on a wooden dowel, or perch & sitting with her while you're relaxing.
Good luck with all! I'd love to see some pics of your parrotlet! What is her name? |
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Saturday October 21, 2006 1:35 pm |
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meg832
Fledgeling
Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Posts: 365
Location: Ohio |
Becky, my parrotlet hated stepping up, too. I think part of the problem was that my finger was too big in relation to her feet-- she couldn't get a secure grip. I like the idea of using a dowel first. Try some different sizes to see which one makes him most secure. Sometimes I have to use my flattened hand because the cage door doesn't let me get into the right position. I agree, too, NEVER take him out of the cage without having him step up, and say "up" as you do it.
So is he 6 months now or is he now 8 months? Mine molted at about 4 months, and she was miserable. It really helped to give her a daily soaking bath. She hated it at first, but quickly learned that they softened those prickly ol' quills. Also, help him groom away the quills on his head. That will help him bond to you. |
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Sunday October 22, 2006 5:35 am |
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yrros
Egg
Joined: 26 Feb 2006
Posts: 21
Location: Birmingham, UK |
| half way there. |
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The way i got my parrotlet to step up was to use a clicker and chilly. its a good way of communicating with them. there are plenty of resources about clicker training on the net.
Basically you spend about a three days clicking then feeding the bird (creating a link between click = reward).
then you can get him to step onto your finger for the reward (say 'UP'. click and feed him. and put him down onto his perch (say 'Down'). plenty of praise and keep sessions short and fun.
start increasing the amount of time he has to stand before getting the treat.
my parrotlet Austin was scared of hands (because they had always grabbed at him in the past) now he is very friendly although only on his terms, he is very peppy.
good luck, it can be done. Key is getting some food they want. chili, millet, little bits of sunflower seed...
and as was said above, you can start with a dowl.
Anthony |
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Wednesday December 27, 2006 5:03 pm |
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