Expert: Maggie - 7/21/2004

Question
Hello.  I purchased a bird from a pet store about six months ago.  I seem to be making no progress in taming her, and she practically has a heart-attack every time I get close.  I have looked everywhere for tips and help on taming budgies but I have not found a method that works on my poor bird.  

At times she will let me feed her spray millet out of my hand as long as she doesn't have to touch it or get close to me at all.  She won't come out of her cage and I am too afraid to grab her because she bites, and if I try to grab her she would be even more terrified of my hand(If that is even possible) which is exactly what I don't want.  

Although she will come out of her cage when my friend brings her bird over, she still will freak out and wildly fly around the room, bashing into things if we get too close.  And I have had to grab her a few times when her super long nails get caught in the carpet.  The poor thing can't even walk on the carpet because her nails are so long.

I just need some really good advice on taming her.  I just don't know why she is so terrified of humans.  Perhaps she was taken away from her parents too early.

Thank you,
Jess

Answer
Jess,

Your parakeet is scared of people because she is a wild, non-domesticated animal. When birds are raised by their parents, they are terrified of people. Tame birds become that way because they are taken from their parents at an early age and then hand-fed by humans until they are old enough to eat on their own. (or... a human has spent a great deal of time taming the bird).

The first step to taming your bird would be to take her to an avian vet and have the vet trim her nails and clip her wings. It is virtually impossible to tame a scared budgie (aka: parakeet) with full flight. And as you mentioned, she is hurting herself by flying into things in your home. This is very dangerous for her and she needs to have her wings clipped to prevent her from causing serious damage to herself or flying away.

I have found in my personal experience that small birds whom are this untame will either take years to tame down (if you don't want to get bit or "grab" the bird)... or they will never tame down at all (and would be better suited with another bird companion.

I've found that the most effective way to tame a small bird like this is to use a towel to get them out of the cage and take them to a "neutral room".  (Refer to the "second taming method" in my copy of information below):


First Taming Method:

Talk with the bird everyday, and feed the bird favorite treats through the bars of the cage. (If your bird is on a pellet diet; seeds usually work as the best treats, but if your bird is on a seed diet... try to figure out what type of seed is your bird's favorite, you can tell this when you put a fresh dish of seed in their cage, they will pick out their favorite seed -for most birds this is sunflower seeds-, or try dried fruit, fresh fruit/veggies, ect...). Many times birds will not accept treats through the cage bars for quite some time¡K this is ok! Just continue to talk to the bird in a non-threatening manner and spend time close to the bird¡¦s cage. Do this each day, 2 to 4 times a day.  

After awhile, the bird will actually look forward to this interaction and companionship you offer! :) This method doesn't usually work for birds that are housed with other bird(s), because they already have all the companionship they want (usually) with the other bird. The goal of this taming is to get the bird to actually WANT your attention and companionship. And this leads to a very trusting, healthy relationship if approached gently and lovingly! :)  This works, because in the wild, birds feed each other to reinforce/gain friendship, love and to create/reinforce their bond.

Once you know your bird looks forward to those treats and your attention, open their cage door, and leave it open during your "interaction"-sessions.  This will allow an adventure-some bird to get closer. Slowly, "draw" your bird out of the cage, by not giving them a treat, UNLESS they make baby-steps out of the cage, moving the treat further out of the cage, each day.  Then eventually, they will enjoy and look forward to coming out of their cage to play and interact... start putting your treat in the palm of your hand then, so they have to short of "crawl" into your hand to get the treat, usually they don't even have to touch your hand, but it gets them closer to it... then eventually you can start offering your hand at the edge of the cage, so they need to step onto your hand, or something to get the treat. You could either offer the treat in your palm, or offer your finger for them to step up onto, and then offer the treat in the other hand.  

This method takes time, but is oh so worth it! And I highly recommend this method! :)  Then, eventually, the bird will learn to step up onto your hand once out side of the cage, and then you can work on them laddering on your hand, and teach them the "step-up" command, and once they learn the step-up command, it is usually fairly easy to get them to step up onto your hand and come out of the cage on your hand.

Instead of using treats, you can also adjust this method to encourage your bird to come out of the cage on his/her own.  Just leave the cage door while you talk to your bird. You can move a chair right next/near the cage, and read a book.  Occasionally, read parts of the book out loud in a soft, sweet voice to your bird. Eventually (because birds are so curious and social) you bird will come out of his/her cage and try to investigate this book of yours. (And you!).  Some birds will only take a day or two to start coming out of their cage, others will take weeks! So- DON¡¦T GIVE UP! This is by far the best form of taming a bird, because your bond will be so close and trusting.  And I highly recommend it! ƒº  Good luck with forming and creating that tight, close bond between you and your parrot!

Second Taming Method:

It always helps to have a bird¡¦s wings trimmed before starting training. I would recommend having a quality avian vet trim your bird¡¦s wings so that s/he doesn't view you as "the bad guy".  It is also essential that you give your bird time to settle into their home FIRST, before attempting to tame them. I recommend giving birds at least 3 to 4 days¡K preferably a week, before beginning taming sessions.

When starting your training session, I would recommend gently removing your bird from her cage in a towel and take her to your bathroom. (with the toilet seat down and mirrors covered of course). Actually, any small room (or large closet) would work as long as it is ¡§neutral territory¡¨ and there isn¡¦t anything for the bird to get hurt on if they flew. You also want to avoid rooms with items that a bird could hind under if they flew down to the floor.

It would also help if you got a portable T-Stand so that you can place your bird on this perch during training. Then, offer your hand and try to push up into her belly while saying "step up". She might try to fly away at first, but once she realizes her wings are trimmed and you have to "save" her from the floor each time she jumps off the perch... she will learn to stay put on the perch. Just keep doing this during her training sessions until she is stepping up onto your hand (while you continue to using the "step-up" command). Once she has mastered the ¡§step up¡¨ command, then you can work on the "step-down" command.  This will not happen overnight, so just be patient and take things slow. The more you push the bird, the more they are going to fear you.

Whenever you are removing your bird from her cage or up picking her off the floor... always offer your hand and say "step-up" first... if she tries to fly away or won't step up... then gently towel her and put her back on the T-perch or onto your hand. Eventually she will learn that it is a lot easier to step up onto your hand than it is to get toweled.

If you prefer- you can also try having her step up onto a hand-held perch instead of toweling her. Some birds respond wonderfully to this (and if your bird will step up onto a hand-held perch... I recommend doing this INSTEAD of toweling... it is safer and less stressful for the bird).

Have training sessions like this often (2 or 3 times a day) but don't let them last longer than 5 or so minutes in the beginning. Keep them short and sweet. Always try your best to end on a positive note. Eventually, she will learn what you are asking of her and will understand that you aren't trying to hurt her.

This isn't the most trusting way to tame down a bird... because it is extremely stressful for the bird in the beginning... but with smaller birds or birds that aren't very affectionate (aka: hard to tame) - it is an effective way to tame them quickly.   

You will have to be the judge whether this is an appropriate way to tame your bird. Some birds (especially older birds) who may have had bad experiences with people in the past, will resent you if you try to tame them this way. With some birds, it is better to give them more time to settle in and to offer affection to them through the cage bars at first. Do things like hand-feed them, talk to them softly or just read near them. Play with some parrot toys around them, and then offer the toy to the bird. Usually with small birds- this more patient/trusting way of forming a bond doesn¡¦t work. But with larger parrots¡K this is the preferred method the mass, mass majority of the time.



Final Thought:

No Matter which method you use, both will take time, and it doesn't happen overnight... remember to give lots of treats when their good, lots of verbal praise... constantly speak quietly and gently to them, and don't get too emotional when they bite and don't get too frustrated!  Have patience!!!  When they do bite, simply say "No" and try again... don't give into them! :) They will push your buttons, because when first taming them down, they are actually usually very fearful, and don't realize how fun people and out-of-cage time can be, so let them take the time they need, but don't give up!!!


A link with great information on taming budgies (or cockatiels or lovebirds) at: http://www.lafeber.com/friendly_pets/index.htm

Or

http://www.ani-med.org/birds_hand_taming.htm


I hope this all helps.

Good Luck with your little one.

-Maggie