If Your Bird Is Finger Phobic, Try This…

thats great but i have a nan day conure who was locked in a dark garage all alone for 2 years till rescued.shes the sweetest thing and will fly on your shoulder and say kisses but the minute you put a hand any where near her she flys away sometimes to just fly right back to your shoulder but you can,t get a hand anywhere near her to try to show her its a posative thing as she just flys away.she will give you kisses but on her terms and only if on your shoulder.if shes say on a stand or cage to or in the cage and you approach her she flys away or just comes onto your shoulder.i have 12 other parrots and she has bonded well with my amazon who stes up all the time but she just will not get over her fear any suggestions

in THIIIIS video
bit excited there haha

thanx for all your tips, I find them so helpful and interesting

Thanks for the advise Chet, But our situation is a little more complex. we have an 10 year old African Grey he is very social and enjoys attention, we adopted him about a year ago only to find that he is exreamly aggressive to men mainly because the male figure in his previouse home hurt him to a point where his leg was brocken and one wing damaged. We have tried to give a loving home yet be still wants to eat me every time i come close, wont even allow me to feed him my wife has to do it. on the occation when he has bit me have tried not to show emotion to it was even though extreamly painful and bloody at times. shall i persivere or just let things be and let my wife have the bird to herself.

Hey Chet,

I have a problem similar with my cockatiel. He loves cuddles, he lets me pet and scratch him. But he will suddenly pull away and gently push my finger away with his beak while squeaking or hissing, then he will bow his head, wanting more attention. When I pet him, I make sure I’m not hitting sensitive spots or any new pin feathers. My conure pushes my fingers away when he’s had enough attention, but my cockatiel just seems to do it, for no reason. It is random, and sometimes he wants more pets after this action, or sometimes he doesn’t. There is no distinctive pattern to this behavior. He’s not afraid of my fingers, he lets me touch his back, feet, he even lets me put him upside down for a short period. He never bites hard, but I know he is telling me not to do something, I just have no idea what! There are no distractions or things that can scare him when I am petting him, he just chooses to do it, then goes back to wanting attention. Is this perhaps a dominance thing? If he does it, and then wants attention am I rewarding him for pushing my fingers away for no reason? Should I put him down if he does it?

Thanks, Angeline

hey i will try to implement on what you said.
And get back to you.Thank you Chet

I’ve watched your video about the bird that avoids the fingers- I have an African Grey male and he does the opposite- he goes for my fingers every time I try to touch him or give him a snack. One moment he allows me to touch him but then suddenly he bites me! I don’t understand why. Even if I just walk past his cage, he tries to bite me. Once I was too close to the cage and he bits me on the head. He is a very grumpy bird and no one in my family loves him because of the biting. What can I do?

I just wonder if the new setup (Using an outside room instead of moving your macaw out the room when you tape) has been helping undo his reluctance to step up. I remember he taped with you in that room due to it in one of the recent videos. Has the external recording room proven helpful in that situation?

Hey, Im from the UK i have an african grey who is everything to me, After learning all your tips and tricks and incorperating them with Hamlet (thats his name by the way) I now have an even more confident and happy bird. Thank you natasha

Hey.
I have a year old Conure, and he used to be very sweet to everyone. Now it’s only me and my mother. He has a christmas toy that he will let everyone press if they make it sing, but if they aren’t turning on his toy then he will run across the room and attack them. He never used to do this, it’s only happened in the last few months.

hi there i have an african grey parrot that is about 3 and since weve had him we cannot handle him or touch him as he goes to bite us all the time, his cage is open all the time he climbs about his cage but if u go to stroke him he will just lash out and bite and im frightened he is gunna bite the granchildren, hope u can help.

i have a alexandrian parrot of almost 2 yrs old and he is with me from past 1 year but still he doest allow me to pet him or touch him.. he comes out of the cage comfortably but i have to hold him using a towel or some cloth.. when i try to touch him with bare hands he gets aggressive and tries to bite.. wht shall i do to stop him from biting me?
PLZ HELP

I just got a Greenwinged macaw from two fellows who had to find a good home for her so they think its a girl named suzie. not really tame. I move slowly around her keep her in my living room were I am most of the time and talk to her often. I cant really get her to climb up on a stick or my fingers for that matter. She does’nt really try to bite just to warn you “Stay away” I think she has a lot of potential and would like to make her a friendly and playful pet I just have a queston on the best way to get her to trust me. Any suggestions or comments would geatly be apprieciated

Thanks
craig chartrand

My Bird Spooks is a grass parrot and he was hand tamed, he seems to be okay sitting on my shoulder but most of the time he try’s and fly’s away, he has never bitten me, but he tapes my finger, also he seem to be scared of me in general, how can i fix this.

Hi there I have a quacker bird n he is scared of me dosent let me feed him dosent let me do nothing I am frustrated n disappointed what can I do because I don’t want to grab him by force so I just leave him alone please help me

Found your explanation very helpful, I will try this out with Kobe my African grey, who has topped sitting up on my finger since I went away on holiday last January.

Hi Chet-
My sulfur-crested cockatoo, Aristotle, just turned 21 years old. In the past few months he has persistently tried to “hump” my head after a few minutes sitting with me. As soon as he starts, I put him back on his cage. He LOVES to be loved, by both my husband and myself, but he insists on getting overly amorous to the point that I have to take him back to his cage. What can I do? Will he be like this forever?

I am fostering a parakeet with her head down a lot. She has come along way with your “teach your bird to like you” method. She has had to overcome her depression, malnutrition and adjust to yet another family. We have not started stick training just because she cannot be on the training diet yet and she is getting use to overcoming fear of hands by sharing a treats just as you mentioned here. Do you have any suggestions to help her move around in her cage. She sits near her food only and will not go any where. She will step up for me and I take her out on her play stand that she again just sits on and may take a step or two only toward a millet treat. She is recently converted to Harrison’s Diet of pellets yet lost 1-2 grams of weight so I will need to work that out too.

NIchole

my senegal parrot will let me pet him, rub his neck, takes food or treats from my fingers etc…problem is when i have his door open to come out and display my finger to have him step up on he will suddenly bite me hard…I usually hand him treats and feed him from outside the cage. He starts out as if he is going to step up onto my finger then attacks…any tips…I started wearing finger covers. Any tips are appreciated

I love this video although don’t understand the concept:$ . Every time I out my hands\fingers near the bird they just bite. I try that already by giving them treats but now when u pit your hand near them everytime they think you are feeding them so they always bite me. Can you help me out

I have a 4 year old electus Parrott with an over grown beak! i had his beak cut off over a year ago and it is over grown again, I don’t want to have it cut again because it was so tramatic for my parrott he had lots of bleeding and had to be held which caused him to not want to step up or get out of his cage for several days. do you have any other advice? I have been told by several parrott owners that if it is left alone it will fall off on it’s own is this a fact? I do not want to put him through that experience again. PLEASE HELP!!! I also have a two year old umbrella cockatoo that will not eat anything except sunflower seeds i did order your organic food but she would not touch it. Any advice on how to get her to eat more healthy foods? I have tried just about everything. Thanks

I have one indian ringneck male, i got him from a baby, i had to handfeed him through the cage. He usually comes when i am near the cage he will take treats from me but when i put just one finger near the cage most of the time he goes to attack me . How can i get him to stop doing that. I have also taught him to speak he can say for now a few words but only when he wants to he can say give me a cookie, what are you doing, come here. , he also says my sons name which is louis and he says i love you

Dear Chet,
Thank you so much for your trainings! I appreciate your philosophy and insight on handling and developing a relationship with birds! I have a young love bird which I purchased from a local pet store. His name is Hawkeye. His siblings took to the store owner’s hand easily, but this little guy is resistant. I have had success with the touch training, as long as he doesn’t have to go too far to touch the stick. I can pet him inside the cage and he does not bite. But he is still quite hand shy-will not consider stepping onto my finger. I think he is young – definitely less than a year according to the store owner, and so I have not been doing the training diet. What is the alternative? Hawkeye will not take fresh fruits and veggies, even if I chop them up and mix them with the seed/ pellet mixture. Should I continue to add them in anyway?

Thank you again for your wisdom and knowledge!
Tanya Cook

Chet : I have A blind mccaw that I’ve been working with. How can i tame him down he is A biter.

I have a Cockatiel that is about three years old for the first year he was a great bird. He liked to set on your finger and shoulder and also played with my toy Poodle on the floor. He used to go outside and ride around town on my shoulder of course with his wings clipped. At about a year old he suddenly got very mean. You can’t get near him and all he wants to do is bite very hard. He still does his talking and litle tunes that we taught him. We want him to be the friendly bird that he was. What can we do?

All my birds eat well and they are clicker trained. However, my African grey doesn’t step-up on my hand just on a perch, I don’t think she is afraid of my hands because she loves when I scratch her neck and head and when I take her out and someone hold her perch is the only way she step-up on my hand. I gave her treats to training her, but I can leave her without food all day and she will not step up on finger. she is not food motivated and she just let me scratch her when she wants. she is weird.

First i would like to say i love your advice, it’s extremely helpful.

Second i work at a shelter that takes in birds. I work with these birds as much as possible, since i have the most experience with a variety of burds (hands-on). Many of the birds are owner give-ups or transfered from other shelters or animal control, so we don’t know much about their pasts and many of them come in fearful. After giving them some time to settle down i try to work with them but many are extremely fearful and runscreaming away from my hand. What do i do? I want them to not be as terrified so we can find that perfect home for them (we are VERY selective of who adopts our birds)

At our shelter we have/ get Finches, Parakeets,Cockatiels, Conures, African Greys, Ringneck Parakeets, Moustached Parakeets, Ringneck Dove, LoveBirds, Quakers, Amazons, Cockatoos, and Macaws.

The shelter website is catnapfromtheheart.org

I have watched your video’s and I have seven rescue birds one is hand friendly but if you pick up anything while he is on you he goes crazy and bites you several times and he also tries to feed and breed your hand and if you try to stop him he bites you he also gets upset when you take his feed and water dishes out and put them back in. He is a Sengal. I also have three lilac crown’s and two ring neck’s and one yellow eye conure. i have tried your training on only one of the birds and trying to go near her with any thing she runs all around the cage and no treats work she gets very upset.

Thanks for the tips
I have a wild caught mustache parakeet that have been severely abused.
He was put with other wild caught parrots and got wrack everywhere.
His wing and tail feathers are chewed off and he got open wounds under his wings, legs and head

he is a very scared bird.
Over the 4 months period of time, I get him to take treats from my fingers
but generally he still afraid of my hand aproaching, or my hand movements
he will only take food if my hand hold still.

Alot if people think it’s impossible to train him. But I believe I am still trying my best to be friend with him. And I do believe you have great tips to help me on this
thanks alot

Thank you for your explanation. Very helpful.i

Hi Chet; the video was informative to me; I find that I have been doing the right thing with my baby grey. The problem that I am having is that Beautiful does not trust me enough to touch her when she is in the cage or out. She will accept food from my hands but not come near a stick outside or inside the cage any suggestions? I am really anxious to train Beautiful she is only 4months old; I’ve notice that most of your training relates to older birds. Please healp

Hi Chet thx for your tips they are really awesome. I had a question though, in how to fix it you said to put your hand by their perch and give them a treat and earlier in the video you said don’t give them treats and be like ” Love ME” lol. Thanks and if you could respond to this that would be great. (I am going to get a Blue Crown Conure in the future)

Hi chet, this has nothing to do with the video above. However, three months ago, I bought a 6-month old African Grey who seemed perfectly fine. After two weeks since i bought him, he started plucking his feathers harshly. This went on for a week or so and then he stopped for a month. Then he started again in the same pattern. From what I’ve read from the internet, I’m guessing this is because he has allergies to some kind of house dust. Please help me…

P.S. I’ve took him to vet and said there is no real cure for him… Also he has started to not only pluck himself but also scratch his head to his body… I’m really worried. Thanks

Great tip, although my macaw is scared of anything coming near her. hands, arms, even my body walking up to her, although she steps right up when cornered. I will try the same concept, always having a small treat for her when I come near her and letting her come to me unstead of cornering her. It is amazing how much one little tip can help in so many different ways if you listen.

chet,i have an older quaker that is not all tthat friendly to ME.(he does like my wife) however,he cuddles me and seems to like my hand IN his cage.he snuggles hard against my hand in the cage,and lets me pet him,and practically lets me handle him in any way..and seems to like it..but once i let him out to fly,he willNOT land on me or let me approach him within 4 feet.after many times flying by my wife can get him to perch on her finger and pet him(but only slightly) he flies off after a few seconds of petting..we tried cutting his wings a long trime ago,it did not help….help us,….ed mccormack,portr richey fla.

Chet, I got your video and working with the stick and clicker with my blue & gold mccaw –Oscar
he won’t touch the stick , he grabs and bites it. What am I doing wrong?. Also i ‘am afraid to give him a treat with my fingers because he’ll bite me. i have resorted to using tweezers with the treats to avoid getting bite. he’s 18 years old, and i’ve had him since he was two weeks old.

I think he’s mad at me, i divorced an abusive man five years ago and have been married to a terrific man for three…years. Oscar loves him and hates me. But sometimes even tried to bite Bill.

When Bill’s not around I can work with Oscar. Sometimes I can get him to play ball with me. Like i said, I have become fearful of him. he can be loving one minute, and without warning, bites. I don’t know what to do.. Karen Grotts

Our 6yr african gray only bites when excited to see us. It seems he can’t help himself.
The only way we have been able to manage this is let him get his playfyull side out on a cat toy (stick with feather string on the end) then he is calm and can cuddle. Makes sense to me but we still have wome wrk to do.

Angeline: My cockatiel does the same thing when I pet him. I know he does it because he wants to be petted on a different part of his head. If I’m not petting him in the right place he gets annoyed and chirps and pushes away my finger. So I pet him where he wants to be petted and it makes him happy. He’s a very good bird otherwise, so I don’t think indulging him is that bad.

My Senegal will step up on a wooden stick but before doing so he bites the end of the stick as if to test it. I want to offer my hand for him to get on to but am afraid of his test bite. Where do I start?

my bird use to sing and come on my hand a lot but lately they have been quiet not singing and when i go near them they or my hand bite and fly away what should i do?

Hi Chet, thx for the video.
Now, my brother has a 4 years old sun conure. I used to leave with my brother, and during that time, apparently without any reason, his conure started to attack me (we never clicked her wings). But that was something not that common to happen because after a few days, Martina (the conure’s name) went back to “normal”. Since that I moved out, it became much worst. She cannot see me, that she comes in the attach position and try to bit me…. unless…. if I’m by myself “babysitting” her. Only in this occasions she is fine with me. For sure it is because I’m the only one who can set her free, play with her and FEED her. But… what about when the rest of the family is around? Am I something danger to her? To make me an “intruder” ??? Thx.

We have 2 Hahns, 3-1/2 years old. Both bite whenever. They bite whatever is available to them. Not just our fingers. If it’s something they don’t like we’re doing, they could just fly away, but they prefer to bite. It’s very hard to read their feathers, because they are so small. They keep flying onto our shoulders (which we were told not to let them do, because you can’t read their feathers from that position). Katie, the smallest one, is a “sucker-puncher.” We have had to guess, by past situations, when she is going to bite. Maya gives warning bites (most of the time), but has now turned vicious, too. We want to wear gloves when handling them, or it’s going to get to the point where we won’t touch them, anymore. We’ve worked with 2 behaviorists, including your Kim Bear. Another behaviorist, who has many birds, and does shows, gave us the idea about making them really, really love us, by giving them treats every time we pass their cage, and to hand-feed them. They got to expect the treats, and got angry when we didn’t give one to them, and after awhile, bit us while hand-feeding them. So that didn’t work. They were not like this until their first Spring. We trained them from the time they came home, hoping it would endear them to us. They spend most of their time in their cage, now. They won’t stay on their Tower if I don’t hide treats. They will not stay on their Net, either. They are so smart, we could do a show with them, but they are not used to people. We don’t have family & friends. We moved across the U.S. Could this be one reason why they bite? They are not social? Help!!

i tried giving my Afircan Gray parrot a treat end he still will not come up on my hand. i have had him around 2 weeks and he is almost 5 months old.i tried the stick and that dont work. i leave the door to his cage open for hours at a time and he wont come out of his cage. i have no idea what to do with him. he eats well he plays with all the toys in there.so what do i do?

Hello,
My name is Kristine and I recently adopted a 10 year old female Blue and Gold Macaw named Luna. The first few days that Luna was here she perched on your hand, came easily in and out of her cage and allowed you to scratch her belly and head. About 5 days in, she began biting everytime you would stick your hand in the cage and screaming at random. I assumed that she was stressed so I stopped trying to touch her and continued to hand feed her fruits and veggies. I leave her cage door open and encourage her to come out onto her play perch to eat her seeds. Sometimes she will, other times she waits inside the cage until I put the bowl back inside. I watched your video today and I have been doing the things that you mentioned but she still seems very nervous. Any additonal advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated. I love my bird and I want her to be healthy and happy here.
Thank you,
Kristine

I’m sry to say this didnt help my parrot with his problem he runs everytime he sees me but every now and then he’ll except some millet from me that it though plz help.

hi chet thanks for all the tips they are so helpful.

hey there,

i have a cockatiel and he is still quite young. He loves to sing and answer my whistles. We have tried to get him to do the clicker training but he is really stubborn and wont take any interest in it. I had tried other things that i have read and have got him use to me and he comes up and watches me clean his cage he will let my face touch him, but when he sees my hand that is the end of it he runs away. How can i get him to stop running away as he wont eat anything out of the hand or anything?

Thanks

My A.Grey has a hands phobia. I got him at one year old and he is now 2. I have tried treats and so on but he will NOT take anything from the hand let alone step up. I have to put it in his dish. How can I train a bird who won’t take treats????

I have done what you have suggested with my lovebird. I would have a treat in my hand as I approached him, but he is too afraid of taking it, and tries to fly away. I offer millet which my lovebird loves when I am not around. He’s fairly easy to catch compared to my wild ones, but always gets nervous and flies away. I have my two hand-fed lovebirds in the same cage, but I am only trying to bond with one. I know that two together will not bond as well with me than when it is alone, but he seems so lonely alone in the cage when I’m not around that I thought it would be good company. Can you help?

In the 3 months since owning my cockatiel Bobby he has been so nervous when my hands go near him. He trembles continuously and obviously is frightened of something. I have been trying to give treats with my fingers which he is taking but still will not get onto my finger or hand. He just backs away from me. He will sit on my shoulder and play by pulling my hair and even will come into the shower but as soon as I slide my finger close to him he nips me and backs off.

I now have a little hope for getting my 8 yr old CAG Arliss to step up again. He was fine with stepping up until about 6-7 months ago. I do not know what happened to change it but now I will stop trying to figure that out and just move forward!

Chet, we have a 12 year old blue front amazon who has finally adopted me, I can stroke him in, or on, his cage, he actually quite likes it, but I cannot get him to step up, from his cage. When he flies about, and lands on the floor, he will step up quite willingly, and be very good on my hand, even on my shoulder. I can do anything with him, tickle his head, lift his wings up, he is very loving towards me,

Chet, we have a 12 year old blue front amazon who has finally adopted me, I can stroke him in, or on, his cage, he actually quite likes it, but I cannot get him to step up, from his cage. When he flies about, and lands on the floor, he will step up quite willingly, and be very good on my hand, even on my shoulder. I can do anything with him, tickle his head, lift his wings up, he is very loving towards me,

Well I have a problem where the minute i get close to the cage my parrot wont stop flying everywhere, hitting his head to the sides of the cage! so getting close to him or giving him a treat is not an option! I dont know what to do, all the videos sent by you show that the parrots you have would just stay put but not want to be petted or touched. Please help me!

We rescued a pair of Goffin Cockatoos recently and have had a bit of a problem with them. The people we got them from had been gifted them by the original owner but had no previous experience with larger birds. The husband is a tall fellow and apparently he took a dislike to them. He told me when I picked them up that I needed a red broomstick to get them into the cage. He also spent a lot of time playing loud video games and loud guitar so by the time we got them there were very few feathers left. Here is the problem. My wife has been able to touch the male but not the female. As soon as I move anywhere in the room they instantly head for the cage and start screaming. I do not even have to speak or look at them to set them off. I am disabled so I spend most of my day indoors and have be able to use that time to help other birds but no matter what I try I can not get these to trust me enough to get close to them to give them a treat. Eveery morning and every night when I cover or uncover them I make sure to bend down, put my left arm into the cage, and talk to them They just stand there as far away as possible with their topknots up. This has been going on for 3 months now. The clicker touch system just plain did not work. I can not get close enough to offer the stick. Any suggestions? Thank you. 3′s
Grampa

There is not even a video for me to watch. Why not???

I have a two year old quaker that I have had since she was hand fed by me. One day she decided that my fingers were dangerous. I went back to getting her to step up to the stick and that didn’t work. When I tried the hand-fed treat she would bite my hand hard before taking the treat! When I open the cage door and ask her if she wants to go out she will fly to my shoulder and stay there. From this point I can pet her, etc. Should I continue with the hand treats? I miss the days when IF she wanted to go out she would step onto my hand immediately. She will always let me know if she’s not in the mood to be handled. She will retreat to a far corner of her cage and if I persist she will eventually squawk at me. I find many times that if I just come back in five minutes, she’s changed her mind and happily comes to me.

I have an iIndian ringneck about 6 months old. I have had it from the time it was 5 weeks of age. It use to love me and always hopped onto my hand when i put it out to it.Now it runs from me or attacks me when i come near. Mostly bites. The only time it comes on its own is when i am eating and then it climbs up onto me and eats what ever i have. It is very gentle at this time as it even will try to eat out of my mouth like a baby bird, but as soon as i put my hand up to pet it it runs away. I have been trying some of your methods to make it like my fingers but as of yet it hasnt worked. any suggestions? Rose

I have your trick training video. I have been trying to teach my yellow napped amazon to fly to me or fly out in a circle and come back to me. He is not cooperating.
What do I need to do or am doing wrong.

Thanks,

My parrot Casey,I have had for two years.Hhe is an Amazon. he is terrified of stepping up on my finger. He doesn’t bite, but runs away. I have done Power pause training, and have gotten him to step up with one talen on my finger. I tried the target training, but he had the same fear of a dowel as my finger and even more. I’m busy going to school and working and I have left our relationship with him enjoying being rubbed on the head but only holding my finger when I appoaching him. He is about 42 years old and has a broken wing that has healed. Maybe that is part of his fear. Watching this video shows me that maybe appoaching him with a dowel is not effective, as of now; but maybe trying to go further with the power pause and his stepping one talen on my finger. Annette

here’s the thing chet, im just a child and i reallllly want to try your parrot training system. my parents have the money for it but they think that your one of those people that are con-men. they beleive that all u want is to cheat them out of their money. i just wanted to know if there was anything u could do so my parents can beleive that youre real then please do so.

Chet, i have a big problem, my pet cockateil, Sunny, is a great bird but he just cant stop biting! he always eats out of my hand but when i get to close he bites. he caught on to the touch technique but when i tried to put my finger underneath the stick so he can walk on my finger then touch the stick, he bites. i just cant afford the dvd your salling because im just a kid. is there anything you could do to help me?

Thanks for sharing your unique insights – I find them very helpful.

In your video you don’t mention how long it took for your bird to get over his finger phobia, and I imagine it’s different in every case. I wonder about this, because I have a 25 year old blue-fronted Amazon (with a viscious bite) that I’ve been taking care of for a year now. After watching some of your videos several months ago, I changed my approach and stopped “forcing” Vickie to do anything. (She still won’t accept the training diet, but I’ve reduced the seed to Zupreem ratio and cut out the ‘junk food’. Only rarely does she receive – from my fingers – her very favorite treats.) She’s very friendly and will come out of her cage to stand on her door right next to me, so long as I don’t try to touch her with my hands. Recently, though, she started letting me touch her head with one of her own (molted) wing feathers! And just this week, she’s started fluffing up so I can massage her head and neck with it. She’s clearly beginning to relax and enjoy the sense of touch again after not being handled for 10 years. I’m beginning to see a glimmer of hope that one day I will be able to use my fingers, though it doesn’t sound like I’m progressing as quickly as you did. Any other tips? I don’t want to rush her and undo our fragile bond.

This is EXACTLY the problem I have been having!
Thank you so very much for this tip! I am going to start doing this right away!

Hello, I have a11 yr old goffin – rescued at 5 yrs old- with several issues. Plucking, screaming and hating my husband are the worst. Once I got her to trust me, she was never afraid of my hands until I put on a dark nail polish. It took me some time to realize what had happened. I took it off and let her see me put it on again and that seemed to fix that problem. Thanks for the video that made me ask what had changed among many other things that have helped. By the way, she now has tail and wing feathers. Still a little bare on the legs and the chest, but this is progress. We took in a 17 yr old red front macaw last yr that has no issues. Sometimes the rewards are immediate. Thanks for all the info.

I am fostering a ? year old female Senegal parrot who was part of “parrot mill” operation that was raided and shut down as a result of someone witnessing this bird being thrown into a dumpster. As it turns out, she was the worst of the lot (hundreds of birds.) Breeders either tore her ligaments or broke her wing to prevent escape. Her toenails and most of her feathers were pulled out by the male they forced on her. She lived in a cage in which she was unable to stand up. All of the other rescues found homes and I was talked into trying to save her. We thought she was actually going to die soon, but she surprised us and started eating. Her behavior and a bit of her appearance have improved greatly over the last 2 months as she is now aggressive (she used to try to be invisible) and a bit noisy and interested in life. BUT I have never worked with such a thoroughly damaged bird. We let her out every day and she loves to spend the day on top of the canary’s cage, feeding him strips of fresh apple, which he takes from her (in a secured cage.) But she is amazingly difficult to break through to. I have tamed wild caught cockatoos in the 70s and rehabbed all sorts of birds, but this one has me stumped. I am afraid to “send her back” to her “I want to die” state and she bites more effectively and painfully than any bird with whom I have worked. Any special suggestions ? Perches and sticks scare the hell out of her and send her into a 2 day panic, she has REALLY been hurt badly for years and years. She will never be pretty, but I can see a real lovely resilient spirit in her. I believe she will make one person or a relatively quiet couple a cuddly friend with whom to watch TV or walk with her around the house with her in their hoodie sweat shirt. But I am having a some sort of training block with her. I try not to give in to pity, but her psyche is so delicate right now that I am afraid to permanently damage her more. Where do I go from here ? I will watch whichever video you suggest as many times as that takes, but she needs something I cannot easily identify. Thank you, KA

why does my african gray sometimes take a treat very nicely and sometimes just grab it very meanly and then drop it.. thanks debby

Thanks Chat you have helped me and educated me for the last few years about birds . I just wish i could implement it better with my african grey which is still hostile towards people . anyway i feel that i still profited and maybe this is as far as she will ever go with people . She is a rescue and nobody knows what happend to her in her “previous ” life . She seems content and happy just wants nothing to do with people . thanks again

HEY CHET AM ROHAN FROM INDIA.AM HAVING A 2 YEARS OLD ALEXANDRINE MALE APRROT.
I ADOPTED HIM FROM THE AGE OF 1 1/2 YEARS AND RITE FROM THAT TIME IS HANDFEED BU NOT TAMED AT ALL. HIS INITIAL OWNER TOLD ME THAT HE GOT THE PANDRROT WHEN IT WAS ABOUT A WEEK OR TWO AND THEN HE GOT TAMED AND HANDFEED WITHIN FEW WEEKS.LATER FOR AROUND IT WAS KEPT IN A BIG CAGE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE TALKATIVE BRUZOO STOPPED TALKING.NOW HE IS WITH ME FOR AROUND 6 MONTHS AND IS WELL MANNERED AND HANDFEED,BUT HE DOESNT ALLOW NEBODY TO TOUCH HIM AND HE DOESNT EVEN COMES ON THE HAND.HE NOW HAS STARTED TALKING FEW WORDS AND EATS WATEVER IS SERVED.
CHET I HAVE TRIED A LOT TO TAME HM BY NOT REACTING TO HIS BITES.
IF POSSIBLE PLEASE LEAVE BEHIND UR MOBILE NO ALONG WITH YOUR REPLY.
I WILL CALL U PERSONALLY AND TALK TO YOU OVER THE PHONE.
CHET MY PARROT MEANS A LOT TO ME AND I CAN DO ANYTHING TO KEEP H HAPPY.
BROTHER REPLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

HELP PLEASE!! I got my cockatiel* Zoey, when he was just 4 months old. In the beginning he was great, loving and let me hold him, would step up and even learned to say his name. one day he bit me for some reason really hard and I yelled at him and gave his beak a little tap..well that was 2 years ago and he hates me. He likes everyone but me…and I am his owner. The one who feeds him, cleans his cage, buys his treats ans toys, but he will not respond to me, but others can talk to him and he will just whistle and talk away..even let them pet his head through the cage. What can I do…

Hi My bird African grey likes when I pet him on his neck,inside his shoulder and etc etc. But after some time he will climb on my shoulder and will start making hissing sounds and open his feather , I can not understand what he wants. He never allows any one in my family to touch him, though every one likes to play and whistles to him. Even I dont know wheather he is male or female. can you explain.

Hi Chet,
This is Anu from India. Its been more than 6 months i got my parrot.It is a Indian ring neck parrot. We did not get clicker in my place. I tried making sounds with fingers but unfortunately touch training did not work. It bites the stick when i take it near him.Now it walks and comes to me and climbs up on my shoulders and sits. but never allow me to touch it. if i try talking to him when he is on my shoulders he bites my ears. whenever i try to call him or go near him if he thinks he comes to me. if he doesn’t have the mood he makes a noise contracting his eyes angrily. he is never into the cage. he always would be on the perch freely watching whatever we do at home. I waited patiently. I have never petted my parrot in these 6 months. I feel very disappointed at times. I bought a new cocktail home. but my parrot was very angry at that cocktail and me leading to which he never ate for two days and did not come out of cage. So i gave that cocktail to my friend. Now he is back to normal but still does not come to me. If some one new to our home comes he runs into a room and hides behind my dressing table. only after they leave he comes back to his perch.. that is at least alright. but he never seem to come when i call or he never lets me to pet him. I keep watching all your videos but still he seems not to react or stand and listen at all. when i start talking to him he keeps wandering to and fro on the perch continuously till i stop talking to him and go back to my work. i do not know what to do………

i have a parakeet that is almost 1 year old i have her in the same cage as my cocktail they get along fine . the keet likes to stay close to the tieal my tieal is extremely affectionate but my keet is not if she is in or on the cage i cant touch her but if she fly out and lands on something i can get her to step up she wont come to me she won’t touch train and if shes in the cage and i try to touch her she bites me and this is after her watching me pet the tieal i do it in front of her so she sees i don’t hurt him but she wants nothing to do with me inside or on the cage why could this be ?

please help !!! i purchased a beautiful blue & gold macaw, it was suppose to be “tame” , i’ts not !! but, i can tell that it has been use to being handled . i have watched videos & talked to other parrot owners and i’ve been told that it would do better with a companion , or friend if you will , Now , i found a beautiful umbrella cockatoo that DEMANDS attention , but he seems to be jeleous of my macaw ,which is a female , if that makes a differance , so, please tell me what i need to do . and i have noticed that hannah , the macaw has started to behave better by just watching boo baby i just need to know what to do to make the two become friends or at least tolerate each other, so please help , thannk you , angie

Thank you Chet for this forum re questions . This segment I will try on my African Grey as she acts similar to Susans’ problem . I am enjoying your parrot training literature and videos but admit I’ve not been putting enough time in to it . You really know your business when it comes to birds . You remind me of The Dog Whisperer , only your field is with birds and obviously you know their language ! …………. Thanks again , ………… Clara

This is in response to EMMA: Where on earth did you take your eclectus to have his beak “cut off”? And who would cut his beak until it bled?? PLEASE, do NOT take him back to this person. I, too, have an eclectus whose beak needs MINOR TRIMMING a couple times a year. You must take your bird to an avian vet or bird professional who knows what they are doing. Never cut off your bird’s beak. Usually it’s filed or drummeld down a bit, just a LITTLE bit. Perhaps you should take him in for this trimming more often so that only a small amount needs to be removed at a time. Cutting your bird’s beak to the point where it bleeds is very painful and dangerous to your bird. I suggest that they person who did this, doesn’t know what he is doing! How traumatic for your poor bird! He could bleed to death or get a serious infection. No wonder he didn’t want to come out of his cage or step-up after that! No, his beak will not fall off by itself. I can’t believe that someone would actually say this. I strongly suggest that you either go to the library or buy a book about the care of eclectus parrots. Everyone should read about the care of parrots BEFORE ever getting a bird. They are pretty complex creatures to keep as pets and prior knowledge of their care is essential to having and maintaining healthy, happy birds. This is what Chet’s column is all about….having happy, healthy, well adjusted/trained birds that bring joy to both you and them. Thanks, Chet, for all your good advice.

Hi,
i have recentley saved a senegal parrot from a home he was in for 3 weeks after they had him from a man that hit his cage with anything at close hand when ever he made a noise, he had no toys in his cage and it also appears he has had no attention, not sure of his age although i have been informed he is around 2, charlie seems to have settled in with us and of course he is spoiled now with loads of toys and attention and is aloud out of his cage every day. He has started making quiet noises which we encourage and is taking treats from our hands in which we are using the clicker method from your training cd however i can not get him to step up on any type of stick etc he has had a peck at it in which i have rewared him using the clicker first but i am not getting any where, i dont fancy trying my hand or finger as he seems to get quiet aggressive when close unless i am giving him a treat which he will take but move quickly away. HELP.
SHARON

I have a Military Macaw. I bought him a year ago he is about three which I am told he’s still a baby. But he has major biting issues. I have only been able to touch him for able 6mths I am really working hard to be nice. I was told he was hand raised and was really loving but I haven’t seen it. We could really use some help.

I have a two year old African Grey and was told that she was hand fed from birth, but as yet I am not able to get him to step up on my hand or a perch stick. I would love to be affectionate with “Rosie”, but she bits too hard. She talks and seems otherwise happy, but not to the point that she will let me handle her. We have had her about 18 months.
Thanks,
kathy

Chet,

Thanks for all your great work. What would we do without you?? I have 4 cockatiels now. The first one Max, who I’ve had about a year now, I clicker trained to step up on my finger and come to me. It scared me a little at first because I thought he was going to bite me but he was just testing my hand as a perch! The next two birds I got in rapid succession and didn’t have time to spend with them doing the clicker training. The 4th I just got a week ago. (Okay, I’m hooked!) My comment to bird owners is this: I spend about an hour each evening that I can after work, not training, but just being with my birds. The more time I spend with them the calmer they get. Once they’ve calmed down then I try to do about 10 minutes of clicker training but only if they seem calm. If I try too late in the evening, or when they’re hungry, they won’t respond. The second bird (Ernie) who I’ve had for about 5 or 6 months now just today stepped onto my finger for the 1st time to get to the millet sprig. The 3rd bird, Sunnie, was so nervous she would not even come close to me at first (I’ve had her about 3 months now) but now she is willing to eat out of my hand if the rest of the birds are although she still doesn’t want to step on my hand yet and she still shy’s away often. My observation is that if you will persist in being calm, loving, and caring, they will eventually respond to you. I think it helps too that the newer birds can look at what Max does (the older bird) and see that he’s getting treats and isn’t being harmed and they learn from him that they can trust me. Please everyone, don’t give up on your birds! Thanks again Chet for all your advice. I purchased your advanced training system when I first got Max, but have not had the time to spend learning it. I will though. I think your system is the best thing since pellet food!

i have a 6mth indian ringneck parakeet how do i get her to come to me and walk on my hand she flys out of the cage when opened and sits quite happy on her cage all day but when i approach her she flys off have only had her for a week

Hey Chet, Am looking forward to get your training package here next pay pay. Anyway I recently adopted a 28 yr old Blue and Gold he was Abused buy someone and i guess they threw he against the wall and hurt him badly, And so bad he had to have a wing removed to save his life. Well Lucky for me I have him now and he never has to worry about being hurt or abused again. I’ve only had him for 2 weeks now and i am trying togain his confidence but he has a real bad temper does not want to be touched, I can’t blame him for that Although I can use a wooden dowel tell him to step up, He screams a bit but does step up and I cant put him on my Shoulder and take him outside and around the house but you can tell he is stressed because he get pick in the face. Anyway is their any chance i can ever rehabilitate this bird and make him comfortable with me? I also have a Severe I have had for over 11yrs and tried intrducing them but the blue and gold acts like he wants to eat my severe Help….Thanks Richard

this was an interesting and an informative vedio and I learnt why my African Grey bit me several times. Thanks for the info

My bird bites my hands any time he can. If I offer a treat he will take it but he also bites every chance he gets. He will fly onto my shoulder at times and does not offer to bite me anywhere else, he just seems to hate my hands. I have been giving him treats and feeding him and avoiding any other contact with my hands than positive things but it doesn’t seem to help. Bistro is a conure. He was a rescue bird so I really don’t know if he is a he or a she or how old he is.

I am with Ann Furber, I have a parrot, she has been from house to house because no one wants her, I have had her for 5 years now and am determined to keep her,but I am deathly afraid of her, I can pet her head with 1 finger through the cage, if I let her out she bucks forward with her wings out like she is going to attack us, the only time I get to hold her is when I take her to get groomed, and the handler takes time with he and then she is just to exhusted to care, the handler says she is not mean but as soon as we get home it is the same routine, we are scared of her, but she can stay here forever.

I read the comment from Nicole about her parakeet. My parakeet did the same thing when I first got her. She didn’t doing anything didn’t even want to eat wouldn’t play. My Male bird herd her in the living room flew out to see her. After their brief incounter she started to eat and play. When she was ready and I placed her with my other birdie, I can’t believe the difference she is so happy eating and playing. Maybe Nicole needs another bird.

Hi chet i really enjoy reading my post from you i have tryed to pick this parrot food up where i live as my husbands out off work so i am trying to get the pellets from pet shop near me with out any luck but i will just keep trying as franky mostley eats the sun flower seeds and leave the rest i have so much wast when i buy a sack off the real good parrot food seeds as i say had not much luck here getting pellets up to now but as soon as i find some were round me that sells the all in one great parrot mix i will put franky on it it may help to carm him down as hes a nerves african gray hes only a baby still three years old who loved very much by me but franky gos for every one els if thay pass his cage he will fly at the bars to get to them i dont really no why this is he also shakes and is real scard i let franky out only when i am on my own now as a friend who feed him if we go away for the weekend may be twice a year she comes in and chats away to franky and feeds and waters him she says she has to be carefull he dont nip her but he lets her stroke him on his neck so i thought ok frankys out sat on the kitchen table what i have to cover or he tryes to eat it if i say no and give him a seed or abit off bisciut he leaves it alone i have to watch him tho any way as i was sayig i thoght it was oks frank was out so my friend sue pop.t in for a coffee franky was fine at first he just sat and watch her i new he was going to do some thing i was sat saying no franky then all off a sudden he walk.t over and bit her so hard it drew blood i was gob smack.t what a bad lad i had to put him in useing his favrate treat a tiny bit off cheese hes never once bite me hes mouthed me but not hurt me so i let him out as often as i can when i am on my own as i have a two year old grandaughter that stands and talks to franky but i always say dont you put your fungers near him Ella as i dont trust him with any one now since biteing my friend sue .Franky started plucking his feathers out this started after i moved his cage out side it was a real nice day i put my other two bird out a budgie called sunny and a cockerteal baby thay love to be out side watching the world go by so i thought right i will take frankys cage out thinking he would enjoy it but i was wrong he hated it so my husband john and i carryed the cage back in since them hes pluck.t his feathers out if i see him doing it i say no franky and most times he stops but i think he starts doing it if we go shopping but i leave the radio on for him for company bless him .He step on a stick well its a perch i have but he will not go on my hand he has been on my shoulder but he bite me real hard i never trusted him since lol .THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR EMAILS CHET X

Adding to Julie’s comment about dark nail polish setting her bird off, also consider what you may be wearing on or near your body. Do the patterns resemble anything that looks like a SNAKE? My African Senegal consistenly reacted very badly to a certain beach towel I had – and it dawned on me one day – the black and white swirls embedded in vertical lines – the pattern resembled the skin of a boa constrictor!

I got a similar reaction from my Amazon, Vickie. I came into the room one morning as was my routine, and she suddenly leaped across the inside of her cage and tried to attack me. I was puzzled by her unusual behavior until I looked down and noticed my shirt – the pattern on it was smaller, but similar to snake skin. I stopped wearing that shirt and am now more considerate about the fabrics my birds are exposed to.

Even when hand raised, birds are animals and they still have animal insticts. Attaching human logic to animal behavior isn’t always the answer.

I have had Kiwi about 2 weeks and when I first got him he would jump on ur hand and run up your are on on the shouldere, it didn’t matter who stuck there hand in his cage. but then u couldn’t get him off the shoulder he would go fron one shoulder to the other or fly away or to the top of his cage and then u couldn’t get him her would run from one side to the other, he would go in the cge when he wanted to, but then I read ur segment on not to let them run up ur arm so I would block him at his dore where he could not get out. But now he won’t even get on my finger he runs from me, so I have stopped trying to get him to do that, now I am working on the target and he is doing well, about 4 days now but he still acts scared, he reaches as far as he can to touch the stick and takes treats out of my right hand but not my left., He never speaks to me, but the minute my husband comes in the room her peps up and sueeches and tryes to monk him, it is so cute, he is a rescue and is a sun conure about 1 year old, please help what do I do to get him tocome around, I am watching all your instructions, Thanks u

Hi Chet,

I have an Orange Winged Amazon that has been a breeder bird or approx. 6 years before I bought her to remove her from a less than desirable living situation. Not sure if anything they told me is true. Anyway, I was told she was a talking pet b4 they got her. While in their care her breeding mate died. I Bought this bird because she looked sooo lonely and thought I could help. “Gracie” now shares a cage with my African Grey so she doesn’t seem lonely anymore.

My question is, Gracie is very hand and people shy. After 3 months she starts to scream dusk and dawn when I’m around. This screaming is fairly new. Why does she scream? Will I ever be able to get near her without her being terrified? (She doesn’t bite)

Chet I have a two year old blue bungey and she hates my fingers, I,am going to try this and see if it will work for her. When I first bought her she was so sweet, in fact at the Bird store where I bought her she had escaped out of her cage and none of the store personal could catch her, she would,nt come to anyone, I had never handled birds before but I thought she was so cute just a month old or so, anyways I just walked up to her and she came right to me needless to say I walked out of the store with my new little friend and $400.00 poorer. So I took her to a vet to make sure I would take care of her in the proper way, while I was there the vet said she needed her wings cliped and her nails cut , she had one worker hold her nails one hold her wings and then she clipped her wing and nails but one nail she cut so badly that she had a hard time slowing the bleeding I was shocked , my little bird was looking right at me when she got hurt so every since that day she hates my hands , I have tried your other tips but she hasnt responded, she will get on her stick and I can kiss her and put my whole head in her cage and she does,nt care, but not my fingers. I want so bad to pet her so I will try this tip. Thanks Marcie

thanks for the info. I have an African Grey that I truly believe hates me. He was never socialized, everytime i come to his cage to talk to him he runs to the farest corner. He will take peanuts from me but, after he gets the peanut he splits. I’ve had him now for 3 years and don’t think there is any hope.

Dear Chet,
My family and I have a huge problem. You see, we have a three and a half year old Green CheekedCconure that we got as a Christmas present. At first, he was a great little bird, really sweet and friendly. Then, about a year after we got him, we got two dogs. Having two new puppies in the family takes a lot of attention, so Cheekie (my bird) started getting less and less attention. Now when anybody gets anywhere Cheekie’s his cage, he’ll bite you as hard as he can, sometimes to the point where you bleed. He screeches constantly driving the whole family crazy. One time he even flew on my neighbor and bit his chin! My neighbor still has a scar there. My parents are tired of the constant screeching and biting and want to get rid of the bird. I love Cheekie to death, but I also have been bit many times and know that it needs to stop. My brother also loves Cheekie and would be devastated if we gave him away. We NEED help!

Sincerely,
Sophie

Hi, Chet.

I just took in a cockatiel that is very aggressive when your hand goes anywhere near him. He lunges and bites to the point that you think he is going to take your finger off. Even when you have food. He will bite at you and then realize, “Hey, this is food and I like this food.” Then and only then can you have your finger anywhere near him. It does not matter if you do this face to face or through the cage bars. Will your tip help him not to be so aggressive? Are there any other tips you could share with me to help my bird and my family?

Thank you for your help.

Angie P.

i have a six year old african grey who has a fear of fingers or i should say stepping up off of her perches. if i cover my hand with just a t-shirt say and then once she is off her perch she will then step on my hand.. NOT sure what to do to change this behavior. i don’ t think she has been treated very well from her previous owner. We have had her for about 3 months now.

my baby indian ring neck bites when i get him

Hi Chet, I read your articles and enjoy them very much. I have a female Parrotlet. I’m her third owner because she was soooo “MEAN”. (she was like a raving manic) I ‘ve had her about 2 years or so and when I first got her I could only hold her with gloves. I’m being very patient with her because she does have a huge trust issue-which after being handed owner to owner I totally understand. My point is, I hold her with one glove which she stands on and pet her with my other bare hand. I’ve trained her to come to the tip of the glove if she wants to be petted. Peanut is her name –anyway, we play a game with fingers. She’s starting to trust a little. She will touch my pinky with her beak and I say “one”. She touches my ring finger and I say “2″ and so on. She’s now starting to kiss the tips of my fingers and after this play training I give her a peanut in her cage and she goes readily to eat it. I’ve learned the most important thing with her is patience and kindness.

thanks .. but i have a problem with my parrot its bitting my fingers alot !

I have a partially blind African Gray, named Timmy. It seems that he can not see up close because when I sit down he seems to be staring at me. When I get up close to talk to him I always give him a treat. He gets the treat by the sound of my voice. Sometimes he seems to see the treat and other times he startles himself when he touches the treat. I received him from a friend who could not take him with her she knew I would have patience with him. My friend was always able to handle him. I feel that he needs more time because of being partially blind. I can now touch his beek and have I worked up to his head a little bit, but he quickly backs off but no longer lunges at me. What is the best way of training this bird under the circumstances. I have a few of your lesson CD & DVD but being that Timmy is blind he needs special lessons.

hi chet and co. ,
thanks for that stuff- i can see good results already!
one thing, my cockatiel allows me to pat his head and neck but no other parts of his body- meaning no cuddles from the bird, a thing that i have wanted since a bought him 6 years ago.
please get back to me,
emily

Hi.
I have a ecliptus female she comes on to my hand immediately
but while sitting on my shoulder screams in my ear and when I put my finge out she surgagates on it as if looking to her mother to be fed she is six month old ,yet while she is in the cage she talks to herself an whistles away and seems really content why does she do this

I keep 2 sunconures for 1 year. They are always screaming, the problem become more serious while we were talking to the phone.Any method to train them more quitely?

Great advice on this Birdie issue, thanks!
I have a different issue with my sweet Sunday Conure. She is 16 years old and about 6 years ago she started laying eggs. There is no other bird nor male in our home. I did start speaking to my folks on speaker phone and their cockatiel would whistle and sing while we all conversed.Ms. Birdie would c hirp and “squak”" seemingly back. Do you think that might have stimulated her or just coincidence. She now continues to lay eggs and lay on them like a good momma if I let her . Should I let her lay on for a long period of time?? I feel so bad for her because I fear it is wearing her out. It is about every 30 days!!! I let her lay on them about a week or two and then start taking one out at a time. Only once did she ever actually push them out of her cage. I had heard that possibly getting fake eggs might trick her to stop laying. If this is the correct thing to do and where would I order these eggs? Thanks Chet you sure do help us all out. Blessings, Linda

My 4mnth Cockateil AKA sparky does what Hulda’s parrot does he hates me and my fingers any tips??Plz help

My 4mnth Cockateil AKA sparky does what Hulda’s parrot does he hates me and my fingers any tips??Plz help

My 5 yr old African Grey is cage protective…I cannot get him to “step-up” when he is on his cage. He is ‘target’ trained & will hit target for treat everytime (using clicker). I can pet him when he is on his cage – he loves that. If he flys away from his cage, I can pick him up w/no problem. He only flys away from his cage when something (ie: unusual object, sudden or loud noise) scares him. No, I am not the one scaring him. His wings are not clipped, but, since he rarely leaves his cage, he’s not an adept flyer. I open the door on his cage, he readily comes out of the cage and ‘hangs out’ on the open door. He gets petted, treats during that time.
What should I do???

My three tear old Amazon loves to fly to me. She is my constant companion evrywhere I go in the house. She constatntly bites my fingers though and it doesn’t seem like she is afraid but just bites for no apparent reason or at least none that I can see. What now?

hi, heres a interesting one for you. we have a australian kings parrott about 18 months old and she is fine with me will step up play and take treats no problem. But this is the strange bit, my wife feeds her every day, cleans her and spends most of the day with her but she will not let her touch her will not step up only trys to bite. I cannot work out why? my wife has tried the different ways of keeping her calm giving treats but nothing seems to work. Any ideas anybody?

thanks chet for all your expertise. my problem is my senegal, joe, has just recently started biting me. he has never had a hand problem before. he just bit me tonight and drew blood for the first time. (he will be five in feb.). normally, he loves to be held and petted and play on his play stand.
i have moved twice in the past year and he has adapted great. don’t know if that has anything to do with it. is it because he’s male and is getting more territorial as he gets older? (my two others, peach face love bird & jenday conure were female, so he’s my first male, except for a pair of zebra finches).
he is also getting so much more head strong about everything. is it just the male thing?

i have the same problem as emily, my cockatiel absolutely loves to be petted on her head and neck, but not anywhere else. she is a female cockatiel age 8 or 9. she also knows how to step up and whistle, but she doesn’t seem to want to learn anything new. someoneplz help me with my bird!

Sorry, this wil be long: The technique also works for other fears as well. My 5yro Congo became cage door phobic after being forced in/out during a 3 day stay at a vet while we were on vacation. It took 3 months of slow behavior change (on our part) to get him comfortable to come in and out of the cage (with people around) without completely freaking out. We added a door perch that he eventually became comfortable with, we left the room when we saw him moving to the back of the cage when his fear started, we taught him the concept of ‘open’ and ‘close’ with doors, we played with him at the front door, we told him we would open the door and only did so (slightly) when he stayed on the perch with a peanut, or toy, or kisses, we played a open/close game with him on the door perch (with kisses), and then step up/step down(which he was/is a master) with peanuts and kisses. We see his chest shake with emotion about each new task for him and back off when he starts to lean away. He came to us as a very phobic bird, and will likely find a new phobia tomorrow, but this exercise is helping his confidence level considerably and made us realize that we had not been involved enough in the education. He now tells us ‘No’ very sweetly and/or shakes his head back and forth quickly if he is not comfortable with something and stressed when we ask him to do it.

Dear Chet,
I have a cockatiel who is 13 months and i have had him for 1 year the end of November. He did a wonderful job selling himself to me by letting me pet his head and did this up until about mid spring or so when they start going through their little changes. He does give me kisses on the cheek so he is somewhat affectionate. Now he will not let me pet him at all. At one time i was able to pet about mid way down his back, cheeks and his chin. We could go on for hours doing this, but now he will not let me touch him in this manner. He is a very stubborn little bird. Please give me some suggestions on how to win this love back again. Thank you so very much.

dear cihet i adopted a blue front amazon who is a rescue.hootie was never held or touched eveyone was scared to death of him.i have earned his trust an he now lets me hold him an he realy was never mean just acted like it.once i figured he was all scream an no bite he realy is quite gentle.my problem is he is a plucker his feathers grow an he plucks them.vet says he is healthy.but hootie still continues to pluck an i know its pain full cause he screams everytime.@ this time its the only problem im having with my great new friend.we have came a long way with hootie any suggetions out there to help my little plucker overcome his last hurdel????????

I have a female cockatiel (approx. 3 years old) that has always been rather withdrawn. She’s not afraid of fingers per se, but she only likes to perch on fingers and shoulders. She doesn’t like to be petted. I think that this is most likely due to her experiences in the pet store. In the store, the cage she lived in had an open top which allowed people to reach in and attempt to grab her all the time.
We have had this bird for a few years now, and she hasn’t changed much. She just seems extremely timid and shy. What can I do to fix this??

Hi,
I have a Blue Indian Ring Neck Parrott which had escaped and found him on the ground where I work at. I’ve had him about 6 years now and He still will not let me pick him up or put my hand any length into his cage without thrasing around and going to the back of the cage. He will come out by himself and walk on me, my legs, shoulders or even my hair but if I put my hands anywhere near him he will fly away. I believe he was just used as a breeder but am not sure. I have one or two of you videos but I quess I just don’t take up enough time with him, he does talk some, he will say hello, good boy, what ya doin & come on. I know if I work with him more he would probably talk a lot more but I work two jobs one being 12hr shifts and I don’t have a lot of time to spend with him. Do you have any advise as to what I could do to help me get closer to him as far as holding him so that he will not be so afraid?
Thank you
Joyce

This was helpful but I have a little different issue with the fingers. We captured a stray Quaker parrot about 2 years ago and could not locate his owner. Over time we discovered that “Pepe” would climb onto our hands as long as we had a glove on it. He will let me pet his beak if, and only if, I put my index finger towards him in a bent position. He will take small bits of lettuce from my fingers but that is it…No other touching. I try to make sure I pet him several times a day on the beak with the bent finger. Otherwise, he is a noisy, boisterous parrot that loves it when we let him come out of the cage. He will land on blinds, chairs and his cage, even climbing onto the gloved hand to return to the cage — but no touching on the back, neck, etc…..only the beak. We always try to back off from him before we annoy him but he still ducks any attempt to touch. Any suggestions?

PS: Your hints are wonderful and greatly appreciated.

My Senegal parrot doesn’t like my daughter at all. If she goes remotely close to the cage she will try to attack my daughter. Also, we have try’d to let my daughter feed the bird her favorite food and the bird will not go for the food but instead will go after my daughter and attack her by biting at her… Please help!!!!

Very nice vedio but my green wing macow is just alowing me to tuch him but when ever i try to tuch his leg he’s trying to bite and i would like to get a way cuz i tred with him that i put my hand i show him a nuts he’ll come take the nuts and go back to the stand and when ever i try ti move away from the stand he’s geting affraid and try to go back.

Hi Chet, I haven’t contacted you in some time. I am from Wisconsin and have an African grey congo named Humphrey Bogart. I just had his first physical and blood work done after 21 years of ownership. He is probably 23. I also found out my instincts were correct in naming him as his DNA confirmed he is a male. Last year on December 13 I performed an unnatural act with him and he sliced my lip open. I ended up at the plastic surgeon (in the middle of the Packer Game no less) and have since been filled with fear. I don’t think it was intentional on his part but I have handled him much less this last year and have used rope pearches instead of my hand in transporting him. How do I conqueor the FEAR factor.
Thanks Chet and Bogie still says your name. Kim Anderson

how do i teach my indian ringneck parrot to pech on my finger and stop biting

i just you a comment and spelled perch wrong im sorry

i have two blue-masked love birds. zoey and joey. i was giving them seeds and treats from outside the cage and they would take them from my fingers.. now each time i put my fingers near the cage and try to pet them, they go to bite me…………they think i have food.. i realize that it was a mistake to feed them with my fingers……….they do not like to be touched and go to bite. how can i change this situation? i was trying the pointing finger routine and it was hard because while i was trying with one bird, the other would start to distract the bird i was teaching. please help

chet
my bird is a ringneck parakeet named robin.he is very naughty but when closer to him he scare from me.how can i won his belief?

my bird is a ringneck parakeet named robin.he is very naughty but when closer to him he scare from me.how can i won his belief?

Chet and Dave,

Hi! I would like to thank you for all the awesome information about training parrots that you guys have made available, I bought several of your dvd and cd training packs, however I still have a problem with my cute little Meyer’s Parrot. we bought her when she was only 3 days hatched, went every day to see her until 13 weeks old when we finally brought her home. She is extremely intelligent and has picked up on several words and phrases, noises and commands. I used to be able to cup her in my hand and touch her everywhere. On a routine vet check up they found a yeast infection, I had to give her medicine though a syringe and tried to just have her stand still and drink from it. When she wouldn’t do that for me, I resorted to gently covering her with a towel and holding her from behind (which she normally tolerated well) to feed it to her. This all happened about a year and a half ago (she was about 2yrs old at the time.) Since then I haven’t been able to even raise my hand slowly around her as to pet her, touch her head, wings, and ESPECIALLY her back. I have tried everything, from only petting her when she’s tired or almost asleep, to only giving treats when my hand comes near. She loves to cuddle on my shoulder at night before been and loves neck and head scratched if I do it with my chin, or slowly with 1 finger. however though the last year and a half, slowly trying to progress this to again turning her over in my hand has failed to work. please help. She eagerly comes out of her cage and runs over to me to be held, taken places, great in the car, LOVES LOVES LOVES strangers, I’ve even seen strangers turn her over on her back, how can I gain this trust back?

plz man how do i stop my sengal parrot from biting me and stop running away from me

hi,my problem is my parrot he hates to come on my hand when i reach my hand he tries to climb with one leg and then he starts bitting and his claws are really painful, so what to do ??

Hi Vincent and Chet, my story is very similar to Vincent’s but I’m the one my 16 yr old cockatoo doesn’t like and he loves my partner so I almost want to give up and leave the bird to him. I am at a loss