Starting Right With Your Pet Bird

by Captain Lloyd

In my thirty five years of involvement with the training of parrot family birds, it saddens my heart to see such a large number of birds neglected because their owners have not an inkling as to how to get the most out of their birds. To begin with, the parrot family has a very stringent pecking order.

To get the most from your bird, you must be at the absolute top of this pecking order. Every bird has its own very idiosyncratic pattern of behavior. So these procedures will vary to some extent from bird to bird. Before starting to train your bird, it is vital to have the wings clipped. This will help in getting the bird out of the cage as quickly as possible; the more time spent removing the bird will traumatize it more than necessary. If your bird bites, use a towel. With the bird out of the cage, place it on the back of a chair, or preferably on a training stand.

Approach the bird with your palm open angling your hand so that it presents the smallest profile from the bird's line of sight; remember your hand is larger than most birds. Moving slowly and deliberately towards the birds breast give the command "step up". Your objective is to have the bird's feet on your index finger with your thumb over both feet. Hold your bird's feet momentarily to begin with, increasing the time until the bird is comfortable in this position. Remember to say "good bird" each time the bird steps up. And remember, no sitting on your shoulder, arm or toupee. The position at which you hold your bird is important. Your birds' instincts tell it that the higher it is, the safer it feels. This is why if given a choice, it will go to your shoulder or the top of your head. The safer the bird feels the more aggressive and resistant it will be. That is why you must keep the bird below your chin at all times until absolutely trained. If your bird is a hard biter, I recommend a professional training stick instead of your index finger, as the training stick will not scream or bleed.

It is also very important to never use your finger to scold the bird. Do not shake your finger at the bird, as everything coming from your hand should be positive. Do not tell the bird to step up unless you take the time to enforce this command by insuring that he does so. We want the bird to respond to this command every time, NO exceptions.

If you adhere to these beginning principals you will have a loving pet for many years. To read this article and many others on pet birds and their care check out our web site at http://www.geocities.com/heartland/woods/1904/index.html or call us at Deceased.

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