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Thread: I want to train my birds but...

 
  1. #1
    Junior Member
    hypershadic11's Avatar


    Unhappy I want to train my birds but...

    Edit: I found spots of injury on their bodies after examining them... I'm not ready for something like this. These guys need an expert hand, not an amateur's. As soon as I can, I'm going to put them in an adoption home, or some sort of rescue place, then getting a different bird if I can, as I'm very new to owning a bird (not necessarily animals) and feel these two might be a little more than a handful. I'm still willing... To take care of them. Don't get me wrong... But... If you can tell me what you think is the best course of action for this situation, I would appreciate it. It'd hurt my heart for sure to let them go, as I've grown to really like them (even if it's not a shared view) but am willing to do what it takes to let them be happy. I need opinions... Ugh...
    THEY WON'T LET ME! It's a very frustrating ordeal... I've heard that you need to get their wings clipped before you do anything, but to do that, they have to trust me... I can't get them to trust me. I've taken a very calm approach, and of course, it didn't work very well. They absolutely HATE- and I emphasize very highly HATE when my hand gets in the same ROOM as them, lead alone just sitting next to the door of their cage.
    I got them from my grandma, who got them from my aunt, who got them from total strangers. I think they were treated pretty poorly. They refuse to leave their cage, ever... And tbh, if I was them, I'd want to leave it. Because when we got them... That thing was HOLY **** bad! Pun intended?... Yeah, anyway, the previous owners didn't learn to clean their cage. There were ****ing SPIDER EGGS IN THE BOTTOM, AND MAGGOTS EVERYWHERE!
    It took about 2 hours to clean the whole thing... But it was very stressful. And getting them out wasn't easy either... I had to coax them in to another cage with food, and then clean their old one, (which took forever because those two are dumber than rocks) then once again PUT THEM BACK INTO THEIR OLD CAGE FROM THE NEW ONE! Those two... Are so dumb lol I get they're just animals but... Ugh. Their trainer must've SERIOUSLY effed them up big time, because when they actually do know something, they're too scared to try it. Poor... Poor things. ;-;
    I've got two of them, a boy and a girl.. I think so anyway... They're pearl lutino cockatiel's of the same breed, which almost leads me to believe they're siblings, but idk... God I hope they don't have misbred babies or something, and actually, if they are related, I hope they don't mate at all... But there's not much I can do about that.
    ANYWHO, all of this leads me to believe they were abused... Poor things... they were living in a dump, and were never let out of their cage. They didn't even clean their water bowl! If I knew who that was, I'd kick him or her in the chest.
    Getting off topic, sorry~ I just don't know what to do... I'd have to wait at least a month to get their wings clipped at a vet, so is there anything I can do to get them to just calm down around me and gain their trust until then?
    Last edited by hypershadic11; 01-10-2018 at 05:22 AM.

  2. #2
    Super Moderator
    Dragonlady2's Avatar


    Parrots

    Willy-Eclectus, Oliver-alexandrine, Mookie-Senegal, Bella- Australian King, Joey and Peewee- Barrabands, Peachiegirl-Peachfront conure, Pepper- crimson belly conure, Peanut-plum head, Babyblue-parrotlette, Harry and Louie-canaries.
    Welcome to Precisely Parrots! Thanks for trying to help these poor birds. I think they will take some time before they are ready for human interaction. Clipping their wings won't necessarily make it easier to train them. As well, because they are a pair, it makes it even more difficult.
    Your first action should be taking them to an avian vet. If you have noticed injuries and they were living in an infested cage, there may be immediate health issues that need to be addressed before trying to tame them.
    Once they have received a clean bill of health, you could begin building a relationship with them. Training will be very difficult without a trusting relationship.
    Please let us know how it goes.

  3. The following 3 users like this post:

    Casper's 2nd best friend (01-10-2018), hypershadic11 (01-10-2018), PlaxMacaws (01-10-2018)

  4. #3
    Senior Member
    Casper's 2nd best friend's Avatar


    Parrots

    Casper, a blue fronted Amazon. Loves banana. Hates plastic bags and red coats.
    You are doing well but are just worried that you have taken on more than you can cope with. These birds need someone to love and care for them. They are not going to get that at a rescue centre so I think you have to stand up and be counted.
    Their cages need to be regularly cleaned and disinfected with F10 or a similar bird safe substance. If you can get the cages outside and give them a good going over with a pressure washer first (without the birds inside the cage of course ) that will certainly get rid of a lot of the grot.
    Please, please, please get them inspected by an avian qualified vet and as Helena wrote, do not clip their wings as it will not help. I'm sure the vets will let you pay by installments if money is a problem.
    Do keep us up to date and feel free to ask questions if there is anything you are unsure of.
    "A busy beak is a happy beak" - David Strom

  5. The following 3 users like this post:

    Dragonlady2 (01-10-2018), hypershadic11 (01-10-2018), PlaxMacaws (01-10-2018)

  6. #4
    Junior Member
    hypershadic11's Avatar


    Thank you both for trying to help me out, I'm not exactly able to go to a vet anytime soon, but I will as soon as I am able to. It's not a money problem, (though I suppose it stems from a money problem) I just have no way of getting there at the moment. I don't have a car, so getting there would require a 50 mile bike ride to the nearest town with a vet. I can get a ride next week, but honestly seeing those two in pain really hurts my heart.
    And I'm not a bum or anything... I've been able to do everything I need to for the birds, and the suggestions really won't put much of a dent in my wallet. So no problems there. But at the moment, due to unforeseen circumstances, I don't have a car... And securing a ride is a little more difficult than I thought it would be. But moving on:
    So the reason I want their wings clipped is not because I want to indefinitely train them- but because it's also a way to gain their trust a little more... I mean if I let them know where they are, and allow them to explore the house for a little bit (Without them trying to fly out a window) then I'm thinking hopefully they might be a little less skiddish.
    Anyway, back on topic, I've called several vets recently and plan to take them both very soon, trust me... But it might be a week or so... Do either of you have any suggestions for trust building? I've cooked them some treats out of oats, honey, and egg that I read was very healthy for them to eat, and delicious but... Neither of them are hardly looking at it. So I can throw that out the window for trust building. -_- Ugh... I'm very limited on what I can do health-wise, and trust-wise at the moment, but I'm still willing to try anything.
    Is there anything you've done with your birds to gain a lot of trust?
    Oh and thank you both for the help, I really... Really need it, haha.
    Ugh.

  7. The following 2 users like this post:

    Casper's 2nd best friend (01-11-2018), Dragonlady2 (01-10-2018)

  8. #5
    Super Moderator
    Dragonlady2's Avatar


    Parrots

    Willy-Eclectus, Oliver-alexandrine, Mookie-Senegal, Bella- Australian King, Joey and Peewee- Barrabands, Peachiegirl-Peachfront conure, Pepper- crimson belly conure, Peanut-plum head, Babyblue-parrotlette, Harry and Louie-canaries.
    To start with, just sit beside them and read out loud. Get them used to your voice and presence.
    Try eating your meal beside them. My birds like to eat at the same time and share my food as well. You could place some bits of fruit on your plate and offer it to them through the cage bars.
    If they start to come down to where you are sitting to see what you are doing, that's a step in the right direction.

  9. The following 2 users like this post:

    Casper's 2nd best friend (01-11-2018), plax (01-11-2018)

  10. #6
    Junior Member
    hypershadic11's Avatar


    Oh wow, good idea. I've just been sticking my hand in their cage, just at the door to get them at least used to that.
    I actually made some progress with that just a moment ago, and was able to talk them down when they started freaking out... Thank God.
    Anyway, I'm literally grabbing a book right now lol thank you so much for the suggestion!
    Here's hoping that it'll work.
    Edit: It did not. They squawked... So loud. I couldn't even get a sentence in. I read 30 pages of two different books, they just didn't like the sound of my voice.
    They were IMMENSELY freaked out by it all. They didn't check to see what I was doing, they ran from me like what I was holding wasn't a book, but a butcher's knife. Geez... This is gonna be tough. Gonna try eating next to them... See what they do about that.
    Edit #2: I tried it... They weren't freaked out by my presence this time, as I guess I wasn't talking... They seemed pretty calm, but they wouldn't eat what I was offering. So... Mission fail? Though one did walk a little closer to me, trying to see what I had. So... I'll give it a 70%
    Gonna keep trying over the next few days... I'll leave updates.
    Last edited by hypershadic11; 01-10-2018 at 09:37 PM. Reason: I tried everything suggested.

  11. The following user likes this post:

    Casper's 2nd best friend (01-11-2018)

  12. #7
    Super Moderator
    Dragonlady2's Avatar


    Parrots

    Willy-Eclectus, Oliver-alexandrine, Mookie-Senegal, Bella- Australian King, Joey and Peewee- Barrabands, Peachiegirl-Peachfront conure, Pepper- crimson belly conure, Peanut-plum head, Babyblue-parrotlette, Harry and Louie-canaries.
    I would keep trying with the food. You have already made progress if they made a move toward you to see what you were eating. You may have to do this for weeks. You aren't going to be able to undo what has happened to them. Progress is that they can tolerate your presence without freaking out. Think of them as wild birds....although, you may be able to eventually gain some trust, it will take longer with them.

  13. The following 2 users like this post:

    Casper's 2nd best friend (01-11-2018), plax (01-11-2018)

  14. #8
    Super Moderator
    Quakerella's Avatar


    Parrots

    8 quaker parakeets, 4 Indian Ringneck parakeets, 3 lovebirds, 5 cockatiels
    Wow! You seem to be doing a great job with what has been handed to you.

    I find cockatiels come around quite quickly, even the most wild ones seem to start to gain trust quicker that a lot of other birds.
    They are extremely inquisitive. All great advice and you seem to be doing everything right. The more they see and hear you the better. It may take a month or two, but I believe they will eventually start to show trust. Keep at it and see what the vet says about the injuries.

    Some cockatiels are prone to night frights and some of the injuries could be due to the thrashing in the cage. A small night light helps if you run in to this issue.

  15. The following 2 users like this post:

    Casper's 2nd best friend (01-11-2018), Dragonlady2 (01-11-2018)

  16. #9
    Junior Member
    hypershadic11's Avatar


    Thank you all for the support and help I've received so far, it's really helping me out
    I forgot to mention something before: They're names are Lihra and Jake..... Lihra because I wanted it to have a unique name, and Jake because... I know a guy named Jake. And he's a total *******... That's why he's named Jake. Which leads me to this update!
    So quick update... That I find quite troubling...
    Lihra is very cool with my hand being in her cage now... Jake is also to a certain extent. I can even move it and up down in the middle without them freaking out, so they're fine with me doing whatever. But uh... Jake has a very big influence on Lihra. I noticed this when I tried to move my hand an inch closer... Lihra was like: "Ok... I'm ok with this" but Jake was like: "HEY HEY! TOO CLOSE! TOO- TOO... AHHHHHHHHHH-!" Which in turn freaked Lihra out big time... Ugh... And of course, Jake is a HUGE bully. No matter what Lihra does, he will peck the **** out of her. Eating? Jake wants to eat more *Jake takes out a sunflower seed, then walks back up, like he's not hungry anymore... Lihra wants to eat again... OH BUT JAKE IS STARVING!* Lol I know there's not really much I can do about this. And I'm not gonna punish Jake or love him any less for this, I just... Does anyone have any idea what to do about this? I'd like for them to get along, but should I just get another cage? It might honestly make things easier on them and me. Or could they just be playing? I know all animals play, so I might just be over reacting.
    And if I am, then sorry lol but anyway... I made progress! Quite a big amount actually...
    You're right though, Cockatiel's do warm up pretty quickly.
    Oh and what do you think about my name Lihra? (Lie-ruh) I know it's quite strange, but I really like it.
    P.S. I've noticed the injury marks are only on Lihra... Go figure.
    Last edited by hypershadic11; 01-12-2018 at 02:32 AM.

  17. #10
    Senior Member
    Casper's 2nd best friend's Avatar


    Parrots

    Casper, a blue fronted Amazon. Loves banana. Hates plastic bags and red coats.
    Do you think that Jake is causing Lihra's injuries? I wonder about this because you say he is a bit of a bully. If that is the case then perhaps separate cages might be sensible, at least for a while to see how it pans out.
    I think you can get cages with removable dividers. As we only have one bird I have never had to look into this.
    Nice names
    "A busy beak is a happy beak" - David Strom

  18. The following 2 users like this post:

    Dragonlady2 (01-12-2018), PlaxMacaws (01-12-2018)

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