Avalanche has a hard time with hands!!

[crazy4tiels88]

Avalanche ever since I got him in august he has had a issue with hands as he's scared to death of them and sometimes steps up and when he does he hops of my hand and onto the floor and he always breaks blood (tail) feathers and so I have to pluck them!! So today he had another freak issue and started screaming and broke blood feathers so I pulled them out so they would stop bleeding!! He is only 9 months old and I was hoping to tame him but I have had him since august and he is a little better but still freaks out and always wants Ivory near him, I think he likes Ivory cause he thinks its his one of his sisters!! Thanks, Melissa

[Lola's_mommy]

I'm sure someone with more bird experience can offer some good advice, but I have heard mentions of holding a treat, millet, in hand while you are trying to train him to not be afraid of your hands. As a rule, I keep my hands low to my tiel and let her come to my hand. Otherwise a hand can look threatening. If he's that scared of your hand, it'll probably take some time to train him otherwise. You can't push too hard or it will just get worse. Maybe you can put your hand in the cage without approaching him and just do this over and over again so he gets used to your hands as not being threatening. And when you do get him out of the cage, it should be in an area that has less objects that can hurt him. I'm afraid of hearing that he will get himself really hurt one of these days.

I'm interested in hearing what others with more experience have to share. Just be patient. Anything worthwhile is worth waiting for.

[Danielle]

It's also worth building up trust before you try to handle him - talk to him a lot and just be near him. If he's not clipped it can be worthwhile leaving the cage door open when you're near if it's safe, so he can hop out if he likes and build confidence. My tiel Quinn's afraid of hands but after I started to help him develop general confidence he's become better with hands and even flies over to my should of his own free will sometimes.

What I did with Quinn initially when he tried to fly off was take him out with a perch, block the cage with my chest and pull him into it with the perch, then gently cup my hand around his back. He's fairly comfortable with that and seems to feel secure, far more so than if I try to get him to perch on my hand.

It sounds like Avalanche is clipped... if he's crash landing, maybe his clip is too severe or not even enough? He should be able to land okay most of the time, even if he's one of those tiels who's a natural butt-landing klutz.

[sweetrsue]

I think he will always be afraid of hands if his experience with yours is ofter feathers being pulled out. I know your doing it for a good reason but it can't help with trying to build trust.

[crazy4tiels88]

LOL yeah probally is, but I have had tiels I couldn't handle and he's the worst of them all and he bit me yesterday!! Popeye was mean and drew blood and wasn't handled enough for 9 years untill I got him then he changed and now I can handle him! Chiquita was skitish when I got her as a baby and now she's handable, Ivory was very untame but she was a aviary bird before I got her and now shes very tame and lets me scratch her head. I wonder if he was better off in a aviary where he gets no human conection then with me? Cause I like birds that you can handle and this frustrates me, I guess I have no patience... Thanks, Melissa

[Danielle]

I wouldn't give up on him. It does take a lot of patience, but you should be able to get him to the point where he doesn't bite you, even if he hisses or lunges at your hands. He might never be 'tame', not all birds tame down. It's certainly easier to put him in an aviary, but I wouldn't think it's better for him.

I'd also stop pulling any blood feathers unless they were really a problem (bleeding profusely and not showing signs of clotting or slowing down).
Preventing him from flying away would be a much better solution, and body blocking works well in that regard. If you hold him into your chest you might get a few bites, but in general most animals give up biting when you don't flinch and they realise it's ineffective.