# Leaps & bounds w\ Onyx and my spangle...



## DeBree420 (Nov 14, 2007)

well i have these 2 birds...








the normal grey whiteface is a boy, his name is Onyx... he was in this pet shop, in a tiny cage with many other birds, and he was there for 2 years(that i know of) the poor little guy was such a biter and he flipped out whenever anyone went near him... 
i get the dna back for the spangle in 1-3 days...and is yet to be named... i am fairly sure the spangle is kinda young...
these birds i got from a pet shop, as 'untameable aviary birds' !
and so far they have come in leaps and bounds...
i went and clipped their wings for training 2 days before i brought them home, and put them in a cage in my bedroom...
i started off by giving them 2 days to settle in... where i came in every morning and night to whistle to them and changed food/water during the day...
then i started to give small sprays of millet, and left the cage door open while watching them from the next room...
i did this for a few days till they got used to the millet...
the next step was to open their cage door and lie in the room for hours whistling... this was boring, but they really warmed up to me (well... a bit)
then i got them out of the cage with a tea-towel and opened it up so they were actually comfortably standing on my hand(with the towel on it) and wearing the other part of the towel like a shawl (so they can see where they are going)
i would then carry them to the lounge room where they could play on the 'lounge play gym' and just hang out with me while i watch tv or go on the net...
the first time i brought them out, Onyx jumped off the perch...
my automatic instinct was to cushion the birds fall with my hand (as they are clipped and i dont want them hurting themselves)... this worked...as he landed on my hand, i lowered it to take some of the impact, then i looked at him, all shocked(omg omg omg hes on my hand!), and he looked at me the same way... then lowered his head, and bit me 








i slowly put him back up level with the perch and he stepped up on to it...
when it came time for bed i had to catch them with the tea towel...
tonight i brought them out with the tea towel again...
i had them on a windowsill, and i put my hands on the sill in 2 seperate places, both Onyx and the spangle ran like mad, back and forth leaping(as if for their lives) over my hands, i mustve stood there for at least an hour, and, after a while Onyx stepped on my hand as he went over it(i think by accident)... the next step for him was to come and do a 'test bite' on my hand, not hard at all, not like the cross little pinch he gave me the night earlier!
after he discovered i didnt move, he decided it would be ok to stand on my hand!!!!
the spangle (even though s/he is the 'tamer' one s/he is also the follower) after seeing Onyx stand on my hand, decided it was ok if s/he stood on my other hand...
they sat there happily for about 3-5 minutes before moving!
and when it came time for bedtime, i put my hand up to the spangle, and after a bit of running from me, gave in to step up onto my hand so i could walk him/her to bed!
Onyx was a little suss on me (it will take a while for the poor little dears soul to heal from his bad upbringing) but after ten minutes with the windowsill hand trick(one on each side, not moving at all), he decided he too could cope with the hand he is standing on, taking him to bed!!!

so... so far... it has been a glorious SUCCESS!!!


----------



## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Good to hear -sorry about the bite but atleast now he realizes standing on you hand is ok.


----------



## DeBree420 (Nov 14, 2007)

hehe the bite was nothing!
i was STOKED that was all i copped!
i thought he was going to give me at least one 'gusher' lol
when i grabbed him at the pet shop(to do the wing clip), he bit straight through the thick gardening glove, and drew blood (just a tiny bit)
i am so happy... i am sure it is a sign that he knows that i saved him from the pet shop and everything is going to be ok now! 
he is way more relaxed than he was when i brought him home!


----------



## **TielHeart** (Jan 3, 2008)

Sounds like they are quick learners! Sorry about that bite though...


----------



## DeBree420 (Nov 14, 2007)

**TielHeart** said:


> Sounds like they are quick learners! Sorry about that bite though...


hehe... no, be happy about the bite!
i am!... it could have been a lot worse!

i am quite excited about what progress we can make tomorrow...

i wonder how long it will be before i can take them out on leads to the park like my others!


----------



## nic bike (Oct 21, 2007)

I,m sure it wont be long!


----------



## Laura (Jul 30, 2007)

Sounds like your making great progress that must be really encouraging for you


----------



## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Thats great  Sounds like soon they will want to be on you


----------



## Sophia (Aug 11, 2007)

Glad they are beginning to step on your hands, it feels like a great acheivement when they step up!  Keep us updated on the training!


----------



## DeBree420 (Nov 14, 2007)

i am super happy with how it is going!
i will definitely keep everyone updated!...


----------



## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

That's really quick progress if they've never had any work before!  Sounds like they'll become quite tame.


----------



## DeBree420 (Nov 14, 2007)

Bea said:


> That's really quick progress if they've never had any work before!  Sounds like they'll become quite tame.


i know!... i am so happy... i thought it would take a month at least to get to this point... i also thought there would be a lot more physical pain for me!
*dances around*


----------



## Sophia (Aug 11, 2007)

Well lets all hope there won't be any more physical pain, because the bite that you have already had looks quite bad, and next time it may be worse!


----------



## DeBree420 (Nov 14, 2007)

sophiay said:


> Well lets all hope there won't be any more physical pain, because the bite that you have already had looks quite bad, and next time it may be worse!


hehe i dont really care as long as they are happy!


----------



## Sophia (Aug 11, 2007)

DeBree420 said:


> hehe i dont really care as long as they are happy!


 That is the most important part! :lol: LOL!!


----------



## Rosie (Aug 27, 2007)

So glad to hear that they are coming along well. They are lucky to go to someone like you too - someone that actually knows what their doing. I would have thought I a lot of people would give up.


----------



## DeBree420 (Nov 14, 2007)

thanks for all the support guys!
as much as the progress my babies have already made, is its own reward, it is still good to be encouraged!


















arrgh!... says Onyx... i is big an scary!









wot??... says the spangle... i isnt caring!


----------



## Sophia (Aug 11, 2007)

Wonderful photos DeBree420 (i don't know your name)  The one with Onyx on, saying he is big and scary is so cute and funny :lol:


----------



## **TielHeart** (Jan 3, 2008)

Very cute pictures!


----------



## DeBree420 (Nov 14, 2007)

sophiay said:


> Wonderful photos DeBree420 (i don't know your name)  The one with Onyx on, saying he is big and scary is so cute and funny :lol:


hehe... its Bree...
lol, yeah that pikkie is one of my faves too...


----------



## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

I can't tell who Cinnamon is anymore!


----------



## DeBree420 (Nov 14, 2007)

Babyluv12 said:


> I can't tell who Cinnamon is anymore!


lol.... Cinnamaroll is the one on the right in my siggie... she is the only one fully flighted!
hehe i can tell them apart in a second, as they are all different mutations... but it takes a while to see the subtlety of the different mutations as they are all cinnamon whitefaces..(apart from Onyx)

left to right...
Spangle pied, pearl pied, Onyx(normal whiteface),Tak (pied), Comet (split pied) and finally Cinnamaroll (pearl)


----------



## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Well, they are YOUR birdies, you should be able to tell them apart! hehe


----------



## DeBree420 (Nov 14, 2007)

Babyluv12 said:


> Well, they are YOUR birdies, you should be able to tell them apart! hehe


hehehe... yeah!..
i kinda meant that i have done so much research on the mutations, looking at any bird, it is fairly easy for me to see the difference now... 

by the way... i have completely stopped using the tea towel, i have been just rounding them up to my hand... and so far i have got a bite from Onyx that bled... but that was only cos it was on the tip of my thumb near my nail... and it didnt really hurt... it was one of those 'im annoyed with you' bites


----------



## Sophia (Aug 11, 2007)

DeBree420 said:


> ... it was one of those 'im annoyed with you' bites


LOL!!  At least it wasn't an "I hate you bite"! :lol:


----------



## DeBree420 (Nov 14, 2007)

update...
not much to update, Onyx still dosent like to be touched (i am sure he is just that kind of bird) and never goes to bed at night any more as the 'herding Onyx to bed' game is the 'funnest game ever' when i grab him now, he dosent bite, just complains a **** of a lot! 

Kame (the spangle) on the other hand, has regressed a bit unfortunately, and the same with his mate Comet...
the people they were being looked after while i had no house, cared for them well, but didnt really interact with them much, so now they both have to be persuaded to get on my hand 

so its back to the drawing board for them...

Fenkussu on the other hand, has progressed a lot, he loves scritches now(still not anywhere near the amount he loves Cinnamaroll )
and Cinn has been really grouchy lately, as her head and neck somewhat resembles a echidna 

Tak has been the same consistent little antisocial grump from the day i got her lol


----------

