# Can I train him not to fly away from me whenever something else looks more fun?



## Rorschach (Nov 2, 2010)

So I carry Chess around some days but if he sees his jungle gym, or his mirror, or his cage, or anything he likes more than me (which is alot of things right now) he wants to fly over to it. Sometimes when I'm about to set him down on his jungle gym he'll fly from me as I move toward it, which is even more infuriating because I was just about to set him down anyway but he still feels the need to 'run away' or whatever.

Can I train this out of him so that he'll stay on my hand until I let him go to the cage/jungle gym/what have you?

I was thinking maybe everytime he flies from me to something fun I'd take him away and put him somewhere boring for a few seconds, only to carry him back over to the exciting place, only allowing him to actually stay there if he lets me place him there.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Birds are always going to head for the thing that looks like the most fun! Or the place that looks safest, according to their priorities at the moment. 

So you have to figure out how to make yourself the place that looks like the most fun and/or safest. Having the bird on one hand and a treat or mirror in the other hand might do this. You may not need to use bribery so much after Chess gets used to traveling around with you, .


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## Rorschach (Nov 2, 2010)

I get so frustrated with this dang bird.

Today I had a bunch of cleaning to do, including the bird cage, rather than leaving chess in front of the mirror for hours while I cleaned I figured I'd leave him in random spots around the house. He spent some time on a potted plant, some time on my computer desk, some time on one of the beams that runs across my ceiling, etc etc. And EVERY SINGLE TIME he had spent 15-30 minutes sitting on something when I came over to pick him up and move him he hissed at my hands, tried to bite me, because he was now more comfortable siting in some random spot than he was with me. It's infuriating, at least I can understand why he wants to sit by the mirror or in his cage rather than with me, but what exactly is so exciting about sitting on a potted plant that he doesn't want to be around me.

I've had this bird for a month and a half and he still shows zero interest in me, if I don't clean his cage/scare him into leaving his cage (by sneezing most of the time) then he would never leave it. Despite the fact that I keep treats on top of the cage, plus a jungle gym and a mirror, he has come out of his cage THREE times on his own in the 6 weeks I've had him and for only 5 minutes at a time.

I'm starting to think it may be time to just give up on him and get a bird from a breeder who doesn't come pre-loaded with tons of birdy-issues. Chess doesn't act like a cockatiel is supposed to according to any of the books I've read or the people I've talked to. 2-3 years of being owned by people who simply left him in his cage and never interacted with him has probably left him mentally unstable in bird terms and I've seen no signs, nor do I have any faith, that he is ever going to get better. This is endlessly frustrating.


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

I clipped all my birds wings and i bonded better with them and im glad i did it because i would never had it before i did


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## Rorschach (Nov 2, 2010)

He IS clipped but the vet didn't clip him severely enough and he still flies around just fine. If he's sitting on the ground he can't get enough air to go anywhere but if I'm carrying him he does it just fine.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Give him at least another month before you give up. I've had birds that suddenly seemed to relax at the end of their first two months so you never know, he might surprise you in a few more weeks. He needs the comfort of a flock and there are no other birds in the house, so mother nature might eventually drive him to bond with you.


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## Rorschach (Nov 2, 2010)

I plan on giving him something like a 2 month ultimatum (2 months from now, not when I got him) I can understand that some birds just won't bond with their owners, and thats fine but it's not what I'm looking for in a pet, even a small amount of bonding would make me much happier. 

And I have heard stories where birds come around, it's not like we've made zero progress but I still get very frustrated, more so with the 'refuses to leave the cage' issue than anything else. It's like the bird is saying 'I just want to stay in here and have everybody leave me alone' which is something I can't stand, otherwise I would have bought a fish!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

That's a reasonable time frame. If he hasn't bonded two months from now in spite of not having another bird for companionship then it's quite possible that he just isn't human-oriented and would be happier living in an aviary with other birds.

Do your best to stay physically and mentally relaxed when you're handling him. Birds are very sensitive, and if you're frustrated and annoyed you'll be physically tense and he'll know it. This basically amounts to a danger signal and it'll make him more nervous. If you're calm then he'll be more relaxed too.


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