# safest way of catching a scared bird without getting bitten?



## animal lover (Jun 8, 2011)

So I let Teetee (dont ask 7yr old named him) out of the cage for a fly around, prior to that I had held some millet in the cage for him and he was happy to eat it though he didnt come near my hand, however from the second he was out he was frantic to get away from us, first he went thud into a window, then stayed there a while, when Neil tried to get him down he flew off in a panic and hit a wall, window and door. We tried everything to catch him but couldnt get near him so had to resort to using the net he came with 

He hated the net and squalked really loudly and bit Neil hard (drew blood) now I dont want to allow him back out because of stressing him out.

We are going to get him to a vet but can only find one that specialises in birds (unless anyone knows any in Coventry?) It is closed until monday, and then we would have to hope for a friday or sat appointment as Neil is the only one that can get him there. I dont want to let Teetee out until it is done and cant do it myself, for a start we dont know how to hold him properly and none of us would know what to do without being shown by a vet first. 

Does anyone have any tricks for super nervous birds? If we can find away to get him without us being bitten and him getting so scared then he wont have to wait so long other wise he is going to be confined to his cage until then. (He will still get attention as we will still talk to him and I will still continue offering his millet from my hand) Please help


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## NuttyNu (Aug 20, 2009)

Gloves, Sounds silly but when they learn the glove is getting no reaction to them, they may start to settle down, It is harder to hold them and with the pressure you can put on them, I use one glove for my "wild" aviary birds and one normal hand when I catch them. they only bite the hand near their head (with the glove on) and they don't get through.
My aviary birds are not wild but are un-socialised to human contact and are very stressed and flighty. I am currently giving 2 meds twice a day so they are requiring regular handling and are frequently biting the glove now.


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## Virtue (May 18, 2011)

OK. I saw my vet doing this and it's working for me:

- Turn off the lights in the room
- Close the blinds
- Cut a piece of 20 X 20" 100% cotton from an old t-shirt (it's very soft)
- Throw it on them
- Grab your bird gently with both hands and put it back in its cage
- Proceed to turn on the lights
- Talk softly to it

This works for me without freaking them out and it's also helpful since it won't inflict fear of hands.


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## Virtue (May 18, 2011)

One more tip: NEVER chase a bird to try and catch it. You will be perceived as a predator. Use the cloth technique and grab it gently. Use slow and gentle movements. Sudden movements scare them.


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## clawnz (May 28, 2009)

Very well said.
I could also add! Be Calm when trying to catch your bird. It will pick up on you getting excited, so stay calm and take your time.
We use nets or a towel at the rescue, and thses work well even with the wild birds.
With a couple of the birds, we can sheppard them back in just by holding up a towel.

I would not let it out for now. You need to build trust and exceptance. This can take time. Sit and talk to it while in the cage, offer treats and just let it get used to it's surrondings and you.


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## animal lover (Jun 8, 2011)

Thank you, I have bought a pair of gardening gloves and a perch, we have lots of millet, trying to find smaller things he likes but so far he turns his nose up at everything lol. I need to change his diet too as he is only having seed and water and grit. He does have a cuttle bone and mineral block though. He will take millet from my hand as long as im holding it out to him so he dont have to come near me, im hoping to be able to lessen the amount im holding out over time and get him to let me touch him with the perch over the next week or so. I am a little concerned that he dont really make much noise, we have had the odd bit of cherping in the morning but thats it 

We are talking to him all the time, we have to walk past him several times per day so we talk to him then too, my toddler loves talking to him. The hard part is getting in his cage to do the millet as I didnt realise how much my toddler would fall in love (he barely bothers with the piggies lol) so we are doing nap time and eves, then when Neil is here he will do some while I entertain Fin. I am confident Fin will lose interest soon so will do more then. I want nothing more then to be his friend and be able to have him on my shoulder.


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## KateBascombe (Sep 27, 2010)

I use this one particular orange hand towel to catch my feathered friends when they don't want to do home. They've gotten so used to it that just the sight of ANY orange towel will send them flying back to their cages! They scream and chomp when we do have to towel them, but 2 minutes after they're back in their cages they seem to forget anything ever happened... Until they see the towel again


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