# Tips for hand taming please?



## Jynxstorm (May 15, 2010)

I currently use the millet and food method with Sketch however she still seems timid of my hand and was one of the ones that the store I got her from said that I'd need to work more with her on the hand situation. (if only I went with the darn hand fed baby that already knew step up too bad it looked like pumpkin but lighter) any ways, I would love to get her used to the hand and I do notice that her wing has grown a feather back already after it's wing clipping same with ziva's got the one wing that looks like it was never done. when I know it was done. Now, back to the main questin any one have any other stratagies to get a tiel used to their hands other than food and millet?


----------



## kellie (Sep 21, 2010)

Hiya.

When I got pepsi just over 3 weeks ago, I let him settle but he seemed like he wanted interaction so I basically sat next to his cage talking to him with my hand through the small door just propped on his perch. I just left my hand there for 10 minutes at a time, sometimes i moved it a bit. I did this for a week until he saw no threat from my hand and was comfortable with it.

Then after the first week of doing this, I started putting a bit of food on my hand. Most of the time he was not interested. But one night I realised at seed feedng time how much he enjoyed his seed, so each night I put a bit of seed on my hand before feeding him and he was straight over!!

I did that for another week and I just left my hand in again for 10 minutes at a time. then after this I started using my clicker and each time he climbed to me hand for seed I clicked with a command, then every other time I put my hand in without seed, and he still came over (as I wanted him to not always expect seed), once he hoped over happily, I then rewarding him with seed, and keep repeating this. now 2 and a half weeks on, he will climb onto my finger when I put it in, he then knows if he does this and sits there a while that when he goes back to his perch I will reward him with a 'good boy' or a bit of seed.

Somestimes he still hisses but I just persist.

Kellie


----------



## Jynxstorm (May 15, 2010)

kellie said:


> Hiya.
> 
> When I got pepsi just over 3 weeks ago, I let him settle but he seemed like he wanted interaction so I basically sat next to his cage talking to him with my hand through the small door just propped on his perch. I just left my hand there for 10 minutes at a time, sometimes i moved it a bit. I did this for a week until he saw no threat from my hand and was comfortable with it.
> 
> ...


I shall try that Kellie, Sketch is actually right infront of me ontop of the tv stand just several inches away cause of where my computer is. I had her for about nearly almost a month now. since I got her on I think september 5th. didn't wanna force her to trying the hand at first I wanted to let her settle in but now that she has her wings done I'm ready to actually try with the hand taming. I use the food and millet trickfor my other birds of course. She just needs the extra work.


----------



## kellie (Sep 21, 2010)

I thought it quite funny, sitting there with my hand stretched into his cage for so many times each day while I had to pretend to ignore him, he soon got used to me


----------



## Jynxstorm (May 15, 2010)

kellie said:


> I thought it quite funny, sitting there with my hand stretched into his cage for so many times each day while I had to pretend to ignore him, he soon got used to me


 
One of the main reasons is what worries me is when I do slowly put my hand through the small door where i could put a food dish in well. She tends to freak out literally.


----------



## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

You could also try perch training her first and then going from there. Once she realizes that all of you isn't bad, it should be easier to introduce your hands. But keep up the millet trick too, that one works pretty well. And kellie's idea, that one is recommended in several books I read.


----------



## kellie (Sep 21, 2010)

Yup Pepsi did that too, But I completely ignored it, I rested my hand on his main perch and left it there , even with him flapping about and hissing. I just honestly ignored him and I did this every couple of hours that weekend. He soon learned to not freak out.


----------



## Jynxstorm (May 15, 2010)

roxy culver said:


> You could also try perch training her first and then going from there. Once she realizes that all of you isn't bad, it should be easier to introduce your hands. But keep up the millet trick too, that one works pretty well. And kellie's idea, that one is recommended in several books I read.


 
when she wasnt cliped and got onto my shelves roxy, she did not let the perch I was using near her. I'd have to get a smaler perchto use for the perch training. I'd never give up the millet training. She polished off one millet that was in her cage luckily I dont always keep millet in cause we can't afford bags of millet every time we turn around.



kellie said:


> Yup Pepsi did that too, But I completely ignored it, I rested my hand on his main perch and left it there , even with him flapping about and hissing. I just honestly ignored him and I did this every couple of hours that weekend. He soon learned to not freak out.


 
hopefully later i'll try your idea kellie, Then agian I would hate if she tried biting me then agian I'll just loudly speak NO! when she does escape when I have her main door open and uses my arm as the escaping perch. she'll make me chase her around I use a towl to catch her in she has tried nipping me luckily she doesn't fully break skin on me any more she did once, but, I tell her no, and she stops and goes back to biting the towl. and lets me scritch her head I always free her head from it once she's wraped gently so she can breath. so I can get her back in the cage that way.


----------



## kellie (Sep 21, 2010)

I have been nipped but I just say no and firmly keep my hand where it was, moving it away makes them think that they have managed the desired effect, ie - biting your hand means it will move away. they will then keep doing it knowing it will make you move. 

I have literally no experience with birds beside an old budgie I once had given to me and she was old and untame, I have spent a long time reading cockatiel books and websites and the things I have been doing are stuff I have read to do. 

I dont mind being nipped and bitten, I just act like it hasnt bothered me, that way they know that we are safe and that we are the boss and that they can trust us. my room is bird prrof so if he got out it wouldnt matter, the one time he did I just left him to it until he was calm and scooped him up, now I can leave the door open on his cage and e will potter around by not come out, but when I have my hand in doing the training its through the small door and he cant really get out anyway as my arm is blocking it.


----------



## Jynxstorm (May 15, 2010)

kellie said:


> I have been nipped but I just say no and firmly keep my hand where it was, moving it away makes them think that they have managed the desired effect, ie - biting your hand means it will move away. they will then keep doing it knowing it will make you move.
> 
> I have literally no experience with birds beside an old budgie I once had given to me and she was old and untame, I have spent a long time reading cockatiel books and websites and the things I have been doing are stuff I have read to do.
> 
> I dont mind being nipped and bitten, I just act like it hasnt bothered me, that way they know that we are safe and that we are the boss and that they can trust us. my room is bird prrof so if he got out it wouldnt matter, the one time he did I just left him to it until he was calm and scooped him up, now I can leave the door open on his cage and e will potter around by not come out, but when I have my hand in doing the training its through the small door and he cant really get out anyway as my arm is blocking it.


I own 2 budgies and their bites don't really bother me. It's tiels bites that do *hehe*. Their beaks are worse. hehe.


----------



## RentalWhisper (Sep 10, 2010)

ive had mine for two weeks now and hes progressing. what im doing is perch taming for now as he doesnt like hands. i get him to step onto the perch then give him some millet. once hes had a bite i balance the millet on my perch holding hand, so in order to get the millet he has to get closer and closer to my hand. he was wary at first but now **** lean OVER my hand to get the food. im hoping that sometime in the next few days i can move the millet onto my wrist and **** have no choice but to stand on my hand to get it. so far it seems like an effective way so maybe you should give it a go!


----------

