Finch Taming Tips

[MiaCarter]

afinch -- True that!

Cockatiels can be super tough.
I honestly believe it's something with this family of birds, as their relative, Cockatoos can be SUPER challenging. (The most challenging birds I've worked with were definitely Cockatoos.)

Cockatiels (and 'toos) seem to be much more reluctant to trust than many other birds. And when they form aversions, they're difficult to work through.

I have a real eagerness to get Hunter socialized and tamed because he's so damn miserable.
He's really a sad little dude.
He's afraid of everything.
He doesn't play. Ever.
He compulsively knocks.
I've started leaving his cage open to see if he'd like to explore a bit. I've left it open for 4-6 hour spans for 5 days in a row now. He still hasn't budged from his perch.
The only time he ever seems happy is when he's singing with the parakeets. But he never initiates it; the parakeets always start it.

He just seems so joyless. So I have this real eager-ness to get him tamed, but I just need to remember that it's on his schedule, not mine!

The parakeets, though, are the jolliest little guys. Not fond of the new cage yet, but they're super happy overall.

[MiaCarter]

Oh. My. Goodness.
I did it! I cracked the nut that is Hunter!

I think the video says it all!
http://youtu.be/dd2q0IVQtuI

I went from a nippy, sad bird who wouldn't leave the cage, to a bird who explored the entire room, allowed me to pet him, give him neck and cheek rubs, and even sat on my shoulder!!
Talk about a breakthrough!

He was more engaged than usual.
He was really working to get my attention when it came time to focus on the budgies and he started clinging to the cage at my eye level to coo at me. Then started doing somersaults, which he knows always get a big response (and for good reason! They look so cool! He spreads his wings, falls forward while holding the perch and does a full revolution! It's a cute little trick.)

So I decided to prop the cage open to see if I could lure him out (He's been VERY resistant to leaving his cage. I've left it open 4-6 hours a day for the past week and he hasn't budged.)

But today, he did.



He came out.
He explored. (And he made a beeline for those orange leaves in the photo! I can tell he's been curious about them him for a while now! LOL)
And he not only let me pet him; he sought it out!
Even sat on my shoulder for a few minutes!
He still got nippy when he was feeling nervous, but that's totally okay (and actually expected on the first time out!)

Where did this bird come from?!?

Miraculously, I happened to have my phone with me! So I was able to capture a few moments. (Only a few, as he gets very nervy about the iPhone).

So all that patience finally paid off!

The detailed post is here:
http://wp.me/p4JWrl-gF

Happy day! I can't believe it!

Notably, with finches, they usually trust much sooner once they accept treats from you. Larger birds are more hesitant to trust. But they're also easier to get out of the cage; finches are more difficult to get out of the cage as they don't seem to have the intense curiosity of the outside world that parrots seem to have.

[afinch]

Mia that's impressive, good job

[MiaCarter]

afinch -- Ha, it's all Sir Hunter! He's the brave one; I'm just the stubborn one! LOL

I did want to note that we still have lots of obstacles to overcome; worth mentioning as a few of those obstacles are very common with finches.

Hunter is situationally tame; still very wild in other situations. That's typical for any animal that you're taming. Once you break the ice, they're not suddenly your best friend and it's important to remember that, as you can ruin the trust you've built if you try to treat them as tame before they're ready.

For instance, when Hunter's on his favorite perch (and in most areas of the cage, for that matter), he doesn't want to be touched/petted.
You have to wait for him to come down to the open cage door; that shows that he's ready to interact. (His cage door comes with a prop, so it's a bit like a porch. I was joking with my husband that you've got to wait for him to be lounging on the verandah before you can try to touch him! LOL)
That's quite common where the bird will maintain a "safe zone" and it's important to respect that. For finches, that safe zone is usually in one of the cozy spots, like on top of a nest or in a perch in the corner of the cage.

Once you have an established safe zone, I respect that area as off-limits. So they know they can go there if they're feeling like they don't want to interact. You can ruin the trust you've built if you try to force a bird to interact when he's not in the mood. (And knowing if they're in the right mood can be tough in finches.)

You also need to escalate on each session with the bird. In other words, I can't just walk in and try to pet him. I have to start by offering millet. Then he'll come down off his perch. And then he'll come outside onto his porch and I'll know he's ready for direct contact.

I also wanted to note something about teaching them to step-up. Some birds are very threatened by hands, especially small birds like finches. Imagine how big your hand looks coming at them? Many do better with arms. Hunter is one of these birds. An arm has less dexterity and it's more predictable. He'll accept treats from my hand, but he gets nippy at times. (And there have been some birds who won't accept treats from my hand at all; I've balanced them on my arm)
He won't "step up" onto my hand, but he will step up onto my arm.
Another tactic is to use a stick as an extension of your arm/hand. Again, it doesn't have the dexterity and movement of a hand, so it's less threatening. So you teach them to step up onto the stick, then gradually shorten it and ultimately, eliminate it. I have a short dowel that I can use. I don't prefer this approach, but I've used it with some who just found hands/arms too threatening. Two of the birds who preferred this method were very spooky and would bite when startled -- and bite HARD -- so it saved me some wounds for certain!

Still working with the parakeets. They're doing great! I thought they'd tame long before Hunter. They're starting to mouth my fingers out of curiosity and they're starting to use my hand as a perch if they need to put a foot down for balance (never both feet on me, but one at a time.) They're also brushing up against my hand, which shows an increased comfort.
Their taming process has been very finch-like in that they're taking a while to go from accepting food to making the jump to allowing direct contact. That can take a while with finches too. But they're making steady progress.
I don't really have a sense of urgency with the budgies, as they are so darn happy. They're jolly little creatures and they have each other, whereas Hunter is alone and he's very sad by comparison.

[delray]

That's awesome Mia!!

My mom sounds just like that when she talks to Phineas and Ferb. MiaCarter

[Sam007]

Excellent progress!

[afinch]

Tip of that hat for being able to touch hunter's back, in whatever context. That's a very vulnerable spot for them. You're definitely making headway.

[MiaCarter]

afinch -- Indeed, back and head are tough spots, so I was shocked he let me pet him there on the first go.

Any time you have a hand above an animal, that can be threatening.

But he was actually less comfortable with the chest or sides, which are usually the less threatening places to pet a bird. Finches in particular tend to prefer rubs on the chest or sides during the taming process (understandable since your entire hand could cover them!)

I was also surprised he closed his eyes while getting a cheek and neck rub! That really surprised me, as closed eyes = trust that you're not going to do something unexpected.

Before yesterday, I was uncertain whether he'd ever been tame and/or had a positive relationship with a human.
I'm now quite certain he did have a good relationship with a human at some point in time. He bows his head straight away for head rubs. He knows what that's all about.
Someone also carried him on their shoulder, as he kept eyeing my shoulder and after just a moment of hesitation, jumped on.

My guess is that he probably had a nice relationship with someone who then got too busy or perhaps the novelty just wore off.
They were obviously not bonded at the end, as the original owners said he was "nasty" and they were going to release him. (The owners were moving and offered him and the parakeets to their neighbors, saying that if nobody took them, they were going to release them. So a nice gentleman took Hunter and the 'keets. But his dog was going nuts and he had a young child, so re-homed the trio to me. )

Makes me so sad to think of how people can just dump animals like that.
And he's definitely not nasty! He's frightened and lacks confidence, but definitely not nasty. In fact, he's never really bitten me. (Nipping/mouthing only) And I test his boundaries daily as we work together! LOL

[afinch]

Yeah most parrots don't enjoy belly touching much. Unless they're super tame, and even then they'll prefer head and neck.

Glad he's finally opening up to a relationship

[Tommy's Human]

I keep five male zebras in a small bedroom set up as an aviary (secure window, fake vegetation and other perches, and two traditional cages with food and water). But to take them out (usually as therapy birds, but this would also apply to vet. visits and I had to do it when we had a new, safer lighting fixture installed) I have to get them into the small cages. They don't seem to mind being there, and they enjoy the car rides and therapy sessions ( I always take at least two, or three. That way even the stay-at-home bird is not alone and the cage is not too crowded for an overnight and trip and their response to the actual trip is, 'new sights! admiration! car ride!') but they hate the moment of the cage door closing on them (I can see their point). So the process stresses them, and me because I hate to see my little guys nervous. Any ideas on how to lure rather than herd/trap them?

[lnlovesorange]

Hey, MiaCarter I saw this post up and wanted to ask you a question. I went to your website and was wondering a couple of things. One of the steps is to sit with your arm in the cage. How long should you sit with your arm in the cage (like an hour a day? 2 hours?) and how many times a day, once, twice? And lastly how long does it take for them to start landing on your arm? I was starting to get frustrated and feeling like i was either doing something wrong, or it wasn't working.... but I think I'm just not being patient enough... So, I keep trying. I do have your website, which I check and your method is what I'm using. At this point, it's not so much that I want a "hookbill" relationship with my finches I more or less just want them to not HATE me and not be petrified of me. I feel like I give them heart palpatations every time I reach in to get something out of their cage, or reach in. I would just like them to be a little more calm with me. If more comes of it so be it, but I'm more just looking to have them calm down. Like yesterday I did some cleaning and cage rearranging and they were freaking out, I felt HORRIBLE... for how smart they are, I wish they knew what i was doing was for their own good!!! LOL. Thanks!