How To Tame A Wild Bird

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Birds are very clever animals and make great pets.^[one] Fortunately, taming a bird is not a difficult job.^[2] Information technology does, however, does require enough of time and patience.^[3] By taming your bird, you will not just develop a closer bond with him, but you will also help him feel more comfortable and secure in his environment.

1. 1

   Requite your bird time to acclimate to your home. Your bird volition probably need about 2 weeks to adjust to his new environment before you tin can begin taming him. Some birds volition take longer, and some will need less time to acclimate. ^[4] Place your bird's cage in a decorated room. Intuitively, a quiet room may seem platonic. However, housing your bird in a busy room will let him to acclimate to, and become more comfy with, human interaction and activeness.^[5]

   • Do not place your bird's cage in the kitchen. Fumes released from nonstick appliances are toxic and potentially fatal to birds.
   • Yous will know when your bird feels secure in his new environment when he does not flutter his wings when you lot arroyo him. If he sits frozen on his perch, he is not withal comfy with you or his new environment.^[six]

2. 2

   Talk to him in a soothing voice. An important part of gaining your bird's trust is making him feel comfortable and safe when you are effectually. You lot can do this by talking to him in a soothing phonation.^[vii] Of course, what you talk about is not important—he just needs to know that y'all are a calm and reassuring presence in his environs.

   • Talk to him throughout the mean solar day,^[8] and especially when you modify out his food and h2o.

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3. 3

   Utilize slow and gentle movements when you lot approach your bird. Birds are naturally skittish animals.^[9] Therefore, any sudden movements can frighten your bird. Slow and gentle movements will reassure your bird that yous are not a threat.

   • When you approach your bird, you should be slightly above his eye level. If you are besides loftier above his middle level, yous may scare him. Being too far below his center level would brand you appear submissive to him.^[10]
   • It may be helpful to use a soothing voice as y'all arroyo him to make him feel even more at ease with your presence.

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1. one

   Place your hand most his cage. Hand taming is a mutual fashion of taming birds. However, due to his skittish nature, your bird may be very wary of your manus. Moreover, birds who come up from pet stores may associate hands with grabbing and chasing,^[xi] making them even more wary of human handling.

   • Place your mitt where he can easily see it.^[12] To reduce his anxiety, talk to him in a soothing voice while you hold your hand still.
   • Concur your hand near his cage for 10 to fifteen minutes (or as long as yous tin can concord your hand up), two to three times a day, for four to seven days.^[13] You lot may want to place your manus gently on the outside of his cage.
   • Getting your bird to exist comfy with your hand volition take time and patience.

2. 2

   Identify your hand inside his cage. When your bird no longer seems flustered past your mitt'southward presence outside of his cage, acclimatize him to your hand when it is inside of his cage. It is very important that yous identify your hand in his muzzle slowly and without sudden movements.^[xiv] Yous should also avoid making center contact with your bird when you put your manus inside his cage—direct eye contact may appear threatening to him.^[xv]

   • At this stage, practise not attempt to touch your bird when yous take your hand in his cage.
   • Practically speaking, you will need to place your hand inside your bird's cage each morning when you alter his nutrient and h2o. By making a routine out of slowly reaching into his muzzle each morning, your bird should go increasingly more comfortable with your hand.^[16]
   • It may take your bird anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to feel comfy with your hand within his cage.^[17]
   • Go along talking to your bird in a soothing tone when your hand is inside his cage.

3. 3

   Entice your bird with a treat. If your bird is yet not comfortable with your mitt inside his cage, you may need to move things along by holding a treat in your hand. Millet spray is a very popular treat for birds. Night and leafy greens, such as spinach, are another good treat to employ.^[18]

   • Whichever care for you lot use, make certain that information technology is 1 your bird is already familiar with and enjoys eating.^[19]
   • Agree the treat in your mitt and hold your hand withal. Depending on how skittish your bird is, it may take several tries before he feels comfortable enough to get close to your hand and consume the treat.^[20]
   • Concur a treat in your manus three to 5 times each day,^[21] and each time you alter your bird's food and water. Eventually, your bird volition begin to anticipate the daily treat.^[22]
   • Slowly move your hand closer and closer to your bird when belongings the treat.^[23] With the aid of the daily treats, your bird volition become comfortable with your manus inside his cage.

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1. 1

   Position your hand like a perch. With your mitt in your bird's cage, create a perch with your mitt by holding your index finger out and folding your other fingers in towards your palm.^[24] In a slow and not-threatening fashion, move your manus towards your bird and position your index finger below his breast line, which is only higher up his feet.^[25]

   • If you lot are agape of getting bitten, you lot could cover your hand with a small towel ^[26] or clothing gloves. However, covering your hand will defeat the purpose of getting your bird comfy with your paw. In add-on, your bird may be scared of the gloves or towel.

2. 2

   Encourage your bird to pace onto your finger. With your finger below your bird's breast line, gently push up on his body to encourage him to stride on to your finger.^[27] Do non be surprised if your bird jumps away and flies to another function of his cage. If he does this, do non hunt him around his cage— remove your manus and try once again later, or simply go out your hand in his cage until he calms down and is gear up to approach your manus again.^[28]

   • If your birds needs a little actress encouragement, hold a care for in your other hand. Hold it far enough away that he would accept to jump onto your finger to reach it.^[29] You lot tin try this if the cage door is wide enough for both of your hands to fit through.
   • If you would like, y'all can give your bird a exact command ("Step up" or "Upwardly") when you push up on his body. Say the control each time yous want him to pace upwards onto your finger.^[xxx]
   • Hold your mitt nonetheless when your bird steps onto your finger.^[31]

3. 3

   Advantage your bird. Give your bird a treat each time he steps onto your finger, even if only for a brief moment. Be enlightened that he may bound on and off your finger,^[32] or just feel comfortable placing one foot on your finger.^[33] Reward him with whatsoever progress he makes with stepping onto your finger.

   • Continue your practice sessions curt: 10 to xv minutes, two to 3 times a solar day.^[34]
   • Along with an edible treat, you can also give your bird verbal praise when he steps up onto your finger.

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1. 1

   Set up a bird-proof room. Instruction your bird to step onto your finger when he outside his cage is an of import office of taming him. A bird-proof room is one in which your bird will feel safety and secure. To prepare the room, shut the windows and blinds. Also, clear the room of pets and other hazards, such as bravado fans.^[35]

   • Ideally, the room should have a door that you can lock so others cannot come in during your training sessions.
   • Make sure the room is lit, tidy and clean.^[36]
   • A bathroom is a common selection for a bird-proof room.

2. 2

   Rearrange your bird'south cage, if necessary. Your bird's cage is his condolement zone. Taking him out of his condolement zone may exist a frightening feel for him—y'all do not desire to make the experience more frightening by having to navigate through various perches and toys. Take the time to clear the exit path of any obstacles that could hamper your ability to accept your bird out of his cage.^[37]

3. 3

   Remove your bird from his cage. With your bird perched on your finger in his cage, slowly movement your hand astern to bring your bird out. Do not exist surprised if he flies off your finger as you attempt to have him out—he may not be gear up to go out the condom of his cage.^[38] If he does this, do not hunt him effectually his muzzle.

   • If the muzzle door is large enough, reach in with your other hand and loving cup that hand behind your bird. Your other hand would serve as a shield to continue your bird from jumping off your finger, but would not actually be touching him.^[39]
   • Exercise not force him out of his cage. Remember to be patient with him. It may have several days' worth of training sessions before he is comfy with being moved outside his muzzle.

4. 4

   Give your bird fourth dimension to acclimate to being outside his muzzle. Your bird may immediately want to jump onto the exterior of his muzzle.^[40] Once once more, do non chase him with your finger if he does this. Patiently expect until he has settled down before having him pace onto your finger again.

   • If yous have non had your bird's wings trimmed or clipped, he may fly abroad from you as you become him out of his muzzle. Slowly and gently approach him to retrieve him, making sure to talk to him in a calm and reassuring vocalisation.^[41]
   • Advantage your bird with a treat when he stays perched on your finger.^[42]
   • Proceed your daily practice sessions short (10 to 15 minutes).^[43]

5. 5

   Accept your bird step up on your finger in the bird-proof room. When your bird is comfortable with being outside his muzzle, walk to the bird-proof room with your back turned to his cage.^[44] When in the room, sit on the floor or on a bed.^[45] If he hops off your finger, have him pace back onto it once more.

   • To claiming your bird, use both hands every bit perches. With your bird perched on the alphabetize finger of one paw, use the alphabetize finger of your other mitt to gently printing below your bird'southward chest line and become him to footstep up. Alternating between hands, move your finger perches higher and higher to mimic the climbing of a ladder.^[46]
   • Advantage your bird with a care for each fourth dimension that he steps onto your finger.^[47]
   • Practice with your bird in the bird-proof room for 15 to 20 minutes, one to times a day.^[48]

6. 6

   Place your bird back in his muzzle. Afterward each training session outside the cage, slowly walk him back to his muzzle and place him back inside. Although he may want to wing off your mitt every bit before long equally he's back inside the cage, yous should try to place him dorsum on one of his perches. To do this, position your finger such that the perch is in front of your bird and college than your mitt.

   • When he steps onto the perch, give the verbal command to "step downward." Although he is stepping up onto the perch, this action is still considered to be stepping downwards from your finger.
   • Close the cage door when your bird is comfortably situated in his cage.

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• Always be patient and remain at-home with your bird. Until he is fully tamed, your bird volition likely run into y'all as a threat.^[49] It will have time for him to trust yous and be comfy with y'all.

• When your bird bites you lot, sternly say "No." This should teach the bird that bitter people results in penalty, and your bird should eventually stop biting.

• Expect that your bird volition bite you lot at some point during the taming process. When it happens, do not jerk your mitt away or put him down. If you put him downward, he will learn that biting yous is an advisable manner of asking you to put him down.

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• Your bird may seize with teeth you out of fright when y'all are taming him. Equally he becomes more comfy with yous and becomes more than tame, he volition likely stop biting y'all.

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Article Summary X

To tame a bird, wait until information technology'due south had 2 weeks to acclimate to its new environment before you get started. Afterward a couple weeks, start talking to your bird in a soothing vocalisation throughout the solar day so it gets more comfortable around y'all. You should also first holding your hand up to its cage for ten-15 minutes several times a day. In one case your bird seems fine with your hand existence there, try placing it inside of the muzzle and belongings out some treats. But make sure you lot're using slow, gentle movements whenever you lot approach the cage so you don't scare your feathered friend. To larn how to train your bird to step up on your hand, roll down!

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