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Post by Hezz on Jan 6, 2014 0:24:56 GMT
It is amazing really how quickly they realize that nothing catastrophic happens from being caught up. I do completely understand what you mean by juggling, and I do the same too at times.  |
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Apr 29, 2024 16:05:13 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2014 19:58:15 GMT
Well, today was interesting... I chased him around the cage a bit and finally managed to catch hold of him... He didn't even open his beak. I quickly said "Good boy" and held him face close to a perch as I let him go...
Munchy remained sitting on my hand! Then he turned around to enact his vengeance by attacking my thumb. It didn't really hurt, but he was trying to, because he turned his head upside down so that the point was digging into the bottom of the tip of my thumb instead of my nail. Then he started on another finger.
Unfortunately I think flicked my hand to shove him off because telling him off wasn't working, and I might have caused him to knock into a perch be accident, so I feel really bad about that and I'm not going to try any more sudden movements like that again...
He got back on my arm though and was happy enough for me to rub both his cheeks with my thumb and forefinger. So I slipped my hand about him loosely, and he stayed there, so I let go and fluffed his cheeks a bit more, then repeated the light hold, rubbed his cheeks again, moving onto one cheek seeing as he didn't seem too keen on me doing both any more, and then let him free for the day.
He was a bit grumpy and bitey outside of the cage after that, but I'm not sure if that's because of the catching, the bump into the perch or because he had a late night last night. Sent him off to sleep earlier tonight, just in case. He was fine later in the day.
Anyway, aside from the bonk which I feel bad about, he's fine once I'm holding him, he just likes to have revenge on me afterward. He was bashing and nibbling my fingers like he does to his toys, though, so maybe that set him off a bit.
Juggling is a common occurrence for me, because I often end up with him in my right hand, or when I had gloves on I would have to pop him in my right hand to take my left glove off, then pop him back in my left hand. Luckily I've had some experience with wild birds too, which helps a bit.
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Post by Hezz on Jan 7, 2014 0:30:59 GMT
I really don't think the grumpiness would be him sulking and don't worry about him bumping into the perch. A bump is only a bump and they do this sort of thing a lot as young birds. You've just forgotten how clumsy they can be ....... because Munchy is two now!!  To get past him having the last word ie the bite after you let him go, once you position him near a perch and let him go, make him step off. If you use "step down" to offload him normally, use it here too, but almost push him into the perch so he has to step onto it, the reverse of getting him to step up in the beginning. Then I suggest you move your hand out of the way before he realizes you have got the better of him! |
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Apr 29, 2024 16:05:13 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2014 8:49:01 GMT
Well, I'm not sure about this realising that nothing bad happens, business. Yesterday he just bit my finger as I was holding him and I put him down and all was fine. This morning, as soon as he saw my open hand he jumped on my and started laying into me. Every time I shoved him off onto a perch he'd get back onto my arm and start laying into it. I have about 8 red bumps on my forearm, several of which have holes in them. Then every time I let him go he wouldn't even be facing the perch, he'd just start on my hands. On the plus side, that meant I caught him up again easily about 4 times in total and it doesn't hurt so much when I'm holding him. I'm sure this must be easier with a chick! Or preferably a chick that has been handled loads since it was a nestling. Which reminds me, Hezz, when do you introduce this in the taming process? I assume once they are stepping up, but how does that affect trust and such? I think Munchy is somewhere between trusting me the way he was before I tried this and going off me. |
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Post by phoebe on Jan 28, 2014 23:49:18 GMT
Well, I'm not sure about this realising that nothing bad happens, business. Yesterday he just bit my finger as I was holding him and I put him down and all was fine. This morning, as soon as he saw my open hand he jumped on my and started laying into me. Every time I shoved him off onto a perch he'd get back onto my arm and start laying into it. I have about 8 red bumps on my forearm, several of which have holes in them. Then every time I let him go he wouldn't even be facing the perch, he'd just start on my hands. On the plus side, that meant I caught him up again easily about 4 times in total and it doesn't hurt so much when I'm holding him. I'm sure this must be easier with a chick! Or preferably a chick that has been handled loads since it was a nestling. Which reminds me, Hezz, when do you introduce this in the taming process? I assume once they are stepping up, but how does that affect trust and such? I think Munchy is somewhere between trusting me the way he was before I tried this and going off me. Well Hezz is the bird whisperer. I think it just takes time for the rest of us. |
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Post by Hezz on Jan 29, 2014 1:51:20 GMT
Well, I'm not sure about this realising that nothing bad happens, business. Yesterday he just bit my finger as I was holding him and I put him down and all was fine. This morning, as soon as he saw my open hand he jumped on my and started laying into me. Every time I shoved him off onto a perch he'd get back onto my arm and start laying into it. I have about 8 red bumps on my forearm, several of which have holes in them. Then every time I let him go he wouldn't even be facing the perch, he'd just start on my hands. On the plus side, that meant I caught him up again easily about 4 times in total and it doesn't hurt so much when I'm holding him. I'm sure this must be easier with a chick! Or preferably a chick that has been handled loads since it was a nestling. Which reminds me, Hezz, when do you introduce this in the taming process? I assume once they are stepping up, but how does that affect trust and such?I think Munchy is somewhere between trusting me the way he was before I tried this and going off me. Whoops, and my apologies, Ira, for not reading/replying to your question.  I am not sure whether I saw it or not ...... my memory can be a terrible thing sometimes.  Phoebe's post has bumped it back into my orbit, so in answer to your question, not quite as soon as they are stepping up, but not so long after. I do wait until they are more than capable of telling me off, which Mango delights in every time. She still isn't at the stepping to my hand stage, but I am having to chase her less, and while she dolphin-clicks at me all the while, she isn't so squirmy once I do have her. And I haven't had an issue with her trust changing because of this. Spyro is a different story - I know the lady who did own him used to pick him up all the time and kiss him! She told me she did all the time. So he gives me little trouble, probably thinks how did he end up having two kissing owners! And I have to say he isn't really tame at all, apart from this. He is still terribly flighty, poor little Spyro. |
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Post by phoebe on Jan 29, 2014 16:08:20 GMT
Lols, two kissing owners. Makes me think of those kids ladies keep pinching cheeks and slobbering over in the movies. The faces the children make. Some things just bring back funny images for some reason.
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Apr 29, 2024 16:05:13 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2014 18:31:37 GMT
I have an image of Spyro, head leaning back and feet pushing against Hezz's face as she tries to kiss him  Thank you Hezz I'll remember that the next time I get a new bud. I caught Munchy three times today. Each time carried him to talk to someone, gave a kiss and returned him. I've found that he bites when I let him go if I open my hand but if I just loosen my grip when his beak is near a perch he's forced to climb out onto it and I can move my hand away. |
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Post by Hezz on Jan 30, 2014 1:31:18 GMT
I have an image of Spyro, head leaning back and feet pushing against Hezz's face as she tries to kiss him Thank you Hezz I'll remember that the next time I get a new bud. I caught Munchy three times today. Each time carried him to talk to someone, gave a kiss and returned him. I've found that he bites when I let him go if I open my hand but if I just loosen my grip when his beak is near a perch he's forced to climb out onto it and I can move my hand away.Good! I thought this might happen. And no, Spyro sits on my finger but I can feel him leaning away when my face comes close.  It really is odd that the birds don't freak out about our mouths, but do over hands ....... they must know that the hands are the danger zone, but we aren't going to eat them! I should add to the Spyro-saga though, that his previous owner did clip one wing, as she constantly had ceiling fans on, so he was quite easy for her to catch. His feathers have almost completely grown back now, so his flight is good, if a bit erratic. Lessons from Mango will fix that. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2014 16:04:38 GMT
Well, I've discovered that I need to shove him right up against the perch, because the second time I caught him today he clung to my fingers and bit at the side of my nail, so I lowered my hand and plopped him unceremoniously onto the floor of the cage instead Yeah, when I touch Munchy he'll move away if he doesn't want contact, so then I just leave him be (physically, at least. I don't actually leave). My boyfriend will keep touching him and they end up having a fight. It's rather funny to watch. Beak versus fingertip, until Munchy has had enough and then just sits on his hand instead If you think about it, I'm not sure how many mammalian predators there are, or what they are, in Australia, so just thinking about avian predators here. Raptors reach out and grab their prey with their talons, not their beaks. Our hands are very obviously grabby, despite the difference in 'talon' arrangement. We'd never be able to grab them with out mouths anyway Good to know his feathers are almost fully back. As long as Mango doesn't teach him to get into the bathroom and then panic, all will be fine |
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Post by Hezz on Jan 31, 2014 7:06:34 GMT
Mango is a maniac on the wing! I spend most of my time yelling at her to "slow down!!!" And I hate the days I work as I can't leave her out unsupervised yet, so when I get home and let her out, she is like a kamikaze pilot! |
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Apr 29, 2024 16:05:13 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2014 10:23:56 GMT
I know what you mean! If Munchy doesn't get let out until midday then he's just nuts when he gets to stretch his wings at last! He keeps flying out of the living room, now, though :/ We're caught between trying to stop him escaping all the time and not closing the door on him :/ He's a lot more whistley, the past few days. I don't know if that's because he wants to leave the room or because he's lonely :/ Seems that every time I leave the room he starts whistling... and yet I'm catching him up 2 or 3 times every morning, which he hates So not sure what I've done to endear him. |
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Post by Hezz on Feb 1, 2014 1:22:27 GMT
My minor miracle happened yesterday - for whatever was going through his head, Spyro allowed, and actually seemed to want, me to scratch his fluffy chops ........ he has the fluffiest of fuffy chops of any of my birds ....... so we had 5, possibly more, minutes of him allowing me to scratch him all about the head and both sides. Today is a very different story ....... I can barely get near him. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2014 20:11:21 GMT
Aww, bless his heart! I'm sure he'll warm up eventually. Tell him I'll come over there and tickle his feet if he doesn't I've caught Munchy loads the past few mornings. The first time he usually tries to avoid it, then he just accepts it but his bites get a bit more serious each time, as he gets more fed up with me I've concluded that he's not bothered by my hands, he just doesn't like it. I had to trim his toes and put a bit of vaseline on his beak (he had a funny thing like a small crusty patch. I wasn't sure if it might be scaly mites so I was trying to take precautions. Then I went to my boyfriend's and when I came back on Sunday it was gone, so it might have just been crusted on food or something). Anyway, he was outside the cage and he's so hard to get back in that I bribed him onto the floor and threw my dressing gown over him. He made a lot of noise then but once I was holding him he quieted down. Once I was done I let him out of my hand onto his tree. He was all ruffled, so he shook his feathers back into position. I raised my hand to him then, with my finger pointing towards his beak, and he fluffed up his feathers and let me scratch him for ages. He still comes to my hands outside the cage when I ask him to step up, too, and he tries to steal my food and such, so it isn't affecting his trust in me. |
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Post by Hezz on Feb 4, 2014 1:34:40 GMT
That's all good, Ira. They all seem to have days where they flatly refuse to go home. |
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I am not sure whether I saw it or not ...... my memory can be a terrible thing sometimes. 
Phoebe's post has bumped it back into my orbit, so in answer to your question, not quite as soon as they are stepping up, but not so long after. I do wait until they are more than capable of telling me off, which Mango delights in every time. She still isn't at the stepping to my hand stage, but I am having to chase her less, and while she dolphin-clicks at me all the while, she isn't so squirmy once I do have her. 
It really is odd that the birds don't freak out about our mouths, but do over hands ....... they must know that the hands are the danger zone, but we aren't going to eat them!