How to tame a parrot?

Parrots are wonderful savvy creations of nature. According to many ornithologists, these are the most intelligent birds on earth. Domestic parrots live in many apartments as permanent, beloved “family members”. In families with children, these friendly pets help bring up responsibility and care for “our smaller brothers” in toddlers. A parrot can be taught a variety of tricks and even elements of human speech. Such skills constantly amuse and delight owners. But in order for your parrot to become such a “pro”, you will have to work hard.

Before buying a parrot, think over all aspects of a pet’s comfortable living conditions, read the recommendations of specialists, chat on forums and among your friends with those who have parrots. When acquiring the necessary attributes, pay attention to the materials from which they are made.

The cage should be spacious so that the parrot could freely move along it, spread its wings and wave them, jump from the perch to the ladder, and play with toys. The feeder usually comes with a cage. It is better to choose a drinking bowl not plastic, but ceramic or porcelain. It costs more, but in such a dish the harmful microflora develops more slowly, and the water remains clean longer. Choose toys from environmentally friendly materials with a quality coating.

In comfortable conditions, the bird will more easily bear the stress of moving to a new home.

The timing of the taming of parrots depends on many factors: breed, age of the bird, its individual character, occupation system, actions and the nature of the owner. But the opinion is unequivocal that this is not a matter of one day. It may take several weeks to establish contact with the bird. Young parrots (up to about 5 months of age) are the easiest to teach. With constant communication with the bird and regular consecutive exercises, you can tame your pet in 2-3 weeks.

Older individuals are tamed much more difficult, but to solve this problem is also possible, only it will take more time. It all depends on where the bird used to live.. If these were good conditions, but with limited communication with people, she needs to pay more attention, conduct calm daily “conversations” for an hour, and the bird will certainly get used to communication.

Under no circumstances, even in case of aggression, you can’t shout at such a bird and wave your hands, it will frighten it even more, and it will completely lose the ability to trust people. Maximum patience, love and affection, constant care and lack of punishment will certainly bring results, and the pet will change the attitude towards communication with a person.

Before you start taming a parrot, tune in to the fact that for a successful result you will have to spend a lot of personal time. No haste and pressure on the bird is unacceptable, any action should build confidence, and not destroy it. The first 2-3 days after the purchase, the parrot is confused and frightened, sits silently, has frizzled and is quietly sad. This is normal. Leave the bird alone these days.

By nature, parrots are very sociable, so even the most stubborn of them will not sit alone in a corner of the cage for a long time. After a couple of days, the pet will recover a little from stress, stop throwing itself into the far corner of the cage when you appear, and start pecking food from the feeder when you are in the room. Now you can begin to accustom him to the hands.

Ornithologists suggest sticking to taming step by step steps.

1. First, try to interest the pet in communication. At first, do not come close to the cage and from a distance talk with the bird in an even soft voice, saying the name of the pet. Then, slowly approach the cage so that the bird understands that you are accessing it. Watch the parrot's gestures to see if it listens to the sounds of your voice. Be prepared to complete this initial stage especially carefully, show maximum patience and do not rush to move on to more active actions.
2. Observe how your parrot loves to feast on most. Look at what he chooses from the feeder in the first place (grain, fruit, nuts, something else). At the time of taming, do not put this food in the feeder, but use it as a treat to encourage the parrot during classes.
3. For the first time, try to grab just a bit of your favorite food with your fingers in a pinch and offer cells through the rods. It’s not worth it to open the cage door and rush to stretch your hand inside - the parrot is not ready for this yet. Most likely, the first time he does not take food even through the rods. Do not insist, wait a few minutes and move away from the cage. Offer refreshments a second time before re-feeding. Perhaps a hungry bird will take a treat.As soon as this happens, praise him with a kind voice, additionally encourage him with a treat. Repeat this step several times.
4. After about a week, you can offer a treat with hands through the door. Put the treat in the open palm and wait. Continue talking calmly with the bird, do not rush, do not persuade you to eat the "delicious". Wait until the pet decides to approach the hand. This should be done in the morning when the parrot is alert and hungry. Do not stretch your arms far into the cage, because at first all the parrots are afraid of their hands, but it will pass. Do this patiently every day.
5. There will come a time when the feathered one will take food from the palm of his hand. First, grabbing a grain or a nut, he will bounce by hand into the far corner of the cage and enjoy a treat in a safe area. Keep calm, do not be nervous, once again show patience and in no case do not scold the bird. The parrot will soon realize that there is no danger, you are not trying to take away food or grab it. After some time, he will boldly sit on his hands and regale himself with a treat, without moving deeper into the cell.
6. Now you can teach the feathered to sit on your finger. Place your outstretched finger on the perch on which your pet likes to sit. Usually this is enough - the parrot itself jumps to the finger. But sometimes he just does not understand what is needed of him. Touch the feathers on the stomach in front between the legs, and the parrot will quickly transfer to your finger.

In the learning process, it sometimes happens that some parrots cannot be tamed in any way. Do not deviate from your plan, find another way to interest the bird. You can try to accustom your pet to your hand with a small mirror. Slowly drive the mirror in front of the bird, bringing it closer to the open palm and moving it away from the feathered one.

You need special accuracy on your part. No sudden movements and hasty gestures, do not risk losing confidence. Instead of a mirror, there may be another object - a cap from a pen, a bottle cap, a new toy - parrots like to mess around with such gizmos. If you manage to find an object that interests the bird, the rest will depend on your desire for success, the sequence of your actions, and everything will certainly work out.

There are parrots, very shy in nature. They are afraid of everything: the owner’s hands, new toys, new food, bathing, strangers, pets, some things. In all cases, try to establish the cause of the feathered phobia and correctly eliminate it or prove to the bird the safety of a situation that scares him. You must understand that the parrot is primarily a real wild bird, not a dog or cat.

During taming classes never hold your hands above the head of a parrot. A natural reflex will work: movement above the head is the shadow of a bird of prey. The association “hand - danger” will be affirmed in the feathered brain, it will no longer be possible to retrain the pet.

The expression "everything has its time" is the best suited to this situation. If you are ready with love and patience to persistently go to the goal, smoothly move from stage to stage in the process of taming, then your pet will surely love you, feel protection in you, will be grateful and will fully trust.

With a hand parrot you can easily have a fun conversation, and with full confidence get a response. Of course, the “speech” of the parrot is just a reproduction of the remembered sounds, but it will bring you a lot of positive emotions and fun minutes. The main thing is to be patient and not rush the bird, show perseverance and kindness, and then you will find a real feathered friend.

See below for how to tame a parrot.