Taming and bonding with Zaff

[malkore]

I picked up Zaff Rowsdower from petsmart 6 days ago (christmas eve morning).

So far he's been fairly skittish but I gave him two full days of very little interaction so he could just feel some security. Cage covered at night, and it sits in a corner as well, in a room I spend a lot of time in.

I'm keeping the dogs out of the room too (corgis) but their barking is probably agitating Zaff a bit.

This week I've just been hanging out near the cage, talking to him, or whistling short tunes. This morning I gave him millet spray and played very soft guitar to him.

I think he's calming a bit as his eyes aren't wide open in shock all the time. He doesn't freak out when I slowly approach the cage or change food/water each morning, although the sliding doors kept binding and slipping/banging (think I've got that fixed though).

Not a fan of fresh fruit/veg yet. I made a winamp playlist for him to have going all day too.

Next three days I have off and plan on some unstressful but more constant bonding time and 'hand in cage, just resting there' time (plus the first cage cleaning!).

Oh and a foraging ball plus treats are coming FedEx on monday.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6032499&l=be012c038e&id=534824085

[i love Budgie]

He is so beautiful :love:

[Jobops]

Sounds like a good plan. Love the natural and rope perches! Good set up.

[Cheeno]

Yep, sounds like you have everything covered. Enjoy the 'getting to know you' process.;)

[malkore]

Had him exactly 1 week today. I cleaned his cage this morning (he wasn't a fan) and then moved his cage over right next to my computer desk/chair (just 8 feet across the room from his usual corner basically) so that he could chill with me on my 3 days off.

Well he finally just ate some lunch, and started peeping back n forth with me for a few minutes. Small progress but since I haven't had a ton of time these past 7 days (with 2 days of leaving him alone just to calm down), I'd say its a good step that he's not afraid to start making some noise when I'm around.

[malkore]

First attempt at getting him to willingly make contact with me for a bit of millet. So far we did three short sessions this hour and he'll take millet from between fingers, and just now stepped onto my finger in order to reach the millet. When millet was removed I gently moved an inch to a perch and he fairly calmly dismounted.

These past few days of chilling out with him most of the day have definitely made a difference. Calm persistence and interaction...and millet of course!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6073916&l=52463baf54&id=534824085

[malkore]

Making leaps in trust every day it seems. He's out of the cage tonight enjoying some exercise and exploration of his room.

He's been using my hand a lot to enter and exit the cage and will quickly come to me from across the room for a bit of millet spray.

While he's certainly not 'tame' he's definitely showing some trust.

[Songbird77]

This is so great! I adore hearing about your bird and learning tips with mine. my bird is brand new as well and shares much of the same story. Great work and keep writing it down! I would love to see a video or some pics of him!

[malkore]

Took a step backwards yesterday. I let him out while I cleaned his cage, and apparently I made too much noise combined with re-arranging a few items in the cage...

so he was a bit nervous the rest of the day. this morning he was starting to warm up to me a bit again.

I continue forward in my calm patience, undaunted!

[malkore]

Things are going well, although he does like to be stubborn about going back in his cage when I'm ready for bed.
He's definitely still coming out of his shell. He's squawked a few times this weekend, and isn't shy about asking for more nutri-berries late in the day.

then sits quietly rubbing his beak and making those little 'I'm tired now' sounds.

[malkore]

I decided I was imposing my own pace too much on Zaff, so yesterday I did nothing more than a cluster of millet in my hand, right outside his cage, and let him come eat it up, and go back into his cage on his own.
Wiggled the fingers a few times, and a few times I put my hand out with no food, let him come out, investigate and go back in.

[triciakoontz]

That's really neat that you decided to low down your pace based on your observations of your new little friend. What a kind and loving budgie parent you are! He's a lovely bird and will be less stressed in his new life because of your patience and gentleness.

[malkore]

i'm finding he's much more social with me after work than in the mornings. I let him have the option to come out in the morning (he starts flapping and squawking), but then acts terrified of me.
I'll move the cage to the area he likes to sit in and he'll go back in after a bit.

in the evenings he'll crawl on me and take millet happily.

[malkore]

i'm finding he's much more social with me after work than in the mornings. I let him have the option to come out in the morning (he starts flapping and squawking), but then acts terrified of me.
I'll move the cage to the area he likes to sit in and he'll go back in after a bit.

in the evenings he'll crawl on me and take millet happily.

[malkore]

Today his new cage is supposed to be delivered (HQ Flight), and I already picked up a couple extra perches for the 'big move'.

Now if he could only get less nervous about hands that aren't giving him millet/nutri-berries.

[malkore]

He's now fully adjusted to the new cage and new placement of the cage in the opposite corner of the room (so he can get sunlight through the window now).

Last night he seemed to really want to interact, and after some thoughtful looks, he came down onto my arm, then up to my hand for some millet snacking.

[malkore]

Zaff definitely has trust issues with hands...I think the gloved hand at petsmart that clipped his wings is partially to blame...

This morning he came out on my hand/wrist to snack on some millet. I've noticed he's not too scared when my head is close to the cage, so I decided to share his millet with him (pretend nibbling).
He had no issue taking turns on the spray, and being about an inch from my face while I was 'eating' on it.

Probably clip a little millet on my shoulder to get him to perch there and get more used to me.

He also seems to prefer to chirp to music IF I am singing with it. If I'm there but otherwise engaged he doesn't sing so much or as loud.

I've had him two months, tomorrow.

[malkore]

Zaff has been warming up to me more as our millet sharing sessions continue. He'll almost let me touch his head with my nose.

[ayume]

Sounds like things are going well! As a fellow petstore bird owner I understand how resilient you've got to be!

[malkore]

Last night he allowed me to touch him with my nose while we 'ate' some millet. He seemed more curious about what I was doing than afraid of it.

I think it might be a little milestone if I can keep up with 'rubbing beaks' with him :)

[malkore]

I have now added one baby budgie (10 weeks old) to my flock, and he's in quarantine.

he's from a local breeder and as you can see in my sig pic he's already hand tamed from day 1 of hatching.

the breeder gave me some tips and told me I basically wasn't being quite assertive enough, and was actually teaching Zaff how he can just run away from my hands. I was just being too passive in my taming attempts. So far in the last 2 days I've changed strategies and Zaff seems to be none the worse. even though I feel like I'm 'chasing him' around the cage, he seems completely un-traumatized and will run up and snack on his millet reward in my hand after the session ends.

He's still timid but he's not backing away as much, and I'm offering him fingers to nibble-test, and I do think he's starting to understand the hands aren't going to hurt him.

I do wish I'd let the breeder lady re-clip his wings proper just to put him on even ground with Troy and give me a little assistance controlling him while trying to hand tame.

I dont' want to be that guy that ignores his un-tamed first bird in favor of his pre-tamed 2nd baby. I do think having Troy is going to give ME some confidence too!

[malkore]

A very successful step up/hand taming with Zaff this morning. Didn't even back away from my hand, but still looked apprehensive. Still, he stepped up after a moment, looked confused, and then I let him hop to another perch and gave him a bite of millet.

Poor birdies really wanna hang out together too but Troy has 27 days of quarantine to go.

[malkore]

Another day, another successful (and quick) step-up by Zaff!

Again my biggest tip as a newbie to other newbies is "just because the budgie backs away or flies away, does not mean you end your training session!"

even if you only get one foot on the perch, get your point across! you WILL have hands in the cage, and they WON'T hurt him.

[MonicaLeigh]

This is really great stuff! I was going to give Piko a few days to hang out, too. I want to let her out to give her exercise after she is more hand tame, but I worry I won't be able to get her back in the cage if I do let her out- she's flighted. She already did a few laps around the bedroom yesterday while we were trying to transfer her to her cage.


Oh well, baby steps!

[malkore]

Zaff used to fly out and then wouldn't enter his cage again.

I'd just leave him in the office with the door shut, and after work he'd be back in his cage since that's where the food and water are at :)

of course not everyone has an easily closed off bird room.

[malkore]

Here's a picture from this past weekend. Hangin' out, chowing down on some millet.

[RiverSong]

Thanks so much for this. It definitely gave me the motivation to work with my bird this afternoon! Really needed it. =D

[FaeryBee]

That's super Malkore! Love the pictures. :)