Training Cumulus

[stargazerwolf]

I've had my little Cumulus only 3 days and things seem to be going very well. I don't know how old he is, just that he is an adult. The person I got him from said her kids took him out to hold, and I kind of doubt that, but in any sense I probably started working with him too soon. He was not as tame as I'd hoped but he is much better than many parakeets I've encountered. I've only ever owned one other parakeet, back when I was kid and she was only slightly tame. Anyway, the first day I let him get comfortable for a few hours before trying to handle him, maybe should have waited longer, but I took him out of the cage, he bit a little, flew around scared when I did get him out and wouldn't let me get near him outside of the cage even. I did start trying to work on "step up" with a perch I took out, I also let him sit on my shoulder and I walked around and he was content. For his first encounter with my hand he did give me some pretty good bites, but didnt break the skin, I took the bites knowing that pulling away only encourages biting. After a while of sitting on my shoulder i got him to step on to my hand, I petted his back and put him back in the cage (he gladly went back).

Next Day-I worked more slowly getting him out. Using a perch, got him to step up, many failed attempts because he'd hop on the perch and as soon as I moved it he jumped back on to a different one. Eventually I got him out, he took off flying, I attempted trying to get him to step onto my hand, a few hard bites later he did, he seemed to bite a little less hard since the day before.

Today-Think I was taking things too fast for him so i sat a long time next to his cage (which I move into the living room with me and my daughter every morning). Many hours of him just listening to us talk and maybe feel more comfortable. When I finally went to get him out I just stuck my hand in the cage, slowly moved it towards him, stopped if he moved, did a lot of this for quite awhile, getting closer and closer. I decided to try the perch again, he will happily hop on it, but then onto another perch, took awhile but I finally got him out. Again he flew off immediatly when I got him out the door, took awhile but I got him back, using the perch then sometimes my hand. He flew off several times, once because he made me jump when he nipped me for no reason as he perched on my finger. Wasnt even a hard bite.

However I've realized he is more calm about getting on my hand if I say "step up" before even moving it towards him. He made me very proud after this realization because then every time he'd go off somewhere I would slowly get down to his level and say "step up" slide my hand near him and he'd hop on. I'm able to lift him up and talk to him and pet him. He does enjoy riding on the shoulder but I do this less figuring he needs to get used to my hands more. He lets me carry him around perched on my finger, all over the house. We went into the bedroom which feels safer for me and I laid on my bed, he climbed from my hand, up my shoulder and onto my head, I was able to say "step up", reach my hand up and he stepped up immediatly. I practiced this a lot today, saying step up and then moving my hand towards him. We end as we do every time, he sits perched on my finger, I pet him and say how hes a good boy (I say this after every step up too) and then this time added "go home" when i put him at the entrance of his cage, he always immediatly hops inside. I figured he has accomplished "step up" and can maybe learn to "go home" on command since he goes straight in his cage when i put him at the door, eventually I hope that anywhere he is he will "go home" when i tell him.

Good day of training, only recieved 2 actual bites and softer yet than the previous ones, he is smart and already starting to trust. I have high hopes for this boy and see him being a great family member as I continue to train him. Not only do I want to tame him so that he doesnt feel the need to bite, and so my daughter can hold him, but I'd love to teach him all kinds of commands, maybe some fun tricks and hopefully to talk. He sings quite a bit and makes a lot of noises so I think he could easily learn to talk. He sits in his cage out in the living room with us when we are home, otherwise in my daughters sunny room away from the cat. He hears us talk, listens to the movies we watch, sometimes the music I have going in my room, so I think he will decide to talk one day.

I really have high hopes that he will be tame enough to be a bit more "cuddly" for now he still has a lot of trust I have to help him gain in me. It is quite exciting to have this beautiful boy, its been so long since I've had a bird I could handle or work with. For now he doesn't play much with toys, but hoping he eventually will as he gets more comfortable. He is doing well eating the mix of seed and pellets, though won't touch veggies or fruit, we'll get there eventually too. If you would like to see pics I have some posted in the Mutations Thread under the title "Dominant Pied Sky Blue, right?" I'm working with him every day so come back for updates!!

[stargazerwolf]

Well yesterday no actual progress, just the same as before. Practicing step up some more, then he sat on my shoulder awhile and since I was sitting on the couch he went from my shoulder, walked across the back of the couch and back to his cage...he loves that cage.

Today I haven't yet got him out but was working with him in the cage, he seemed to be hungry because this morning he was making noise and I guess didn't want his pellets so I put a bit of seed in there, he chowed it down, I went back later and he climbed over to his food dish as if he was still hungry. I put a small bit in my hand and held it in there. I could tell he was very curious, and still hungry, he kept looking at the seed in my hand and moving around trying to find the best way to get it, then actually reached as far as he could and ate a few seeds, then went to another perch. He didnt climb into my hand yet but it was progress. I left my hand in there longer, he still watched it, but then I waited so long my arm grew tired and I pulled it back out. I will be hopefully working with him a little more before I go to work, but I don't get off work til 9pm so another lesson will have to be tomorrow before work again.

I'm hoping to get him to step up onto my hand inside the cage and then do some more out of cage work, I just am thrilled to see the progress. I will also be buying some millet sprays tonight to use in the training.

[stargazerwolf]

Another day of training, maybe some progress. This afternoon I mainly checked to see how he reacted to millet, he did flip for it, got very close to me and ate it. I didnt have much time before work but let him eat awhile near my hand, tried to get him to step up but he wouldn't still inside the cage. At one point he hopped away from me and didnt seem to want to come back for a bite so I pulled my hand and millet back out of the cage.

This evening after I got home from work I worked with him a little again, inside the cage. Got him to eat millet often from my hand, if he hopped away when I moved my hand closer I'd take my hand and millet away, if he came back to the perch close to the door, I hold the millet back in, hopefully he sees that if he goes away so does the millet...I am seeing him get interested in coming out of the cage for the millet, but he has yet to, I hope after this long work weekend I'll have more time during the day to work with him, I work every weekend so I actually have more time during the week.

Currently he is only getting to eat the spray millet when I'm training him so he sees it is something good, I don't think it will take much before he comes out of the cage for the millet, I've been just working with him in cage hoping he'll get used to my hand enough to step up inside the cage and not be flying all over outside of the cage, wanting to actually come to me. He is better than he used to be though, already :)

[stargazerwolf]

So excited to report today after work I used the millet training methods again, he would approach to eat. I started moving my hand farther away and eventually he actually placed his foot on my hand inside the cage! Then moved slightly farther and he had both feet on me! Then I lifted my hand and moved him around as he continued to eat the millet, he stayed on, so I attempted to move him towards his cage door, he even sat for going under the main perch, but as soon as i reached the door he flew back in. But we have made huge progress!! First time he has stepped up inside the cage and I'm thrilled. After he flew back in he didn't want anymore to do with the millet so I stopped, brought him inside his cage out to the living room to sit while I go about messing around on the internet, etc. I'm going to work with him some more in a bit and see if i can actually have him come out of the cage on my hand. :) I'm so happy he is progressing well, I've had him only a week.

[stargazerwolf]

I definatly just made some progress with Cumulus just now! I'm excited, I was doing the feeding of millet in the cage and then decided to just leave the door open and get on the computer. Within minutes he actually flew out, he has never come out on his own yet :) Once he came out I laid on the floor near where he was and offered millet, he ran around a bit, flew some, climbed up a wicker chair and I tried to get him to fly to me for millet but he wouldn't, however when offering my hand to sit on he eventually came and ate some millet and stepped up onto my hand. I carried him around and worked on rewarding him every time he stepped up and let me pet him.

I tried offering toys to play with but he didnt seem interested. He also preffered to stay on my hand rather than step onto the table (which was lower so understandable since birds like to be high up). After a bit he seemed so comfortable with me I attempted to clip a few toenails as his have been pretty long since I got him, (dont worry I've done this many a time with birds and such and I can see the quicks). He wasn't fond of it, touch my hand with his beak as if to say "stop it", but didnt actually bite, then I clipped one more nail and he made me jump as he nibbled a bit harder (just suprised me, it didnt even hurt) but this scared him and I had to follow him, offer some millet and he stepped up again. After this I decided to stop with the nail trimming for now, I got the worst ones at least.

So for awhile I just kept practicing step up, then I let him hang out on my shoulder, which he enjoys very much, if I put my hand close to my shoulder he hops over, he'll also go from my shoulder to my hand. We watched some talking budgie videos on youtube, he watches those very closely, then after a bit he started looking toward his cage, deciding how to get back, so I had his step onto my finger and I carried him back, said "go home" and put him near the doorway and he flew in. I'm glad he does like his cage and that now he will also come out without coaxing.

As I continued to lay on the couch while on the computer he sat in his cage near by, I suppose resting from flying around, then it sounded like he was starting to make different noises. I almost sounded like "hey" but more whistle like, but I dont know if he was just making noise or actually trying to say "hey", we will see, but it was exciting because he hadnt made the noise before. He was also looking at me then hopping onto near the door of the cage so I thought maybe he wanted out again. I put the cat away again and opened the door, but he hasnt come back out. At least he knows he has the option. If I didn't have a cat i'd love to leave him in the living room with the cage door open all the time I'm home, but he sits in my daughters room when I'm gone, with the bedroom door shut so the cat doesnt get to him (it is quite bright in her room so he's not in the dark, has 2 windows, one he is right next to and can see out), then when im home he is in the living room all the time, but I only open the door for awhile since I can't leave the cat locked up all the time either.

I wish it were possible to make my cat and bird friends, but thats something I will not be trying, my cat kills mice, im sure he'd make a quick snack of Cumulus...:( Right now my cat watches him in his cage almost the whole time he's out here, my hope is eventually he'll at least quit watching him so much and just get used to his presence. But that's another thing entirely..For now I'm thrilled to bits that Cumulus is taming quite nicely, its a lot of patience, and some bribery but he is definatly trusting me more. I even was able to rub my cheek on his back when he sat on my shoulder and he didnt try to bite or anything. :) he's gonna be a sweet boy.

[stargazerwolf]

Been a while since I posted, not sure anyone is following it anyway, but its for my records also. I took a bit of a break from training Cumulus, I've had a lot going on. However today I bought him a parakeet play gym. He's a bit scared of it I think, but we will work on that. For now, he is now quite used to my hand compared to before. If I have millet he will immediatly step into my hand, and most of the time I can actually get him out of his cage this way. He tolerates my hands quite well. I tried introducing him to the play gym, he wasn't too sure about it. I got him to step onto the main perch, but he prefers my finger or shoulder. He never tries to bite anymore. Most of the time he is running around of flies to something he will easily step onto my hand, he is learning im the best perch in the house. Also he's gotten to the point i can kiss on him. I kissed his head and chest and sides and back. He's completly comfortable with my face on him. I feel that is somewhat because yesterday i was holding a piece of millet spray in my mouth and letting him eat from it as well as feeding from my hand. I think he's starting to really bond with me, and me with him. :) It makes me quite happy. As we continue to bond I hope he gets more comfortable with the playgym and I can teach him tricks. I read that birds need to build confidence to be the best pet and that is taught by letting him experience a lot. Now with the playgym I can have him sit around on the the counter watching me around the house, he can learn going up and down the ladder, theres a rope and swing and bell, so a lot to expose him to. I can't wait to keep progressing!!!

[FaeryBee]

It sounds like you are making good progress with Cumulus and having fun! That's super. :clap:

[Birdsrpeople2]

Niceeee. i wish my taming process would go as swift as yours is. congratz!