Conference 7.286::pet_birds

    I am sure someone will respond with more detail, but until then here is
    my $.02.
    
    As he likes seeds figure out which ones are his favorites and remove
    them. Then when you your father wants to work with him he can use his
    favorite seeds as treats. For my Budgie his favorite is Oats. With 
    my Amazon, I use shelled Sunflower seeds.
    
    
    Doug

    
    	Besides using treats, have your father position the bird's cage in
    whatever room he spends most of his time in.  A lot of birds like to 
    be where the action is and for me it has helped in taming my birds.
    	If possible have your father let him out of his cage, so he can sit
    on top on his own when you dad is home. Don't leave him out alone as he
    can soon get into major trouble.  I think this helps give the bird a
    small sense of freedom instead of being cooped up in a cage all day. I
    know my African Grey knows the second I step into the house and starts
    brewing up a storm of noise, for me to let him out.  He likes to sit on
    the corner closest to my bed and just hang out.  You may need to make 
    sure his wings are clipped if you do this as they can be a bear to catch 
    sometimes.
    	Most of all LOTS OF ATTENTION! One of the tricks I use, is to share
    a bit of everything I eat or drink, within reason of course. No alcohol
    at all. If I have a pop or piece of candie, or some popcorn or chips, I
    offer a very small piece to the bird. I think that sharing your food
    with the bird helps set up a bond of trust between you.  After all
    mating pairs usually share food.  Just be careful of things like
    chocolate or things high in salt. If you're not sure of a food, ask
    your vet or bring it up here in notes.
    	Either way don't expect the bird to come around over night.
    Sometimes they do, sometimes it takes longer.
    
    							Mark

    Actually, Dad's done all these things. He keeps his cage in the family
    room where he spends most of his time. He lets him out of the cage
    often but the bird can't wait to get back in.  His wings are clipped
    and he will sit on your finger rather than fall but he doesn't respond
    to attempts to lightly pet his feathers, and tries to get away from
    everything you offer him in the way of food.  Dad's has had this bird
    about 6 weeks. Is this too soon?  He was supposed to be a hand-raised
    bird.  
    

    We have two cockatiels.One is real friendly and even talks,the other
    one (Bart) sounds a lot like the one that you described.He was 6 months
    old when we got him.He was our first bird that we bought.He did not
    like hands although,he would step up onto our hand....just don't try
    to touch him.What we did with him was talk to him a lot while he was
    sitting on top of his cage (with our hands out of sight).I kept
    saying,"Give me some love Bart."One day when I said it,he bent his
    head down so I tried to slowly rub the back of his neck with my finger.
    He backed off and would not come to me for awhile.The next time I said
    it and he bent his head down,I tried to rub the back of his head with
    my nose.He loved it and even made little squeaky noises.Now every time
    we say,"Give me love Bart",he drops his head down and waits to have the
    back of his neck rubbed with our nose.But if we try to sneak our hand
    on his neck instead,he is gone.
                                        Sharon

    
    	Sharon has the right idea. And yes it may be too soon. If that bird
    wants to come around to you, he'll do it in his own good time. Never
    try to rush the bird, it usually won't work. 
    	If he won't take food, don't worry about that for now. Just give
    him lots of attention and talk to him alot. Try what Sharon mentioned
    about the hand. At first you might just want to slowly move your hand
    up to where he can see it and then move it in close to him. He may
    reach out and grab you roughly to test you finger. Do your level best
    not to jerk you hand away, even if it hurts. Disengage as easily and
    slowly as you possibly can. I knows that this will hurt, but by taking
    the pain you can let the bird know that you aren't afraid of his bite
    and that can help calm him down quicker. Jerking away will only scare
    him more than you and can undo any progress you have made.
    	One thing I do which works real well for me is to grab a good book
    and a pillow, take the bird into the Bathroom or any room of similar
    size and with few things for him to get into trouble with and read the
    book with my knees up and thg bird on one of them. Most likely the bird
    will try to fly off as soon as you put him on your knee, but gently
    catch him, while talking smoothly to him the whole time, and keep
    putting him back. While reading, keep you body movements and page
    turning very smooth and gentle so as not to panic the bird. You have to
    be more persistent then the bird to succeed at this. Once you can get
    him to sit quietly on your knee for a decent amount of time, you can
    start working toward getting him to sit quietly on you shoulder. Once
    that has been achieved, you can try it outside of the small room.
    	One important thing to remember is to try and work with the every
    day, even if it is only for 15-30 minutes or so. The longer the gaps
    between workouts, the more that has to be redone.
    	I can ramble for hours on this subject, so I'd better quit now
    before I put you to sleep... Good luck and keep us informed.
    
    						Mark

    
    	I almost forgot. While working with the bird, watch that he doesn't
    get too excited. You can tell by watching his breathing and feeling his
    feet when you pick him up. If he is getting excited and his feet feel
    very warm then slow down the pace and just talk to him. You might even
    let him pick his own spot to sit if it isn't where he can get into 
    trouble.  As soon as he appears to be calm again, you can try again.
    
    							Mark
    

    Sharon,
    
    This bird's name is Burt. Perhaps there's something in names.
    
    Thanks, for everyone's help, I'll report back later.
    
    Jean