Parrot Training: Pet Bird Tameness ... Touching How to train a parrot

[kostaa22]

nice, and helpful, tnx man for making this video :D

[8countess]

I love this video, Thanks for posting it, I hope my african grey Merlin will get this tame with me, I can stroke him, and get him to step up on a stick, but he wont go on my hand, I pull away as soon as he goes for my hand with his beak, so I fear the bite from him and that's why I can't train him, this video as given me hope that I can get him step up, I just have to try stop being scared of the bite,

[bahaaswedan]

Hey can anyone help me as soon as possible ?? my grey 1 yrs old and he can step up outside the cage but inside it he doesn't...and when i give him me finger he doesn't want to step but when i give him my whole hand it's ok...why is that ?? and is it normal to chew every thing in her sight ??

[Jasminachick]

hahaha

parrot: SCRATCH!

guy: yeah i'll give you a scratch soon!

[LoveeioAngelaa746]

hêhé_î_fêël_sÖ_lÒñElÿ_tÖDÁy

[ambarawio]

good

[dragonster82]

i'd prefer parrots that do not have clipped/removed wings ;D, training a true parrot is da best

[hldawson3]

I have owned birds for years,I use to be a breeder (I stoppe to good homesd worried if my babies were going to I good homes) Your vidoe was very helpful and right on q. Keep up the good work with your sweetheart.

[Pres4ri]

Hi i have a cockatiel and when i talk to them they are cal and listen to me and sometimes respond they dont get scared and when i put my hand in the cage they react the same way and when i hold millet in the cage they want it but they dont trust me enough to get it so what should i do i think im off to a good start so please give me advie and tips on how i should be able to feed them with my hand thank you!!!!

[gymrichard1830]

thanks found your videos really helpful. :-)

[bulldog111111]

I tried the Gotcha game with my pit bull...not a good idea

[OriginalCopyCat1874]

@bulldog111111 Really? It's my pit's favorite! She loves fresh human flesh =P

[bulldog111111]

Nice Sword!

[khanazali]

thank you for this very knowledgable info thanks

[datsyhoehoe]

Hold on..... Aren't you teaching her to actually feel free to bite the hell out of you and that it is a "game", so there are no bounderies as far as biting is concerned? I know that you are trying to teach her that a random touch is not going to "hurt" her, but this game seems one that reinforces biting as a positive, funny thing.

[PinkyWontWork]

There's no set way to train a AG they're the little assholes of the bird world and each is different. I have 2 that are completely different, the one constant...they're both little assholes. Incredible intelligence and the ONLY secret to training them is patience and time. We could do anything with ours now but it took a couple years what worked with one did not work for the other. Prankster little demons that they are.

[AzureClarity]

This may sound like a stupid question but I was wondering if a parrot could still recognize you if it hasn't seen you in a while and you change something physical about yourself. I've been away at college for a few months now and I'm returning home next month and I've dyed my hair a completely different color. I've had my Grey for almost four years now and I've never been away from him for more than a few days, so surely with all that quality time, he'll be able to recognize me, right?

[Sckarecrow92]

Scratch. Scratchhhh.

[kev692]

"Talk to your parrot like a friend" That is so true when building trust. They find it relaxing and interesting. I've had my Blue and Gold for 21 years, since he was a baby, and he loves it. Make eye contact while doing so.

Good tips. though, your bird should already trust you before you grab at them like that. Show them that they can enjoy petting on the back and under the wings by pushing their boundaries in those areas. Have an excited "whee, this is fun" word. It's reassuring.

[leonar281]

how do i know if its a girl or boy we named owrs coco but we dont know if he is a he or she pls help

[healonator]

@leonar281 got to get it dna sexed..take a feather to a vet

[jerrygurl92]

hi,ermi have a problem with y african grey charley,he's n seem absolutely h8me,imean italk to him, give himtreats, he gets a taste of my dinner every day,bt he still wants t bite me. 4 example,i tried gettin closer to him bt he doesnt test my hand,he fullblown bites it,im missing a chunck outa my finger causeof him, i triedletting him test my hand nd whn he bit me i ddnt pull away bt he just kept biting harer nd harder. PLus, i tried feedg him his favourite (cheese) nd he kept dropping it,

[jerrygurl92]

@jerrygurl92 so i heldmy hand on careful distance under th spot he kept doppig it,nd actuall went 4 my hand. He does give me kisses but only when he's inside his cage, when he's outside,he's destrucktive, nasty nd attackin us and the dog. the funny thing is, he'sok with 1 person in the house just not with me or my boyfriend ( living togethr). i tried giving himnew toy so he wouldnt try t eat th sofa but he's scared of anything new. pz help us, imsick nd tired of being eaten alive :'(

[tweenky420]

Respond to this video... i give my quaker food with my mouth is that bad?

[SisterSunnshine]

@tweenky420 ~ yes, the human mouth has bacteria that can be fatal to a bird. Never give a bird food that has had contact with the human mouth or that you have eaten off of or held in your mouth.

[joefirstclass]

this parrot went missing 2 years ago.

the owner has to post EXACT last known whereabouts,someone may have found her and never knew who she belonged to

[whirled100]

my green cheek conure hates playing the touching game he tries ta bite o-o

[Itsnartlex]

Ty it worked

[stefangelke]

My rosella comes only sitting on my hand when she is away from here cage,when she's ath here cage and i want here to come and sit on my hand she wants to bite,and ofcourse i always pull my hand away cause of being scared...Dos anyone know what i can do about this?I really want to be able to scratch here and things like that...

[ishymanz]

@stefangelke when she bites dont pull hand way it tells her you are weak and i am dominit. instead put it on top of her where she can get a bite but not hurt you just dont let her bite then she will soon findout you are in charge.

[152089pat]

Metal5Dark when a bird drops the treat they are playing a game with you. So drop the treat a couple of times right before the bird gets it. And then later it will be more generus!

[Metal5Dark]

my senegal dont aprreciate treats like when i give him a treat he like drops it

or dont even try to hold it ...so whats up ?

[ishymanz]

@Metal5Dark sounds like your sacred and dont give him time to grip the treat? if not he dosnt trust your hand yet

[necronlord123]

will this work on other birds?

[doratheexplorerhd]

omfg this is very healpful!

[Kingpizza96]

i dont talk to my bird i whistle like a bird

[TheClubpenguin9]

my bird bites like a sabertooth tiger it hurts

[chauti10]

i wish it were this easy, my bf has a gray and that bird hates me..he wasn't like that before i could pick him up and pet him but now every time i go near his cage he puffs up and lounges at the cage to bite me...the only time i can get near him is when i give him food or pick him up from the floor

[anuwatBKK]

At no point does Andrew claim to be an expert, although if you watch all his videos of Tui you will see he did an excellent good job training Tui. To all the people dissing the gotcha game, maybe at the time of filming Tui wasn't in a playful mood, but if you watch Andrews other vids especially "Tui Rocky Balboa" you will see how successful this particular game was.

[armymansam]

i cant even get close to my parrot, its scared of me. i got it yesterday, its an 8 month old african grey congo. Can anybody give me some tips please. thanks.

[MaryanaS01]

well this comment is old so you probably already know by now. practically every bird is like that, it's just afraid of it's new environment. make sure you spend plenty of time around the cage, feeding it fruit/seeds/whatnot through the cage and it'll slowly form a bond. then feed with you hand inside the cage and eventually lure it out with treats. the way i did it was holding the seed outside the cage and placing my hand in front of him so he'd have to step up to reach it. it'll learn =)

[SisterSunnshine]

@armymansam your grey is still a baby. have you ever owned birds or a parrot before? taking on a grey is a HUGE and life long (seriously life long) responsibility. You need to get a support system STAT and get in with a parrot group right away or you risk screwing up your bird!

[PinkyWontWork]

@SisterSunnshine "suPp0rTz gR0upsz" ? What kind of garbage is this? Let me guess you're a liberal/hippie?

All it takes is time and CONSTANT work day in day out that's all. We bite ours and they just play along. My gf plays very rough with them and we have no issues, greys will bite regardless of how much trust or love they have for you. It's what they do, just learn to read them and their eyes and body language.

[CygnusSkyfire]

I found this video to be very helpful, however, I must point out that your working with an African Grey, one of the most intelligent birds on the face of the planet. How can one be sure that these tricks and tips work on the "not so intelligent" species of birds as well, i.e- Indian Ringnecks, Cockatiels, Cockatoos, etc...

I dont say that to undermine you, I only ask because because I'm interested in owning a bird one day.

[MaryanaS01]

actually ringnecks are VERY intelligent. i have one and it barely takes any time for him to learn a new trick. he learned to fetch in about a day or so =p

[swedeangel64]

I don't think the I gotcha game is something to recommend. I play something similar with my Cockatoo (catch the tail feathers Very Gently I might add), but he's the one that initiated it and it's just for fun, not any sort of training. He'll keep coming for more until he's had enough, and then he walks away and I let him. Tui on the other hand, at least in this video did not seem to enjoy herself, but perhaps it could be camera shyness?

[mayoos7]

Very Helpful video. Thank you.

[fancigal]

Might I make a suggestion... birds mostly test to see if the stranger trusts the bird or if they will back away scared, then the bird will use that to its advantage and scare strangers. The gatcha game? Your bird is going to the opposite end of the cage, in other words, she is trying to get away from being "attacked."  Your hands are poking and prodding at her when your hands should be inviting and loving. you should be firm only when she misbehaves.

[fireatwill1234]

the bird does not like the gatcha game

[Altermatic]

To be honest, I don't think your bird likes the gotchyou game very much.

[myanimalsrule]

dont ever say god or jesus isnt real

[greengrendel]

yeah he does an his job is getting parrots to bite abusing owners.

[Altermatic]

Yeah, he might bite you.

[justaniceguy2cuddle]

After I watched the video and saw how you beat that poor bird around -- I was totally devestated. I'm christian and dont judge, but I hope it bites you. Jesus would want it that way.

[vampree]

"I'm christian and dont judge" wtf dude your whole comment is you judging. You are a fucking idiot. Also according to the bible jesus would not want it that way.

[92benno92]

You can't use Jesus as your personal tool you douche.

I hope my God smites you ..

What the fuck is that?

[Skesko]

Great job this is usefull!!! THX

[radioeddy3107]

Thanks for posting man! I have a Conure (Pablo) that I got a year ago. At that time he was already 4 years old. The previous owners didn't tech him anything! It really is kinda sad...He won't even "step up". So I definitely have my work cut out for me. But this video has been SUPER helpful and it's reinvigorated my desire to train the little fellow...Thanks and good luck with your birds! PS You seem to relly know what your doing and seem to really understand how to train...props to ya sir!

[nehbedi]

i've seen a couple of videos on how to train parrots on youtube, but none of these videos tell you how to deal with a bird that has been someone elses pet. I was donated an african grey by an old lady who didn't have time for him anymore. Please advice how i can make friends with him. He has bitten me in the past when i've tried to rub the back of his head, and it wasn't a nip!

[burito987]

i meant words

[burito987]

can parakeets talk like could i teach mine birds

[Reithan]

Yes. Some of the best talkers in the world and THE best talker ever (Puck) was a parakeet.

[burito987]

getting 2 parakeets today help me pls need some advice o and their names r julio and juan lol

[xxJonnyCxx]

i assume these tester bites arn't full on bites?

how much do they hurt?

[P4rrotBoy94]

Not much, they just squeeze the finger to make sure that it is safe to step on and that the perch/finger is not going to make it fall off when it does step on.

[xxjacobxx3]

If it is bad enough to draw blood they probably arnt testing you. they are attacking you. lol.

[Galladegal2009]

this might help me with my new two parakeets. thanks. :)

[lucylovesdesi08]

great video!

[ilovemyparrotdotnet]

Very nice video & informative! Thanks for sharing!

[jaredkidd0]

can this work with love birds and budgies too?

[budgie9677]

yes i have worked with many birds lovebirds budgies and small creatures have the sam training teqniqe

[tajgerboj]

Hi everybody! Well I am waiting for my bird to come on earth these days )) the man who is going to sell me told me for about a month I ll get my little Alexander )). I have a qustion about these training, what about "Clicker Training" can we also use it to train bird to talk, and if so, do we always have to use clicker in future, I m new at these things and read so many things that I probably messed everything up ))

[Killer0274]

gd question, i'm using a clicker at the moment and i believe that once the bird starts to naturally get used to the tricks you teach it, then it's a sign that you don't have to use the clicker anymore if you don't want to. I personally don't just think of it as a tool, i also believe it to be a form of communication so when you bird does something good and hears a click, it's almost like you're saying "good bird"

[Reithan]

Clicker is awesome.

[croydoniangee]

you are a life saver ill try this wit rocky

[Jordz600]

Thanks sooo Much for the vid man Tui is soooo cute. Ill try this with Skit.

[dashkavosam]

thank u i got a parrot hes calld matrix

[dashkavosam]

u relly bond with ur bird

[amazonalf1]

hi there i have an amazon parrot who i have had for a few years he is about 10 years old and he was given to me, i also have a senegal who is very tame but the amazon wont coem out of his cage and he is very scared if you put your hand towards him, he will take food through the bars and also if i put my hand in the cage now he will take it off my hand sometimes , is it possible to tame him? if so how do i go about it without scaring him cos i think he would have a much better life if tame.

[gostflame380]

this is a very hard question but, you need to clickertrain him ( you could get a clicker from the vet or the stores.) you will need to settle him down on the food, make him touch some skewers then click then reward him, do that for 2days.

then give him something shorter to touch like a pingpongball or cut the skewer into half, then let him touch him, click the clicker then reward him. then after that use your hands to touch but dont touch the bird yet. let him touch your hands then reward him.

[chidz101]

wonderful imformative video, I'll certainly give this a go with Louis :D thank you x

[benofmusic]

COOL! thx man! helped alot! i juz brought a parrot...his still a little afraid of me though..

[intechfs]

This is very interesting and enjoyable.

[tinag2178]

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[tailwhip3601]

@tinag2178 ummmm what

[tailwhip3601]

i tried teaching my cockatoo the gotcha game and it just bit the fuck out of my hand

[rush2ady]

@tailwhip3601 lol. Yah, I can see how a parrot might feel threatened by that "game"! I would never play gotcha with a parrot unless it was already extremely used to me touching them. Some of the tips are good once the bird already trusts you...not as a beginning part of training.

[ryannlag]

I MISS Tui!! Please get another parrot.... VErY few people are able to keep birds... You are one of them!!1 Please....

[thechosenone5000]

my bird wont get near anything that i offer him

[stratman687]

thanks for the vid, i can't wait to get a parrot.

[Animelover4175]

hey in ur next vid would u make the words in black cuz it kinda hard to read it

[jimajim]

what if u take a parot that is scared of all things and cant take him out of the cage because he ll fly away :S??

[michaelagh]

im so sorry your bird is missing ..im so sad for you!

:(

Everything happens for a reason...:(

[Tallyzip]

question:

can i re-tame an older bird that's lost it's tameness? is that possible?

[ryannlag]

Birds that are tame do not loose tamness... It takes years and years... AND years to loose tameness. All they loose is trust especially if they get rehomes alot. (sold or adopted) To answer on of your questions yes, you can build trust with an older bird absoluetly!

[Tallyzip]

thank you for your help :)

i hope it works out!

[Synna89]

What about the BIG parrots.. Like a cockatoo.. Can you do the same with them, without getting your fingers bitten off?

[dirtyblondxtina]

wow i have two nanday conures and my mom bought them to breed them but she pratically gave them to me and i want to build a bond with them and be able to love them and hold them but they are not use to this and im scared they will bite my small fingers lol [im 14] peridot is a little more calm than emerald but i dont know what to do...help me if you can.

*the vid gave me good tips*

[cman2050]

my parrot is demon possessed, what do i do

[73standard]

I think our parrots must be related.

[ZumbaByTania]

I wanna see if my you can touch my Boo without getting your finger bitten off! LOL!

[shinojmahe]

mm. good. but, well, as me, a biggner with birds, need to knw that, when can i start these tips for taming, with a newly got matured green parrot??

be kind to respond in my mail too.

thanking you in advance

[lcjeffery]

You and Tui are fantastic! Valentina (my grey) and I have watched all your videos. You've given us some great tips, and I like your advice (leave the husband and find someone more supportive!) Tui taught Valentina to say "Scratch". Does Tui like warm water? When Valentina is ready for bed she tells me, asks for "warm water" and says, "You ready to go to bed?" She gulps it! The breeder said it reminds her of her warm baby bird formula and makes her feel loved. Thank you, and Tui too!

[tabla524]

great vid!!

[12345Matt54321]

7:16 Hilarious!

[2mariebl]

She is so sweet I see she is spoiled.I made a mistake and called her a boy on another one of your videos I left a commet on.

[OverTheRaynbow]

Nice vid. I have watched about 4 of your videos. Nice work with your bird. he looks like your real BUD!

[kskiwi]

Yeah Tania your still young and cute, leave the husband and find someone else more supportive :)Or check the message I sent you and we can take advice from there :)

[ZumbaByTania]

Good stuff, I like your videos! I have recently rescued an untamed TAG, am trying to find ways to tame him and make him a family pet. This is his 3rd home and my husband is not on board with me about it. :-( Any advice for me on the TAG?

Cheers,

Tania

[kipe5869]

this is a wonderfully informative video, too bad it won't work for the handicapped macaw I just rescued .... He has chewed a few toes off and will never have the stability he needs. Building up trust is going to be a challenge but he is truly loved now. I have rescued 3 birds now.

[CARLYJONES911]

will this work with  2 budgies?

[cerdull]

i did with mine it worked for me

[xpan195]

do you think this will work with 2 birds? i have 2, both male, and best of friends. they don't look like they want to talk to me at all. :(

[pattyinla]

Work with the birds separately. Separate rooms in the beginning ...see if that works for you.

[yellownapeamazon2]

and hes on my chair and i try the step up thing

and he ignors it

[yellownapeamazon2]

and he scratches me back!it's funny

[yellownapeamazon2]

hey

when i put my hand near my parrots foot he pick it up grips on and tries to bite

WHAT SHOULD I DO???

and that other vid building trust with ur bird

he already trusts me A LOT!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHAT SHOULD I DO????

[pattyinla]

he bites to makes sure your finger is a stable perch, if you pull away he doesnt trust it to stand on it...becomes a cycle. Check you your area for local parrot rescue, many of them offer classes in parrot training and socialization.

good luck!

[yellownapeamazon2]

no not in that way he hates to be touched there

and he tries to bite! if he was to test me

then he would do it slower and less hard

[perryv03]

lol i want to have a bird ,but i already have a cat and he absolutly don't like birds :( so i have to wait....

[Dallebo]

I learned so much from this video. I have also got an African Grey... THANK YOU!

[EVILOLLY2006]

thank you for this video, it is extremly helpful, i have a Rubino Rosella, as you may know, they are not an easy breed to deal with, but this video is helping very well, better than a real training dvd i bought.

Thanks again.

[BaileyFlys]

Thats super cute, and wonderful.

Its great to see someone who takes the time for their bird. :)

[babyluvz]

when i put my hands on lower of my sun conuyre, she just tries it and run away, or pushing my finger away lol

[ani799]

great job! thank you, it helped me very much!! :)

[rita191919]

Very nicely explained!! Nice video!!

[DonnaParrot]

really nice and thoughtful training process.

[rsmanpwnu21]

omfg ty so much these tips shud help...i tought my bird not to bite in 6 hours today so mite teach him to step up...10/10 post more man these rule=D

[Astrid270718]

Thank you for sharing this interesting tape!

[gone2dogz]

You might want to read up on this dominance idea - - it's pretty much buncombe.

I'm glad the Gotcha game works for you.  If I tried it on my shy parrot, she'd either keel over from a heart attack on the spot, or retreat to the corner of her cage and not come out for about three months.

[initman01]

haha same fo rmy parrot or more than likly she will get angry with me n call me a "muppet" for even tryin lol

[maricelarubioxox]

cool! like the tips, but my bird is harder, he runs away, even when he is inside the cage and i'm 3feet away from him, he is a ringneck...

[BABOUCHKA23]

my bird ALWAYS always wnats a scratch he would pull on my sleeve or shoulder or like not bite but a light bite on my shoulder or kiss my cheek put his head down so i would give him a scratch gets annoying haha

[JOEJOEandBOBU]

Great job. I loved Tui's sigh.

[kristinalinda]

This was cute! You did a really great job. I'm thinking about getting a grey in the next year or so, so this will be a great reference.

[jixxergirl]

Oscar wont let me hold him upside down, but Im glad to report...I have not been bitten in over a month...I will share my secret with you. Then maybe you can make another video. A follow up to this one.:)

[ImraanMerchant]

i like seing TUI more :)

not intrested in training hehe..

post some more vdos of him talking :)

[alwayskeepthefaith]

by the way... let tui do the talking next time =P ;)

[alwayskeepthefaith]

well it's about time! i've been doing a variation of the "gotcha game" with brian since i got him, and like tui, although he doesn't particularly like being touched it he tolerates it.

some really good tips here. do you mind if i share this with an african grey forum i am a member in?

[imkungfu4yoo]

can you do this with cockatiels too?

[alwayskeepthefaith]

yeah! infact it would probably be easier with a cockatoo they're generally more easy going birds. more "puppy" like than the highly strung grey.

[imkungfu4yoo]

haha i was actually thinking a cockatoo would be better.

had a cockatiel as a child, i was really close.

it dying hurt.. so it's been so long since i could bring myself in getting another bird.

plus a larger one might be fun :]

how much do they usually go for?

[alwayskeepthefaith]

i'm so sorry i read cockatoo! but yea you could do it with cockatiels too, all birds have the capacity to be trained.

i dont know how much but as i said before i've heard they can be really tame and cuddly.. make a lot of noise though! a Goffins cockatoo is the smallest and quietist so if your interested in something bigger that could be a good start. it was a choice between a goffins cockatoo and an african grey for me. i went for the grey =)

[GoldieC]

I would like to tell you people something who thinks this way of training, forcing a parrot do things, is the right way. I own parrots myself and I also have trained all of them. They came to me and they were all WILD, but they never bit me, NEVER TRIED to do that, and they all are cuddly and loving birds, still never tried a beak on me. How you think I succeed in it? The secret isnt really secret at all: I just needed to realize parrots' nature. They do NOT know the meaning of boss. --->

[GoldieC]

--> And why? Because even parrots are highly intelligent, they don't own that much of so called "free thinking" like ppl, they go as their nature tells them to. And the nature tells them the exact same that it tells them in the wild no matter if they lived in homes or in the wild. And the evolution has made them flock animals, not pack. Pack, as in wolf packs, got leaders. Flocks does NOT. They dont own the capacity to be "listening to the leader". --->

[GoldieC]

--> So why the bird do things when physically forced, like step up (after they have bit you as their last effort to try and escape the terrible human. The last defence is biting)? Because they are scared. They know there is no other way, but this almost always leads to problem behaviors like attacking human with rage. It doesnt make the bird actually tame, it makes it scared and makes it not like humans. I enjoy the fact my onw (once wild) birds never felt like they needed to defend against me.

[djc1132]

Love It.