File :-(, x, )
halp with parakeets Anonymous
good afternoon /an/,

I need help with taming my parakeets. I've had them for about two months now, and they are still uncomfortable with human presence. Can you give me some pointers on hand taming these birds? I've tried staring at them and poking my hand in their cage on a daily basis and even offering an occasional pile of seed.
>> Anonymous
I lol'd
>> Anonymous
Get them out, and hold them. Force them to sit on your hand. They'll bite you, and it will be annoying. They'll try to fly away, but hopefully you've clipped their wings and you can just grab them. But just force them to sit there and after a few weeks they'll realize there's nothing to be afraid of and warm up to you.

Do you know how old they were when you got them? It's far easier to tame young 'keets than it is older (1+ years).

Just don't do anything intentionally frightening or cruel during this process (like getting mad when they try to fly away) and they'll warm up in no time.
>> Anonymous
>>Force them to sit on your hand. They'll bite you, and it will be annoying. They'll try to fly away, but hopefully you've clipped their wings and you can just grab them.
Wait, wait, wait, wait......WHAT? You sick bastard.
Just get out of here.

(First time /an/ poster, from frontpage.)
>> Anonymous
>>212536
That was a joke. Laugh.
>> Anonymous
>>212545
Ha..........ha.
>> Anonymous
don't take them out of their cage if there is a dog in the room

that is a bad thing to do
>> Anonymous
and if you clip their wings, try not to clip the bone

they dislike that
>> Anonymous
The fact you sound like you have several is only going to make the taming harder; why would they want to bond with a weird, clumsy human that sits and stares at them when they can be with their own species? Put them in seperate cages while you're taming them if you can, or maybe even permanently, since sometimes (not always) tame birds will turn wild again if they can get their social needs from another bird instead of a human.

Then, because birds are bastards, you have to find ways to force contact. It sounds mean, but birds aren't dogs or cats. One method that I know works is to take out all of their food from their cage. If they want to eat, they'll have to eat seed from your hand. This will make them learn that hands are a good thing.

Avoid grabbing them if you can. Sometimes there's nothing you can do (like if you need to stuff them quickly in to a carrier to get them to a vet), but if it's not mandatory, don't do it. With the hand-feeding method, they'll start to perch on your hand if you leave it still long enough. After they're comfortable with their hand, transport them by allowing them to climb up on to your hand.

Basically, put yourself in the place of a very tiny animal that is often preyed upon by big animals. You sure as hell wouldn't like a giant hand coming from above and enveloping you in a fleshy embrace and carting you off to who-knows-where, and you wouldn't like giant eyes sitting there and staring at you either.

And good luck; parakeets are usually NOT a pleasant, friendly pet like people like to say they are.
>> Anonymous
>>212559
I'll definitely try that food method. Thanks.

By the way, is clipping their wings advisable? It sounds pretty cruel.
>> Anonymous
>>212562
I don't think it's cruel. It doesn't hurt the bird if you do it right; it's just part of the flight feathers, and not the whole feather, so it's kind of like clipping nails or cutting hair. If you do just the first few long feathers, it doesn't make them unable to fly. It just makes them unable to fly upwards, so they will glide downwards and not just fall flat on their faces.

It's also a safety thing. Birds don't know mirrors aren't another room, or that windows have glass, and they will fly straight in to them and break their little birdie necks. They can also get stuck behind things, fly in to ceiling fans, fall in to the fish tank, or in to the dog's mouth, etc etc... insert your scenario here.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>>212564
Pic related. Don't do it wrong, or you'll have a bird that falls hard whenever it tries to fly, and that's sad to see and dangerous to the bird. If you're unsure of yourself, you could ask the vet to show you how.
>> Mr. Bubbles !!DLJ3bQ7yunJ
>>212566
Also, AVOID BLOOD FEATHERS. ONLY CUT THEM IF YOU WANT THE BIRD TO DIE
>> Anonymous
just a final tip that might help that doesn't involve clipping wings (i never trusted myself to do try, personally. my hands are too shakey). budgies are incredibly curious. just stick your hand in the cage and don't move (or move very, very slowly, if you absolutely have to). they'll eventually explore on their own, and once they get used to your hand, maybe they'll calm down.

second putting them in different cages though, if you have more than one. i wouldn't even recommend letting them have mirrors or budgie-shaped toys while you're taming them.
>> Anonymous
>>212575
Rofl, it won't kill the bird unless you're a dumbass and sit there with your jaw hanging open while the bird bleeds everywhere.

Anyway, guys, I clipped my quaker parrot's wings all the time when I was 9. I never killed him. It's not that hard.
>> Anonymous
lol i remember when my cockatiel got scared and when i went to check on her, blood was absolutely everywhere. i had no idea what happened and thought maybe my cat scratched her through the cage or something.

i freaked the fuck out and rushed her to the vet. turns out she just broke her blood feather and they removed the rest of it and lol'd at me.
>> Anonymous
why do people call them parakeets, isnt that the name a group of species of birds?
the one in your picture is a budgerigar.