2. While you may be inclined to use gloves in handling your bird, this is actually not something that will help your relationship. Gloves have a tendency to scare many birds. Due to the fact that our birds are hand-fed, you should not need to use any form of protection. If this is not the case with your bird, for whatever reason, a perch or a towel is better for training.
3. Always be sure that your birds wings are clipped. This is very important for your bird’s safety. You don’t want him to get out when a door is opened, nor do you want him flying into a window or uncovered mirror. In addition, allowing him to fly freely, even inside the house, may allow him to begin to think that he is the “flock leader,” thereby thinking that he is dominant over you.
4. Birds have hollow bones and can be injured very easily. It is very important to remember to NEVER hit your bird. This is not a way to train your bird and will bring about more negative results than positive! This will only teach them to be afraid of you, which may result in them biting you. Remember that your bird may be able to speak to you, but he is not human and cannot think like you. He doesn’t know what makes you angry.
5. When your bird is behaving badly (like biting or screaming), your best approach is to treat it like you might a small child. Start by saying, (firmly, but not screaming) “No!” and redirecting its attention. If the bad behavior continues, that is when you can use a “time-out.” Birds, being very social, will respond to this, when it is used properly. Put the bird back into his cage properly and cover it for a short period of time (but never more than fifteen minutes or so). The bird should soon learn that negative behavior will only have him removed from social activity, with no further attention.
7. In light of the above note, DON’T accidentally reward negative behavior. For example, if your bird is in the cage screaming, removing it from the cage at that time will only teach him that screaming is his way out. This will cause him to scream more. In addition to that, many birds actually are amused by seeing us get worked up. If you scream at your bird to be quiet when he is screaming, you are only showing him that he can get this kind of attention from you by acting this way. It will not help him learn to be quiet! Always remember to make sure that your bird is not screaming because he needs food or water before you try to “fix” this behavior though!
8. Again, like children, birds have the ability to sense our emotions. If you handle your bird while you are upset or uptight, you may notice that he doesn’t respond well to you. He may even be afraid of you. For this reason, it is best not to take them out at this time, waiting until you are more relaxed and have calmed down.
9. The “up” command is a very useful tool when handling your bird. Place your finger against the birds belly and use very gentle pressure to encourage him to step up onto your finger. While he does, you can say the word “up” and he should learn to associate the word with the action. You can also do this when placing him back into his cage, using the perch against his belly. Always remember to use GENTLE pressure. This will also come in handy if you need to correct your bird’s behavior and should be the way you put him back into his cage – the correct way to put him in.
10. Again, just like a small child or any other animal that we train, birds do not learn things overnight. Patience is needed on your end, as well as persistence, but you will, most likely, be rewarded in the end. This applies to both training your bird to behave well, but also for the birds that are being trained to speak or whistle. Patience and persistence are the keys. After a time, you will have a wonderful companion!