Traumatized Little Girl

[gumoore]

My husband and I recently lost one of two lovebirds and no stranger to having a small flock (cockatiels are the other birds), we decided to replace Hermes with a new cage-mate for Merlin (separate cages until determined that they will get along - looking promising).

Aja (pronounced Asia) tugged at our hearts the moment we saw her (she was sitting dejected in her cage and had been severely clipped) and when we found out that she was supposed to have been handraised but the breeder had been harsh in the moving/clipping of her, well...need I say more?

What I'm wondering is: is there anything special we should do to try and get her used to humans again? She sees a hand and she's running for her life. She is so skittish it makes me want to hurt the breeder.

Thanks,
Gayle

[BarbieH]

Hi Gayle;

This will be a long reply. Sorry for being long winded. :)

Handraised doesn't always mean socialized, as you are finding. That said, I am continuing to socialize two little boys, brothers, who we have been handling practically since they were one day old. Their parents are skittish towards humans and these boys seem to have learned a lot from them. It's taking more time now that they are in their own cage, to continue socializing them.

BTW, have you quarantined your new bird? Any new bird in the flock needs to be quarantined a minimum of 30 days away from the others. In addition to this being a health precaution for your birds, this would give you the opportunity to spend more time socializing sweet little Aja. :) The first step is to get her used to you being near her cage. Let her see that you and your husband will bring her food and water. Let her see you eating near her, and talk to her. She needs to adopt you as her flockmate.

Here's what I've been doing with the boys. I've been bringing them into the bathroom with me, making sure the room is darkened, toilet seat is closed, and mirrors are covered. At first I would hold them in my hand, giving them beak pets and talking softly.

When they got a little bolder, I would let them wander up to my shoulder -- at first they would try to fly away, and this is one of the benefits of having their flights clipped. I would go pick them up again and hold them, and we would try the shoulder again. (If Aja's wings are clipped badly, keep her closer to the floor so that she doesn't hurt herself if she has a bad landing.)

The one thing I had in my favor is a lovie I had to raise from day 1 -- Sammy is incredibly tame, and it helped these youngsters learn to trust me without constantly freaking out. But with soothing talk, low lights, and gentle actions, Aja can learn to trust you. It takes time and daily reinforcement.

The boys have been trusting more and more lately. They are learning that hands bring food, get them out of trouble, and pet their beaks. Today the shy one came out of his own accord. If these boys can come around, I think Aja will too.

[shylevon]

Some birds will never be good with hands, and you will need to make the decision about whether or not you are fine with that. Even my most terrified birds bring me great pleasure in just watching them play, although it must be from across the room. Their little personalities warm my heart as I watch them, and although I would love to give them hugs and kisses, I know that this would cause them more fear than pleasure, so I leave them be.

It is great to have a birdie that is not afraid of hands, and can 'step up' on command, and a lot of time and patience may get you there. I would wait a couple of weeks, to get birdie used to the new house, then take him into a separate room with you, in his cage, and talk to him alone. Then after he seems fine with that, after another week or so, try to see if he will come out of the cage when the two of you are alone. If you can get close to him, try to teach him to step up onto your finger. It will take time, and you may never get there entirely, but you may make terrific headway if you try.

Millet is also a great incentive. Lure them about with a sprig of millet and half the battle is already won. Good luck to you both.

[Buy A Paper Doll]

Both of my lovies started out scared of hands and still are to some degree. They will step up onto my finger, but if I try to pet them or touch them with my other hand, they try to fly away. So I don't try to pet them or touch them. Otherwise my pair are very sweet and friendly. They climb all over me or anyone else they meet.

[butterfly1061]

My youngest, Piper, was scared of hands when I bought him. He's not now, but he watched my other two for a while and now he's a trooper. :D

[sdgilley]

Poor little Aja! It's probably a scary world for her right now. She'll come to realize she's in good hands, though. Some birds (as Shy said) never like hands and some get over their fear. They make progress at their own pace. I have three lovies, and two are afraid of hands (and BITE). They DON'T accept hands, but love me all the same. They land on me and play on me. If I take them to the vet, they will allow me to handle them when scared. This is encouraging in case of an emergency. Besides, in case of emergency, I'm not concerned about my hands - either!
Patience, patience, and more patience... it pays off.

[gumoore]

Thank you all so much for your advise. I'm looking forward to trying a dark bathroom with her, but am also accepting that she may never like hands and can still be an active part of our lives.

Gayle

[shylevon]

Also, I find that they respond better when they are a little on the sleepy side. They are much more passive then. If she doesn't accept hands, try the darkend room and see if she will just sit on you. Lots of birdies don't mind kisses on the beak (with absolutely no deadly saliva transfer). They are used to that movement from their mothers during feeding. If birdie will sit atop your shoulder, try giving her kisses on the wings or back.

Get her used to you and your presence, before you bring on the frightful fingers.