Why does my bird hate me, and what can i do?

Question

I have had this beautiful parakeet for about three months and he wont talk to me or do anything. He doesn't eat any of the many treats i bought him. I talk to him and let him fly around my room for about an hour a day. What else can i do, and what might i be doing wrong? Please Help!!!!!!!!

Answer 1

I have owned parekeets for 25 years. I agree with davideped... but if that fails, try getting your bird a friend. Work a while with your bird (at least 6 months steadily or up to a year, these guys take patients and time) I found that some birds just don't warm up to people. It is unusual since most of them are crazy about their owners once you get them trained but I have had it happen.

Once I got them another bird they cheered up and started to sing, eat and even try to talk with a lot of coaching from me. The only bad part about doing this is that the birds usually bond to eachother and not to you. The same thing is true if you have a mirror in their cage. They will bond to the bird in the mirror. I train them first then introduce them to the mirror 6 months later.

They are a lot of fun as a couple to watch. They preen eachother, talk and play. It is a suggestion anyway. If you get another bird, put them in a seperate cage for at least 1 to 2 weeks. This way if one of them is sick the other shouldn't get it. They have time to get used to eachother as well if you set them fairly close to one another. As the 1 to 2 weeks goes by, place the cages closer each day until they are next to eachother.

Once you put them together don't panic if one picks on the other for a while. The are just establishing pecking order. If you notice one is being injured then separate them again a day and try again. It may take a few tries before they want to be in the same cage.

Ok... enough about another bird. You might want to try playing soothing music for your bird when you are not around or even get a cd of bird or nature sounds. Mine love that if I am not home.
Another thing I do is slowly put my hand in the cage close to him. If he runs off just stay in that spot a while then try to slowly move over to him again. You will have to do this at least 2 to 3 times a day and be patient. It can take several weeks of this before he decides he trusts you and will come to your finger and hop on. If you put your hand in the cage for any reason just remember to move slow until he feels safe and doesn't fly off. I hope I have helped you. Good luck with your sweet little bird!!

Answer 2

I would be careful about letting your bird fly for an hour. I have had many birds and have used the same taming technique with almost all of them: take your bird (still in the cage) into a small room, then take the cage apart and coax your bird onto your finger. The bird will try to fly away but there's nowhere to go, so pretty soon he should step onto your finger. From there, it's a pretty quick step to having him perch on your shoulder. Be sure to stay in the small room for quite a while with the bird on your finger or shoulder.

Some other steps--move slowly around your bird; talk to him in a pleasant voice; I would avoid trying to pet him until he's very accepting of you, but work hard on getting him to sit still on your finger and shoulder. And pretty soon I would get his wings clipped. That will help a lot in getting him to accept you.

Answer 3

hey there,
listen, what im abt to tell u is from 1st hand experience ok so im not expert but here's a suggestion:

dont be forceful when it comes to feeding. he will learn on his own just make sure you have feeders in the cage. Every once in a while make sure you have some water for him and hand feed it up to his breast and he should want it. If not keep trying. maybe stick up treats on the side of the cage. thats what i do to my budgies. good luck! take care

Answer 4

Most professional bird trainers swear by the dickchaney method, gently, or not, pull out one feather a minute til he likes you. My neighbor filled his parakeet with helium til the little guy looked like he weighed 22 lbs, then run home movies of thansgiving dinner feasts 24/7.

Answer 5

~~~you let him fly for only an hour a day,,,,Let him fly I say,,,let him fly,,,would you sing if you were in a cage all day and your master only let you out one hour a day,,,would you sing to your master then,,??? I say,,,let your bird fly free,,,,,,

Answer 6

unfortunatly i had a hamster who hated me and it died. I did EVERYTHING to try to make it happy. Maybe take it to a vet and see if they can do anything.

Answer 7

I would get a Cat . That should set her straight .