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Training a bird...
Radikal_Dreamer
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So, we own a one and a half year old cockatiel. He doesn't shut up. I don't mind chirps and singing. That's cool with me, and that's cool with my girlfriend, whose bird this is, really. But, this bird doesn't do that stuff much. He screams and screams and screams his little head off. We've been trying to train him by covering up his cage when he gets into a screaming fit, and by not uncovering it until he's quiet.
This bird is my girlfriend's, and so he's connected to her, but we're beginning to think that he's way too connected. Obsessed, even. We both realize birds are supposed to be attached to one owner, which is why the thing hisses at me 100% of the time I'm near its cage, and 98% of the time it's out of its cage. He screams when she's not around, though. He'll wake us up in the morning if we're not up when he wants her to come over by him. Then, if she isn't paying 100% full attention to him, he'll scream. She has her chair right next to his cage, so he can see her, but even so, he'll scream. If we go into the next room, he'll scream. Then, if we bring him into the room and set him on a windowsill or something (say, if we're doing dishes or something), he'll scream and freak out and try and fly onto her head.
And, it's not like we're not paying enough attention to him. My girlfriend will bring him out of the cage all the time. He'll sit on our table or on the back of the couch, but most of the time he just freaks out, because she's just not close enough to him. I'd take him out when I'm home and she's gone, but, as I sad before, he does nothing but hiss at me. The bird also worries her because he doesn't play with any of his toys. He really never has. She's bought him a bunch of things to put in his cage, and birds are supposed to occupy themselves with these sorts of things, but he doesn't. He's more content screaming his head off and pacing back and forth on his perch for hours on end.
If this continues, I'm not sure we can keep the bird. He's not even supposed to be here in the first place, as our apartment has rules against pets other than cats. His screaming can be heard down the hall, and so its just a matter of time before someone complains. It's not just that, but it's just something that puts us both into a bad mood. My girlfriend already has problems with mood swings, and this bird just doesn't help. He'll turn a bad mood worse, and a good mood into nothing but anger with her. I can't concentrate on any sort of homework sometimes, too. Her mom was thinking of getting another bird for herself, and we were thinking if we can't get him to stop we'd ship him back to her mom, and maybe the other bird would help his little attachment problems.
So, how the hell do we go about training this bird to lighten up a bit when the girlfriend's not home, or even when she's just a foot away from the little bugger?
This bird is my girlfriend's, and so he's connected to her, but we're beginning to think that he's way too connected. Obsessed, even. We both realize birds are supposed to be attached to one owner, which is why the thing hisses at me 100% of the time I'm near its cage, and 98% of the time it's out of its cage. He screams when she's not around, though. He'll wake us up in the morning if we're not up when he wants her to come over by him. Then, if she isn't paying 100% full attention to him, he'll scream. She has her chair right next to his cage, so he can see her, but even so, he'll scream. If we go into the next room, he'll scream. Then, if we bring him into the room and set him on a windowsill or something (say, if we're doing dishes or something), he'll scream and freak out and try and fly onto her head.
And, it's not like we're not paying enough attention to him. My girlfriend will bring him out of the cage all the time. He'll sit on our table or on the back of the couch, but most of the time he just freaks out, because she's just not close enough to him. I'd take him out when I'm home and she's gone, but, as I sad before, he does nothing but hiss at me. The bird also worries her because he doesn't play with any of his toys. He really never has. She's bought him a bunch of things to put in his cage, and birds are supposed to occupy themselves with these sorts of things, but he doesn't. He's more content screaming his head off and pacing back and forth on his perch for hours on end.
If this continues, I'm not sure we can keep the bird. He's not even supposed to be here in the first place, as our apartment has rules against pets other than cats. His screaming can be heard down the hall, and so its just a matter of time before someone complains. It's not just that, but it's just something that puts us both into a bad mood. My girlfriend already has problems with mood swings, and this bird just doesn't help. He'll turn a bad mood worse, and a good mood into nothing but anger with her. I can't concentrate on any sort of homework sometimes, too. Her mom was thinking of getting another bird for herself, and we were thinking if we can't get him to stop we'd ship him back to her mom, and maybe the other bird would help his little attachment problems.
So, how the hell do we go about training this bird to lighten up a bit when the girlfriend's not home, or even when she's just a foot away from the little bugger?
Radikal_Dreamer on
0
Posts
A bird really isn't worth this much trouble.
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
Seconded. That bird sounds like an irredeemable avian asshole.
You may want to get a few new toys or a mirror for it.
As for the bird not liking you, try to get it to climb up on your finger and give it a treat and scratch its head.
If none of that works, then consider getting rid of it.