DD: What can I do to train a problem Senegal parrot I just bought?
Bought a Senegal parrot from a guy that said he was selling him because he didn’t have time for him anymore. The bird whistles very loud and makes all kinds of disturbing noises. He seemed calm when I went to buy him and is hand tamed. Ever since I got him home he is unruly. I wanted a Senegal because my research on these birds told me they make great apartment birds and are not loud. This bird is the opposite. To boot he doesn’t talk. I bought him toys but he doesn’t play with them. I let him out a couple of times but then he will not go back in his cage and starts to bite. I tried using a glove and then a towel to put him back inside and now he freaks out when he sees either and will attack when I approach the cage. I have not even had him a week and I don’t know what to do. Help!
Answers and Views:
Answer by Crazy
All the birds are loud!! If Im not working and not waking up at 5am I have to cover my bird the night before so he doesn’t wake me up by his 6am chippering.
My learned on its own. We would come up to his cage and talk him in a gentle voice every day for a week or so. Then we opened the cage and he flew out and landed next to us while watching TV and from there he been following us from room to room.
I have the same cage problem though. He attacks when you in his cage for no good reason.
Answer by dustyrosewell first off you only had the bird a week and youre moving way way too fast for him./ slow down take it easy. rememeber you just rehomed him proably his thirde home. first the breeders then the guy he was living with and now you. step back.regroup. youre self ,start off by sitting by his cage and talking to him. do this for about a week slowly move with handling him dont use gloves, use a wooden dowl. have him step up . slowly work with this a week or two. while offering him treats., now move on to hands on slowly , you must gain his trust,. right now hes in a state of shock. being rehomed again. think about what you can do to earn his trust, he will eventually will trust but it doe not come automatic. slow is the key , earn his trust.,leave a tv on ,and or radio on .soothing sounds. keep working with him but go very slow, senegals are great birds i have two. along with 40 plus others, and with senegals they need you to move slow. and easy,.not fast , you went way too fast for this little guy step back and start over , slowly , join a bird club on line theres serveral. https://forums.delphiforums.com/n/login/login.aspx?seamlesswebtag=http%3a%2f%2fforums.delphiforums.com%2fdir-app%2fPTLogin2002.aspx%3fgid%3d146788960%26webtag%3dTheBirdNest%26destURL%3dhttp%253a%252f%252fforums.delphiforums.com%252fn%252fmain.asp%253fwebtag%253dTheBirdNest%2526nav%253dstart%2526prettyurl%253d%25252FTheBirdNest%2526gid%253d146788960&webtag=dflogin&ptlpref=n
remeber to slow down and really talk to him slow easy earn his trust. feel free to ask more as i can give some insight to thisAnswer by proudparronting
I agree with Dusty. You are moving a bit too fast. Give him time to adjust to his surrounding and to learn to trust you. There’s no way he will as long as you’re coming at him with a glove and a towel. The only time you should use a towel on a bird is at the vet, let the dr. do it to examine him… or if he’s hurt himself and you need to keep him still to look for injuries. Toweling a bird is an art form that needs to be mastered as you can easily injur or kill a bird doing it incorrectly. (you can’t hold the birds abdomen at all because they will suffocate… they need to move their bellies to be able to breathe).
In or out of his cage, sit down next to his cage and read out loud to him in a calm soft voice. Show him that companion ship with you is safe and dependable.
Make sure he’s getting 10 – 12 hours a sleep (quiet uninterrupted sleep) every single night. Cover his cage with a dark sheet and turn out the lights. If he seems uncomfortable in the dark, uncover a corner of the cage and leave a nightlight on for him so he has some type of light inside but not a lot. Sleep is cruicial to a birds physical, emotional and mental well being.
Don’t be disappointed that he doesn’t talk. Some birds that are the best talkers, never utter a word! Besides, he probably just needs time to come out of his shell… and he won’t do that until he feels safe and secure. You can always work with him down the line to teach him to talk. It will work much better if he trusts you first.
Make sure to feed him pellets, fresh veggies and fruit daily and if he was previously on seed, give him some mixed with pellets but gradually decrease the amount you give him every week. Seed is very fattening and has virtually no nutritional value in it. Just take this process slowly as well and be sure to research which foods are safe for birds. For pellets, I recommend Roudybush, Harrisons or if necessary Zupreem natural pellets. If he’s not on pellets currently, introduce them slowly and gradually as well. Even if he doesn’t eat what you offer him at first… keep putting it in his bowl (sometimes this takes days, or a couple of weeks) and he will likely try it and discover he loves them.
When he screams, do not react or yell at him. This will only encourage him or frighten him which won’t stop the screaming. Remember, depending on his previous situation, he might have been bonded with the former owner and could be missing him/her quite a bit. And/Or he’s probably terrified right now being in a new home with someone he doesn’t know. Be sensitive to that and buddy up to him. He definitely needs an adjustment period, there is no way around that.
Regarding toys… toys are probably the last thing he’s concerned about right now. Birds will only play with toys when they are happy and content.. and comfortable. In play mode, they have to let their guard down and there’s no way your Senny is going to do that quite yet. Just keep the toys available to him (get him some foot toys too that he can move around his cage) and once he’s comfortable, he’ll start nibbling on them.
So… give it some time, do some research, be patient and just let the little guy start growing on you. Provide him with a nutritious diet, one on one attention (even if it’s reading to him at first), love and nurturing and he’ll likely come around.
If you need further help now or in the future… I urge you to visit https://www.everythingbirdie.com/ (my very favorite bird board community). It’s a bird only website with TONS of information about birds from very experienced knowledgeable bird owners. You can get any questions you ever have answered there or simply exchange stories with other members. There is a place you can store photos and videos to as well as a store you can buy supplies from. You can even get your own free website.
Answer by babygirli have a Senegal parrot !! it will take time for the bird,to bond with you.and they can be very loud at times!! the guy you got your bird from,most likely did not pay attention to the bird.my Senegal talks all the time.try spending time with your Senegal,he needs to get to know you.the reason this bird is not talking,is probably because he was ignored ,by his previous owner.when i got my Senegal she was,already talking.i used to hold my bird for 4 hours every day.now she is very affectionate.She loves to cuddle,and i can even flip her, on her back.This is how much she trust me,she will sit on me until i put her in the cage.i never used gloves or a towel to grab her!!!next time you let your bird out,just talk to him and pay attention to him.you only had him for 1 week now,don’t give up on him.Senegal’s usually tend to bond with the person,who spends a lot of time with them.when he gets very loud,cover the cage with a blanket.hand feed him unsalted,shelled peanuts.and with time he will learn to trust you.Answer by JenE
I too have a Senegal. Change is hard on them. The are to smart for their own good. Working with one takes patience. You need to let the bird accept you as its new friend. Trust is huge, when you go in with a glove or towel you are scaring it and in return you will become a threat. It will be afraid that you are going to harm it. You should leave it in its cage if that is where it feels safe. Talk to it put it in a room that you occupy a lot that way it can get used to the should of your voice and movements. When working with it be slow and calm. Senegal’s tend to bond with one person. Regardless, that person was the previous owner, now you have to allow the bird to trust you and accept you. Mine doesn’t talk, she mimics noises (microwave, bathroom door, the opening of a soda can hehehehe, but no clear words) They are loud. I think it is funny that they make good apartment birds, because they can let out some impressive noises, mine does a lot of screaming as soon as the sun comes up but will scream if she is scared. Try covering half of the cage that you have it in, this will add some security and make it feel a bit safer. Like I said before they hate change and this change is huge. Not only was it taken away from a home and owner that he was comfortable with but now it is in a completely new environment with a new person.Answer by JULIE G
you are going to fast just talk to him don’t try and touch him feed him by hand parrots don’t want to be in their cage all day
he has to learn to trust you and you him the toys are new and he just not sure of them you have to be kind and build up your relationship he will be a joy to watch even if he don’t talk
and don’t write him of yet he may have a few words to say when he knows his safe don’t use the towel or glove good luck don’t give up
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