Who's Training Who?

[Kiahanna]

Hello all :) I'm obviously new to this forum so forgive me if I am asking questions you've heard a million and a half times before :)

I recently was adopted by a 5 month old Senegal parrot that I named Sam. I'm not sure if he is a he or if he is a she but to lessen the confusion I usually say he. I got him about a week ago, and since then I have been working to get him used to me. I sit for very long periods by his cage with the door open (all the windows and doors in the room closed in case of accidental liberations) with my hand in the cage so that he can get used to the idea of my hands being in there when I need to be. I talk to him when I'm not sitting next to his cage as I'm doing things I normally do during the day to get him used to that too.

What is odd is he seems to want my company, and my attention, but doesnt want me touching him. If I go out of the room he makes a high pitched chirp until I come back, if I walk by his cage he immediately comes to the side that I am near, and he 'talks' to me while I am in the same room as him. However, when I go to pet him or try to take him out of his cage, he will try to bite me. In all the books I have read about Senegals and the web pages as well many of them have said that Senegals love drama and to try not to react if they try to bite, but to rather let them do it and push back toward them until they let go as this will be unexpected for something to move toward them instead of away when they are biting. This to me seems a bit odd and rather daunting as he can really hurt if he really wanted to, luckily he hasn't gotten serious about it yet I don't think. He seems unwilling to come out of his cage on his own, even when I leave the cage door open and I am sitting across the room. While browsing this forum I found someone recommending click training for parrots (which I have ordered and will give a go to as soon as it arrives) while I am waiting though, am I missing something crucial? Am I doing something wrong that I shouldn't be doing or should I be doing something more? I try to redirect his attention when he tries to bite me to something else like a toy in his cage or some other thing but is this rewarding his trying to bite?

I think he's training me some days...

[DarwinTheSun]

It sounds to me like you are doing everything right! Most rehomed birds need a bit of time to adjust to the new surroundings, and you are doing the perfect thing by just sitting and interacting, but not pushing him. I would just keep doing this, and keep respecting his distance too. If he doesn't want to be touched yet, thats ok just let him have his space. I bet sooner than later he will just jump right onto your hand.

Make sure to offer him lots of treats from your hands too, so that he starts to associate good things with hands. And as weird as it sounds, you are right about his biting. You can't react to it or he will know you are weak and the biting will continue. I doubt though that he would bite his hardest if he were to bite you. If he already wants your attention, a bite he gives you is more than likely a testing bite, so it is crucial that you don't flinch or react at all. Sorry if this is something you already know, but parrots do use their beaks to step up many times, just to make sure that it is a safe perch. So, it could be possible that he is not intending to bite, but step up.

But yes, in a nutshell he is most certainly training you. That seems to be the way parrots work!

[kbheaton]

I can't think of anything to add to Darwin's good advice about biting. But this may help:

How to Visually Sex a Senegal Parrot
Visual Sexing of Senegal Parrots

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Kathy
Houston TX
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"In the end, we will only conserve what we love, we will only love
what we know, and we will only know what we are taught." -- Baba Dioum

[Pepper's Pa]

I’m wondering if your new Senegal Parrot is your first experience with being owned by a companion parrot? As DarwinTheSun asked, are you confusing your Sennie’s use of his beak to “test” the sturdiness of your hand as a perch for a bite?
I’ve shared life with my Sennie, Pepper, for over three and one-half years. There are times that to someone unaccustomed to parrots, they might think he is viciously attacking me. If I move my hand too slowly towards him when he wants to step-up, he will often appear to lunge at my hand with a gaping beak ready to rip into me. In reality he’s simply quickly stretching to me and he gently clamps onto my finger then swings to me to perch. No aggression here, simply wanting to be with me more quickly.

One week is nothing in time when it comes to gaining the trust of and then building a bond with your new parrot. Your goal at this time is to make all your interactions trust building and not trust destroying. Slow and steady will be your path to success.

Without a doubt your Sennie is training you . . . he’ll likely teach you to play “fetch” soon where he’ll be the thrower of his foot toys and you’ll be his retriever.

Be patient and enjoy all the new experiences with your new parrot.

[Kiahanna]

Hello :)

Yes this is my first parrot :) I think sometimes I am mistaking his desire to explore my hand as biting, although sometimes it most definitely is him trying to bite. He has gotten much better at it as I keep working with him, and he actually stepped up on my hand (very briefly) this morning while I was working with him. Things seem to be going ok and my next mission is to find the camera and get a few pictures :)