[Twitter09]

While I am off over the holidays, I've been trying to spend extra time with my Bourke Parakeet, Twitter, to better socialize her. She seems to react to my hands.

I'm guessing this must be some sexual thing and she doesn't just have an itch she wants me to scratch? Oh well, bonding is bonding... anything to make her tamer I guess! If I keep this up, she'll want me to take her to Atlantic City for the weekend!

 

[Nancy]

ROFL I love this little bird. I will be interested to hear how she progresses while you have off. I bet you will make a lot of progress.

 

[Twitter09]

Taming is going well

Twitter is really progressing these last few days. From being a frozen "zombie" for the first month, she now interacts with me whenever I come in the room. And she wants OUT of the cage every morning now!

When I open her cage door, she will fly right out on to the floor - if I am there on the floor waiting. Otherwise, she won't come out. To accommodate her terrestrial nature, I usually lay on the floor and she comes right up to me - sometimes chirping with me - other times touring the room on foot a little and then returning to me. When she tires of it all, she flies back to her cage. I got her the kind of cage where the whole front is a like a big door - in my opinion, the best type for taming / training.

And now she likes coming out to my sunroom - her new home away from home. She interacts with the other birds (doves and finches) to a degree but lately likes to play and eat on the table when I sit there. She would always hop on my finger if I force it (corner her) but today she hopped on my arm by herself - just for a second - but it was progress.

So she wants to be with me but it is still a little stand-offish. Hopefully I'll get further with her.

 

[stacey101]

I'm guessing this must be some sexual thing and she doesn't just have an itch she wants me to scratch? Oh well, bonding is bonding... anything to make her tamer I guess! If I keep this up, she'll want me to take her to Atlantic City for the weekend!

great job with her but please dont do this. This is a sexual postion and basically your getting her excited ( to be nice ) , she'll look for you to be her mate and possibly lay eggs

shes super pretty

 

[Nancy]

You better not ever let me know where you live because I might be tempted to steal that little cutie. Just kidding...well not the part about her being a cutie.

 

[Jenny]

What a cutie! :lovehearts: I agree with Stacey - you wan't her to bond with you, but you don't want to make false promises

The fact that she wants to be with you is what will be the key to taming her! :thumbsup: As long as she wants to be with you, she'll tame down!

 

[Twitter09]

Sorry if my photos offended...

Sorry - I didn't mean to offend anyone with my post. I was just surprised how quickly she identified with my hand as a partner! I never had a bird get that "close" so fast - and she's only 5 - 6 months old - so I was wondering if it might be Bourke thing?

I think we have to admit though, when individual birds without mates bond to us, there might be some sexual thing going on in their heads - we pet them, they preen us, etc - not that we should take it too far, of course!

I plan to get another Bourke at some point but I'd like to get her as tame as possible before I do that - and I'll get the youngest tamest Bourke I can find - so I can keep them both relatively tame. I've heard a nice thing about Bourkes is that, once tame, they stay tame, even after time in an aviary with a mate - but we'll see about that!

 

[Sensfan]

Ron we did it with our linnies. We got Niblet, a hand tamed baby, after having Millie for seven months during which we tamed her. They are both attached to us as well as each other. :yesnod:

 

[Jenny]

Sorry - I didn't mean to offend anyone with my post.

Don't worry Ron - no one was offended! I laughed good and hard at those photos, I had an Umbrella Cockatoo as a kid who we couldn't scratch under the wings ever, or she'd do that

It's just better for their sakes to avoid, since you can't be their mate. She's gonna see you as her mate no matter what, most likely, but the less encouragement the better. Mostly, you just don't want her laying lots of eggs! I would keep her on a calcium supplement anyways tho, just in case!

 

[ParrotletsRock]

She is beautiful!! My dream bird...lol I love pink...give me a pink bird and I would be in heaven...lol. I have a grey budgie... a green and yellow pied budgie and a blue parrotlet. A pink bird would just compliment the color pallet....lol

 

[Ella]

Your progress is fantastic!

She looks like a very lovely bird!

It's really nice to compare the first photos and info you gave us to now, when Twitter seems like a very nice and friendly bird.

Good job!

 

[nanay]

Ron,
Twitter is beautiful, and I'm happy to hear the two of you are getting on well.

I have also heard that bourkes remain tame even once they are paired.