Although less common in recent times, some pet stores and parrot breeders sell animals that were either born in the wild or raised without human interaction. Wild-caught birds exhibit fear toward humans because of unfamiliarity and because they did not imprint on a human after birth. A wild parrot that reacts to humans with fear will stand high in its perch and make growling sounds as a human comes near, holding its feathers flush against its body. A few daily exercises can train such fear out of a wild parrot.
Instructions
1. Schedule regular times to train your parrot at the same time every day. Parrots are creatures that rely on the comfort of habit, so choose the same time every day to train the parrot for 15 to 30 minutes. Typically, wild birds need shorter training sessions at first.
2. Hang a new training cage in an area of the house with the most human activity. The new cage breaks the parrot out of its habitual patterns; for fearful birds, the closer bars of a smaller cage provide a sense of security. Hang the training cage approximately 6 inches above eye level.
3. Clip the bird's wings. This may be difficult with a fearful wild bird at first. If necessary, wrap the bird's body in a towel and have another person gently hold the wrapped bird while you pull one wing out of the towel at a time. Using bird wing scissors or sharp safety scissors, cut off the first six to eight primary feathers of the bird's wing. Cut away from the bird's body and cut the primary feathers about 1cm below the next row of feathers, which should prevent the clipping of immature "blood feathers." Clipped wings protects a domestic bird from in-flight collisions and escape into the outdoors.
4. Saw a broomstick or tree branch with a handsaw to build an 18-inch long perch, making sure that the new perch has a great enough circumference to prevent the bird from wrapping its claws entirely around the branch.
5. Encourage the bird onto the end of the perch during a training session by nudging the tip of the perch gently against its lower breast and saying a command phrase for the bird to learn, such as "Up, bird." Hold the perch at an arm's length and keep your other hand out of sight. An open hand appears threatening to a frightened bird.
6. Walk around with the bird on the end of the perch while calmly talking or singing to the bird to accustom it to your presence. When the bird relaxes, shorten the perch length slightly. Over the time period of several days or a week or two, shorten the length until you can hold the perch with your hand about 4 inches away from the bird. At this point, coax the bird onto your hand by tilting the end of the perch downward; hold your free hand above your elbow to discourage the parrot from climbing up your arm and to your shoulder, which puts you out of control.
7. Offer small treats to the bird on your hand with slow, deliberate movements. Sit with the bird on your hand for a period of time. When the bird shows enough comfort to begin preening and fluffing its feathers, lower your hand so that the bird is encouraged to climb onto your shoulder.
8. Return the bird to its cage at the end of each training session with a command phrase such as, "Down, bird."
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