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!

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 http://www.theperch.net/discussion/index.php?referrerid=2601 (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.

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