How to Get Your Bird to Trust You - Parrot Bonding and Taming | BirdNerdSophie

[@ginatruiolo]

I love how you reiterate the cage is a safe space, it's their bedroom and a place where they can have fun and it should never be used as a punishment. Birds don't understand punishment, but redirecting unwanted behavior is key. Thank you for this excellent video. I love how pickles and scampi are helping you film. Much love ❤️

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I think people get hung up on the word ‘cage’ instead of seeing it for what it is! Thank you for watching 💙🥰

[@petertoth3261]

I'm in USA and I was playing your bonding video when my 4 month old cinnamon green cheek conure came out of open cage to me for the first time. She heard parrots chirping in the background of this KZbin video and was super interested. Technology can ALSO be used to tame and bond with parrots I believe!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

That’s absolutely adorable 🥰

[@sandrarekker585]

Pickles bouncing around to the 'nails' hand movement...and then the cameo stare into the camera @ 13:00 had me gutted with laughter!!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

It’s sometimes so hard to film because they’re so funny 😂

[@shivsnorman]

Sophie, you have a fantastic way of explaining things! Thank you so much for all your fun and informative videos 👍❤️

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you for your kind words 🥰💙🦜

[@JaxRusso]

I plan on getting a GCC this spring and your videos have been a great help!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I'm glad you find them useful 🥰

[@kristamattox9969]

I love your videos! I’m getting a gcc soon for my second bird. Sadly my first bird was a cockatiel and there was an incident and I had to stay somewhere with no pets. I’m in a better situation and I’m ready to add a bird into my life 🥰

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you so much for watching 🥰

[@gaelgonzalojuarez3861]

Your advice is very realistic. I have a Jenday and an Amazon, I would have started first with some conure from your videos. Anyway, your videos and those of the teacher are very helpful. 

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I’m glad you enjoyed the video 🥰

[@Cosmicgypsie]

Love your analogy of the behaviour

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you 💙😊

[@Anna-px9bd]

Loved this vlog! Skampi and Pickle are so good!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you 😊 they are cuties!

[@IH753]

Great video Sophie, I wish I had seen this video long time back. It’s very interesting and insightful. 😊👍🏻 Definitely helpful to everyone.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you very much! 💙🥰

[@dorisbergmann3700]

Oscar ❤s Sophie We very much enjoyed listening and learning Oscar is pearched in my palm preening, expressive noises of comfort Thank you beautiful Sophie Pickles and Scampi 😊😊😊

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Aw that's adorable 🥰

[@awardventures8749]

Hi Sophie, I wanted to let you know I just got my new bird and he started cuddling me and I had I just met him and he started whistling he was so sweet thank you for all your help and all your videos

[@awardventures8749]

Sorry, I said something wrong went to go put a deposit on my bird

[@BirdNerdSophie]

That’s awesome 😍

[@64wicca]

Hi Sophie. Another informative video from yourself. love these and David's too, Floki and I often watch these together. while chilling for a while.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks for watching 🥰

[@philwass481]

So pleased I found your site. There are so many people on here who claim to be experts but are clearly not. I find your advice the most credible I have come across as I have trawled through all the others. What part of the UK are you based in?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks for your kind words! 😊 we are based in Hertfordshire!

[@yamunadevi68]

Brilliant tips as always

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you 🥰

[@AdamSharp-ym5nf]

Very well explained. Keep them coming Soph

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you! Will do! 😊🦜

[@zonabrown9241]

Sent you a donation sorry you were sick luv your channel ❤❤❤

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Yes! I saw and replied - thank you SO much! 🥰💙🦜

[@KutWrite]

Excellent points, well presented! I'd add that your neophobia example can be negated by training to step up onto a stick. That's my go-to when a bird is too heightened or angry or after a bite. If a bird is scared by a new nail colo(u)r, the stick is a familiar and safe perch.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Absolutely, I have that example in my step up video as we used it with one of our rescue conures 😊

[@Mariah3272]

Hi Sophie--- Loved the video!!! My green cheek conure Spidey has been learning with you and the parrot teacher's techniques. It is working great. Your videos are so helpful. I was made aware of your site from the parrot teacher. I am now subscribed to you both. What does a purple bird band mean on a Green cheek in the USA? Or do you know how to find out? I have researched the internet everywhere. Can't find out Spidey's origins.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you so much for watching 🥰 by the band do you mean the leg ring?

[@Mariah3272]

Yes. @@BirdNerdSophie

[@BirdNerdSophie]

@@Mariah3272in which case it doesn’t mean anything 😅 it’s just the colour that the breeder chose to use!

[@Mariah3272]

thanks@@BirdNerdSophie

[@malcolmmitchell6529]

Do you know the term " last years bird" my rosie bourke was apparently one. He was approximately 1yr and had no name. He is now beakertoo, boo boo for short. He knows both. He was so timid 3months later he is a different chap, i also reccomend an av lamp my little guy reacted immediately to it. It opens their world for them. Colours!.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

That’s such a cute name!

[@MoonpetaI]

I’ve had 2 budgies for over a year now and my male budgie(Sharkey) loves people and interacting and is just really outgoing while my female(Peri) is more reserved but loves hanging out with Sharkey. She’s really tame and will step up and sit on my shoulder and stuff but only if Sharkey is with me. If Sharkey isn’t near me, she could care less about me and usually won’t even step up. Even when I’m teaching her tricks, Sharkey has to be with me. Is this normal and that’s just her personality or does she not fully trust me yet?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

It could be a whole mixture of things including being with Sharkey being quite reinforcing! You could try an individual training session before breakfast and see how she responds!

[@MoonpetaI]

@@BirdNerdSophie Okay I’ll try that, thank you!

[@davidraynorsnow]

Tjought was going to say load of bollocks lol

[@BirdNerdSophie]

lol no swearing on my channel from me 😂😂😂

[@aidewimber6455]

Sophie, what kind of parrots are you holding- they seem great !

[@BirdNerdSophie]

They are green cheeked conures!

[@MarianneDeporte]

Hello! I really like your videos and the ones of your partner "the parrot teacher" too. very practical and informative. I have a question for which I have searched high and low but I can't get an answer. My daughter is getting her first bird, a conure, in about a week. We live overseas (Vietnam), we are foreigners living here. The breeder we're getting the bird from is a bit of a drive away, but close-ish to the vet, i.e. the vet (not an avian vet unfortunately) and I am wondering if we should take the bird straight to the vet or let the bird bond with us and build trust before we take it to the vet. I worry the first option is going to be way stressful. But i also worry that not getting a clean bill of health straight away isn't a good idea. What is your opinion? My second question is: the bird comes from a breeder and is used to having mates in its cage, should we get two so it doesn't feel lonely?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks for watching 🥰 I’d personally go straight to the vet if it was an option! And I always recommend more than one bird if you can, but make sure the cage has plenty of space for both of them 😊

[@MarianneDeporte]

@@BirdNerdSophie awesome! thank you so much for taking the time to respond and give me great advice! We are actually building a little aviary on my daughter's terrace and will have a flight-ish cage for night time and during the bonding phase. I think space will be fine! Thank you again!

[@JensUniqueNibblesandMore]

I just got a 5-month-old cinnamon cockatiel, my first bird ever! Less than one week in and the vet prescribed antibiotics. So while i do my best to respect body language etc, twice a day i have to towel wrap the bird and give medicine, poor bird 😅 I do offer a treat afterwards, but of course he's annoyed and not interested

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Oh poor thing! Unfortunately it's one of those things where it just has to be done! 🦜

[@wakeupfeelinggreateveryday1723]

I like the step up training, even when they're just beginning and quite skiddish. I would like to know with any new cockatiel, do I use my glove, or will it only be effective with my finger. I hold my finger above the perch, but she can bite quite hard, and am wanting to know if they will show interest in a stick after using the verbal prompt for many sessions. ty

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I have a step up tutorial for conures but it works with cockatiels too - I'd recommend watching that :)

[@anthropomorphicpeanut6160]

We just brought a third lovebird home less than two weeks ago. He is making progress way faster than I expected, he is already comfortable taking treats from our hands and has initiated some voluntary touch, although after doing this he retreated. I'm not sure when it's a good time to let him out of the cage. He is fully flighted and I'm not sure how I would get him back in the cage without forcing him when he is still wary of humans. Any advice?

[@er1cf]

As Sophie mentioned around the 7 min mark, try target training while they’re in the cage could be a great way to build trust and create a method to have the bird return to their cage. Eventually you could graduate to target training on top of the cage, then eventually farther from the cage and to and from the cage. It can take weeks and months to build this comfort, so patience will pay off.

[@carina9629]

Hello Sophie! Could you please make a video on how you feed your green cheek conures such a high variety of food? Between the soaking and sprouting and the evening mix of dry foods? As in, what sort of foods do you feed them? And for their foraging, do they only forage for treats? Which seeds do they forage for? Do they ever forage for veggies or grains? Or if you already have videos, could you please link them? I searched your channel but couldn't find them :(

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Have you seen my ‘what my conure eats in a day’ video and my parrot diet guide? It may give you some inspo! We also have recipes on out Best Behaved Bjrds website! 😊

[@carina9629]

@@BirdNerdSophie Thank you!! I will search for both of those - I VERY much want my cockatiel to live 30+ years and I know diet plays a HUGE role. Plus it helps them feel happier, which is always a good thing haha

[@jasonkrebsbach5037]

Thanks for the video, we rescued a 10 yr old cockatiel and she is taking forever to bond with us……. We are keeping at it, she spent many years in a small cage and was never let out…so it seems she is afraid of everything

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Poor thing - bet she is glad to be living with you now!

[@lak4750]

Hello! I am your subscriber and I want your opinion. I have a green cheek conure Koko for over 6 years. He is awesome. We just got a kitten and she shows some hunting instincts- do you think I can teach my conure to show the little kitten that he is dominating

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks for subscribing 🥰 no, you’ll need to always keep your kitten and conure separate as all it takes is one accident for one of them to get hurt!

[@chrisg2419]

Hi. Do you know if koop clean bedding is safe for birds.from what I was told it is. I'm trying to figure out why my two year old cockatiel passed with no warning. I'm heartbroken

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I’m so sorry to hear that 💙 it wouldn’t be a bedding that I would choose but it wouldn’t cause an unexpected passing either.

[@chrisg2419]

@@BirdNerdSophie ok, thank you.

[@kwiiin_]

Was this bird lonely? Then of course it will die from loneliness.

[@chrisg2419]

@@kwiiin_ where did you get that from?

[@kwiiin_]

@@chrisg2419 It's common knowledge but look it up. Birds are FLOCK animals. They are never to be kept in solitude.

[@lamaralsaedi7019]

amazing video, but i got a questions and its extremely un related but i need help finding an avian vet near me and im genuinlly worried as i have check many vets online near me and non are avian vets

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Drop me an email (details in description) so I can help you :)

[@malcolmmitchell6529]

All birds are individuals.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Absolutely!

[@BzumzumakaBuzbuzBen]

Do you know if any of these can help with regaining trust? I have messed up my relationship with my bird not long after I got him, but am trying to fix things best I can. My hands seem to be scary while the rest of me isn't to my bird and I struggle trying to introduce him to new things and he dislikes leaving the room (unsure if he just prefers to be around his cage over anything else). I have also tried feeding a treat that was highly recommended to me at the pet store, but my bird showed no interest in that either. Any advice would be appreciated. I own a male jenday conure. Thanks

[@BirdNerdSophie]

The tips in this video will definitely help! Go slowly too 😊 and all birds have different treat preferences so you can try lots of healthy things!

[@BzumzumakaBuzbuzBen]

@@BirdNerdSophie There is one question I have about being around my bird and ignoring him. I understand the idea, but I don't wanna be ignoring him to the point he thinks I'm ignoring him completely because at times he does want to step up. I tend to leave the cage open while I'm doing my own thing. Thanks again.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

@@BzumzumakaBuzbuzBen there's no need to deny your bird attention during trust building if they are actively seeking it out! That advice is for every fearful birds who don't know you yet!

[@BzumzumakaBuzbuzBen]

@@BirdNerdSophie I was asking because a different video I watched claimed if you just do your own thing and ignore your bird they will realize you're not a threat to them which is logical in my mind, but also questionable.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

@@BzumzumakaBuzbuzBen it’s more to tell people that it’s not always the best idea to immediately start trying to interact with a bird the second they come home. A lot of people expect their bird to love them and want to be friends immediately when actually many birds are very scared. If a bird is seeking out attention and interaction, there’s no reason to deny them that

[@DanielleWells-sv9zf]

I have had my bird for abt 8 months and b4 that her old owners had her for like a year and could never get her to ease up. In my family im the only person who can hold her and pet her, and even then she will only let hold her for a few minutes. Shes gotten better but im starting to wonder maybe its just her personality or breed? I work with her everyday but i still cant get her to eat out of my hand or even out of her cage for that matter. I leave her cage open when im not home is that okay? Should i give her less freedom and only open it when im home? She screams alot weather shes in or out of her cage i dont know why. Shes got alot of toys and i noticed shes likes chewing stuff so i got her toys with paper, twine, other bird safe toys just for chewing but she aways wants to go chew on the curtin

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Unless the room she is in is completely bird safe, I would be hesitant to leave the cage door open when you aren't home! What's their diet like?

[@TK-fm5ud]

I don’t give my bird any millet or sunflower seeds in my bird’s food but he’s still not interested in them for training. At the moment the only thing he’ll work for is a green grape - specifically green.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

If fruit is what's reinforcing then use that :)

[@deborahbraunstein1651]

What kind of green cheek is pickles

[@BirdNerdSophie]

She’s a pineapple turquoise 😊

[@8HASANZ]

I have a conure but it always flies towards one of my brothers and stays with him as if he is his real owner, And when I call him, he never comes to me. although my brother is not at home much and has no relationship with birds I started to feel jealous😅😅💔

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Someone it can be the novelty factor and other times birds just have a natural preference for someone! Keep training with high value treats to help balance your bond 😊

[@agak61]

I have a cockatiel which I love but this little guy is so messy with his feathers. I was warn about it but didn’t know it was that bad ❄️ ❄️ I wish I got conure. I think my dog is allergic to my bird’s dust too 😢

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Do you have an air purifier?

[@agak61]

@@BirdNerdSophie yes I do. And I was just told that I can mist the bird? I just did yesterday and I think it might help

[@BirdNerdSophie]

@@agak61 encouraging them to bathe is good as long as it’s permission based! I have a video on how to get your bird to bathe 😊

[@robinmandel-buchalter1183]

🦜🦜🦜🦜🦜🦜🦜🦜🦜❤

[@meikeboomgaard542]

Hi! I was windering at what times you feed your birds? I can't really find what proper mealtimes are😅

[@BirdNerdSophie]

It depends on your schedule but we feed fresh at about 8am and then dry at about 2-3pm as we work from home! This can change depending on your schedule 😊

[@alyseramsey2645]

I adopted a lovebird in dec, she is the sweatest thing will step up when you put a finger out but she refuses to eat anything other than her seed diet which was given when we got her and we have tried everything fresh we can think of She also has started plucking her feathers and i am lost on how to help her stop.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Diet conversion and settling to a new home can take a long time! Have you seen my how to get your bird to eat veggies video?

[@alyseramsey2645]

@BirdNerdSophie I have not I just found your channel today and have only started watching them. I will go watch it thanks! Do you know anything about plucking? She has taken all of her front feathers and legs and is now working her way to her face and back

[@robloxplaysyoutube5778]

Are snacks food like a meal?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I refer to snacks as their treats and food!

[@imanbokhari8168]

My new bird when ever I try to give him seeds he jumps on my hand and when I try to get him off he’ll fly on my head

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Have you tried any target training with him? 😊

[@imanbokhari8168]

@@BirdNerdSophie no but thx for the advice

[@Sara-qw7lc]

One of my conures bites my hand whenever I try to carry it or pet it. My other bird recently started to run away when I try to get it on my hand. Why is my bird showing this attitude towards me? Any tips.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

They’re telling you they don’t want to participate in the activity so it’s important to listen 😊 also make sure you offer a treat for going on the hand every time - it’s a trained and consent based behaviour!

[@Sara-qw7lc]

@@BirdNerdSophie thank you! If you have time, can you make a new video all about conures? Natural Foods for them, bedding, safe ways to clean their cage…?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

@@Sara-qw7lc it's on my to film list haha!

[@freelancerockstar2290]

[@robinmandel-buchalter1183]

My bird bites me 2:59

[@BirdNerdSophie]

It's important to work out why as birds always bite for a reason!

[@WittleIndianGirl]

This is why I follow you. I have had my bird for 4 years and still learn new things. Better late than never! Thank you so much!!! 💛🧡🤍

[@BirdNerdSophie]

There's always more to learn - even for me 🥰💙🦜

[@kwiiin_]

Consider another bird, birds are flock animals.

[@WittleIndianGirl]

@@kwiiin_ We are just fine. Thanks though! ☺️

[@kwiiin_]

@@WittleIndianGirl Nope, you are not fine. :) Your bird is lonely and you're actively preventing it from living a happy life with another bird. That's cruel, nothing else.

[@WittleIndianGirl]

@@kwiiin_We’re fine, thanks.

[@ISMAILRBIHA]

Hi Sophie! I have a pet cockatiel, and I’m curious: Is it safe for cockatiels to consume dirt and salt? 🦜🌿 Because i saw a certain cockatiel breeder recommend doing so, and i got confused and decided to ask you for guidance. Thank you in advance.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hey! No there would be no reason for a cockatiel to eat dirt and salt and it would likely cause them issues!

[@ISMAILRBIHA]

Thank you for your much needed advice.@@BirdNerdSophie