How to Tame a Bird

Gaining Your Bird’s Trust

Give your bird time to acclimate to your home. Your bird will probably need about two weeks to adjust to his new environment before you can begin taming him. Some birds will take longer, and some will need less time to acclimate. Place your bird’s cage in a busy room. Intuitively, a quiet room may seem ideal. However, housing your bird in a busy room will allow him to acclimate to, and become more comfortable with, human interaction and activity. Do not place your bird’s cage in the kitchen. Fumes released from nonstick appliances are toxic and potentially fatal to birds. You will know when your bird feels secure in his new environment when he does not flutter his wings when you approach him. If he sits frozen on his perch, he is not yet comfortable with you or his new environment.

Talk to him in a soothing voice. An important part of gaining your bird’s trust is making him feel comfortable and safe when you are around. You can do this by talking to him in a soothing voice. Of course, what you talk about is not important—he just needs to know that you are a calm and reassuring presence in his environment. Talk to him throughout the day, and especially when you change out his food and water.

Use slow and gentle movements when you approach your bird. Birds are naturally skittish animals. Therefore, any sudden movements can frighten your bird. Slow and gentle movements will reassure your bird that you are not a threat. When you approach your bird, you should be slightly above his eye level. If you are too high above his eye level, you may scare him. Being too far below his eye level would make you appear submissive to him. It may be helpful to use a soothing voice as you approach him to make him feel even more at ease with your presence.

Acclimating Your Bird to Your Hand

Place your hand near his cage. Hand taming is a common way of taming birds. However, due to his skittish nature, your bird may be very wary of your hand. Moreover, birds who come from pet stores may associate hands with grabbing and chasing, making them even more wary of human handling. Place your hand where he can easily see it. To reduce his anxiety, talk to him in a soothing voice while you hold your hand still. Hold your hand near his cage for 10 to 15 minutes (or as long as you can hold your hand up), two to three times a day, for four to seven days. You may want to place your hand gently on the outside of his cage. Getting your bird to be comfortable with your hand will take time and patience.

Place your hand inside his cage. When your bird no longer seems flustered by your hand’s presence outside of his cage, acclimate him to your hand when it is inside of his cage. It is very important that you place your hand in his cage slowly and without sudden movements. You should also avoid making eye contact with your bird when you put your hand inside his cage—direct eye contact may appear threatening to him. At this stage, do not attempt to touch your bird when you have your hand in his cage. Practically speaking, you will need to place your hand inside your bird’s cage each morning when you change his food and water. By making a routine out of slowly reaching into his cage each morning, your bird should become increasingly more comfortable with your hand. It may take your bird anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to feel comfortable with your hand inside his cage. Continue talking to your bird in a soothing tone when your hand is inside his cage.

Entice your bird with a treat. If your bird is still not comfortable with your hand inside his cage, you may need to move things along by holding a treat in your hand. Millet spray is a very popular treat for birds. Dark and leafy greens, such as spinach, are another good treat to use. Whichever treat you use, make sure that it is one your bird is already familiar with and enjoys eating. Hold the treat in your hand and hold your hand still. Depending on how skittish your bird is, it may take several tries before he feels comfortable enough to get close to your hand and eat the treat. Hold a treat in your hand three to five times each day, and each time you change your bird’s food and water. Eventually, your bird will begin to anticipate the daily treat. Slowly move your hand closer and closer to your bird when holding the treat. With the help of the daily treats, your bird will become comfortable with your hand inside his cage.

Teaching Your Bird to Step Up Inside His Cage

Position your hand like a perch. With your hand in your bird’s cage, create a perch with your hand by holding your index finger out and folding your other fingers in towards your palm. In a slow and non-threatening manner, move your hand towards your bird and position your index finger below his breast line, which is just above his feet. If you are afraid of getting bitten, you could cover your hand with a small towel or wear gloves. However, covering your hand will defeat the purpose of getting your bird comfortable with your hand. In addition, your bird may be scared of the gloves or towel.

Encourage your bird to step onto your finger. With your finger below your bird’s breast line, gently push up on his body to encourage him to step on to your finger. Do not be surprised if your bird jumps away and flies to another part of his cage. If he does this, do not chase him around his cage— remove your hand and try again later, or simply leave your hand in his cage until he calms down and is ready to approach your hand again. If your birds needs a little extra encouragement, hold a treat in your other hand. Hold it far enough away that he would have to jump onto your finger to reach it. You can try this if the cage door is wide enough for both of your hands to fit through. If you would like, you can give your bird a verbal command (“Step up” or “Up”) when you push up on his body. Say the command each time you want him to step up onto your finger. Hold your hand still when your bird steps onto your finger.

Reward your bird. Give your bird a treat each time he steps onto your finger, even if only for a brief moment. Be aware that he may jump on and off your finger, or only feel comfortable placing one foot on your finger. Reward him with any progress he makes with stepping onto your finger. Keep your practice sessions short: 10 to 15 minutes, two to three times a day. Along with an edible treat, you can also give your bird verbal praise when he steps up onto your finger.

Teaching Your Bird to Step Up Outside His Cage

Prepare a bird-proof room. Teaching your bird to step onto your finger when he outside his cage is an important part of taming him. A bird-proof room is one in which your bird will feel safe and secure. To prepare the room, close the windows and blinds. Also, clear the room of pets and other hazards, such as blowing fans. Ideally, the room should have a door that you can lock so others cannot come in during your training sessions. Make sure the room is lit, tidy and clean. A bathroom is a common choice for a bird-proof room.

Rearrange your bird’s cage, if necessary. Your bird’s cage is his comfort zone. Taking him out of his comfort zone may be a frightening experience for him—you do not want to make the experience more frightening by having to navigate through various perches and toys. Take the time to clear the exit path of any obstacles that could hamper your ability to take your bird out of his cage.

Remove your bird from his cage. With your bird perched on your finger in his cage, slowly move your hand backward to bring your bird out. Do not be surprised if he flies off your finger as you try to take him out—he may not be ready to leave the safety of his cage. If he does this, do not chase him around his cage. If the cage door is large enough, reach in with your other hand and cup that hand behind your bird. Your other hand would serve as a shield to keep your bird from jumping off your finger, but would not actually be touching him. Do not force him out of his cage. Remember to be patient with him. It may take several days’ worth of training sessions before he is comfortable with being moved outside his cage.

Give your bird time to acclimate to being outside his cage. Your bird may immediately want to jump onto the outside of his cage. Once again, do not chase him with your finger if he does this. Patiently wait until he has settled down before having him step onto your finger again. If you have not had your bird’s wings trimmed or clipped, he may fly away from you as you get him out of his cage. Slowly and gently approach him to retrieve him, making sure to talk to him in a calm and reassuring voice. Reward your bird with a treat when he stays perched on your finger. Keep your daily practice sessions short (10 to 15 minutes).

Have your bird step up on your finger in the bird-proof room. When your bird is comfortable with being outside his cage, walk to the bird-proof room with your back turned to his cage. When in the room, sit on the floor or on a bed. If he hops off your finger, have him step back onto it again. To challenge your bird, use both hands as perches. With your bird perched on the index finger of one hand, use the index finger of your other hand to gently press below your bird’s breast line and get him to step up. Alternating between hands, move your finger perches higher and higher to mimic the climbing of a ladder. Reward your bird with a treat each time that he steps onto your finger. Practice with your bird in the bird-proof room for 15 to 20 minutes, one to times a day.

Place your bird back in his cage. After each training session outside the cage, slowly walk him back to his cage and place him back inside. Although he may want to fly off your hand as soon as he's back inside the cage, you should try to place him back on one of his perches. To do this, position your finger such that the perch is in front of your bird and higher than your hand. When he steps onto the perch, give the verbal command to “step down.” Although he is stepping up onto the perch, this action is still considered to be stepping down from your finger. Close the cage door when your bird is comfortably situated in his cage.