I'm over the moon!

[Little Buttercup]

Hi everyone there, I'm soooo excited, Kiwi took 4 peanuts from my hand one after another. Its the first time he took anything from me and came really that close. After months of trying and showing patience, he finally took it from my hand. It was like this, I always tried giving him through the cage bars before opening his cage up, but I would keep the peanut for ages and he would simply go to the far end of the cage. So last week I sat on the floor feeding Coco his treats and leaving a peanut for Kiwi on the floor and just kept my hand 10cm away from the peanut. He finally came down from his tree, grabbed the peanut and went back up to eat it, and over the next few days i moved my hand closer to the peanut on the floor, until I had to put the peanut on my hand and he really came to fetch it I feel its a lot of progress since he came from a wild 'don't come near my cage' bird to taking treats from my hand. Its 7 months since I got him

Ash

[MissK]

Congratulations Ash! Great break-through! I think it will go faster now. I see with Rocky that once he overcomes some cause of concern he rapidly behaves as if he was never concerned about it at all. Kinda like "taking food from you? I *always* took food from you; what are you talking about!"


-MissK

[Little Buttercup]

Thanks Missk. I'm sure too he will go faster. At first he would snatch the peanut from the floor and fly up, but now he takes it from my hand turns around nicely and then goes up to eat it. I think he feels more secure coming near me if he is not locked up in his cage, so he feels he has enough space to fly away when he wants to, which is why he stayed at the far end of the cage and refuse to take food from me.

Ash

[MissK]

Ash, that very concept is big in my feelings why it is overall preferable not to clip. I'm glad to hear the progress. When you judge he is ready, try breaking that nut in two smaller pieces, and eventually four smaller pieces. I expect that as the treat gets smaller and more plentiful he will have more reason to stick around close while he eats.

Also, I notice my bird is more comfortable with the back of the hand than the palm - I think because he understands how the hand functions. It might be a good idea, as Kiwi's improving his comfort level, to be sure to offer the nut on the palm up and palm down hand. Don't build in a preference by neglecting to offer both. I did make that mistake with Rocky as I was teaching him to fly to me. I have a mild but permanent shoulder injury that makes it less comfortable to raise the right arm, plus I am right handed, so I hold the treat in the right. As a result, he will only fly to my left arm, not my right. I just noticed this, so now I have to start working on correcting it. Sorry I was not bright enough to see that coming, or I would not have made that extra work for myself!

Keep up the good work!
-MissK

[InTheAir]

Congratulations Ash! That's great.
I also think it's lovely that you're taming your bird while allowing him to be flighted.

Dave and I are convinced that our birds lovely nature is partly because he has always been confident in his 'flight' mechanism, so he has never been forced to explore 'fight'. Our avian vet also supported this theory.
It's also great for us beginners to build learn a birds boundaries without the bird having to hurt you to explain them!


Go you!

Claire

[Little Buttercup]

Thats a good idea to break the peanut up, its actually whole nuts in a shell with 2 inside. Today he came again to fetch 4, the second 2 he came very quickly back and I thought how fast he gobbled it up. Then when I checked afterwards I saw he only ate half of it, still one peanut in, and yet he came back to fetch more. So he wasn't really hungry yet came to fetch more! Usually he eats the whole one and still checks in the shell for more. He even came to fetch an almond thats not really his fav but he is getting to like it. At first he just turns his nose up on almonds and Coco loves it so he watch Coco eating it and he wants whatever Coco has, so he learned to eat almonds in that way.

Missk, you doing nice with Rocky, flying to you already. Oh and this past few days Kiwi really gets noisy when I take Coco out, he actually comes flying behind me, I don't know what he is upto. Like 'Hey, where you taking my friend'. And he won't stop the noise till I put Coco back. Even if I just touch and play with Coco without going out of the room, he makes a big scene. I'm just wondering what is he trying to say and why he don't want me to take coco. I just love to see him flying around!

Ash

[Little Buttercup]

And Now, Finally Kiwi tasted my skin, and guess what, not with his beak but with his tongue. I'm sooooo happy , another milestone or progress in my taming him. It went like this, I gave him an almond, but instead of letting him take it, I kept it tightly between my fingers so he was trying to pull it, then he stood and looking at it, like why is this almond misbehaving today and don't want to come! Then he licked the finger that was'nt holding the almond, and Coco kept on taking a bite from the almond, making it smaller and causing me to loosen my grip, so finally Kiwi managed to take it away. I want him to eat it while i'm holding it, will try another time.

Ash

[pattiB]

I can feel your happiness. wow, patience is your virtue.

[AlphaWolf]

I'am soooo happy for you! It looks like patience pays off in the end, doesn't it. Me and Aero might be far from this but mark my words we will reach this . Give a treat for Kiwi from me

[MissK]

Ash, isn't that a thrill, when they *could* be biting you but they're gently manipulating instead. Rocky can pry a single seed of millet being squeezed between my fingers and never hurt me. It's not remarkable, just a natural thing, but stunning anyway.

[Little Buttercup]

Patience, patience and patience!!!

Alpha, don't worry, you will reach there, just be patient. I reached this stage after 1 year and 3 months!

Missk, Kiwi was actually prying the almond and trying to pull it out and his beak was touching my fingers. But he never take a bite out of the almond, he wanted the whole 1 as he is used to taking it and eating it on his own.

Ash

[InTheAir]

That's great, Ash! Congratulations!
All that patience is paying off!

[Doodlebug]

Nice one Ash, you must be on cloud nine right now! Every little milestone brings such happiness, feels like our hearts burst with pride

[Little Buttercup]

True Loo, cloud nine! And today we were playing 'tug o war' with the almond. He did'nt want to take a bite out of it, but wants the whole one, so he pulls and pulls, his beak touching my fingers, but he more interested in the nut then my fingers, and i'm holding on tight to it until he won finally. Then later I give him another one and sink my thumb nail into the nut, and he pulls then stop and look at this nut misbehaving and try again and again, so he was forced to take a bite out of it and kept on biting till he ate the entire one while i'm holding it!!!

Ash

[AJPeter]

Progress is made through trust, as Kiwi trust you so you can advance into new realms in your relationship, Well done!
AJPeter