Posted by:
PHIggysbirds
at Fri Aug 29 22:59:37 2008 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by PHIggysbirds ]
Head bobbing in birds can mean many things. Some young birds will do this as a way of begging, usually in that instance it is also accompanied by low slightly spead wings. Begging can be for attention, food etc. They can use it as a form of excited dancing. Much like a small child who can't sit still and will bob around and shift from foot to foot, birds will instead move around and head bob. Sometimes they can learn to do this to the beat of music and learn other moves such as turning around or swaying to "dance."
We haven't had a real problem with petting wings. On most birds a "sexual" petting is more petting of the lower back, the tail area etc, in some birds wing petting will bring on sexual actions but not until a bird has reached maturity. To be completely safe the head area is the safest to rub and pet but I would say if you stay away from lower back, lower sides and tail you are just fine.
For bonding just keep spending time with him. Keep working on small amounts of training but also spend some time just sitting with him, possibly giving him treats, talking to him, playing with small toys or foot toys with him while holding him. As long as you provide interaction besides fulfilling his needs he should come to enjoy time spent with you and look forward to it, it sounds like you are already doing this so just keep up the good work.
He will test with biting just to check and see what his limits are. When possible try to distract him from biting either with a toy a shift in position etc, if you place too much emphasis on the biting whether in a good or bad way he may learn that a bite is a way to distract you or get your attention.
The best way to get a bird to talk is through repetition. Again not all birds will learn to talk or may not be as understandable as you would like but repetition will give them a good start. Try to keep using the same word or phrase for each item or action. Try to put emphasis on words you would like him to learn, use an excited voice when trying a new word. But above all repetition. If you want him to learn to say Hello, then each time you come near his cage say Hello, you can add other words before and after but keep the Hello in each statement, such as Hello, pretty bird, Hello how's my buddy, Hello baby, Hello, time to play etc. Talk to him/her constantly. Not just one word you want him to repeat but about everything. Such as, It's time to eat, I will get you some food now, see I am going in the kitchen to fix dinner, How's my pretty bird, Would you like some more food, is that good food etc.... Just keep talking no matter how much nonsense or repetition or how silly you feel LOL! They can surprise you too on what they might pick up. If there is one word you don't want them to say but you "accidentally" say it and in an excited or surprised voice you can count on it being the one thing they will say ![](images/smiles/wink.gif)
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