Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: Notesfiles $Revision: 1.7.0.8 $; site uiucdcsb
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcsb!grass
From: grass@uiucdcsb.CS.UIUC.EDU
Newsgroups: net.pets
Subject: Re: baby parakeet questions
Message-ID: <16500011@uiucdcsb>
Date: Wed, 30-Oct-85 10:12:00 EST
Article-I.D.: uiucdcsb.16500011
Posted: Wed Oct 30 10:12:00 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 2-Nov-85 04:20:05 EST
References: <2267@iddic.UUCP>
Lines: 44
Nf-ID: #R:iddic.UUCP:-226700:uiucdcsb:16500011:000:2217
Nf-From: uiucdcsb.CS.UIUC.EDU!grass    Oct 30 09:12:00 1985


>/* ---------- "baby parakeet questions" ---------- */
>I recently bought my daughters (8 and 6) a baby parakeet (the guy at the pet
>store said that he was probably about 12 weeks).
>
>Snowflake (he's an albino) is extremly docile.  He will sit on your finger,
>never bites (at least not hard) and is really a nice little bird.  However,
>he *HATES* to be outside his cage!!  Whenever we bring him out, he will sit
>on your shoulder, but he wants to hide under your hair, or under the bed or
>in your pocket!!  He won't look at himself in a mirror, or play with anything
>or eat any of the little treats we try to give him when he is out of his cage.
>
>My question is, is this behavior because he is so young or is he just extremely
>shy?

How long have you had Snowflake?  I have had several parakeets and a couple
of cockateils.  These birds are, in general, timid.  It takes them a while
to get familiar with a place.  Being in the cage is being home and safe.

I generally leave the door to my parakeets cage open when I am home.  They
come out and run around on top of the cage and the playpen/ tree branch
near their cage.  If your bird is happy to sit on your finger and shoulder 
outside the cage, you should be able to leave the door open and let
snowflake come out of the cage when he is good and ready.  

Be patient.  As an only bird, curiosity will eventually win over fright.
(My birds are not only birds, so they are nowhere near so tame.  They
don't need me to amuse themselves).

Concerning being quiet,  I would expect this is also due either to insecurity,
or to being kept in a quiet (not very bright?) place.  My birds are nosiest
when they are right where the action is:  people talking, music playing, etc.
They also are a LOT nosier on sunny days.

Again, give the bird time.  One of the cockateils I had took a good
four months to finally come around, but then he wanted to play all
of the time.

You are WAY ahead of the game in that Snowflake is finger trained and
not afraid of you.  All but one of the birds I have had were a lot
older when I got them and quite afraid of people.

	- Judy Grass,  University of Illinois - Urbana
	  {ihnp4,pur-ee,convex}!uiucdcs!grass   grass%uiuc.arpa