He Changes his Mind

User Question
I bought my keet from a pet store and he wasnt hand trained and right away he started getting on the perch, but after a couple weeks he backs away from it and arks when i try to get him on it. And somtimes when i try to pet him he arks and trys to bite me and other times he will just sit there and let me do it... Do you know why he keeps changing his mind?

Lisa's Answer
He's not trained. The reason he got on the perch was he was afraid, and it sounds like you didn't keep up the training as I instruct on the site. Parakeets really do NOT like to be petted. Cats and dogs are pretted because their parents lick them to clean them, and that is what petting feels like. Birds aren't licked by their parents, so they don't really like to be petted. Some eventually like to be scratched on their chins and heads, but you really have to work up to that.

Start from the beginning, and don't rush. Your pet should never try to bite you - that is a sign that you are upsetting your pet.

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