Target Training

[Monkey & Izzy]

Okay so Alex is a Sulfur Crested Cockatoo. He didn't come from a great home. I want to start target training but he is afraid if you approach him with a stick or perch in your hands. If it is just laying around he has no problem with it.

So the question is will I be able to target train?
If so how do I get him comfortable with a stick in my hand?
If not what is a good alternative?

The reason for wanting to target train is to help me redirect behavior. Such as biting, chewing the carpet, playing with the correct toys and building a trusting relationship with him as we do not scold for bad behavior we only reward for good. This is the way all of my animals are trained. Alex's behavior goes beyond my knowledge. I have had mistreated dogs and cats and have been able to help them trust I just don't have enough experience with birds.
Some of the bites are new lol some are old. We are learning very slowly how to avoid these and learn his body language. Sorry the bottom of his cage is dirty he constantly need to chew and tear things apart. I have to clean the bottom of his cage every day lol. So this is the front and side view of his cage and his play stand. Any advice will be welcomed including cage set up, training. We are dedicated to helping Alex. I am sorry for such a long post I just know that he needs all the help I can find. Oh and I want to say that he is very, very smart. So every day I have to be very creative with hiding food and toys in his environment to find.

 

[JLcribber]

Well behaved cockatoo? You're joking right?

Sure you can do some target training and redirect some behaviours.................. For a minute.

Here is an example of how a cage affects a situation. The urge to move, explore,chew etc is basically put on hold while the bird is in the cage. Coming out is the "opportunity" to do this. Multiply this by 10 for a cockatoo.

The nitty gritty of all this is that this bird is going to be with you for a long long time. The sooner you realize that this bird is going to need more than a cage in order for this to work out for both sides. For your sanity long term and the birds happiness.

By providing a suitable secure space where he is allowed to chew and destroy to his hearts content and you don't have to watch every move he makes (for the next 40 years) because when they are out they are obsessed with being "cockatoo". That is the real solution. That "urge" to misbehave goes away somewhat because the "opportunities" are always there. No waiting for someone to open a cage door.

Or get used to him slowly eating your house. You don't have to worry until it actually leaning.

 

[Monkey & Izzy]

Well behaved cockatoo? You're joking right?

Sure you can do some target training and redirect some behaviours.................. For a minute.

Thank you for responding.
I am home all day so Alex is out a lot. I'm not worried about well behaved so much as his mental health and making sure his mind is occupied so that he doesn't feel the need to chew on me lol. I have hard plastic covers coming for the floor. So if I understand what you are saying then the real key isn't to train it is to just give him a safe place to destroy then learn to interact with him in that space on his terms? Thankfully he is mostly tolerant of being handled.

Is it normal that only one person can be in the room with him when he is out of the cage? He will chase the other person in the room. So we only interact with him one at a time.

Will he become used to a schedule? I get the birds up with the sun bed with the sun and spend time with him at the same times every day for the same amount of time. My husband also spends time with him the same times every day.

Alex has his own room and I have read how others have safeguarded their walls and window sills and such so I at least think I'm on the right track.

I guess I'm trying to find ways to interact with him in a manner other than just watching him destroy toys and wood and scritches.

 

[Monica]

You've done a great job so far, although I would recommend a larger cage so you have more room for perches and things to destroy.


Any item can be used as a target. It doesn't have to be a stick, or even stick like! It could be your hand, a toy, or something else entirely! You could find an object he's not terrified of and use that as a target, or teach him to get over his fear of a stick. You could set the stick down and surround it with treats, then allow him to go over and investigate. You could hold the stick behind your back in one hand, treats in the other. Stand as far away from him as possible where he wont react to the stick. Quickly show it to him and hide it, then reward him by walking towards him and giving him a treat. Repeat this several times at the same distance, then do the same thing a little closer and repeat.

 

[JLcribber]

Will he become used to a schedule? I get the birds up with the sun bed with the sun and spend time with him at the same times every day for the same amount of time. My husband also spends time with him the same times every day.

He sure will. It's what they like the most. Helps tremendously to reduce anxiety and stress.

Is it normal that only one person can be in the room with him when he is out of the cage? He will chase the other person in the room. So we only interact with him one at a time.

If you've never read this you should. Fills in a lot of the blanks.

Sex and the Psittacine (Parrot)

 

[JLcribber]

So if I understand what you are saying then the real key isn't to train it is to just give him a safe place to destroy then learn to interact with him in that space on his terms? Thankfully he is mostly tolerant of being handled.

That's a matter of opinion. That's the way I do it. Every day is training. Schedule is training. Consistency is training. Learning, becoming truly familiar and understanding each other is training. You both train each other.

I don't train "tricks".

 

[Monkey & Izzy]

If you've never read this you should. Fills in a lot of the blanks.

Sex and the Psittacine (Parrot)

Wow this article is excellent thank you so much. We knew about the petting and and the amount of time doing scritches. The rest of it helps explain a LOT of his behavior! So it is okay to only pay attention one at a time to help reduce this behavior. Most bites come when there is more than one person in his room.
Connecting and Communicating with your Highly Intelligent Parrot.

Communicate with your bird using “his” body language. Keep our eyes low and divert our gaze from them. Just our body language can instill a flight response. Our birds will not understand our words but will clearly understand our body language and gestures. An open hand with fingers out and reaching for a bird looks like a claw from a predator. Predators use claws to kill so they are very much attuned to that kind of motion. Reaching around behind a bird or putting your hand above their head instead of slowly approaching from the front or side. They never reach for each other; they invite the other to come to them with their gesture. Not letting them “beak” objects to reassure themselves of their decisions is another example. If they are afraid of the hand, close the fingers down “in his sight”, close your wrist down and slowly draw your arm into your body. Show him you are relaxing and that there is no danger. Drop your eyes and turn away on a 45 degree angle. What it’s saying is I respect you and I am not a threat. Let’s have a re-meeting and I will let you be chairman. There will be skeptics that laugh at these techniques but there is a language of signs and signals. Their eyes look right through us.

I also read this that you wrote (above) and my husband and I are following it regarding approaching Alex. It has been very very helpful with helping Alex be more comfortable. He is currently very content as we stopped trying to force interaction. We are now trying to meet Alex on his terms instead of ours. I feel better that there is no need to "trick train" to keep him happy and occupied. I feel better and I am sure he does too with a more natural interaction. No one was bit yesterday. My floor covers come tomorrow . We are also looking into an outdoor supervised aviary to put on our back patio. We finally found a favorite food that we can use for praise as (it is cauliflower) getting excited and clapping for now scares him. Thank you John so much. We still have much to learn but we are dedicated to learning.

 

[Monkey & Izzy]

Just wanted to say thank you for all of your help. Alex is doing wonderful. Just wanted to share a couple of video's of Alex spending time with us with no bites. It has been 3 days since the last bite. He has come a long way and is no longer afraid of feet.