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Not food motivated

amy burke

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Hi everyone

I brought home the sweetest pineapple gcc on Black Friday. She is a tough little bird when it comes to food. She won't eat pellets. She won't eat fruits and veggies. She hold out for seed. Ugh

She is not food motivated for training. She let me scratch her head in her cage but she is clueless about stepping up and is fearful. She doesn't bite or nip at all. Her body language is clear tho.

So I decided today to start target training her with the clicker and chopstick. My red belly and Senegal were doing their repertoires of tricks while I was working with her. Is it possible to train her with just verbal praise? She seemed to get excited with a happy voice. I'm used to my boys who are pigs in feathers. She is stumping me not food motivated. Not toy motivated. She will snuggle on my neck for hours. So affection seems to be what makes her tick. Can this be successful for training?
 

iamwhoiam

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Yes if she responds positively to verbal praise and being petted & snuggled then you can definitely use this for training. You determine the reinforcers that work for each individual. For the boys, it's food. For her, it's praise and affection. In addition, you can try other foods that you haven't used with her yet....avicakes, baked treats, etc. (but maybe you have tried these already).
 
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Sarahmoluccan

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Sounds like praise really is working so I would keep up with it. My U2 loves praise and It was the main thing I use to break him of bad habits :)
 

Monica

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Casey, my first tiel, works for scritches! ;) I accidentally taught her to station at a cage door so I wouldn't have to retrieve her from some random place in the room to put her back in her cage! Only reward? Scritches!


Have you tried millet?

What about training her first thing in the morning before she's had a chance to eat? (may require removing food at night and reintroducing after a *short* training session! 1-5 minutes is long enough in the beginning!)

Have you tried different sizes of pellets, too? Some birds prefer smaller pellets where-as others prefer larger ones.

Likewise, if the pellets are dye-free, try grinding them up in a coffee grinder, mix about 50/50 with her seeds, then add enough water to make a thick paste. Roll up into little balls or cakes and as she goes to 'forage' for her beloved seeds, she'll be trying the pellets, too!



You haven't had her for long, so no rush! :)
 

Mizzely

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My green cheek always preferred toy parts and foot toys as a reward
 

cassiesdad

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Casey, my first tiel, works for scritches! ;) I accidentally taught her to station at a cage door so I wouldn't have to retrieve her from some random place in the room to put her back in her cage! Only reward? Scritches!
Milton is very non-food motivated, but has also has begun to station with verbal praise and scritches as rewards like Casey. Milty loves verbal praise...:D
 
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