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Angel is coming out of her shell

Shinobi

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Angel is stepping up on command 95% of the time, Hasn't bitten hard enough to draw blood for about 4 weeks, She will sit on my chest and allow me to scratch her head and beak. also she will beak my fingers but has bitten hard (not enough to leave a mark) at times, not realising how hard she has. Just some pressure bite training required.

She is always glad to see me and wants out of the cage as soon has I walk in the door. we believe that Angel has been watching Henry interact with us and that's why she is progressing so well.
 

Dartman

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Great progress. When they see another bird having all the fun and treats they want in on the action too so it goes faster I spose.
 

Shinobi

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Angel can't fly real well, so I have to pick her up to move her around.
 

LucyLemon'sMom

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Hi! I’m wondering what Angel was like when you first brought her home. We just brought home a six month old ekkie who was very frightened. He’s still very afraid, but not aggressive. He may nip a little but nothing terrible. We’re trying to bond and show him we’re not a threat. Any advice? Thank you ^_^
 

Shinobi

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Angel was a demon bird from the deepest bowels of birdy hell when we first got her. I have numerous scars from where she bit me so hard that the skin was removed and flesh exposed. But she was 5 years old and we don't fully know what she was treated like, apart from knowing that she was left in a cage on a verandah with very little human contact.

I would like to know more about your Eclectus.
Is he hand raised and tame?
Does he step up and down on command?
can you get him out of and back in a cage without any issues?
Is he screaming or being quiet?
Is he leaving a mark on you when he NIPS? He could just be exploring and testing with his beak.

 

LucyLemon'sMom

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Wow, that does sound like a handful and it’s so cool that she’s taken to you!

Marlowe, our new six month old ekkie, was hand fed. We’ve had him for a few days now. Supposedly, 2-3 weeks ago he had a long car ride and hasn’t been the same, according to the breeder. He was very skittish when we met him last week, but I just felt a connection and felt like there was a sweet bird inside wanting to come out.

He freaks out if we try to do “step up” while he’s in the cage. But once he’s on my hand, he will step up onto the alternate hand easily. When trying to put him back, he tries to jump for the cage from our hand. He’s very quiet and only screamed a few times when our small dog approached his cage. He doesn’t scream when we approach though. He made a few adorable “honk” sounds sometimes when we talk to him.

He doesn’t bite hard when he nips. I think he’s trying to be defensive, but it’s more bark than bite. He’s not aggressive, just defensive and scared :/
 

LucyLemon'sMom

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Also, I don’t know if it’s because he’s still young, but he always seems sleepy (eyes closing). Is that normal?
 

Shinobi

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When Henry was 6 months He would have naps during the day, so that's normal. A birds dropping are a good indicator of a their health.

Marlowe spent 6 months with previous owner and flock, then is taken away and put into a completely different environment with completely different people. He would be scare and his response is to scream when he feels threaten and will nip in self defense . But he will adjust in time.

Don't put your hand inside the cage, has the bird would see this has invasion of their territory.The cage is the Marlowe safe haven and any attempt to enter and add or remove items and this includes Marlowe, can trigger a bite response. This why you first build trust with the Marlowe in the cage (safe haven) first. I have cage target trained my birds in their cage because they focus better due to the fact they aren't scared like they are outside the cage. Once they have a bit more confidence. I proceed to train them to leave the cage. Yes, all birds can be trained, but not all people can train birds. Do some research on cage target training for parrots.

I suggest that you remove the food bowl when you put the Marlowe to bed. But leave the water bowl. In the morning before giving Marlowe breakfast, conduct a 5 to 10-minute cage target training session, then give breakfast. Remove breakfast after a couple of hours. Then put out foraging toys with pieces of food hidden inside. Then prior to dinner I would conduct a cage target training session, then give the Marlowe dinner. It's no secret, you just need to spend time interacting and training with your bird.

Of course, each bird is different and how it's been handle and socialised depends on how it acts will humans. I believe that the more you interact with your bird, the more it builds trust and respect. A baby bird is easier to bond with and this is not due to hand-feeding, but rather the baby bird not being subjected to human influences and well "being a baby". Whereas a adult bird will take longer to gain trust, respect and is wary of strangers and will not give its trust or respect easily.

We handle and interact with Henry every day and believe that this also opens his personality.

The only other advice I can give is
1 move slowly around the bird
2 let the bird come to you.
3 Don't force the bird to do anything that it doesn't want to do.
4 make the trust building and bonding sessions (training) fun
5 end all training sessions on a positive.
6 patience.

Remember food is a great motivator.
 

LucyLemon'sMom

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Thank you so much. I keep trying to explain to my husband not to force him to do anything he doesn't want >_< Hopefully he'll listen when it's coming from someone else lol. Sounds like we're on the right path though-- we talk to him all day and when hes on my arm, he seems okay (watchful, but not terrified). Taking food at night/replacing it in the morning is a good idea. This morning he didn't walk away from me when I brought him his breakfast, so that's good ^_^

If we shouldn't reach inside his cage, how can we have him come to us/take him out? I'd like to bring him out onto his table top perches while we watch TV because his big cage isn't in the living area.

THANK YOU SO MUCH :ekkiem:
 

Shinobi

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Note: This is really important and that is, not to FORCE Marlowe to do something it doesn't want to do. You need to EARN Marlowe's friendship and respect, not FORCE it. This is more towards interacting with Marlowe to build trust/respect through bonding. Once you have established a bond of trust with him you can start to train basic tricks. Then advance to more tricks if you desire. When you have built enough trust, you can train Marlowe to step up and down from within the cage. (good for emergencies).

However at this present time I would just open the cage door and let him come out when he decides too. He will most likely climb to the top of his cage. This could take some time. but should not go longer than 5 days. when he is on top of his cage I would start to condition Marlowe to Clicker training. Do some research on clicker training.
To teach targeting, the bird must first be clicker trained, this means that the birds understands that a click equals reward, the reward can be praise or a training treat.

Training Treats; Put five different foods on a plate and watch which one Marlowe eats first, You can use sunflower seeds, almond shiver, pine nuts, grapes and balls of millet. Whatever your bird picks, it must not be part of the bird’s diet otherwise it defeats the purpose of being a training treat.

Clicker training was developed by psychologists and behavioural scientists. This the reason why I like Clicker training, it's scientific, proven globally and can be used on just about any animal. I haven't found anything better yet, There are excises available to help get the timing of the clicker right, like bouncing a tennis ball and clicking each time the tennis ball hits the ground. Don't perform the excises in front of the bird or it's hearing range. I don't believe birds are hard to train.

Nearly 80 years ago the traditional animal training was being believed to be a hindrance, by methods of praise and reward then in use, because it didn’t inform the animal of success with enough promptness and precision to create the required cognitive connections for fast learning. enter Clicker training methodology, this animal training method which is based on a bridging stimulus (the clicker) in operant conditioning. The system uses conditioned reinforcers, which can deliver more quickly and more precisely than primary reinforces such as food and praise. The "clicker" is used to precisely mark the desired behaviour. When training a new behaviour, the clicker helps the animal to quickly identify the precise behaviour that results in a training treat.

This technique is popular with dog trainers, but has been used for all kinds of domestic and wild animals. Sometimes, instead of a click to mark the desired behaviour, other distinctive sounds are made such as "whistle, a cluck of the tongue, a snap of the fingers, a word, visual or other sensory cues (such as a flashlight, hand sign, or vibrating collar), especially helpful for deaf animals. The term "bridging stimulus" was coined in the 1940s to refer to the function of a secondary reinforcer such as a whistle or click.

The first stage in clicker training is teaching the animal to associate the clicker sound or another chosen marker such as a whistle or word with a training treat. When the sound marker is used, a training treat is immediately offered. The sound marker is used to signal that a desired behaviour has occurred. Some approaches are:

1. capturing: catching the animal in the act of doing a desired behaviour, for example hanging upside down or hopping. Eventually the animal learns to repeat the behaviour for a treat.

2. shaping: gradually building a new behavior by rewarding each small step toward it, for example training the parrot to turn around.

3. Target training: using a stick to get the animal to move to a desired location or position.

The last stage once the behaviour is learnt, is to add a cue for the desired behaviour, this can be a word or a hand signal. The animal will have learnt that after completing the desired behaviour a treat is on the way. Once a behaviour is learnt and is on cue (command), the clicker and the treats are faded out.

So in a nutshell, clicker training achieves better cognitive connections results.
The results of positive reinforcement training, specifically Clicker Training in dogs, have been nothing short of astounding. Behaviours and achievements in dog sports that took months or years to achieve using Traditional methods are now being accomplished by experienced trainers in a matter of days and weeks. Yet in the face of such amazing success, a number of misconceptions and half-truths circulate about clicker training and positive reinforcement.
 

Shinobi

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I found this a few years ago the author is unknown
Action = Translation Eclectus

Standing on two feet = I'm all right.
Standing on one foot = I'm relaxing.
Standing on one foot, feathers fluffed = I'm really relaxing.
Standing on one foot, grinding beak = I'm getting tired.
Standing on one foot, half fluffed, eyes glazed = I'm trying to get some sleep.
Head facing back, tucked under wing = I'm sleeping.
Tail shake = OK, I'm ready for something new or I'm happy to see you.
Rubbing beak back and forth against perch = I'm cleaning my Beak.
Spread wings a little and rub face on back = Getting ready for some serious preening.
Lift wing and picking at different feathers = Preening.
Reach back, run feathers through beak = Preening, have to keep looking my best.
Standing straight, staring right at you = I'm ready to be picked up.
Pacing back and forth on perch = I said I was ready to be picked up!
Standing on one foot and waving the other = Pick me up, NOW!
Head lowered, wings half raised, feathers fluffed, leaning forward or up = I see something I want and if you don't pick me up NOW I'm going to have a nervous breakdown.
Flapping to the ground = I wanted you to pick me up but couldn't wait any longer.
Standing on your foot = OK, I'm sorry for flapping to the ground, pick me up, PLEASE.
One foot shaking with claw beating quickly = I have an itch against the side of my head.
Beak on the ground, neck feathers fluffed up = I want a scratch.
Head down, left wing fully extended = Big stretch!
Head down, right wing fully extended = Continuation of Big stretch.
Head down, both wings partially extended upward = Big stretch, final episode.
Mouth wide open, head extending as far up as it will go = Stretch/yawn combination.
Head bobbing and then regurgitating = I LOVE YOU!
Grab side of cage with beak, bottom of cage with foot and scrape bottom with other foot = Let me out of here!!!
Standing straight, staring right at you = I'm waiting for you to look away so I can do something bad.
Beak on the ground, neck feathers fluffed up = I want you to try and give me a scratch so I can bite you!
Holding on to top of cage with both feet and beak = I am going someplace.
Hanging from top of cage with both feet = I am playing or some Eclectus do this when nervous.
Hanging from top of cage with one foot = No problem, still playing.
Hanging from top of cage by beak only = No problem, still playing but trying to make you think I'm going to fall.
Hanging from top of cage and falling to bottom = Ooops, I guess that beak thing didn't work too well.
Head lowered and turned 90 degrees = I see something on the floor that I want.
Extending top part of beak and lapping with tongue = Whatever it is that you are drinking, I WANT it!!!
Standing on forearm, biting shirt at the shoulder and clawing up arm = I want UP!
Hanging from shirt collar by beak and waving both feet in the air = I want down.
Two steps back, rear-end rubbing table = I need to go potty!
Lying on back with feet in the air = Yeah, right!!! I don't think so!
Leaning forward with wings slightly apart = I am going to bite you.
Leaning forward with wings slightly apart and feathers standing up = I am really going to bite you!
Eyes pinning = I am excited.
Feathers fluffed out with eyes pinning = I want to bite you.
Bird's crest all the way up = scared or surprised. Can also be excited.
Bird's crest is flattened against the head = Could be angry or mad. May try to bite. Could also tuck its feathers in and become thinner.
Suddenly gets really tall and thin = Surprised or startled. Can be accompanied by the crest going up.
Bobs his head = Begging for food or attention.
Puffs out its chest = Showing off or bragging. They are happy.
Lowers his head and keeps it there. = Waiting for you to pet him or give a scratch.
Bangs his beak on a object = "This is mine!"
Puts his beak on your finger before stepping on = Just checking to make sure it's safe to step onto, or getting his balance.
Grinds his beak = They often do this before sleeping. It means they are content and relaxed.
Rubs his butt on an object = Masturbating.
Stoops low down and gets a bit puffy = It is about to go poop.
Biting = The bird is young and just exploring and still needs to learn how much pressure to apply.
Biting = Bird is scared, or trying to tell you something like it doesn't feel well or you are making it do something it doesn't want to do.
Biting = Displaced aggression.
Biting = Hormonal or protecting its nest.
 
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