A parrot that is uncomfortable interacting with people can be taught to touch a target stick while it remains securely inside its cage. This can be the beginning of a great relationship that can lead to future hands-on contact. It also provides an opportunity for in-cage exercise.
Target training is an important behaviour reinforcer/modifier for all companion parrots. With targeting we can guide parrots to move in ways that protect, manage and enrich their lives without force or coercion of any kind.
Training parrots to target a stick or other object with their beaks is a great learning goal because it gives us a hands-off way to guide their movements. It also gives us the opportunity to enrich our pet bird lives with fun activities and lots of positive reinforcement.
When your bird touches the stick gently, you give a treat and say gentle, this will reinforce that behaviour. When your bird grabs the stick, you ignore this behaviour and don’t give a treat, therefore no reinforcement is made. The behaviour of grabbing the stick will decrease in favour of gently touching the stick.
Target training allows us to build a positive relationship first, before we ask for more than some birds can comfortably give. Targeting is the behaviour of touching a designated object, the target with a designated body part, like a beak.
If you need to go back to an easier, step, don’t hesitate to do so and then slowly raise your criterion for reinforcement again. Sometimes you will have to back to go forward. The idea is to have fun learning together.
Where the Beak Goes, The Body Will Follow
Last - but not least - don't EVER punish your bird by placing him or her back into the cage. A cage should be a place he or she WANTS to be in; with toys for entertainment and good food and clean water. Once your bird views the cage as a place of punishment, it will naturally fight you whenever you want him or her back in their cage.
I'm already over my comfort level for rent and its seriously hard to find rentals that take cats for under $800/month. For the kind of place I'd need I'm looking at $1000/month for a 3 bedroom anything with cats, and that's over what my husband makes in 2 weeks even with overtime.
YAY ! That's a start
Geeezzz. I hope whatever is going inside his little birdie brain, he cuts you some slack very soon.
