Little Triumphs Thread

[The_Mayor]

Hey, I thought it might be fun to have a thread to celebrate our little training triumphs. You know, the things that don't need their own big, shouty thread, but that you'd like to share with people who get it.

I'll start.

Mustrum finally beaked the target stick. For the longest time, he'd be okay with having the stick right in front of him. He'd even let me touch it to his beak. But, he was just not making the connection that it was his turn to touch it. And then on Monday, I was holding the stick up for him and he leaned over and opened his beak as wide as he could and touched the stick. He immediately ate the millet berry I put down for him (he's also sometimes wary of the millet) and then did it three more times in relatively quick succession.

The funniest part was that, when I came in to work with them a few hours later, he noped on out of there. Bourke's are not bitey birds and I was laughing at the thought that he was worried that the stick might be holding a grudge. Fortunately, he has come to realize that if he's the boss of that stick.

Esme, by contrast, was quick off the blocks in learning it was safe to eat from my hand, but she wants no part of the stick. She might actually be more willing to start stepping onto a stick or my finger.

But, amazing progress for birds that have been team "no touch" since they went to live in their aviary.

 

[Pat H]

I continued Ricky's trick training after an extremely LONG time period... He learned to scratch his cheek after I showed him I was scratching mine... then depending on which side I scratched it on, he did the same. But when I tried to point my fingers at him 'gun-like' so he would raise his wings [as in 'stick-em-up' ]... he liked the cheek scratching SO MUCH! Trying to get him to move on to the next has been.... well, I'm glad I can laugh at the frustration!

 

[The_Mayor]

Hah! That's Esme's thing. She thinks her training specialty should be eating millet from my hand.

 

[T c]

Yes!! I just joined and have aggressive rescue green cheeks I've been training for a few months. One of them I am consistently getting to step up/ jump to the stick which is awesome! End goal with him would be getting him to actually fly instead of just jump. With the other green cheek, she's bitten me every time I try to step up with her but the other day she flew to the floor and couldn't get back up to the cage so I sat on the floor with her with my hand in step up position and eventually she came over and got on my hand to get back to the cage!!

 

[The_Mayor]

I love that. You found a situation in which doing the thing you wanted actually solved a problem for her.

 

[scrape]

It's not training related, but Parker played with my hand a few days ago. I had my hand right outside the open door and he hoped on it and started playing with my nails! It made me so happy! He has only done that once before, so I was surprised.

 

[GreenThing]

Percy was not at all tame when he came home five months ago, and this month he has let me scritch his beautiful fluffy head TWICE (until Merlin ruined it with his jilted agonies). I thought that he might always regard me as safe but not to be really trusted, but lately I think he might be starting to see me as part of the flock.

 

[Shannan]

I love this thread! There are so many small things that I want to brag about but they really aren't big things and my family just looks at me like. yea, then what..... Walter's little win this week is that he is tolerating his daily spritzing. Notice I didn't say liking it but at least he is not running away! Of course Walnuts have helped with the idea. I wish he would just go back to taking a bath in his water bowl (sad, how I used to complain about that) but I don't think he feels comfortable with it now that he has arthritis and reduced grip on one foot.

 

[The_Mayor]

December's been our break-through month here at Team Bourke's-DC.

I know I have a tendency not always be as focused as I should be, darting in this direction, then the other. (this is relevant)

Knowing that about myself, I've been trying to keep my training objectives really clear and stick to one goal.

On Saturday, I was talking to their trainer and I mentioned that Mustrum had a huge breakthrough but that I didn't feel like Esme was making progress with the targeting stick. I said I thought she might do better at stepping up because she's already pretty comfortable being around my hands. But, then I said that I knew I shouldn't keep haring off in one direction and then the other.

But, their trainer pointed out that at this point we're really just opening the lines of communication so that the birds get the idea that if they do something I ask them to that they'll get a reward. If Esme seems like walking onto my hand might be easier for her, then the hand it is.

So, I started resting my hand on Esme's training perch and moving the millet so she had to crane her neck further and further to get it. Today she took a big step up and stood on the backs of my fingers while she ate the millet. Not for a long time of course, but enough that I'm 100% certain that she'll be willing to repeat the experience in the not-so-distant future.

So, this week's training trophies go to Esme for "A Big Step for a Little Bird" and to Martha for "They're Individuals; Train Them That Way!"