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Some things to do with a new bird....

BraveheartDogs

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I want to thank you as well. I'll be back to read this again! AND... you mentioned bathing, so now I can add a bird bath perch to my list of things to purchase! Fun!

I would definitely experiment with bathing. You can try misting with water, a shower perch or a shallow dish.
 

sl8tr

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Hi Vicki,

I have a 8 month old male double yellow head Amazon named Chili Pepper.

Chili is very (very) layed back and doesn't seem to get excited about anything (excited as in I just gotta have that food or that toy, etc., etc). As a result I have been slow to try to begin training him. Also, he is not crazy about being pet so I can't use petting as a reward either.

Can you give me suggestions on how to motivate him and begin training him?

Thanks for your help.
 

BraveheartDogs

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Hi Vicki,

I have a 8 month old male double yellow head Amazon named Chili Pepper.

Chili is very (very) layed back and doesn't seem to get excited about anything (excited as in I just gotta have that food or that toy, etc., etc). As a result I have been slow to try to begin training him. Also, he is not crazy about being pet so I can't use petting as a reward either.

Can you give me suggestions on how to motivate him and begin training him?

Thanks for your help.

Hi there,

I just responded to this in another thread:p Yes, I would keep experimenting with different foods. Try different fruits, dried fruits, safflower seeds (tiny for an amazon but I use them sometimes with my WFA, of course he is much smaller than your guy). I also use sunflower seeds for training. I know that some people feel that seeds are never okay for an amazon, but I am comfortable using them for Merlin for training sessions. You can also break up other types of nuts and try nut pieces.
 

Sapphire Moon

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Vicki, thank you for this post. I am a fairly new bird owner and I have 2 birds that I am still trying to get to trust me.
My Amazon will now let me give her scritches but will not step up. She will come out of the cage on her own.
My Mccaw will step up but bites me every time. My husband is making great strides in this area. I am going to try with gloves and long sleeves so I don't show my fear. We have only had him for a week and he did not come from a very good environment so I know I need to earn his trust. Baby steps.
 

Mrcrowley

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Hello first post here just brought home two Conure's from a home that the owners could not give the attention the birds were used to because of moving and new jobs. They are really well behaved birds they know the step up BUT they do not like my finger .... There first day and night at my home was last night and once I had cage set back up I put them inside . Well they wanted outside cage right away which was fine but there wings are not clipped yet so I am nervous about my door to my room . So they climbed around the cage and I talked to them with upbeat voice always trying to make eye contact. I started hand feeding them some seeds . Things these two like is to be on someones shoulders SO I put my finger up to the first bird and he rite away reached with his beak to bite me before I could even say Step up . (read about blowing on them will do that tonight) . So I got closer to the cage and both flew to my shoulders. Would be using a stick for step be the only way to transport them to my shoulders OR am i pushing things with them ?
 

AshleyFamily

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Great post Vicki, this is very helpful advice and I like how you explained each of your points in a clear way that anyone can relate to. You explained what to do, and why, and also what NOT to do and why. Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge :)
 

southernbirds

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What a wonderful and positive post, It is so helpful to new owners and to veterans of established flocks. Reminders and new info is essential to growth of one's knowledge base. We are always reminded to be flexible and change our approach if need be.
 

65sunnyday

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Hello first post here just brought home two Conure's from a home that the owners could not give the attention the birds were used to because of moving and new jobs. They are really well behaved birds they know the step up BUT they do not like my finger .... There first day and night at my home was last night and once I had cage set back up I put them inside . Well they wanted outside cage right away which was fine but there wings are not clipped yet so I am nervous about my door to my room . So they climbed around the cage and I talked to them with upbeat voice always trying to make eye contact. I started hand feeding them some seeds . Things these two like is to be on someones shoulders SO I put my finger up to the first bird and he rite away reached with his beak to bite me before I could even say Step up . (read about blowing on them will do that tonight) . So I got closer to the cage and both flew to my shoulders. Would be using a stick for step be the only way to transport them to my shoulders OR am i pushing things with them ?
Just a quick bit of advice--you need to give your new conures (what kind?) time to adjust to their new home. Even if they didn't receive enough attention there, it was still their home. They don't want your finger in their face because they don't know what happened, where they are, or whether or not you're safe, & it'll take a few days for them to figure it all out. I think it's great that you kept them together by adopting both, as that will be a foundation for them to build a sense of trust towards you. I'd just leave them alone physically, but talk your head off to them. Every time you leave the room they're in, explain to them where you're going & when you'll be back. When you pass by their cage, talk to them. My Sun Conure, his first 3 days in our home, sat on his food bowl & WATCHED ME. I actually thought it was creepy, being totally ignorant about parrots. But I learned all I could, & now I couldn't have a better companion than my Nicky! :heart:
 

BraveheartDogs

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Great post Vicki, this is very helpful advice and I like how you explained each of your points in a clear way that anyone can relate to. You explained what to do, and why, and also what NOT to do and why. Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge :)
THank you! I am glad you like it and found it helpful! So many times people don't do the very simple things that can shape your relationship with your bird. They say, he steps up fine, so when the bird does step up, they don't reward it, then a month later when the bird is not stepping up they say, "the honeymoon is over" and it's like, "no, you didn't reward what you liked". This is not the bird changing, this is the bird not getting reinforced and learning that those behaviors are not reinforcing so why keep doing them.

Hello first post here just brought home two Conure's from a home that the owners could not give the attention the birds were used to because of moving and new jobs. They are really well behaved birds they know the step up BUT they do not like my finger .... There first day and night at my home was last night and once I had cage set back up I put them inside . Well they wanted outside cage right away which was fine but there wings are not clipped yet so I am nervous about my door to my room . So they climbed around the cage and I talked to them with upbeat voice always trying to make eye contact. I started hand feeding them some seeds . Things these two like is to be on someones shoulders SO I put my finger up to the first bird and he rite away reached with his beak to bite me before I could even say Step up . (read about blowing on them will do that tonight) . So I got closer to the cage and both flew to my shoulders. Would be using a stick for step be the only way to transport them to my shoulders OR am i pushing things with them ?
Blowing on them is aversive and if it stops the behavior it is punishing. I would not do that. First, do you know that they were actually going to bite? A lot of birds explore with their beaks or use their beak to steady them when stepping up. They may simply not be ready to step up and in that case I would continue to use food to get them comfortable with you and teach them to step up onto a stick. Also, they JUST got there and you hardly know them, so allow them some time to settle in. Also, I never force my birds. Two of my birds came to me cage aggressive and were not handled because of that. I place perches so that they can come out without my having to put my hand inside which triggers aggression (well, not anymore because of the training, but it used to). I say, "would you like to come out?" and if they do, then they come to the perch to step up.

Vicki, thank you for this post. I am a fairly new bird owner and I have 2 birds that I am still trying to get to trust me.
My Amazon will now let me give her scritches but will not step up. She will come out of the cage on her own.
My Mccaw will step up but bites me every time. My husband is making great strides in this area. I am going to try with gloves and long sleeves so I don't show my fear. We have only had him for a week and he did not come from a very good environment so I know I need to earn his trust. Baby steps.
Right, exactly. But, let me ask you, do you think that putting on gloves and forcing him is a good way to earn his trust? I don't. It isn't about showing fear, it is about waiting until the bird is ready and comfortable. Some birds prefer stepping up onto arms rather than hands.

What a wonderful and positive post, It is so helpful to new owners and to veterans of established flocks. Reminders and new info is essential to growth of one's knowledge base. We are always reminded to be flexible and change our approach if need be.
Thank you:)

Everyone please remember to give your new birds time and the right to choose. They don't know you, they have no idea if you are safe or not. I strongly recommend that people do not force themselves on birds who are not ready. Give them time. Teach them that you are safe and trustworthy. A few days, or weeks is nothing to a bird. If you have a bird who loves to step up, great, reinforce it with their favorite food every single time. Build that behavior up and support it with a strong reinforcement history.
 

jadeparrot

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Hi,
I only brought one book (parrot trick book) I went to the public library and there was 6 book and the parrot for dummies was there too. They are say the same thing.
 

yvette

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great post Vicki!
Thanks for sharing!!
Wish I would have read this many years ago...when I got my first bird:hehe:
I learn soo much valuable info on this site from you and others that share your time to help educate others!!;)
 

kimmie99

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Is there any particular treat(s) that you use for training? I got a training video when I got Kenzi's toys for her cage (came with the toys) and was curious as to what we could use. Trying to find out what her "fave" is as we're all just learning. I know the gal mentioned yogur dips. I guess she likes blueberries we could try using those (maybe dried ones and keep the fresh ones as regular food).
 

BraveheartDogs

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It really depends on the individual. When my TAG Ivan (RIP) came here, I had to use tiny grape pieces, because that is what he would work for. Eventually, I used almond pieces, cashew pieces, little seeds and nuts. I would audition different treats. Offer lots of different things and see what is taken from the bowl and then use those for training:) If you use blueberries, cut them into very small pieces.

Is there any particular treat(s) that you use for training? I got a training video when I got Kenzi's toys for her cage (came with the toys) and was curious as to what we could use. Trying to find out what her "fave" is as we're all just learning. I know the gal mentioned yogur dips. I guess she likes blueberries we could try using those (maybe dried ones and keep the fresh ones as regular food).
 

Gerry

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So many people come on here with new birds asking what they should and shouldn't do that I thought I would put a short list together of things that owners of new birds could do to build a good relationship with their bird. These things can be done with all new rehomes, rescues or baby birds.

1. Reward stepping up. Whether you have to teach the bird to step up or the bird already steps up, it is smart to reward each step up with a treat for quite a while. This will build a strong reinforcement history of stepping up for you with your new bird. Not only does it reinforce the actual behavior of stepping up, it also helps the bird to realize that YOU are reinforcing to be with and around. Sometimes people will just say "good bird" and this can be okay, but with a new bird you don't know how much you saying "good bird" actually matters to the bird. In an established relationship with a bird you know well, you may have learned that other things like verbal praise, petting, touching are reinforcing but with a new bird you don't know if the bird actually finds those things reinforcing which is why it is best to use food, a primary reinforcer in the beginning stages.

2. Reward vocalizations that you like. Many birds end up screaming because it gets them attention. A lot of birds who scream likely offered many other vocalizations such as whistling, talking, chattering, etc that went ignored. They did not get the attention they were seeking until they upped their vocalizations to screaming which caused their owner to scream along with them or engage in some other way. So, be sure to reinforce with food or attention any vocalizing that you like from your bird. You should also reinforce when your bird is quiet so that your bird learns that being quiet is reinforcing will earn him attention and treats. Playing quietly on their own should also be rewarded.

3. Encourage foraging and playing with toys. I have been able to get most of my birds to forage and play with toys, by continuing to try different toys and foraging ideas. If your bird "doesn't play with toys" keep trying different toys of different types of materials to see what your bird likes. It can take birds (especially ones that have never been given toys) a while to try them out, but even my 35 year old Amazon who wasn't given toys before coming here loves toys now. I just had to experiment with different ones. If you plastic toys don't work, try a shreddy toy, if shreddy doesn't work try wood, if wood doesn't work, try paper. There are so many toys out there and something is bound to click with your bird. I have found that baby birds are very receptive to toys and foraging so if you get a baby bird, definitely introduce these concepts early. Toys and foraging ideas don't have to be expensive, there are many things you can use around your house. I routinely give my Meyers a hunk of 2 x 4 wood or a cardboard box to chew on. He loves these more than any toy and they are just lying around my house. Check out Parrot Enrichment for foraging and homemade toy ideas.

4. Develop a routine but include some flexibility in the routine so that your bird can cope with slight changes in the routine. For example, all my birds eat fresh breakfast first thing in the morning. Throughout the day different birds are let out to play on play areas, trip around, etc. I switch around who comes out first and where they play, so there is always some flexibility there. Also, while most of them come out daily, there are some days when some birds don't come out at all. This is necessary because there are times (usually only once or twice a month) where my birds are not out of their cages. Most days I play music in the bird room, but some days I don't. I do not change the times of their meals, those always remain the same. It is very important that new birds are introduced to being alone, playing with toys and entertaining themselves early on so that they are able to cope with this on a regular basis. Even if you never have to leave your bird alone, you should still get them used to this because your life could change and it is important that your bird can deal with it.

5. Start offering a variety of fresh foods right away. You can and should continue to feed your bird what he was eating prior to coming to you but you should also immediately start offering a variety of fresh foods to your bird. Vegetables, fruit, brown rice, pasta, bird breads are all things that you can begin to offer your bird. If you have a bird that is not used to eating fresh foods, don't give up and just keep doing it!! You can get creative and try hanging fresh greens or herbs in the cage. You can make bird bread or muffins and sneak veggies into those. Most birds can learn to enjoy a healthy varied diet it just may take some time for them to get brave enough to try it! If your new bird was not eating a healthy diet in their previous home, begin to offer the new, healthier foods right away so that you can transition the bird to a healthier way to eat.

6. Find out how your bird likes to bathe and offer bathing opportunities. I find that my new birds flourished when given bathing opportunities. Many of them enjoy simply being sprayed down with a water bottle set on mist. My conure doesn't like misting at all, but prefers to bath in her water dish. My amazon likes to bathe in the shower with me in there too! Figure out how your bird likes to bath and then offer this to them. Giving them something reinforcing to them like the opportunity to bathe only helps to strengthen the relationship you are developing with your bird.

7. Learn to read your birds body language and respect what your bird is trying to communicate. A bird that bites has likely given much earlier warning signals that went ignored prior to deciding to bite. Take your time learning how to read your birds body language so that you will know when it's time to back off and when it's time to move forward.

8. When it comes to training the best thing to do is to use positive reinforcement to reward any behaviors that you like. Positive reinforcement means that you do something the bird likes such as offer a treat, give a scritch, give attention to or give access to something right after your bird does a behavior that you like. For instance, if you say "step up" and offer your hand and your bird steps up you immediately hand the bird a treat. Again, it is advised to use food in the beginning since with a new bird you may not know the bird well enough to know what things will be rewarding. Once you learn other rewards the bird likes you can use those as well as food. Using positive reinforcement to build behaviors you like will allow you to not only train your bird but also to help strengthen the relationship you have with your bird. Never use aversives like yelling at a bird, hitting a bird, throwing things at the bird or cage or squirting with water. This will only teach your bird that you are not trustworthy and will cause your bird to be fearful of you. Any and every time you use punishment with your bird you are breaking trust and damaging your relationship with that animal. Don't do it! For more information on training check out The Parrot Problem Solver and Good Bird by Barbara Heidenreich.

9. Most importantly, don't pressure, push or force your new bird at all. This is by far the biggest mistake people make. They want a relationship with a new bird so badly that they destroy any possibility of that happening by pushing the bird or trying to force the bird to be with them. If your bird is fearful of hands, don't attempt to hold it with your hand instead try training the bird to step onto a stick or cover your hand with a long sleeved shirt. If your bird doesn't want to come out of his cage, simply open the door and leave him alone. Whatever you do, do not set up situations where you feel you have no choice but to force the bird. Good, strong, healthy bird/human relationships are built on trust, communication and mutual respect, they are never built on fear, force or intimidation.
 

Newbie GCC

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I have a GCC for a month. About a year old. While he likes my attention, he will not come off his cage unless I am changing his food bowl and and happen to be sharing hos pellets with the dog. (Crazy dog likes them and since his bird food is stored under the cage, I am sitting on the floor to refill) Roma will come to the bottom of the cage and step onto the side of his food bowl. I then just put the bowl on the floor next to me. He will eat and walk around for a few minutes, but is flying back to his cage within a few minutes. He does not step up, but will take food from my hand. I reward him with sunflower seeds while he is on the floor. Now onto the questions....
1. Is this okay to do? I am still trying to get him to trust us enough to step up and ALWAYS make sure I am between Roma and the dog to prevent "over curiosities" on the dogs part.
2. Roma has very long nails and does not seem to like the perch I have in his cage to try and shorten them. I am worried about toweling him and cutting them since he does not like to step up yet. I am afraid it will break the little bit of trust he does have. And I do not like the thought of the sandpaper covers for the perches.
 

JudiNH

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This is a fantastic post....thank you. :)
 

BirdBinx

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My gorgeous little parrotlet is terrified of hands -- I think her breeder used to catch her in both hands. I've actually managed to teach her to step up (which she now does about half the time), but if I bring my second hand into view (even with a treat in it), she flies off. Little Jeannie is too scared to take her millet!Any ideas?
image.jpg
 

msplantladi

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I have a GCC for a month. About a year old. While he likes my attention, he will not come off his cage unless I am changing his food bowl and and happen to be sharing hos pellets with the dog. (Crazy dog likes them and since his bird food is stored under the cage, I am sitting on the floor to refill) Roma will come to the bottom of the cage and step onto the side of his food bowl. I then just put the bowl on the floor next to me. He will eat and walk around for a few minutes, but is flying back to his cage within a few minutes. He does not step up, but will take food from my hand. I reward him with sunflower seeds while he is on the floor. Now onto the questions....
1. Is this okay to do? I am still trying to get him to trust us enough to step up and ALWAYS make sure I am between Roma and the dog to prevent "over curiosities" on the dogs part.
2. Roma has very long nails and does not seem to like the perch I have in his cage to try and shorten them. I am worried about toweling him and cutting them since he does not like to step up yet. I am afraid it will break the little bit of trust he does have. And I do not like the thought of the sandpaper covers for the perches.
I personally feel anything that works to build that trust is good. I truly believe that is the key-trust-if you don't have it then you don't truly have a good relationship & its going to be one constant struggle. Right now he is showing he is trying to trust you by eating from your hand & coming to his bowl when you are near. Good job!
As far the nails, they need to be trimmed for several reasons but I never do my own birds as I don't want to be the bad guy in their eyes. A good professional can do this for you and it just takes a few minutes.
 

msplantladi

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My gorgeous little parrotlet is terrified of hands -- I think her breeder used to catch her in both hands. I've actually managed to teach her to step up (which she now does about half the time), but if I bring my second hand into view (even with a treat in it), she flies off. Little Jeannie is too scared to take her millet!Any ideas?
View attachment 178508
Do you always offer the same hand for the step up lessons? I switch mine up so they learn to trust. It takes time, don't push it-there is no two birds alike, some trust right away some need longer.
 
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