Question by Aleasha C: How to Begin a Training Session With Parrots?
I recently took in a Great Billed Parrot for my friend. She worked all the time and could no longer keep the bird. I know the basics about bird care, but I don’t know how to train the bird. I just got him yesterday night. How long should I give him to adjust to his new home? He is very scared of people. How should I start approaching him? When I do begin training sessions, how long should each one be? Should training sessions be in the morning, afternoon, or evening? When I do take him out of his cage, do I need to close all doors and windows, or can I just keep the screens closed? I don’t know anythign about training parrots. Should training be calm or should it be exciting? Should I start with the “up” command? I’ve heard this is the easiest to teach a bird. Do I start this with a stick, or with my hand? How long will it take him to learn this command? If I do start with a stick, when do I switch over to my hand? Thanks in advance!
Best answer:
Answer by Bill P
Training your bird at a young age is ideal when compared to re-training or correcting the bad habits of an older bird. Some pet owners can become sidetracked by the freshness of having a new bird and enjoying their cuteness while they’re still baby birds; however, you must remember that in order to set the stage for the future, it is important to socialize your bird, work on good communication, and establish trust at a young age. Just as human babies need to learn to eat with a spoon and play well with others before they tackle long division, baby birds need to start with the basics. Spend time with your young bird developing trust and teaching the basics of good bird behavior. For example:
Body handling. If you help your baby bird become accustomed to being gently handled now, you will prevent many problems later. For example, gently playing with your bird’s feet and toes will help it tolerate toenail filing. Gently lift its wings, so a trip to the groomer doesn’t become a nightmare later on.
Toweling: Start using the towel as part of your play with your baby bird, gradually working into wrapping your bird up in the towel. When you or your vet need to wrap the bird in the towel for its own safety, the experience will be much less stressful.
Beaking: Baby birds use their beaks to explore, but now is the time to let your bird know that anything beyond gentle nibbles is unacceptable. Frown and tell your bird “No,” and leave it alone for a minute or two, so it associates biting with being put in “time-out.”
Harness: It can take some time before a bird accepts wearing a harness or flight suit, but things will go more smoothly if you start when the bird is young. Once you get your bird into the harness, take it outside, at least briefly, so it learns why the harness is worth the bother. It’s also a good time to try out the carrier. Take short car rides that don’t end at the vet each time, and your bird might look forward to them.
You will begin to notice better communication between you and your baby bird. Working with your bird frequently allows you to become familiar with the body language and preferences of the bird, making it easier to know what your pet wants and how to respond to its actions. By taking time to teach your bird new tricks, you are encouraging desired behavior. Your bird will begin to demonstrate the favorable behavior because it learns it receives your attention then, as opposed to misbehaving. The stimulation training provides your bird is also very important to cater to their intelligence and appease their curiosity.
The Basics
Training with your bird should be fun. Here are some training tips to keep you both happy.
1. Keep your sessions short. Two or three 10-minute sessions every day works best to retain your bird’s attention.
2. Let your bird get used to props by leaving them near the cage for a few days. Play with the items to pique your bird’s interest.
3. Find a quiet place free of distractions to work together. Keep the cage out of sight, so your bird’s attention is on you during the training session. The exception to this rule is a frightened or insecure re-homed bird that might need to see its cage for reassurance.
4. Find a special reward that you only give to your bird during training. A food reward should be something small and easily consumed within a few seconds. Or, if your bird enjoys praise or a head scratch, offer these instead of food.
5. Train at the same time every day, so your bird can look forward to your new routine together.
6. Keep it positive and offer lots of praise if your bird gets even part of the trick or training correct.
Basic Commands
A few basic behaviors that every companion bird should know are:
STEP-UP COMMAND: The most important behavior you can teach your bird is the Step-up command, in which your bird reliably steps onto your finger, wrist or onto a hand-held perch. Your bird should automatically offer a foot when you say “Step up” (or whatever cue you use) while you simultaneously offer the hand or perch.
A reliable Step-up makes it easier to retrieve your bird in an inconvenient or even dangerous situation. It also ensures that other people can work with or retrieve the bird without either party feeling nervous or threatened.
To get your bird stepping up, gently offer your wrist, finger or perch at the spot where your bird’s abdomen meets the top of its legs, and give the cue, “Step up.” Most birds will naturally raise a foot to step onto the offered object. Praise and reward the bird, and then repeat the step up a few times.
Keep your hand or wrist steady, so your bird feels confident stepping onto it.
STEP-DOWN COMMAND: You can also train your bird to step down onto a playgym or its cage. If your bird likes hanging out with you, you’ll have to make it worth its while to step down.
CONTACT CALL: You are your bird’s flock, so naturally it wants to keep track of where you are. Teach your bird a special whistle, word or phrase to use when it wants you to respond. If taught correctly, this contact call can replace that ear-piercing shriek that your bird likes to use when you leave the room.
If your bird has already learned that screaming seems to make you reappear or respond (i.e. yell or admonish), it will take much more persistence and patience to change the behavior.
To teach your bird a contact call, use a consistent phrase – “Be right back” – each time that you leave the room. Call frequently to your bird while you are out of sight. This will let it know that you are nearby.
If your bird makes the desired contact call, respond immediately by either calling in return or poking your head into the room. Do not respond when your bird is screaming.
Consistency is crucial in this training. It might not seem like such a bad idea to occasionally respond to your bird’s screams, but resist the urge. You’ll be rewarded later on.
Other Useful Training Behaviors
Recall: This extension of the Step-up response is essential for flighted birds, but is also important even for wing-trimmed birds. Praise and reward your bird for approaching you to Step up.
Bite a target stick: Many experienced avian trainers recommend that the first thing you teach your bird in a training program is to bite the end of a chopstick or other small, hand-held stick (not a perch). Chances are, your bird will bite the target stick when it is presented. If you keep praising and rewarding the behavior, your bird will quickly notice that it receives attention when it does so and will be glad to bite the target stick.
Once your bird has the idea that biting the stick brings praise, you can then use the stick as a tool for teaching other behaviors, such as walking or flying to get the stick or climbing a ladder to reach the stick. This can, in turn, be used to teach the bird to walk or fly to you when you hold the stick, or to climb a ladder in order to ring a bell.
Other fun ideas: Relatively simple tricks include teaching your bird to ride a small wagon; wave “Hello” or give a “high four,” or tap a mirror in response to a cue (such as “Who’s a pretty bird?”).
Common Training Mistakes To Avoid
Prevent biting from becoming a habit by not letting bites happen in the first place. Keep your hands out of beak range, and your bird will be less tempted to aim for them.
Don’t be intimidated. If your bird is acting aggressively, stand nearby until it calms down. When it is calm, you can leave. Now your bird knows that aggressive behavior gets it nowhere.
Don’t expect your bird to be ringing bells on command immediately after one or two training sessions. Your bird will learn best if you continue to reward and encourage it with each small step it takes in your training sessions.
The Basics
Training with your bird should be fun. Here are some training tips to keep you both happy.
1. Keep your sessions short. Two or three 10-minute sessions every day works best to retain your bird’s attention.
2. Let your bird get used to props by leaving them near the cage for a few days. Play with the items to pique your bird’s interest.
3. Find a quiet place free of distractions to work together. Keep the cage out of sight, so your bird’s attention is on you during the training session. The exception to this rule is a frightened or insecure re-homed bird that might need to see its cage for reassurance.
4. Find a special reward that you only give to your bird during training. A food reward should be something small and easily consumed within a few seconds. Or, if your bird enjoys praise or a head scratch, offer these instead of food.
5. Train at the same time every day, so your bird can look forward to your new routine together.
6. Keep it positive and offer lots of praise if your bird gets even part of the trick or training correct.
Basic Commands
A few basic behaviors that every companion bird should know are:
STEP-UP COMMAND: The most important behavior you can teach your bird is the Step-up command, in which your bird reliably steps onto your finger, wrist or onto a hand-held perch. Your bird should automatically offer a foot when you say “Step up” (or whatever cue you use) while you simultaneously offer the hand or perch.
A reliable Step-up makes it easier to retrieve your bird in an inconvenient or even dangerous situation. It also ensures that other people can work with or retrieve the bird without either party feeling nervous or threatened.
To get your bird stepping up, gently offer your wrist, finger or perch at the spot where your bird’s abdomen meets the top of its legs, and give the cue, “Step up.” Most birds will naturally raise a foot to step onto the offered object. Praise and reward the bird, and then repeat the step up a few times.
Keep your hand or wrist steady, so yo
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