Sometimes, there just isn’t enough love in the world to undo the damage wrought by former homes. And that is the truly hard part with parrots.
Category: Amazon Parrots
Posts about our Amazon, Vi.
Teaching a Parrot to Step-Up: Recommended Steps
As a first-time bird owner, I found many online parrot training guides to be… rather vague. It was hard to figure out how to create a tangible training process for my parrots out of abstract ideas.
Fortunately, I had a ton of guidance from the bird rescue where I used to volunteer, and now several years of the hands-on experience of rescuing five different parrots from varying walks of life.
Thus, I’ve created a list of suggested milestones for training parrots who are hand-shy to step up.
Teaching a Bird NOT to Scream: Reality
Screaming is one way birds get attention (positive, negative, it doesn’t matter!) Now, I can’t definitively say whether or not this was the case for Miss Viola Waddlesworth at her former home, however, her friend Sam, the African Grey who went to a neighbor’s house, frequently shouts, “Shut up, Waddles!” …So yeah, we likely have a few years’…
Boxes + Female Parrots = Mistake
Last night, we allowed Ms. Vi to climb into a diet coke box. … She hasn’t stopped her hormonal quivering since. All parrots go through hormonal phases, especially in spring and summer given the extra daylight (which prompts a release of hormones) so that’s expected there. But dark, enclosed places that resemble nesting hollows apparently…
Achievement Unlocked: Consistent Step Ups
It is with a happy heart that I can now say this: Vi CONSISTENTLY steps up! I waited two weeks to make sure, but it’s official: she is cage-bound no more! We made our goal of July! A little late, but better than never! When she’s in her cage, it’s her terms; she’s made it…
Step-Up Progress: Stepping Up for Bread!
…Because I have been busier than any person has a right to be, but we made more progress with Vi! She stepped up for Fletcher last night for a tasty piece of bread. She also let him pet her–exciting, because we were expecting her to be a one-person bird and merely tolerate him. Not so!…
And thus, Vi begins her singing career…
Vi and I sing the end of “So Long, Farewell!” from The Sound of Music. Yes, we’re goobers.
Positive Reinforcement with Parrots: Every Experience a Positive One
“Spare the rod and then spoil the child!” Take that saying as the opposite what is meant by most folks, and you’ve got seriously the best advice you can take if you ever want to win the trust of a rehomed parrot… She needs to be a bit spoiled for a bit. 🙂 Spare that…
Go Slow to Go Fast in Step Up Training: No Negative Experiences
In the “a stitch in time saves nine” quotes category, there’s a popular saying in education: “Go slow to go fast.” Essentially, if you don’t want to re-teach a skill multiple times over, it’s worth teaching it well and thoroughly the first time. Which takes patience. So, so much patience. Shockingly, this is also true for bird training! Vi…
Step Up Training: Find a Treat They Love
Sometimes, just hanging out around your parrots and eating things will tell you all you need to know about what really matters to them.
