Adopting an Older Conure, and some other questions

AlexGoneLoco

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Hello everyone!

I am getting my very first bird, a Green Cheek Conure. I have loved these birds since I was about 19, and only now have I felt in a stable enough place to get my bird. Instead of going to a pet store or breeder, I have decided to adopt. The adoption is already done, he will be here Sunday.

I've read completely through The Conure Handbook and I have done tons of research, but I think I would like some answers from people with real hands on experience. I want to make sure I give my new friend the best life possible, and I want our relationship to blossom, not be hindered because I mess something up!

So first and foremost, what do you suggest when adopting a bird? Calvin is 3 years old, he's very friendly but a little shy and a little nippy. Both of these things are okay with me, I know how to work with nippy. He was very healthy when I looked him over and was very excited to explore. He also didn't want to leave my finger when I had to go! That broke my heart! I know that I should try to adhere to his established schedule, I did find out what that is and it'll be easy for me to do. If you guys have any other suggestions when working with an adoption please let me know.

Second, what do you guys suggest when it comes to shoulder sitting? I can tell you all right now that I will allow him on my shoulder, and I know some people look down on this, but I would enjoy allowing him up there. I would like to know how to handle getting him off when he decides to bite or nip instead of stepping up. Should I gently pick him up and put him in his cage for a short time as punishment, or is there something else you guys suggest? I know I should reinforce good behavior, like stepping up off the shoulder, with a treat, I'm just not sure how to get him when he's on my shoulder nipping away at my hand. It doesn't hurt me, but I don't want to grab him and hurt him or anything.

Third, I'm not going to be clipping his wings at all, I just don't like the practice. However, I've read several times that during training it's a good idea to clip the wings so they aren't tempted to fly off and have to rely on you. Is it really so much harder to train with unclipped wings? I prefer to never have to clip Calvin's wings, but I will if people think it's necessary. I'm guessing it's probably something I would only have to do if he insists on flying off instead of training.

Last, I'm kinda getting mixed information on handling an adopt right away. How long should I leave him alone? Is it okay to hold him right away or should I give him a few days alone to adjust? My book says one thing, other people say other things, and in the end I'm just confused. I don't want to overwhelm the poor guy, but I also don't want him to feel lonely. What do you guys think?

Thank you! I'm so very very excited!
Alex
 

pacoparrot

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I can tell you my personal experience with my Green cheek conure Jack who was a very untamed breeder bird who had lost his mate and is older. When he first came to me he would fly around the room. If I was in his range he would fly down and bite me over and over to the point of bleeding. I also came across the statement that you should clip birds for taming. I clipped him and I swear that as soon as he realized he couldn't fly he was instantly better. I've been working with him since the winter and he is just about as tame as they get now. I plan on letting his wings grow out this year and we'll see what happens.
 

Frumpydumple

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If he's not a very nervous bird or an aggressive bird, I don't see the need to clip his wings so soon.

Letting him on your shoulder is fine. If he bites when getting him off your shoulder, ignore him and keep trying to get him to step up for a treat.

You should give him a couple days to adjust first, then start training him.

I also highly recommend target training and clicker training.

Don't put him in the cage as punishment either.
 
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AlexGoneLoco

AlexGoneLoco

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If he's not a very nervous bird or an aggressive bird, I don't see the need to clip his wings so soon.

Letting him on your shoulder is fine. If he bites when getting him off your shoulder, ignore him and keep trying to get him to step up for a treat.

You should give him a couple days to adjust first, then start training him.

I also highly recommend target training and clicker training.

Don't put him in the cage as punishment either.

Wow really? I've been told over and over that if the bird wants to be out then a good form of punishment is to put them in the cage. If not that, then what do you suggest?

Also I know I should wait before I start to train him, I was going to give him about a week, I'm just wondering if I should give him a day or so of no handling once he gets here. I've heard that I should and shouldn't, so I'm not sure what I should do. I don't want to stress him out at all.
 

Sterling1113

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Hello, and welcome! Glad to hear you're adding a conure to your family, they're wonderful birds, I love mine to bits!
Keep in mind that 3 years old is very young for a conure! They will live to be upwards of 30 years, so really it's like you have a juvenile :)
As far as nipping on the shoulder goes, if there's a way to gently remove him and place him on his cage or on a perch, that would be best. If he doesn't fly/freak out when you grab him(hand wrapped around him) that's probably the easiest way if he wont step up. You don't want to put him in his cage and shut the door; because he could associate his cage as a "bad" place, and not want to go back at bed time, etc.
As far as clipping goes, if you don't want to do a full clip, then you can just do a partial clip. Just enough to make it difficult, and discourage him flying away. Remember, his flight feathers WILL grow back when he molts, so he will only be clipped for a year max, if you only clip him once. :)
You want to give him a good amount of time to adjust, but that doesn't mean you can't interact! What diet do you plan on feeding him?(Or I guess what is he currently being fed?)
You can leave his cage door open and offer food or treats from your hands to build trust, just don't force anything on him early on, so you don't stress him.
The best thing you can do with adopted parrots (Or any parrot, really) is just give them lots of TLC and patience, but you sound like you know that already. :)
Looking forward to updates and pictures!!

Edit: I was typing at the same time as Frumpy.. hah! Good advice though! (though I did repeat some of it. My bad.) :)
 
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AlexGoneLoco

AlexGoneLoco

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Hello, and welcome! Glad to hear you're adding a conure to your family, they're wonderful birds, I love mine to bits!
Keep in mind that 3 years old is very young for a conure! They will live to be upwards of 30 years, so really it's like you have a juvenile :)
As far as nipping on the shoulder goes, if there's a way to gently remove him and place him on his cage or on a perch, that would be best. If he doesn't fly/freak out when you grab him(hand wrapped around him) that's probably the easiest way if he wont step up. You don't want to put him in his cage and shut the door; because he could associate his cage as a "bad" place, and not want to go back at bed time, etc.
As far as clipping goes, if you don't want to do a full clip, then you can just do a partial clip. Just enough to make it difficult, and discourage him flying away. Remember, his flight feathers WILL grow back when he molts, so he will only be clipped for a year max, if you only clip him once. :)
You want to give him a good amount of time to adjust, but that doesn't mean you can't interact! What diet do you plan on feeding him?(Or I guess what is he currently being fed?)
You can leave his cage door open and offer food or treats from your hands to build trust, just don't force anything on him early on, so you don't stress him.
The best thing you can do with adopted parrots (Or any parrot, really) is just give them lots of TLC and patience, but you sound like you know that already. :)
Looking forward to updates and pictures!!

Edit: I was typing at the same time as Frumpy.. hah! Good advice though! (though I did repeat some of it. My bad.) :)

Oh okay, so put them in the cage but with the door OPEN

I know 3 is really young, I only put older because I meant he's not a baby, he's an adopt. I'll fix that so it's more understandable ^.^ (Actually I can't figure out how to change the name of a thread!)

He's getting, and will continue to get, a pellet diet with various fruits and veggies. I'm also going to be adding a small amount of cashew to his diet. His favorite treat is dried mango, so I'll be using that for training.

If I open his cage door the first day and he acts like he wants to be held, and he steps up right away, is that okay? I don't know if he'll be that eager that early, I just want to cover all scenarios.

Also trust me, this little boy will be getting so much TLC! I work from home, so I get to spend all day with him!

Thank you!
 

Frumpydumple

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If he WANTS to step up, I don't see a problem.
 

Sterling1113

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I agree with Frumpy. If he's seeking you out, I don't see the harm in it. But if he gets nervous or flighty, best to return him to his cage (If you don't want to force him, try prompting him to go into his cage with a treat, so it doesn't seem like a punishment.)
Personally with my conures, if they bite me or are having a bad attitude, I put them on their playstand until they calm down. Most of the time they take the hint.
 
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AlexGoneLoco

AlexGoneLoco

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I agree with Frumpy. If he's seeking you out, I don't see the harm in it. But if he gets nervous or flighty, best to return him to his cage (If you don't want to force him, try prompting him to go into his cage with a treat, so it doesn't seem like a punishment.)
Personally with my conures, if they bite me or are having a bad attitude, I put them on their playstand until they calm down. Most of the time they take the hint.

Yeah I definitely don't want him thinking his cage is a bad place to go. I'm thinking the play stand idea sounds good. Maybe I could even build a separate one for calm down time?
 

MonicaMc

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So first and foremost, what do you suggest when adopting a bird?
Give new birds time to settle in. It may help to place food and water dishes up high in the cage initially and possibly place the cage in a corner. Their behavior can drastically change once they are in a new environment, so don't be alarmed!


Calvin is 3 years old, he's very friendly but a little shy and a little nippy. Both of these things are okay with me, I know how to work with nippy.
Curious to know, how do you work with "nippy"?


Second, what do you guys suggest when it comes to shoulder sitting?
Up to each individual person and what they feel comfortable with. I allow it.


I would like to know how to handle getting him off when he decides to bite or nip instead of stepping up. Should I gently pick him up and put him in his cage for a short time as punishment, or is there something else you guys suggest? I know I should reinforce good behavior, like stepping up off the shoulder, with a treat, I'm just not sure how to get him when he's on my shoulder nipping away at my hand. It doesn't hurt me, but I don't want to grab him and hurt him or anything.
Give him a better reason to come off your shoulder instead of staying up there. If you train via positive reinforcement training, then there is no need to punish birds when they learn that desired behaviors get rewarded. The more a behavior is rewarded, the more a bird is likely to repeat that behavior.

Please keep in mind that whatever treats or rewards you use, it is him that chooses what is rewarding, not you!


Third, I'm not going to be clipping his wings at all, I just don't like the practice. However, I've read several times that during training it's a good idea to clip the wings so they aren't tempted to fly off and have to rely on you. Is it really so much harder to train with unclipped wings? I prefer to never have to clip Calvin's wings, but I will if people think it's necessary. I'm guessing it's probably something I would only have to do if he insists on flying off instead of training.
My first two conures came to me unclipped, and both adults (pre-teens or older!). My first conure couldn't fly and my second has pretty much clung to me the moment I brought him home! My third conure did come to me clipped, but I honestly feel that allowing her flights to grow out helped build her confidence and allowed her to learn to trust more! I felt horrible working with her clipped and really feel as if her being clipped resulted in her fearful behavior in some ways.

If you train right, you do not need to clip! Honestly, I feel that it's better to train a flighted bird rather than a clipped bird! Sure, a clipped bird may be easier to train and "tame", but it has no choice! It can't choose to fly to somewhere where it feels safe! Instead, the bird is grounded. I find it absolutely amazing when a *flighted* bird, particularly one that was never tame before, *chooses* to be with you!

Training a flighted parrot is only harder if you *make* it harder. If you constantly try to chase your bird around and force the bird to sit on you, of course it's going to be difficult! The reason being is that the bird will have the choice to avoid that which it is afraid of! Or avoid things that make it uncomfortable! If you do it right, you wont have those issues!


And honestly, I think that if you have a nervous bird, it's better to leave them flighted and go *SLOW*! Clipping a nervous bird may cause their behavior to worsen, but if allowed flight, then their confidence may build. It's better to have a confident bird rather than a nervous bird that freaks out at the slightest things.


Not only that, but there are some behavioral problems due to allowing a clipped parrot to grow out their wings. If you train the bird right while flighted, you can potentially avoid those behavioral problems.


Last, I'm kinda getting mixed information on handling an adopt right away. How long should I leave him alone? Is it okay to hold him right away or should I give him a few days alone to adjust?
Leave it up to him. If he's ready to come out immediately, then that's ok! If he needs a few days to settle in, that's ok too! Charlie, my 2nd conure, wanted nothing to do with me in his foster home but the moment I got him home he just clung to me! Everything was new and scary, except me. I was 'kind of' familiar.

Jayde on the other hand I couldn't handle her at first. If I didn't have to, I didn't force her out of her cage. Instead, I moved the cage around the house so she could be "with" me without having to be *on* me. She still had the safety of her cage. It even took a few months to get her comfortable with stepping up onto my hand! Actually started from the shoulder (only place she felt comfortable at), then to the arm (avoid arm! can't avoid... ok, grab, mad dash to shoulder!), then to the hand (avoid hand! stretch! I can do this! ok, got a part of the arm, grab, get on, mad dash to the shoulder!).


I've owned 3 conures in total. My first conure has since passed away, so I have two now. (never owned more than two at once) Jayde, my third conure, is the youngest conure I've ever had! She's 4 years old, and I've had her since last summer. Charlie is 20 this year, and I've had him for going on 8 years now.
 

Sterling1113

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I agree with Frumpy. If he's seeking you out, I don't see the harm in it. But if he gets nervous or flighty, best to return him to his cage (If you don't want to force him, try prompting him to go into his cage with a treat, so it doesn't seem like a punishment.)
Personally with my conures, if they bite me or are having a bad attitude, I put them on their playstand until they calm down. Most of the time they take the hint.

Yeah I definitely don't want him thinking his cage is a bad place to go. I'm thinking the play stand idea sounds good. Maybe I could even build a separate one for calm down time?

There's a few members on the forum who have a "time-out" cage, so it definitely isn't a bad idea. Just make sure you don't plan to use the perch/cage for anything else, just to minimize confusion.

This is how my conures are set up:

Their cage is rather empty, because it's still new and I don't have new things to fill it with yet. Also, my conures don't sleep in their cage, they spend 90% of their time on their playstand. (Definitely not a necessity, that's just how I like to do it. :) )
 

SilverSage

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Welcome! I brought my first Green Cheek home in October, and we are having a wonderful time figuring one another out.

It sounds like he is tame and likes you so there is less stress on him when he comes home. When I brought Flick home, even after the 3 hour car ride in a cat carrier, she wanted to be on my shoulder so I let her. I suggest an open cage policy if you have the doors locked, so that the first few days he is able to decide for himself if he would like to come to you.

As for clipping I really prefer not to clip, but Flick was clipped when I got her and I find it useful when I need to get her back in the cage after she has "flown" off, because she always is eager to step up when she is on the floor.

Flick also arrived with the lovely habit of biting when she was on the shoulder. We are working with her and she steps up nicely for a sunflower seed. I always make sure I never ask her to step from my shoulder and then put her in her cage, because I don't want her to associate those things. I also NEVER wait for her to bite before offering a treat, because I don't want to teach her to bite me to get a treat!

If she does bite, I do not "punish" her using the cage. I want her to be happy in her cage, because sometimes she needs to be in there and I don't want her feeling sad about that. If she bites me I immediately take away whatever nice thing I was trying to do for her, even if that was just talking to her, and walk away. Right now we are working on her biting during snuggles, because she can be all soft nibbles and suddenly chomp on me. I then immediately (but calmly without any drama) remove my hand for about 5 seconds. I then put my hand about 9 inches from her, and wait. If she wants me to keep petting her, she has to go to my hand and do something gentle to it, usually she nibbles softly in a preening fashion. At first I thought it was a long shot, but it seems to be working. She wants to be petted, and she is learning that biting makes the petting stop.

It is important to note that I work really hard to make sure I am respecting her. If she shows me with her body language that she is not in the mood for stepping up or petting, I leave her be. The woman who gave her to me had a rather forceful method of working with birds that, in my opinion, involved learned helplessness, where she forced the birds to just deal with whatever she did. Flick is a nice bird and I see no reason to force interaction on her on the rare occasions she doesn't want it. If I force her, I will be bitten and it will be my own fault. The one exception to this was Monday when there was a tornado and she didn't want to step up. I did pick her up and take her to the basement for her own safety, but she didn't bite me, perhaps because the habit is fading?
 

jenphilly

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Adopting a shelter baby... being involved with a shelter, my first question is what type of interaction did you have with the bird at the shelter? How many times did you visit with the bird before the adoption is finalized?

If the bird acted like your long lost friend at the shelter, then you can continue with that foundation once he is home. Set his cage up, let him explore and settle into that, could take minutes, could take days. Offer him treats from your hand and if he hops right on like its no worries, well, then its no worries, he can come out and you're on your way! Every bird is different, especially shelter babies. Some have some baggage, others are just wonderful birds and pick their person, when that happens, settling in is more about cage and environment then their new person.

For 'punishment'... the only time we ever use a time out is screaming. For the little guys (baby sun conure particularly), when he gets too loud or just screams because he realizes he can, he goes into a small carrier. We never return him to his cage. Loki loves his cage, so making his cage punishment would only make a problem for us. But having a small carrier to put him in when he is really loud, works quite well.

If your conure is nippy coming out of the cage, I'd recommend you try stick training. Getting your bird to step up on a pen or perch and offer a treat when they do. The little pineapple green cheek, Monkey, is very cage aggressive / protective. She lets you clean, feed and water, but asking her to step up when she is in her cage is like asking her to bite you. But use the perch or stick and she hops up and is fine once out of the cage.

For training, your biggest challenge if finding your new friend's absolute favorite food or treat. May be sunflower seed, a particular nut, nutriberry, piece of apple, whatever it may be... and when you find out what it is, do not offer except when training.

Good luck and I can't wait to see photos!!!
 
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AlexGoneLoco

AlexGoneLoco

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Thank you all! I didn't expect to get so many nice suggestions! It's really lovely!

I'm going to try to answer everything

@MonicaMC - Why would placing their food up high help? Is this so they feel more comfortable eating since they are high enough to feel safe from things lower then them? As for working with nippy, I've read a lot about it but mostly I know persistence and rewarding good behavior. I've also read about the whole taking away attention as punishment. I agree with other people that I shouldn't put him in the cage because I don't want him thinking cage=bad. Anyway, if you have more suggestions shoot them right at me!

I would love to use purely positive reinforcement, I've trained both my dogs this way and our relationships are richer for it. I know that his favorite treat is dried mango because I was told so by the original owner. I would also love to never clip his wings, even if his wings are distracting. I would rather work around any problems that might arise due to being flighted. I just don't think it's right to take away what birds are born to do from him!

@Sterling1113 - Wow your setup is cool! So wait, you can actually train a bird to sleep/stay on it's play stand? How do you do this? I'm wondering if Calvin would like that, since his cage will be downstairs in the family area and his play stand will be upstairs where I work. I would love to do this!

@SilverSage - It seems like a lot of people prefer pure positive reinforcement. I like this method better anyway when training other animals, so I'm going to go with all the suggestions and use pure positive. I'm glad I've gotten so much feedback, I can adjust accordingly!

@jenphilly - He's not a shelter bird, I'm adopting him from his original owner. When I met with him he was very very sweet, and though he was shy at first he did open up to me and acted like he liked me. It was awesome, because even though he was afraid at first he still wanted me to pet him but he didn't want me to move so he rubbed his head against my thumb in sort of a self-pet! By the end he was a regular sweetie, and was enjoying some nice scritches! He did feel like a long lost friend, I loved him immediately and that was that. The only problem we had was when he got on my shoulder he simply didn't want to get off and kept nipping me. Nothing was particularly hard, but it took me a few minutes to get him to step up. He wasn't really nippy besides that, and he didn't act cage aggressive because he stepped right up onto my finger from the cage. He was well behaved for the most part, you could tell he was well loved. I visited with him for about an hour, maybe a bit longer.

Thanks everyone! You guys are super helpful!

P.S. Should I post photos under the Conure topic or in this thread? I looked around for a photo section and I didn't see one besides the photo of the month.
 
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Sterling1113

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Glad to see you're asking questions! It's good to read online and have books and whatnot, but what you're doing, which is asking conure owners personally, is really awesome and I give you kudos for that!
About the food being up high: It's mostly to avoid droppings in the food. Doesn't mean it has to be at the tippy top of the cage, but don't have perches(that are higher than the food bowl) hanging close enough to the food so that they can get droppings in it.
It's sort of difficult to answer your question about my conures, lol. Honestly I've done zero training with them (save the clicker training I started with Kiwi this week..). Everything they know if just learned behaviour over time. They know what is and isn't okay to sit on (TV is okay, ceiling fans, light fixtures, and anything handing on the walls is a no-no.) they know to be quiet if they want breakfast, when their bed time is, and they know that if they get into mischief while we're sleeping, they'll be put in the cage. (I don't really consider it a punishment, they love their cage, but they prefer to sleep outside the cage. More like taking away a privilege.)
And trust me, their playstand is less than 5 feet from the foot of our bed, and I'm a really light sleeper. Sometimes if they're getting a midnight snack or moving around on/in their cage too much it wakes me! So any flying/flock calling would definitely get me up.
It was mostly trial and error. The first couple nights Loki(the clipped one who can't fly) ended up on the floor, and when he flock-called for Kiwi we collected him and returned him to his stand. After that they learned that the apartment isn't much fun at night anyways, we're their main targets for entertainment. :)

Also: There isn't really a "photo" section, so any updates/photos feel free to post them here! There's also a "health care", "Questions and answers" and "Do it yourself" sections, so if you have any medical questions, random questions, or want to share/find info on DIY perches/toys/stands, those would be the places to go. :)
There's also "off topic" near the bottom, for anything non-bird related that you'd like to share/discuss. Just make sure to read the forum guidelines for each section so you don't accidentally post something that isn't allowed. :)
 

witchbaby

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Honestly I've done zero training with them (save the clicker training I started with Kiwi this week..). Everything they know if just learned behaviour over time. They know what is and isn't okay to sit on (TV is okay, ceiling fans, light fixtures, and anything handing on the walls is a no-no.) they know to be quiet if they want breakfast, when their bed time is, and they know that if they get into mischief while we're sleeping, they'll be put in the cage. (I don't really consider it a punishment, they love their cage, but they prefer to sleep outside the cage. More like taking away a privilege.)

It sounds like you've done plenty of training with your birds, Sterling. It may not have happened during some sort of intentional training session like you would have with a clicker, but they sound very well behaved. Ha. As well behaved as conures can be. You've obviously done a great job with them. :)
 

Sterling1113

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Honestly I've done zero training with them (save the clicker training I started with Kiwi this week..). Everything they know if just learned behaviour over time. They know what is and isn't okay to sit on (TV is okay, ceiling fans, light fixtures, and anything handing on the walls is a no-no.) they know to be quiet if they want breakfast, when their bed time is, and they know that if they get into mischief while we're sleeping, they'll be put in the cage. (I don't really consider it a punishment, they love their cage, but they prefer to sleep outside the cage. More like taking away a privilege.)

It sounds like you've done plenty of training with your birds, Sterling. It may not have happened during some sort of intentional training session like you would have with a clicker, but they sound very well behaved. Ha. As well behaved as conures can be. You've obviously done a great job with them. :)

Aw, well thank you. :)
I guess I should say I haven't done any "intentional" training? Lol. I don't know how to explain how I got my birdies to behave, we've just all been around each other long enough to understand.
 

MonicaMc

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Wild Caught ARN - Sylphie 2013
@MonicaMC - Why would placing their food up high help? Is this so they feel more comfortable eating since they are high enough to feel safe from things lower then them? As for working with nippy, I've read a lot about it but mostly I know persistence and rewarding good behavior. I've also read about the whole taking away attention as punishment. I agree with other people that I shouldn't put him in the cage because I don't want him thinking cage=bad. Anyway, if you have more suggestions shoot them right at me!

I would love to use purely positive reinforcement, I've trained both my dogs this way and our relationships are richer for it. I know that his favorite treat is dried mango because I was told so by the original owner. I would also love to never clip his wings, even if his wings are distracting. I would rather work around any problems that might arise due to being flighted. I just don't think it's right to take away what birds are born to do from him!


Birds in new environments may not feel comfortable enough to climb down to get to food and may not eat, or eat much, for the first day or two. The easier access they have to their food, the more likely they are to start eating sooner. Once they settle in, it shouldn't matter much where the food is located as long as it's not in a spot where they'd poop in it!




A lot of people seem to assume that you *must* teach a bird to step up by forcing the behavior. That is, people push against the birds chest or stomach forcing them off balance and the birds either have to move away or step up to avoid falling. Once the bird steps up, they reward the bird. Or the person may lift the birds toes up, also resulting in a forced step up.


If you know about positive reinforcement, then you should also know about *choice*. Giving the animal the ability to *choose* what to do, but making what you want the bird to do to be highly desirable in some way. This also includes teaching behaviors in "steps". You take a goal, then break it down into various steps or 'mini goals'. In the case of stepping up, the steps to teaching that might look something like this;


1. Reward bird for looking at you.
2. Reward your bird for moving his head towards you.
3. Reward your bird for taking a step towards you.
4. Reward your bird for taking another step towards you.
5. If he doesn't run away, keep rewarding him for remaining where he's at. (if he runs/backs off, you may need to start over again)
6. Reward your bird for taking a couple more steps closer.
7. Encourage him to come closer yet again and reward him.
8. Reward your bird for touching you with his toe(s).
9. Reward your bird for putting a foot on you.
10. *JACKPOT REWARD* Give your bird lots of goodies for putting both feet on you!


No force required to get the bird to step up. Instead, you reward the bird for doing the behavior you want the bird to do. Using force to get a bird to step up may lead to more bites which could potentially lead to a more aggressive bird. It's basically the difference of doing a behavior because they want to (being taught how to do the behavior) vs because they have to (being forced to do a behavior they don't even understand). The mentality of it. It makes a difference!
 
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AlexGoneLoco

AlexGoneLoco

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Apr 8, 2014
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Colorado
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Green Cheek Conure
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Thank you everyone! Calvin just came home today!

I do have a question, he seems to be exhibiting a weird behavior. As near as I could tell from doing some research, it might be a mating behavior and he might be a she?

So what he is doing is pushing his/her rear end against stuff, lifting his/her tailfeathers up, and then crouching down and bobbing her head or kinda pecking at the ground but only softly. Does anyone know what this is?

Thank you!
Alex
 

Frumpydumple

New member
Apr 21, 2013
572
2
Durham, UK.
Parrots
My birds: Skyler/Sky, violet Indian Ringneck. Mother's birds: Norman, African Grey and Mildred, Blue Crowned Conure.
Sounds like female mating behavior.
 

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