Training Frustrations please help D:

How do I keep my bird OFF of surfaces?
My bird is out of the cage most of the day & he has 2 play areas and his cage in my room. I've been trying to get him to STAY on these 3 areas instead of on the curtains, on the mirror, on the tv, on the bed, on the desk, on the chair, on the dog bowl, etc etc. because if I don't I end up with bird poop ALL over my friggen room.

Which is another frustration he's not potty trained.

When he's somewhere like on the dresser or on the tv he just gets into trouble. he tears up my plant, he tries to eat jewlery, steals dog food, chews up important/school/art related papers >:l . So for his own safety (& for my sanity) I really want to get him to stay in his own areas with his own toys where he can poop to his little hearts content & chew up his own stuff & eat his own food. But I don't know HOW to train that.

I've tried "NO" but he doesn't listen. I end up having to get up EVERY SINGLE TIME he lands somewhere he's not supposed to to shoo him away. Which is creating trust issues. Now when I reach for him he's scared of my hands and he doesn't step up all the time anymore.

Someone please, please help me find a better way to GET HIM TO STAY WHERE HE'S SUPPOSED TO
I don't like where our relationship is going and I don't know how to do this obviously I'm doing it wrong coz he's not learning & he's losing trust in me.

-mel

This is a problem that we all have! If anyone has an answer, please let us all know!

I found that the more I freaked out at my bird about staying off things, the more she was attracted to them. Going on that one "out of bounds" object was a sure way to get my attention. If I ignore her, she eventually loses interest. I have a very clean room though. I had to put all jewelry and other important things away or hidden so she cant get to them. I do have an african mask I got in Kenya hanging on my wall. It's made of soft wood and she loves chewing on it. That's the only thing she consistently goes to regardless of how I react.

I always carry a "poop rag" with me for quick cleanup. My gcc is not potty trained either. I wish! One step at a time

Have you considered clipping his wings? It will keep him from flying around and he'll have to walk everywhere he wants to go. He will also rely on you (and your hands) to pick him up and take him places.

I think the little terror is way out of controlTime Out in it's cage is in order. I would suggest when you are busy that he learns to play in his cage with his own toys. When you have time you can let him out & give him your undivided attention. I think quality time out with a favorite person is far better than quantity time out without boundaries.

You really don't expect him to be on his good behavior if it isn't reinforced. Sometimes a simple wing clip will help. That way he is going to have to depend on you to take him from A to B.

I never let any of my parrots out of their cages unless i can give them 100% of my time. However some of my eclectus are fine, they will stay on their play stand when i leave the room.

JensFlock said:

Have you considered clipping his wings? It will keep him from flying around and he'll have to walk everywhere he wants to go. He will also rely on you (and your hands) to pick him up and take him places.

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His wings are clipped /: they came clipped from the breeder but he still manages to fly just fine -____- it's only the first 4 feathers so I guess that's why. He'd hate me if I clip more of them (I'd hate me too! his flight feathers are so blue and pretty... and blue lolll) but he may leave me no choice. *sigh*

Still though, if there's another option I'd rather try that before clipping anything

It seems to me that your little guy is thinking the situation is very funny & thinks it's a game he is playing.

When he is being out of control do you put him in his cage for awhile?

Lukask said:

I found that the more I freaked out at my bird about staying off things, the more she was attracted to them. Going on that one "out of bounds" object was a sure way to get my attention. If I ignore her, she eventually loses interest. I have a very clean room though. I had to put all jewelry and other important things away or hidden so she cant get to them. I do have an african mask I got in Kenya hanging on my wall. It's made of soft wood and she loves chewing on it. That's the only thing she consistently goes to regardless of how I react.

I always carry a "poop rag" with me for quick cleanup. My gcc is not potty trained either. I wish! One step at a time

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Haha, how similar. I find that sometimes right after I shoo him away he's right back to the same spot. Sometimes I think he thinks it's a game. I'm probably training the unwanted behavior by giving him attention & making such a fuss while he's in an area I don't want him to be.

I also have a mask from the Dominican Republic tho, hanging on my wall. He was interested in it at first but really hasn't been into it for a while (which is great since it's a gift from my dad & I'd be highly upset it have it turned into a bird toy lol) but he has recently discovered the ceiling fan -______-. (It's winter here don't worry I won't be turning it on for a WHILE it's safe for now, just annoying lol)



I'm suspecting he's probably bored with his toys & stuff. Gotta get/make some new ones.


& I'm getting another gcc soon so he'll have company/ a play mate/ preening buddy. I'm a little worried they'll just team up & terrorize even more haha. I'm here thinking what am I getting myself into?' XD

Pedro said:

It seems to me that your little guy is thinking the situation is very funny & thinks it's a game he is playing.

When he is being out of control do you put him in his cage for awhile?

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How funny, I just wrote that! lol. But yes I do, although I'm not consistent with it. It pretty much comes down to if he lets me catch him or not /: coz like I said he's not liking to step up all the time. it gets exhausting & frustrating so sometimes I just leave him be so I don't scream at him or grab him too rough or scare him while I'm angry.

He may really be getting off on the drama of you jumping up and shooing him away.

Kazi isn't flighted. I'm honestly not sure if he could be even if he had all his flight feathers, but he was getting to be a bit of a terror about climbing down off his playgym onto the floor or me. So now when he does this I have him step up, praise him, have him step down where I want him to be and praise him like crazy. That's it. I don't react when he starts down the side of the gym other than to ask him if he wants help (he'll wave a leg around if he does) or wait for him to get to the floor so I can have him step up, etc.

I honestly don't know if it's working, but I think it is. He's been compromising lately by perching on the rim of his seed guard. I don't know how it can be comfortable, but better there than on the floor chasing cats and dogs around or climbing all over me!

TurquoiseMel said:

Pedro said:

It seems to me that your little guy is thinking the situation is very funny & thinks it's a game he is playing.

When he is being out of control do you put him in his cage for awhile?

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How funny, I just wrote that! lol. But yes I do, although I'm not consistent with it. It pretty much comes down to if he lets me catch him or not /: coz like I said he's not liking to step up all the time. it gets exhausting & frustrating so sometimes I just leave him be so I don't scream at him or grab him too rough or scare him while I'm angry.

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Yep he is acting on Drama. It's so funny that they do this. Think you need to chill out. The better solution would be to say nothing & put him back in the cage & close the door. Walk away without even looking at him. If your considering a second bird you really have to start training this little guy. I so love these little guys they have so much attitude.

The little girl i have at the moment has a mind of her own. She is so cheeky. Oh & she always likes to give me a nip as well.

Redirecting attention usually works for me too. If she is determined to be on something that I dont want ruined then I usually have her step up off the object and play with her. I have a necklace on that she loves. She will grab the "charm" part and run laps around my neck for awhile. So, if she's driving me nuts then I'll just get her and show her my necklace. Maybe try something like that? Is there anything you can do that your bird loves? Try distractions. I'm good at distracting, not very good at "punishment". Usually her wrong doings are caused by me, which is the case with a lot of birds I think.

When they're out of control like that, the best thing is to clip the rest of the primary feathers so he can not fly! Let him learn his boundaries then let them grow back. Have you try to place shiny things around your neck, wrist, etc. So he'll be intrigued to come to you to get after those stuffs? When I used to wear bracelets, my birds loves to chew on them and they chew on my necklace too. Just be sure to wear something that is not easily destroyed. My Cockatoo chewed up my 24k necklace that my mom made for me, if she only knew my bird chewed it up she would kill me for it....lol....The only one bird that gets into stuffs is Java at this moment, it's because he runs the household in his previous home. IF I try to curb him for doing something he shouldn't be doing, he will nip at me, that's when I draw the line and put him away. He is not clipped but he doesn't try to fly away from me either. As he is testing how far he can go with me. I am not like his previous mom, I don't tolerate it. He knows he's in trouble the moment I walk away from him and ignore him for nipping. Then 30 min later, he's like a perfect little angel.

I was also going to suggest clipping. Maybe clipping more? You could start with clipping the already-clipped feathers shorter if you don't want to damage more feathers, and see how that works.

I got lucky because Puck's previous owner did a good job of training him to stay put. She said that she just would repetitively pick him up and put him back where he was supposed to be and tell him "No". I got him when he was 4, and he rarely tries to follow me into other rooms; he just calls to me.

Honestly I only have them out when I can give them 100% of my attention. Rowdy loves drama as well, and she literally wants to get into everything she sees. I can keep her on me or her play gym, but only if all my attention is on her. If I just let her fly around unsupervised I'm quite sure my whole house would be ruined in short order. Maybe hang some swings or boings from the ceiling as well for the birds. I'm about to buy some more myself.

Pete can't fly (yet), but that bugger can climb down off anything. He is not so destructive, but he will come to me. So again, when he is out, my attention goes 100% to him.

Merlin stays put, but I think with her blindness she is afraid not to. If she is on the floor though, she will follow me. She is actually happiest either in her cage where she has a ton of toys and safe boundaries, or cuddling with me. Just sitting on her play gym is probably boring for her because she will just sit there.