Is it good to get excersize in you're bird?

Mrspy

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Jul 13, 2010
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Parrots
Green Cheeked Conure: Kiwi

Pacific Green Rumped Parrotlet: Peeps
Hey there, it sounds obvious and I know that I should get excersize in Kiwi(and Peeps)and lately what i've been doing is this. I take Kiwi in my hand and then thrust my hand upward and outward and make him fly off of my hand. Then he'll fly back onto my hand(i'm really happy that he comes back without even having to land)

I'm just wondering if this is bad for Kiwi, should I not thrust my hand outward to get him to fly? If not what kinds of things do you guys do to get your bird to excersize?

Thanks guys! :)
 

Spiritbird

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You have the idea. If they are clipped it is a good idea to teach them to wing flap in place on your hand or arm. I say to Rosie "Lets fly" and she starts flapping!! They sometimes will do this exercise themselves on a perch.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlCe52Y-jRU[/ame]
 
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Aussie Ben

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Buddy is trained to fly laps of the room and come back to me. In the beginning I had to give her a little boost like you are doing (although don't push over their comfort zone). Once they get the idea you can add in a queue and they will understand what you want them to do. I just wave my hand in a circle and off she goes. Also making it routine, say every morning or evening helps.

Eddie likes to fly lots, so i just leave him to do his own exercise while he is out.
 

Von1983

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Cal flies in place for a couple of minutes and then has a lap or 4 round the room. She divebombs us when we're busy doing stuff like....oooh I don't know....eating dinner? lol

I think it's good for her because of our circumstances but she's not one for continual flying. She seems to much prefer interacting with us and randomly, the rabbit lol.
 

antoinette

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Jul 6, 2009
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Sunny South Africa !!!
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African "Grey"
"Mishka"
Male
7 Years old
Thanks for sharing the video with us SB
Every morning just after waking up, Mishka and myself go to the bathroom, where I clean her night cage. After cleaning the bottom section, Mishka holds onto my finger, I then lift my hand higher and say flappies, and boy does she flap. Sometimes she carries on for about 2 minutes nonstop, LoL then I am tired.
Now at night she has started doing her flappies, JUST TO DELAY HER BEDIE BYES
 

Spiritbird

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I know Ant. it feels like you have a little helicopter flying and all the papers to all over the place. Lots of power in those wings.
 

antoinette

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Jul 6, 2009
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Sunny South Africa !!!
Parrots
African "Grey"
"Mishka"
Male
7 Years old
I know Ant. it feels like you have a little helicopter flying and all the papers to all over the place. Lots of power in those wings.

Spot on SB just like a little helicopter

I must try video her doing the "Birdiecopter" hehe there's a new word for our "Birdiebet" dictionary.
 
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Mrspy

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Jul 13, 2010
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Parrots
Green Cheeked Conure: Kiwi

Pacific Green Rumped Parrotlet: Peeps
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Kiwi's just like a helecopter when he flies. I love it!!!

I'll make him fly and he fly's so he's just right over me and he slowly let's him self go down down down down down until he's on my hand. :)
 

Vivica

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1 15 year old Golden Capped Conure Named Wrnts
how do i get my conure to do that behavior? That's what I wanna know. He flies from his cage to the door and back again when i show him the way. I don't know if he's trying to outsmart me, or just being ignorant. Can I associate this with clicker training? If so, how?
 

Quantumcat

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how do i get my conure to do that behavior?

Which behaviour are you talking about?

To get a bird to do flappies, jiggle your arm up and down a bit so the bird has to flap to stay balanced, say "Let's fly!" or whatever, and give a reward. At the beginning, don't jiggle for too long or else they might think you're trying to get rid of them rather than make them flap! Also wear nice grippy clothing, if you use your bare arm they might not be able to stay on with even a tiny jiggle and fly off.

To teach a bird to come, show him a treat and say your command/whistle when he takes off to come get it. Then you can start saying the command before he takes off, and also not showing him the reward till he gets to you.

Teach him to fly off too, when he looks like he's had enough being on you, "help" him a bit by flinging him off and say a command like "Fly!" or "Off you go!". Then go to where he landed and reward. If he isn't good at flying yet, aim him at a suitable landing place rather than have him have to find his own and probably crash.

If he starts coming or flying off without being asked, don't reward, and stop the training session immediately. The bird will feel in control and it won't be a horrible chore - he can just do it when it's fun and stop when it becomes work.

Teach him to come back to you by sending him off in a room with nothing appetising to land on. Use a different word. Reward him when he comes back, and stop the session when he doesn't come (he's sick of it).

Eventually you'll have a bird who comes, leaves when you ask, and who'll do a lap of the room and come back to you!

Of course everything can be done with a clicker, you just start off by clicking and giving a food reward lots of times, and training and clicking and giving a food reward when appropriate, then phasing out the food.
 

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