What tricks does your bird know?

KawaiiTori

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Aug 3, 2019
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Tori - Pineapple Green Cheek Conure
So Tori is REALLY good at targeting and stepping up. Weā€™re slowly working on lifting wings and sticking her tounge out (I thought it was super cute). Iā€™m trying to make sure that I consistently work on training so Iā€™m looking for inspiration...what tricks does does everyoneā€™s birds know and how did you go about training them?
 

GaleriaGila

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The Rickeybird, 38-year-old Patagonian Conure
Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
He signs a few adorable J-lo riffs. He does some cute stuff with foot-toys. He gives 100-decibel "kisses".
But of course, mostly...
We have screaming, dive-bombing, biting, food-snatching, toy-destroying, plant-uprooting, pooping-in-water, food-throwing...

Now if it's scholarly tricks ya want, it's Professor Wrench13 and his star pupil Salty that you're looking for!
 

Gemster

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Valentine-budgie (M),
Daphne-budgie (F)
Rip-Sky
Rip-Bell
Gemma knows how to wave, spin, hang upside down and roll over for now however we have been working on more. I know this is not a trick although I have been training her to be calm while I clip her nails or examine her wings. Even though I haven't yet gone to the point of actually clipping her nails we are in the process of getting there calmly. And of course she can target and knows what the clicker means. I don't know if this is counted as a trick but she can fly to me on cue, from a far distance or when I am not in view.
Valentine knows how to spin, wave and loop around a perch. Sky knows how to loop around a perch and is in the process of learning wave. Both know target training.
I will never miss out trick training with birds because it is so important to 'create' your own language so that you can communicate through training.
Spin was taught through target training and so was looping. Wave through step up and hanging upside down from natural behaviour.
 
Last edited:

wrench13

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Hi there. If you birdy already knows that you want him to perform some act, whether its step up, or targeting, you are well on the way. Most parrots once they understand that you want to teach them something are willing students, IF you give them the correct cues and rewards. Shake hands is a good start, giving high five too. Easy to teach those. Table tricks - a good starter is to turn circles, which you start by having them follow your hand holding the treat, leading them in a circle. Start with 1 and progress from there. Honestly, our Salty learned most tricks in 1 or 2 tries, becasue he knows we are trying to show him something new; he is like a sponge. The local baby toy store is a good place to get props forr tricks cheaply and have good ideas ( and the tys are non-toxic).

If you'd like to see what is possible, check out our youtube videos, link below.

Be consistent in training, very important. and patient. Good luck!
 

wrench13

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Oh yeah like Gemster said, do your training session every night, without fail, at a set time.P ut aside 15-20 minutes for it
 

Valyndris

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Apr 24, 2019
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Jacob the blue and gold macaw
Jacob my blue and gold macaw is almost 16 years old and knows many tricks, he says "hello" on command, does shake a paw, gimme four (yes four not five as he has four toes), gives hugs and kisses, can shake his head, I just call that one shake, he does show me your wings, and best of all plays dead. He also says bye when I wave a certain way (close and open my fingers). Waving my hand is how to get him to say "hi" (different than hello trick). I can play "got your beak" and "goes your toes" but I don't really consider those as tricks.

Here is got your beak and kisses:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4jFaOdsj58"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4jFaOdsj58[/ame]

Here he is doing shake a paw, gimme four and show me your wings:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnyvFW1f6wg"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnyvFW1f6wg[/ame]

Also, currently trying to teach him to wear a hat:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uVe4tAXmLw"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uVe4tAXmLw[/ame]

I tried the ball and cups trick with his plastic boats and nuts but he doesn't pay attention enough for it:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVC1iL_8gWw"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVC1iL_8gWw[/ame]

Him cheating, it's all good though because he doesn't know there's rules involved:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5dq3os5GFw"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5dq3os5GFw[/ame]

And the best for last, him playing dead (6 second video):
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3HOU66AFc4"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3HOU66AFc4[/ame]
 

chris-md

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Feb 6, 2010
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Parker - male Eclectus

Aphrodite - red throated conure (RIP)
Parker can wave, turn in a circle, and come on command :)
 

Inger

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Bumble - Pacific (or Celestial) Parrotlet hatched 02/19/17
Bumble can spin, flip around a perch, hang upside down, shake hands, ā€œhopā€ from perch to perch, do something I call Batbird which is more like an upside down roll over from one finger to the other, and walk through a hoop. She also targets and steps up which is how I taught most of the other stuff. And in a bizarre twist, she makes up games and trains me to play them. She flies from her boing to me, I take her back to the boing, repeat. She sits on my shoulder while I wash her dishes and every time I move my head in her direction she makes a random noise. When I put her breakfast in her cage, she tries to attack my hand (not cage aggression-she only does it when Iā€™m putting breakfast in). I feel like there are more but I canā€™t think of them right now. She amazes me with her inventiveness and her intelligence.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
OP
KawaiiTori

KawaiiTori

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Aug 3, 2019
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Tori - Pineapple Green Cheek Conure
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  • Thread starter
  • #10
Jacob my blue and gold macaw is almost 16 years old and knows many tricks, he says "hello" on command, does shake a paw, gimme four (yes four not five as he has four toes), gives hugs and kisses, can shake his head, I just call that one shake, he does show me your wings, and best of all plays dead. He also says bye when I wave a certain way (close and open my fingers). Waving my hand is how to get him to say "hi" (different than hello trick). I can play "got your beak" and "goes your toes" but I don't really consider those as tricks.

Here is got your beak and kisses:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4jFaOdsj58

Here he is doing shake a paw, gimme four and show me your wings:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnyvFW1f6wg

Also, currently trying to teach him to wear a hat:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uVe4tAXmLw

I tried the ball and cups trick with his plastic boats and nuts but he doesn't pay attention enough for it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVC1iL_8gWw

Him cheating, it's all good though because he doesn't know there's rules involved:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5dq3os5GFw

And the best for last, him playing dead (6 second video):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3HOU66AFc4

Such amazing videos!

Thanks everyone for some great ideas...keep ā€˜em coming! Iā€™m trying to make a list of stuff to try...Iā€™m even considering making a mini agility course. It shouldnā€™t be too hard to train her to do agility since she is so good at targeting :)
 

Jottlebot

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Aug 29, 2012
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Shropshire, UK
Parrots
Orange-winged Amazon - RIP Charlie,
Spock - Common Mynah,
McCoy - Alexandrine
Ok, proud parrot owner mode activated.... McCoy can spin, wave, lift his wings up a little bit, he will hop onto my hand, he bows, fluffs up his feathers and shakes his head - we call it the "shimmy shimmy", says "hello", "good boy", "what you doing?", "what you want?" and a couple of other things that I can't quite make out, but might be "who are you!?", he's started to say "oi!"! He picked all the talking up on his own, but will repeat them when asked to now. His recall (only inside) is ok, but I have to ask him when he wants to come to me, so it's very much on his own terms. We're working on sticking his tongue out. We've only just started step up training, because he's not keen and I'm a bit of a coward!
 

noodles123

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Jul 11, 2018
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472
Parrots
Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
Hmm..well, mine will step up, flap her wings when I say "get the flappers going", do "upside-down bird" and hang off my fingers, peck at things when nearby objects are knocked, dance to songs, and then talk a lot...Recently, my dad taught her "what the f*ck" (despite everyone's opposition). That having been said, she uses it correctly in context....Thank God cockatoos generally have speech impediments compared to birds like greys haha!
 
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KawaiiTori

KawaiiTori

New member
Aug 3, 2019
171
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7
Poulsbo, Washington, USA
Parrots
Tori - Pineapple Green Cheek Conure
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  • Thread starter
  • #13
Check out these great props I found at PetSmart today...they are made for hamsters but who cares! They also had a couch and a bed...
kawaiitori-albums-tori-picture21736-toys-props.jpeg
 

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