Any suggestions for Rosetta?

[Betrisher]

> Well...when she bites, did you ever try leaving her alone --walking out of the room? She clearly is motivated to be around you guys...
If she is biting, leave and ignore her (everyone). Then try again and do the same thing every time.

That's not really possible because our house is open-plan. (It's a pain because I have to shovel all the other animals outside while Rosetta's out of her cage).

> My arm frequently looks like that from my U2's claws....

Yep! Parrot owners will suffer a lot for their birds, it's true.


> Structure/routine will be helpful. Using the same language in various situations can also be helpful. What do you do when she flies at you (immediately before the flight and immediately after)?

Well, I'm always ready for it, so I just present my arm so she lands on that instead of plucking out my eyeballs. The rest of the family (hubby and two adult kids) aren't that quick. They usually shrink back, waving their hands in front of their faces in the way you'd expect. Afterward, we just press on with 'step up' or 'fly' or whatever we happen to be doing. I don't believe in punishing because I've never seen it work with a bird. I'm the main human and will be the one training Rosetta.

> I say this a lot, but I am a big believer in ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis). Some of this is likely do to age and the fact that this bird is new in your home. Some of this is just how cockatoos are. My U2 will put up her crest, flap with her wings out to the the sides while make a slight hissing sound when really excited----I know that many people will say this is aggression, but in the midst of these crazy moments, I can still pet her without getting bitten. You need to get to know your bird---cockatoos can be VERY emotive and intimidating. Some may be legitimate posturing etc, but she could also just be having fun. Yes, they can get too excited and then bite from apparent over stimulation, but only time will tell.

Yes! I agree with you entirely and am (trying to) do the same thing. Rosetta likes to grab hold of my jeans at the knee and flap madly with her hat raised and screeching to wake the dead. She's just exercising, so I don't stop her from doing it. I don't encourage it either, though, because it's one of the things that incites her to go bonkers. Once I've lost her attention, there's no getting it back until after a time out.

Rosetta doesn't really bite, not like our Dominic used to. She just uses her bill and claws to hang on and needs (desperately) bite-pressure training. She's bitten a few times out of excessive excitement, but I think we can contain that. There's so much for her to learn and I'm a bit daunted, but all I can do is start somewhere and press on, right?

> I would not let her go wherever she wants. You might try station training, because she is just flying all over and I am sure it is chaos because people generally react in an unfavorable way when a cockatoo flies at them...That doesn't mean the cockatoo isn't having a ball!

> If she bites, I would calmly try not to react and take her back to her cage or a time-out spot (You may choose to say something like "no bite" but ONLY if you can say it like a deadpan-robot). Then, walk away and don't talk or look at her (everyone in the room). You may initially need to block off the rest of the house so that you can train her in a smaller/bird safe room. Everyone needs to react in the same way, and I am also only writing this because I am fairly sure that at least some of this is attention-seeking behavior. For a fear-biting bird, I would NOT use the same approach.

She absolutely will not be taken or put anywhere. She just flies to where she wants to be. Even taking her back to the cage is becoming a problem because she knows (as they all do) that playtime is over. Yesterday evening, she found she can undo the clasp on her cage and cheerfully let herself out (frightened the innards out of the poor cat, whom she landed on unexpectedly!) It took about twenty minutes to quieten her down and get back in the cage again.

> Have you charted her behavior? I would use an ABC chart (antecedent, behavior, consequence--consequence is just whatever happens immediately after --whether good or bad---(laughed, cried, yelled, gave a cookie, walked away, showed a toy, ran a bell, Bob walked in and removed the bird, etc etc). This is a component of ABA. I can post an email I sent to my aunt who was having trouble with their bird if you think you are interested.

No, I haven't, but that's a very good idea and I will certainly start doing it. I would love to read the email you sent to your aunt. All help is most gratefully accepted!


> The more details you can give about the ABC stuff, the more I can try to help you with that end of things..again, if you want. It doesn't work overnight, but with consistency it does work.

Yes, that's so true. Consistency over time is the key. I feel much more positive today. I don't want to let this bird down and will try everything I can to help her become a great companion. Thank you for your time and effort in helping me. X

 

[Betrisher]

I plan to do my utmost to avoid clipping Rosetta because I have never ever been in favour of mutilating a bird to get what I want. It may become necessary, but things will have to have reached an awful place before it happens.

I also don't like covering in the daytime as it mucks up their day-length perception. The time-out method is what I usually use, but it's a bit hard atm since Madam just flies madly all over everywhere.

And boxes? Dommie the galah *loved* hiding in boxes and playing peek-a-boo, but he was a boy. We have a lovebird who is almost mentally unstable as a result of her hormones and she's just not able to have anything that resembles or could be construed as a nest in her vicinity. LOL! There is nothing quite so dismaying as a tiny lovebird zooming across the room toward you like a tiny yellow FA-18 to hunt you away from her cage! I don't want a cockatoo who does that! Whew!

As 'luck' would have it, Rosetta screams as well, but we're used to the Beaks' noise and just ignore it. She's welcome to scream if it makes her feel better. (NB. She's actually improving with that and has only screamed lately when the wild flocks pass over and set her off).

So much work to do! :22_yikes:

 

[noodles123]

Email:
I just remembered that I wrote a LONG summary of ABA . I am sure there are typos, but it contains the basics of ABA and ABC charting. Make sure you read the part about "extinction bursts" as well. GOOD LUCK!


Basically, ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) is changing the environment to change behavior.

These environmental changes (including our reactions) can increase or decrease any behaviors (good or bad).

Theoretically, every behavior serves at least 1 of 4 functions (some behaviors are dual function but that gets tricky):

1. Escape (to get out of something or avoid a non-preferred situation (If a bird bites to make people go away, or if the bird bites to get out of an environment)

2. Tangibles (to get a physical object etc- if a bird throws a fit when you eat donuts and the bird loves donuts, then it can be assumed that the bird is doing this to get the doughnut, especially if hasn't been deprived from food and if it doesn't throw a fit when it already has a doughnut)

3. Sensory (to meet a sensory need, such as, decreasing anxiety via feather plucking, or burning off energy by flapping)

4. Attention (to get attention from people in general or certain people---Remember-- some birds and kids will take ANY attention). It is important to remember, even if you think that you are punishing them by yelling, you could actually be reinforcing the behavior via attention..behaviors such as screaming, biting, dancing etc could all fall here DEPENDING ON WHAT HAPPENS NEXT (REACTIONS). Similarly, when you respond to desired behaviors (like stepping up) with attention and those increase, then you are using the birds desire for attention to your advantage and that is the ultimate goal.

Unless you chart out what happens before and after a behavior, it can be difficult to differentiate what is actually going on. Sometimes, escape behaviors may come off as attention seeking behaviors etc. That is why you have to find patterns and think very objectively about your own role in the behavior (good or bad).
Start by keeping a log (ABC LOG)


This will show you trends in behavior. You can even set up a laptop or phone to videotape events when aggression is anticipated and then go back and chart it. It is very hard to track in real-time (esp. when it is just you and the bird)

Antecedent= what happened right before an event (e.g., walked into the room with Bob and fed the bird. Bob extended his hand to remove a dish).
Behavior= describe exactly what the bird did without emotion (e.g., eyes pinned, lunged at Bob's forefinger)
Consequence= What happened right after the behavior- it is important to note that this isn't the same as a "punishment" (although it could be)---it is merely the reactions/results that follow. (e.g., Bob removed his forefinger OR Bob ran away OR Bob yelled OR Bob presented the bird with a treat to get it back into its cage OR Bob sang a song)


You will also want to keep track of the time of day and make notes about any "setting events" (these are special circumstances that may impact behavior, such as, having just returned from a long trip, or a lack of sleep the night before)

Once you have observed and have started to see trends, try to isolate the function of the behavior by looking at the consequence column of your ABC chart.
After you think you know which of the 4 function is motivating your bird, you can deliberately put the bird in a situation to test your hypothesis---but is sort of tricky and more advanced, so you can probably skip the "testing" portion as long as you are certain that you have figured out the function of the behavior.



People and birds only do things that are reinforcing to them and they tend to gravitate towards the path of least resistance. Once you know the function of the behavior, you also know what is reinforcing to your bird. You can use this to provide the same type/category of reinforcement to your bird in a more appropriate setting/behavior and/or you can manipulate the environment to avoid any triggers for certain behaviors. That having been said, there will likely be some resistance, as the old behavior has worked for them up until this point.

Reinforcers MUST match the 4 functions (attention, escape, tangible and sensory).
You can tell you have isolated the reinforcer when the presentation or removal of that reinforcer INCREASES a specific behavior (depending on the behavior).

EXAMPLES:

A. Bob has a fit at the grocery store and mom yells at Bobby. Bob continues to cry and fits increase over time. The reinforcer (yelling-although undesirable in his mom's eyes) is the attention he seeks and it is the motivating factor behind the undesired behavior. How do we know? It caused the behavior to increase.

B. On the flip side, same situation (store and Bobby)- Bobby throws a fit and mom takes him to the car. Fits increase. This is an example of escape motivated behavior. He doesn't want to be at the store and when he yells he gets out of an uncomfortable situation. Again, mom might think of going to the car as a bad thing, but if it increases the behavior, then it is escape motivated and reinforcing to Bob.

C. Alternately, Bob has a fit and demands a toy. He keeps screaming until mom eventually gives in and buys him the toy (tangible). Now Bob demands toys every time they visit the store.


D. Finally, Bob touches everything as he and his mother walk down the aisles (despite her insistence that he stop). He does this even when she ignores the behavior. Barring attention---assuming this is NOT a dual function situation, then sensory would probably be the best bet.


Some bird-related examples:

A. if the bird doesn't exhibit the undesirable behavior when it is getting 1-on-1 attention from a special someone, then the goal/function is attention (regardless of the type of attention). If the behavior starts when attention is withdrawn (either in general, or from a special person) then again, attention is the reinforcer.

B: If the bird only exhibits the undesirable behavior when favorite toys/objects are around (and it will actively work to get those objects), then the bird's behavior is motivated and reinforced by tangible items. For instance, if a bird cusses and gets a cookie, you may observe that the bird starts cussing like crazy because its behavior was successfully reinforced by the cookie (hence the increase in behavior).

and so on

note: When testing to see if you have isolated the correct reinforcer, it is important to be as neutral as possible when presenting tangible items to make sure that it is actually the item and not just your attention that is motivating the bird.

For every non-desirable means of obtaining the 4 functions above, there are socially acceptable alternatives that meet the same innate needs/functions.

If a bird seeks attention, your reward for that bird MUST BE attention (not food, not a toy, but attention from the source it craves)---You may have to actively ignore attention-seeking behaviors that are bad and pay special attention/pour on the praise when good. You want to strengthen the good by providing reinforcement and weaken the bad by avoiding reinforcement.

ALL TYPES OF REINFORCEMENT MUST INCREASE A BEHAVIOR!!!

2 TYPES:

Positive reinforcement- The presentation of a stimulus that reinforces a behavior (+ attention, +tangibles, +sensory, +escape)
Negative reinforcement- The removal of an aversive stimulus that STRENGTHENS a behavior. THIS IS NOT PUNISHMENT-- Negative refers to the removal of something undesired in order to increase behavior.

Exp (negative reinforcememt): If you eat 1 more bite or your pizza, you don't have to eat your spinach (meets function of escape by removing (-) the spinach); OR If you get a 90% or higher on your math quiz you don't have to do homework for the rest of the week (meets function of escape by removing the homework) OR when you stop crying you can come inside where it is warm (lol--I don't do this....just popped into my head).
Once you know what need the bird/kid is trying to meet, you have to teach them how to meet that need in a more acceptable way, or provide structured times for them to meet that need without causing trouble.

For instance- a bird that screams for attention probably also talks at times or makes quieter noises, maybe it could even be taught to ring a bell instead of screaming. Whatever your preferred alternative to the screaming, your reward will be attention (if it does what you like + attention, if it screams -attention). When the bird screams, attention is withdrawn but when the bird says, "hello baby" you come in a pour on the praise.


During acquisition (early on), reinforcement must immediately follow the desired behavior. This strengthens the likelihood that the bird will begin using alternatives to screaming once he realizes screaming isn't going to work because ultimately his goal is attention and he doesn't care how he gets it.


After you know the function and have replacement behaviors + reinforcers isolated, then you can start teaching. The way you teach will depend on the type of behavior.

- When teaching a human or animal a new way to meet their needs, you will also experience what is referred to as an "extinction burst".

 

[noodles123]

CONTINUED EMAIL:

IMPORTANT- When teaching a human or animal a new way to meet their needs, you will also experience what is referred to as an "extinction burst". This is basically a last resort attempt by the individual to get their needs met using their old/inappropriate behavior.



Consequently, when implementing a behavioral intervention, behaviors will often appear to get WORSE before they get better. This doesn't mean that what you are doing isn't working, it just means that the person/bird in question wants to be certain that the old/convenient way doesn't work...DO NOT give in or inadvertently provide reinforcment during the extinction burst. If you do, you will have proven to the individual that in the future, they just need to perform the undesirable behavior long enough or at a high enough intensity and you will give in. In other words, you become a reinforcement slot machine and that is NOT good when dealing with problematic behavior.

When teaching a new/ complex behavior (of chain of behaviors)--e.g., "stepping up", I would use forward or backward chaining to teach a set of steps.

Examples of these types of chains of behaviors in humans= buying a soda from a machine, ordering food at a restaurant, making a bed, greeting a peer appropriately, brushing teeth, responding to a compliment, requesting help from a teacher appropriately etc.)

With regard to chains of behaviors in birds, forward chaining is likely the way to go, but before you can teach the steps, you need to isolate the motivation for the behavior. In order to TEACH the new behavior, you need to know how to properly meet the function of the old/bad behavior and that function will need to be used as a reward of some sort during the forward chaining teaching process.


ALWAYS start analysis of behavior before the behavior even begins- figure out the antecedents/triggers.


Again, "setting events" are things that can make a certain behavior more likely and those would be things like , "didn't get enough sleep", "had a cold", "returned from vacation"---so there are environmental (cage position, unfamiliar objects, height in relation to eye-level) and setting events to consider, then the actual things that happen right before (antecedents) and after (consequences/results/effects) the behavior.


There are different schedules of reinforcement that can be used over time, and these depend on the bird's mastery of the desired skill/new behavior. 1-to1 reinforcement is best when a bird is first learning a skill (every time they do what you want, they get the reward). Over time, you can thin out reinforcement via different schedules, such as "variable interval reinforcement" etc. Here is a link to the different types of reinforcement schedules:
https://psychology.uiowa.edu/comparative-cognition-laboratory/glossary/schedules-reinforcement [FONT=&quot] Schedules of Reinforcement | Comparative Cognition ...[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] psychology.uiowa.edu[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Schedules of reinforcement are the precise rules that are used to present (or to remove) reinforcers (or punishers) following a specified operant behavior. These rules are defined in terms of the time and/or the number of responses required in order to present (or to remove) a reinforcer (or a punisher).[/FONT]

Here are some more links on ABA:


Applied Behavioral Strategies - Basics of Applied Behavior Analysis
https://my.vanderbilt.edu/specialedu...Management.pdf [FONT=&quot] Overview of the Basic Principles of Applied Behavior Analysis[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] my.vanderbilt.edu[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Posive Reinforcement Essenal to improving behavior Posive Reinforcement is the “Conngent presentaon of a smulus, following a response, that increases the probability or rate of the response.” (Alberto & Troutman, 2009 p. 217)[/FONT]


https://www.gvsu.edu/cms4/asset/64CB...E/chaining.pdf
[FONT=&quot] CHAINING - Grand Valley State University[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] www.gvsu.edu[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] TARGET: TEXAS GUIDE FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING CHAINING faucet. With backward chaining, Tommy learned to brush his teeth by working on the last step[/FONT]

 

[noodles123]

OH AND....[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieu4mk68zLc"]What to Do If a Bird Bites You | Pet Bird - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Scott]

A bit more focus on food, Trish. About 15 years ago my supplier of pellets and seed strongly suggested a diet that included sunflower seeds. She stated the "striped" suns had a bad rap and are superior to a safflower-based mix. Like a dummy, I tried a bag and soon found a few of my goffins were more aggressive. Gabby, the most bonded to me became a tyrant and distinctly changed personality in heartbreaking manner. I ditched the sunflower and within a week or two they all moderated and returned to their loving dispositions.

My account is strictly anecdotal, but with a good sampling of birds. The changes were mostly individual, leading me to wonder if Rosetta may be, among other things, unusually sensitive to diet?

 

[sunshine.within]

I came across this video on diet conversion...

[ame="https://youtu.be/74xJzNimugU"]Pellet Conversion for Birds - YouTube[/ame]

Personal anecdote - I have been putting Harrison’s pellets in Bianca’s breakfast oatmeal for three weeks now and she finally ate four nuggets two days ago! I was so happy!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Betrisher]

Thank you SO much for this excellent material. I'll certainly be putting a lot of your suggestions into practice with Rosetta. One day at a time.

 

[noodles123]

I was just playing with my U2 and I thought of some things that I now do that I didn't always do----

Mine wants to step onto my wrist/arm and when I first started trying to pick her up, I was extending 2-3 fingers with an outstretched arm. She wouldn't step onto my fingers based on past preferences (I assume) AND fingers are easier to bite. It just depends on what your bird is used to. I adopted mine as an adult, and now, I know that she prefers to step onto my arms/wrist...She will stand on my fingers too, but it is a less stable position for her, so she rarely steps directly from cage to fingers.

She also sometimes prefers to step backwards (or even sideways) if on a higher point. So, if she is on my left shoulder, I reach with my right hand across my body so that my wrist is touching the back of her feet (with my hand almost touching my right shoulder blade )--This is assuming she is facing the opposite direction from me--- she will step back onto my arm/wrist with much greater ease this way.

I currently wouldn't suggest allowing yours in any higher positions (including your shoulder), just because it will be harder to get her down and there are some opinions about height increasing parrot behavior. Although I'm not a big believer in dominance, I will say that my bird is sometimes less cooperative when I am lower than her...It just depends on what I am wanting her to do. I am certainly less threatening when she is above me because she knows I am at a disadvantage lol---she knows she can get away easily if I am trying to force her to do something she doesn't want to do lol. At the same time, she doesn't become rude just because she is higher up...It is more of a logistics problem than anything.

ANOTHER HINT: If during this time your bird does somehow get on your shoulder and you can't get her down (say she sneaks up there and then hides/holds on)--walking up against a wall or corner can prevent further shenanigans sometimes (or even sitting on a backed chair and blocking your back with it)---don't squish the bird, but make it so she can't maneuver as well so close to the wall (while reaching up your arm). Then try getting her down. Make sure your face is turned away in the event that this should occur.
**IF YOU CAN GET HER TO STEP ONTO YOUR ARM INSTEAD OF FINGERS, TRY REACHING WITH A FIST (FINGERS TUCKED)**. If you are having to struggle to get her down, she will be more inclined to bite and a fist has more surface area than a finger).

ALSO-Mine listens to step-up commands 85% of the time....BUT, if I tell her (a very attention-loving bird btw) to step up and she doesn't, I have developed a plan that works for me:

I used to stand there and say it over and over. again That didn't work and she actually liked it/thought it was a game/power struggle/attention-fest.

Now I say it 1-2 times in a firm but neutral voice and extend my arm. If she doesn't do it within 5 seconds or so, I become silent and turn away from her completely and drop my arm (turning my face away if she is on my shoulder). During this time (about 10 seconds) if she talks, I ignore her 100% ( standing there silently w/ head turned away, completely still and boring as possible). Then, I return my arm to step-up position and say it again (boring, firm but neutral tone)-90% of the time she will step up after a mini-time-out from attention. IF she is still resisting, I do the same thing again (sometimes with my back against a wall). Once she does step up, I immediately turn back to face her and I get really animated--"Good listening" or "get job" (even if she was a brat, you want to praise when the desired behavior occurs). She can't stand being cut off from attention if I am right there---she wants me to interact with her and look at her--so that kind of planned ignoring made her realize that she had to step up to get back my attention (saying it over and over/trying to coax is still attention for an attention-seeker).

Another trick that worked for me---When mine used to resist coming off of the top of her cage (because she didn't want to go somewhere, like the vet or inside of the cage), I found that encircling her with my arms (kind of like a gradually shrinking hoop) also caused her to step onto my arm...sometimes biting once to see if I would give up and then stepping anyway. This was only after she was comfortable with btw, but I still use this if going to the vet etc... lol....

 

[Betrisher]

noodles123, your mind works pretty much the same way mine does: inventive and sneaky! Thanks for the tips - these are the sort of invaluable lessons we can share here. I particularly love the 'arms encircling' one! That's brilliant!

I, also, don't believe in height dominance, but I do know that just as water finds its own level, a bird will find the highest perch and park on it. Can be inconvenient sometimes. I learned the old 'squeeze your hand into a fist' trick long ago with the Beaks. I never offer fingers, only the fist and/or wrist. There's nothing quite like a large parrot affixing itself to the tender insides of your fingers with needle-claws, is there?

You've given me so much to work with: thanks again!