Casper doing 'Step Up' [Video]

[Sc0tt]

Hey Guys.

So I figured I would start video documenting when Casper does something new. We've been working the last two days on 'Step Up' with the clicker, and this is where he's at now. It's hard to tell if it's the training working or if he just feels more comfy on my hand then the floor but he's still following orders so it works for me I guess lol.

[ame=http://youtu.be/rM_IulxVyQ0]Casper, Red Throated Conure doing 'Step Up' - YouTube[/ame]

I also have a few questions that have come in the last couple days with him:

1. He has been regurgitating ever so often on me. He'll start by doing like a 'woodpecker' motion against my finger and then start to let out like a warm, clear liquid that has no smell. Is this sickness?

2. His biting has reared down a little bit, but he still will attack your fingers. It's very tempermental too, like he'll be on my hand fine for 20 minutes and then randomly shoot down and latch onto me somewhere even though nothings changed.

Thanks and I'll keep updating as we go along and learn more about each other.

 

[MonicaMc]

It's progress! And it's a start!

If he's actually regurgitating and not puking, you'll want to ignore the behavior and/or try to distract him with a different behavior. When I say to "ignore" him, I'm not saying to allow him to do it, but rather set him down and walk away for a few seconds.

The random biting when he's sitting on you.... could he be bored or any possible way something startled him?

 

[SweetPeasFriend]

Sweet Pea does that when he's bored. I have learned to let him have some toys that don't get him too excited when he is on me, otherwise I am the toy.

So far he hasn't bitten me out of excitement, but my old conure used to. I am leery about it, but either way, he's a conure. They need to entertain themselves pretty much constantly. This particular one is left-handed. I swear that adds something extra to his personality.

If he isn't nipping a little out of boredom, he shares his vocabulary with me. Unfortunately, that includes, "ouch!" One lucky thing so far is that, "ouch!" means pinch or tickle more than it means an all out bite. He will pester whoever he is on enough so that they flinch, then he proudly exclaims, "OUCH!" My fault. I have a high voice. lol

I like how you are training from the floor. I haven't met a conure who didn't step up from the floor. He actually told me from the inside of his cage the other day that, "I don't want to step up, Cheryl."

My old conure would try and punish any of us if we didn't do what she wanted. For example, sitting in the wrong area of the living room, talking on the phone, making eye contact with the wrong person. She wanted to be in control of the flock at all times, and for 30 years, she never gave up. She had to be convinced to do anything. She would bite very hard too if she felt that was necessary to get her way. Not everyone liked Pedro, but pretty much, our routine was what she wanted, so mostly she was a cutey pie. Maybe he's trying to tell you to do something that he wants. I'd bet it's boredom though, or testing his boundaries like a child will do.