My parrot is being difficult!

[Mybestfriendisaparrot]

My new Timneh is very curious and cage protective. He always was even at the bird shop he was very cage protective. He is very aggresive when trying to get him out also i will leave all the doors to his cage open all day and he wont come out. When hes on his playtop he is better but still protective and territorial. He will let use pet behind his neck. He will put his head down and puff up his feathers when he wants a good scratch. But finally when he flies off his cage and lands safley on the floor. I can finally step in and play with him. He steps right up off the floor and is the sweetest snuggle bug when hes far away from his cage. at least 2 feet away. He will just sleep and snuggle in my neck and run around on the couch while whistling for mommy when she goes around the coner( im mommy lol). Then after a long play time session which is normally 4-7 hours or if i have nothing planned, all day. Once its time to go beddy bye or to go eat dinner He just gets fussy again. I have to motivate him to step up on a trainging perch so I can get him to step up on my hand. Then once hes away he gets a small reward and once hes out and lets me scratch behind his neck he gets rewards for all the good deeds. But what else can I do to help this beharivor???


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Owner/Mother of Boo-Green cheeked conure and
Charlie/Magic(new and havent decided on a name)- Timneh African Grey

 

[MaraWentz]

Clicker training and target training all I can say Good luck and be patient

 

[Pookamama]

This is a good overview of clicker training!
https://zoologica.wordpress.com/2008/12/14/clicker-training-parrots/

 

[MikeyTN]

Clicker training or doing what your already doing with a training perch. I still use it with two of my birds cause that's what one of them prefer it and the other one I still don't trust with my hands so much....

 

[Mybestfriendisaparrot]

Thanks! Im gonna go purchase a clicker haha. I dont have one. Where did you get yours?

 

[Davinchi]

Thanks! Im gonna go purchase a clicker haha. I dont have one. Where did you get yours?

Any pet store should have one. Its the same ones you use to clicker train a dog.

 

[MaraWentz]

You can also click with your mouth, it's just a sound they recognize as them doing something good, and usually comes right before a tasty treat or god head scratch I prefer my mouth to make a noise because it frees my hand and I cant forget it at home

 

[Pookamama]

Even my small-town feed store had clickers! So go to a good pet supply place and you'll probably be fine-call ahead if it's a long trip!

 

[Mybestfriendisaparrot]

OKay im gonna stop by at my local pet store thats literally 3 minutes away tomoroww because they close early on weekends. Ill start clicker trraining monday, Does this really help improve you birds behavior? Its sounds too good to be true haha!

 

[Pookamama]

It has lots of benefits, but I've heard it especially for teaching birds to be comfortable, to accept hands, to know that is good and rewarded behaviour, for bonding, for fun, and for teaching all sorts of things! Pepper loves it, she didn't even have socialization issues but WE are new to her. So it's helping her bond with both me and hubby. She learned how to make the clicker noise after a couple session. I'm using it to help her get used to new perches and explore her cage a bit more. I'm going to use it to help the kids bond with her as well. We plan on using it to introduce the harness because she's never used one. We're also going to teach her some words and actions on cue eventually.

 

[friedsoup]

If you can afford it a second cage can help with cage aggression. Keep his one cage in the same place and move the other cage around the house so he never knows where it will be and let him spend some time in the new cage and look forward to you coming back and letting him out. Soon he knows that coming out of a cage is a good thing.