Socializing & Training

[Birdmom12]

These are great things to take into consideration. I am happy with the amount of warming up to me he has shown this weekend. When I walk by he comes to that part of the cage/stand to talk to me. Its usually gurgles and beeps, I've noticed he likes to bark at me though. I bark back to him and he gets excited and goofy.

he was on a swinging stand earlier and I slightly swung it so he knew what it could do. He marched right down to it eyeing it and saying HELLO! I think he enjoyed the play time.

 

[Flynhigh]

I would agree , there's been wonderful gains made and your doing great! . Keep the interactions many , and welcome him to you if your comfortable. He definitely seems to want the attention which is your cue . If he fly's to you , talk to him while he's with you , maybe a short stroll around the room before returning to the cage or stand. You don't want to send the message that he is only allowed on his cage or stand by returning him immediately . If he's flying to furniture or undesired locations other than you then is ok to tell him no ( calmly) and return him . You do want him to know your hand or shoulder is a source for love , protection and enrichment. When you hear him coming try to quickly maneuver your hand to get him landing there first so you can offer the shoulder if desired. This puts you in the drivers seat and not George. The first few times may be fails and he will shoulder anyway but once he's coming to you on a regular basis you can start working from the stand or cage and call him to you. Relax and have fun with it , he does not want to bite you and always keep in mind sometimes depending on the close your wearing can be a difficult landing pad , slippery or loose fitting and momentum takes them a little further than planned they will use the beak as a hand to grab hair or skin , or ear to stop or balance themselves . This is not a bite. It may feel like a pinch but ignore and move on. Keep up the great work !! I love to see the progress.

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[Birdmom12]

great moment happened today. George is out and we are cleaning. I was by him not paying attention and he flew to my shoulder...completely threw me off guard. I walked back to his play stand talked to him as we went and he got off and was rewarded. Later I was in the kitchen and in rolled my husband with George on his shoulder. George then flew to my shoulder and sat gurgling in my ear. He sat with me for a minute before flying to my husband in the dinning room. I followed and my husband said George go to her...George came to me got on my shoulder and was rewarded with a treat on my shoulder. My husband then asked George to step up and treated him and then George flew back to his play stand.

I can feel myself becoming much more comfortable with him. I'm realizing if I do something he doesn't care for he just fly's away. It was a bizarre feeling having him preen my hair though. Major tickles and I think he enjoyed making me laugh.

 

[Flynhigh]

Awesome job !! You got this .

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[Flynhigh]

The preening is also an awesome indicator, my conure loves to preen my hair ,I'm getting concerned I will have a bald spot soon. All wonderful news sounds like he's going to be a perfect fit!

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[Birdmom12]

Not that it matters but wondering out of curiosity. I originally thought George was a blue fronted Amazon. I'm seeing now there is MANY different types of amazons and many looking similar. Trying to figure it out but what do I know!

 

[Flynhigh]

I wish I could be more help , But I will say he is a Handsome lad . He looks very happy!!

 

[Birdmom12]

UPDATE: George is officially a member of the family and we took the leap to adopt.

George has gotten the hang of targeting down fairly well. When the stick comes out he is alert and runs right over to me to start. I'm to the point now if hes misbehaving (usually trying to destroy my curtains) I just pat my hand where I want him and say come here and he runs on down to the spot. (Him listening with out the stick now makes me very proud of the developing bond)

He still won't step up onto my hand but I am also not forcing him on the subject. I figure when hes ready he will lift that little foot up and I will know. I ask him daily but as of now he just stares at me or turns his back. He does fly to me daily for a chirp but only prefers the shoulder. When hes done visiting he either fly's back to his cage or over to my husbands shoulder for a visit. I have been letting the shoulder visits be longer each time. He chirps, I talk back, and if he behaves he gets a nut. (This far he has behaved and has not shown any real aggression or lashing out. He does occasionally hiss if spooked.)

Last night he was cage top trying to destroy my curtains again. (Not listening to the come here like normal) When he wasn't looking I gave the cage a little tap to throw him off balance. (I've read you should do this but not sure how true that is) That tiny shimmy was enough for him to get the picture. He instantly flew to my forearm and gave a grumble. He stayed there a quick few seconds then flew back to his cage top. I talked to him afterwards and he came down to me for a little visit as he observed the curtains once more wondering how that happened. Since then he is much more receptive of the come here and stop that.

My question now is... I have him following the target stick all over with ease. He also targets to his cage door and is rewarded with a nut in his bowl when its time to go back in for the night. He is also currently Target training on a dog carrier. I'm hoping to get him acclimated with it so vet visits are less stressful. So far I just throw a nut into the back and when he enters he gets a click and praise. Right now he is comfortable walking to the back of the cage for a nut. Next phase shutting the door and opening it.

What other forms of training could be done at this point? I think He is almost to the point of flying to my arm when asked. He showed serious interest in the idea the past few days but has not launched yet. I've tried the turn in a circle but my hand being above him is a bit intimidating still. We continue to work on the reaching up to target.

This weekend the family is building a perch stand for him and attempting our hand at making birdie bread.-Wish us amateurs luck!

Thoughts?/suggestions on next steps of training/bond building?

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Not that it matters but wondering out of curiosity. I originally thought George was a blue fronted Amazon. I'm seeing now there is MANY different types of amazons and many looking similar. Trying to figure it out but what do I know!

George is definitely A Blue Front (compare with Amy my avitar) And by the darkness of his eyes I'd say he is young also. Do you know his age? Handsome fella you have there


Jim

 

[Birdmom12]

Jim, I was told George is a 35 year old male. Of course this is information was given by the woman that cared for him after his owners death. We have no paperwork to back any of this up so his past is a complete mystery.

We are only parakeet and cockatiel parents prior to George so this was a BIG step up. I was afraid we took on to much and would fail. I was especially afraid we would fail after reading about Amazon Parrots. Finding out they aren't for beginners, are known for their jealous or aggressive behavior I was a bit worried! Thanks to the never ending advice here though its been smooth sailing. After only a few weeks in George is showing hes a curious, sweet, and relatively quiet boy. I was prepared for screams and the horrible calls that echo a room...but so far he keeps it to chirps and quiet talking.

If hes irritated he lets you know but not through biting(thank god). He backs away, gives you his back, or swoops down for a hiss. He mouthed me once when I asked him to step up and he was very gentle about it...but I knew he wanted space. LESSON LEARNED

I feel like I'm back in the dating game to be honest. I play hard to get every day, I act like I'm not interested and only show interest during target training. I've found this completely gets his attention and hes suddenly my best friend. He loves to come down and sit on his cage door at my level and give me curious eyes.

Hoping soon he will step up for me...until then he fly's to my shoulder and sweet talks me.

 

[Birdmom12]

Jim- As seen in another post you recommended an annual wellness exam for all birds. With that I started my search into finding a CAV. Everyone locally kept recommending this particular clinic. When I called they "weren't sure on certification" when I asked if they were a CAV. They do exam birds and do a wellness check up, trim nails, and if ABSOLUTELY NEEDED trim beaks...but "why would you ever need that done!" (keep in mind I was asking in the event it needs to be maintained)

I now continue my search with an actual CAV about 2.45 hours away. My question is, is the world lacking in CAV? Is it common to have to travel to see one!? What do you all do in the event of an emergency. After my talk with the local place I wasn't much impressed with them even as a back up option. They really seemed to question why I would do a nail trim. They ended it with they usually refer patients to a university clinic 2 hours away.

All the same the search continues for a reputable clinic.

 

[ChristaNL]

but
but
but


you HAVE experience!
(I quote: "We are only parakeet and cockatiel parents prior to George ")


so...you know what a bird is, wants, needs and understand a lot of bird-body-language already.
You do not have to learn a whole other language -> it's just a bird with a different accent.


You can obviously do that
and I think you are doing great!

 

[noodles123]

There are some "exotics" vets that pass in a pinch. The one you visited would not be one that I would trust.
A good exotics vet should be able to take blood safely, trim beak/nails, do a gram-stain, x-rays etc..
The problem is, many exotics places claim to be able to do these things and then do them wrong...
The biggest perks of a CAV will be A) knowledge of bird illness/conditions/sanitation and B) technique/capabilities.

I sometimes take Noodles to a vet who is a non CAV just because of the options locally (and due to the fact that they do a decent job, so long as I do my homework ahead of time).

I have had to insist that they test her for things that they didn't want to test her for and I turned out to be correct. They just asren't as in-tune with birds and their physiology...

 

[Shine]

I recently found out there are no CAV's in my state! Lucky for me there is a good exotic vet in my town.

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[Birdmom12]

Yes the first vet we called was gross. Left me with a horrible taste in my mouth so to speak. I next reached out to a clinic an hour away in another state. They were recommended by our current vet who we have been with since I was a child. (well over 30 years experience)

This new vet left me feeling much more hopeful. The said they do see birds. The first visit we do they will want to perform a basic blood test to establish a base for him. Next they pretty much demanded a pssitacosi test( no experience with this but I understand the importance), and they can safely do nails, beaks and wings(No thanks). They even offered to show me how to do nails on my own at home so I don't have to travel for that. They only see birds in the warmer months though unless its an emergency/must see situation. We live in the north so its nice to see them take that precaution.

So I am feeling much more hopeful now. I can't say I will be taking over nail trimmings but the offer was appreciated.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Jim- As seen in another post you recommended an annual wellness exam for all birds. With that I started my search into finding a CAV. Everyone locally kept recommending this particular clinic. When I called they "weren't sure on certification" when I asked if they were a CAV. They do exam birds and do a wellness check up, trim nails, and if ABSOLUTELY NEEDED trim beaks...but "why would you ever need that done!" (keep in mind I was asking in the event it needs to be maintained)

I now continue my search with an actual CAV about 2.45 hours away. My question is, is the world lacking in CAV? Is it common to have to travel to see one!? What do you all do in the event of an emergency. After my talk with the local place I wasn't much impressed with them even as a back up option. They really seemed to question why I would do a nail trim. They ended it with they usually refer patients to a university clinic 2 hours away.

All the same the search continues for a reputable clinic.

Well I guess I'm lucky then The Animal hospital I've been seeing for over thirty years has two CAV's. The name of the place even shows they specialize in avian companions. " Kensington BIRD and Animal Hospital" and the place is just twenty minutes from me. I also found a 24/7 hospital that has a CAV on call for emergencies that's also twenty minutes away.
I'm thankful for being as close as I am. Many years ago Smokey,my TAG,bit Amy's tongue that required five stitches!

Jim

 

[Birdmom12]

I think spring hormones have started at our household. First we thought the parakeet was perhaps dying. She's fairly old and her mate just died...nope she has once again found a toy suitable enough for egg laying. The cage is practically bare because of how often she egg lays...anything and everything will work for her.

George has also had a rough 3 days lately. He has minimal interest in target training, he seems very pegged, tense, and high strung. He's also gone into shredder mode. His toys, curtains, and blankets are not safe. Even removing them from his sight doesn't work...he finds them. Cleaning his cage today was a challenge. He came down to watch me then hissed and barked at me. I finally barked back at him and said beat it...he left me alone after that but still was angry. He's now aggressively attacking a dog kong on top of his cage.

At least he's working through some of his fruastrations. I'm opting to give him space while he's working through this. When he becomes to destructive its back to the cage he goes for a little quiet time.

On the bright side I did find a food he enjoys...cooked carrots with apple slices. He usually ends up wearing most of it which is comical.

 

[Plasticgoat2012]

"Social Learning Theory, theorized by Albert Bandura, posits that people learn from one another, via observation, imitation, and modeling."

Similarly, bird, especially zons have the aptitude to pick up tricks fast through observation.

The fastest way to train e zon to learn new stuff be it step up etc is to demonstrate the act through a tame bird that is able to perform e act. For example, get a bird to step-up multiple times and reward it. Do this in front of your zon that you are trying to teach.

This is a faster way of getting the zon to understand what you wnt it to do.

 

[Flynhigh]

Yup , its that time of year. Your doing great and he's responding well to his new life. The hormonal stuff can be a bump in the road but dont let it stop you from continued bonding , stay the course with target training and your relationship, the barking back is hilarious but important because his understanding of the bark is to send you away and you barking back say's no! Keep playing on the cues he gives you because as you can see its working! He's testing the waters so keep doing what your doing , he's on the same page but in his mind trying to find his place within the flock.

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[Jottlebot]

I've just discovered this and I very much enjoyed reading it!

I picked up a few of your questions...

Yes, the world seems short of CAVs! I live in the UK and am spoilt by 2 CAVs within 45 minutes drive.

The gentle bite you described, I think before he stepped onto you? Was it more like he was hooking you with his beak? In which case he may just have been steadying himself or testing the potential perch was secure before he trusted it with his weight.

As for more tricks, look up "capturing". You can do it when he's in his cage and it involves no input from you other than clicking and treating. The first thing I captured was a wave. I captured the 'twirl' as I call it rather than doing the way you describe where the bird basically follows your finger or a treat held above it's head.

I think him flying to you is fantastic, especially when he's unsure of something. It really seems you're developing a beautiful bond. I'm very happy he's staying with you.

Hormones make monsters or the sweetest birds. My Alexandrine went through really puberty last year. I just ignored him and let him do his thing, but he was such a grump!! I suggest you don't give him the opportunity to bite you when he's like this, maybe delay step up training for a while.

After hormone season though you could try getting him used to being on your skin by target training him over your hand, so he literally walks over you to get to the target. Just keep your hand still and don't try and lift him until he is totally comfortable.