Ladyhawk
New member
- Apr 30, 2017
- 489
- 18
- Parrots
- Kizzy - (most likely) female blue-fronted Amazon, hatched on May 1, 2017; Gabby - Male double yellowheaded Amazon, hatched, April 1, 1986; died February 22, 2017
Hi, everyone!
I haven't been around much, but I'm still doing my best with the Kizzy-bird. Every day she does something that brings a smile to my face. Young Amazons are so endearing. Without the mess and the nipping and the enormous amounts of attention, parrots would be the world's best pets, bar none. Due to their special needs, however, I consider them to be adopted family members rather than pets. One thing I'm discovering is you can have nice things or a young, flighted Amazon, but you can't have both.
There are a few items she simply can't resist. We're working on that.
One reason I haven't been around is I'm failing at some aspects of Kizzy's training and it's making me feel guilty. I'm doing OK at other things, but I tend to focus on what's not going right because Kizzy's well-being is so very important during her formative months. More than anything, I want her to be a well-trained, happy parrot. I would have consulted the forum again, but I've already done that and tried to implement your ideas. Unfortunately, I'm still having trouble. It's something specific to Kizzy and me, something I don't realize I'm doing / not doing, so it's probably something I have to figure out on my own.
I've laid off harness training for a few weeks because 1) I needed to get one Aviator Harness fixed and trade in another for a different size. When the harnesses arrive, I'll have a medium pink and a medium green. I thought she might regard green with less suspicion. Who knows? 2) What I'm doing isn't working and is adversely affecting my relationship with Kizzy. She's been a lot less nippy since I stopped harness training.
I'm definitely doing something wrong. It might have been right for a different bird, but it's not right for Kizzy. Maybe it wouldn't be right for any bird. Whatever is happening, I'm not getting it.
I have to figure out what will work for Kizzy. Whatever it is, I don't think it's covered well (at all?) in the literature and videos I've studied. Or perhaps I'm missing something so obvious no one comments on it. I hope not, but it's possible.
I do have one idea. Kizzy LOVES games. She's totally into "peekaboo!" and "I'm gonna get you!" If I can turn each stage of training into a game, we might just get there.
My failed attempts to train her have led to some hand-shyness when she's on a training perch (so sorry, Kizzy), so I've started playing a game to get her used to my hands again. Using the thumb and forefinger of both hands, I hide a seed. I let her root around between my fingers, all the while saying, "Where's the seed?" until she finds it. While she eats from one hand, I put the other hand next to her body. After a few days of this, she's already much more relaxed.
Even when she was a tiny chick, Kizzy hated hands over her head or near her back. As a result, I had to change my hand-feeding technique to suit her. I never had to do that with any other baby bird. Most prey birds don't like hands near that area because it's exactly where a predator would aim. Kizzy is especially sensitive in this regard, so she's pushed back hard against my efforts. We're going to have to start over.
Maybe there's a game for every stage of harness training. If I figure out how to turn it all into games she enjoys, I'll certainly let you know.
I hope all of you and your precious fids are well.
I haven't been around much, but I'm still doing my best with the Kizzy-bird. Every day she does something that brings a smile to my face. Young Amazons are so endearing. Without the mess and the nipping and the enormous amounts of attention, parrots would be the world's best pets, bar none. Due to their special needs, however, I consider them to be adopted family members rather than pets. One thing I'm discovering is you can have nice things or a young, flighted Amazon, but you can't have both.
There are a few items she simply can't resist. We're working on that.One reason I haven't been around is I'm failing at some aspects of Kizzy's training and it's making me feel guilty. I'm doing OK at other things, but I tend to focus on what's not going right because Kizzy's well-being is so very important during her formative months. More than anything, I want her to be a well-trained, happy parrot. I would have consulted the forum again, but I've already done that and tried to implement your ideas. Unfortunately, I'm still having trouble. It's something specific to Kizzy and me, something I don't realize I'm doing / not doing, so it's probably something I have to figure out on my own.
I've laid off harness training for a few weeks because 1) I needed to get one Aviator Harness fixed and trade in another for a different size. When the harnesses arrive, I'll have a medium pink and a medium green. I thought she might regard green with less suspicion. Who knows? 2) What I'm doing isn't working and is adversely affecting my relationship with Kizzy. She's been a lot less nippy since I stopped harness training.
I'm definitely doing something wrong. It might have been right for a different bird, but it's not right for Kizzy. Maybe it wouldn't be right for any bird. Whatever is happening, I'm not getting it.
I have to figure out what will work for Kizzy. Whatever it is, I don't think it's covered well (at all?) in the literature and videos I've studied. Or perhaps I'm missing something so obvious no one comments on it. I hope not, but it's possible.
I do have one idea. Kizzy LOVES games. She's totally into "peekaboo!" and "I'm gonna get you!" If I can turn each stage of training into a game, we might just get there.
My failed attempts to train her have led to some hand-shyness when she's on a training perch (so sorry, Kizzy), so I've started playing a game to get her used to my hands again. Using the thumb and forefinger of both hands, I hide a seed. I let her root around between my fingers, all the while saying, "Where's the seed?" until she finds it. While she eats from one hand, I put the other hand next to her body. After a few days of this, she's already much more relaxed.
Even when she was a tiny chick, Kizzy hated hands over her head or near her back. As a result, I had to change my hand-feeding technique to suit her. I never had to do that with any other baby bird. Most prey birds don't like hands near that area because it's exactly where a predator would aim. Kizzy is especially sensitive in this regard, so she's pushed back hard against my efforts. We're going to have to start over.
Maybe there's a game for every stage of harness training. If I figure out how to turn it all into games she enjoys, I'll certainly let you know.
I hope all of you and your precious fids are well.
