Training sessions day 1

[Aussie Ben]

Sounds good to me! So how's you tiel doing? She sounds like a great bird!

Haha she's a funny little thing, she's a great friend to me. She doesn't like to come out as much any more. As i say she is lucky to be alive after having hepatitis and paralysis. When she was sick I had to hold her over the food bowl to eat as she would not accept a syringes. She has just become very shy thats all, I'm the only one she allows to touch her. She NEVER bites, she just rubs her beak on you to say 'no'.

These days she is happy and healthy. She sits at the door of her cage and chirps all excited to come out, but as soon as you open the door she gets all woosy . Give her about 15 minutes to adjust though and she usually comes out. She is a very clingy bird when out of the cage. There are only two places she wants to be now. In her cage or on my shoulder lol. I still get her to fly for exercise, but instead of doing 4-5 big laps of the room like old times, she just does a few small circles. She's a great bird.

Hey do your birds notice when you get home? Buddy knows I am home when I start walking up the driveway, which she cant even see! She starts screaming at the top of her lungs lol, its incredible. I can tiptoe all I want, but she knows I'm there.

 

[apatrimo94]

sounds like your tiel has been through a lot, how old is he/she? well, with bartleby, not yet. but S'mores, oh boy, lemme tell you. She's by the window so she sees me get off the bus. my mom tells me the minute the bus arrives, the goes crazy, banging her toys and calling for me. She does her signature whistle and sometimes screams mom (yes, she calls me mom LOL) When I get inside and open her cage, she showers me with kisses and cuddles in my neck. She would rather only me hold her but she'll let other people hold her if she's in the moods. i feel so loved what about your ekkie? does he know you're home too?

 

[Aussie Ben]

sounds like your tiel has been through a lot, how old is he/she? well, with bartleby, not yet. but S'mores, oh boy, lemme tell you. She's by the window so she sees me get off the bus. my mom tells me the minute the bus arrives, the goes crazy, banging her toys and calling for me. She does her signature whistle and sometimes screams mom (yes, she calls me mom LOL) When I get inside and open her cage, she showers me with kisses and cuddles in my neck. She would rather only me hold her but she'll let other people hold her if she's in the moods. i feel so loved what about your ekkie? does he know you're home too?

Buddy is just over 7 now. It is incredible how they know we are home, I will never understand.

HAHA Eddie the Ekkie is starting too. To be honest I think Buddy is a lot smarter than Eddie (just between you and me i think he's a little quirky in the head lol). Eddie has started this new morning ritual now though. He sits on my shoulder for pretty much exactly 2 minutes, then he takes off into the next room and sits on the curtain rod, squawks very loudly 4 times (always 4 times), Flies back to me, sits for 2 more minutes, repeats the process again and then he's ready for breakfast lol .

 

[apatrimo94]

sounds like your tiel has been through a lot, how old is he/she? well, with bartleby, not yet. but S'mores, oh boy, lemme tell you. She's by the window so she sees me get off the bus. my mom tells me the minute the bus arrives, the goes crazy, banging her toys and calling for me. She does her signature whistle and sometimes screams mom (yes, she calls me mom LOL) When I get inside and open her cage, she showers me with kisses and cuddles in my neck. She would rather only me hold her but she'll let other people hold her if she's in the moods. i feel so loved what about your ekkie? does he know you're home too?

Buddy is just over 7 now. It is incredible how they know we are home, I will never understand.

HAHA Eddie the Ekkie is starting too. To be honest I think Buddy is a lot smarter than Eddie (just between you and me i think he's a little quirky in the head lol). Eddie has started this new morning ritual now though. He sits on my shoulder for pretty much exactly 2 minutes, then he takes off into the next room and sits on the curtain rod, squawks very loudly 4 times (always 4 times), Flies back to me, sits for 2 more minutes, repeats the process again and then he's ready for breakfast lol .

It amazes me how these birds have very petty routines and their intelligence to do anything they're capable of. They're such amazing animals. very graceful, beautiful, and breath-taking as well.

 

[boabab95]

Nice little repertoire. I will be interested to hear about any harness training you do as i would like to try this in the near future.

I sure will/

Yea just like us they have those days where they really couldn't give a ducky. Mine have pretty short attention spans too. 10 mins is about the max and then they start making up their own tricks

I think it was also because I was having one of those days lol "like trainer like bird" lol

 

[Aussie Ben]

It amazes me how these birds have very petty routines and their intelligence to do anything they're capable of. They're such amazing animals. very graceful, beautiful, and breath-taking as well.

Thats why we love em

I think it was also because I was having one of those days lol "like trainer like bird" lol

Just another trait of being bird crazy

 

[apatrimo94]

I don't think the target training is working anymore. Last night, this morning, and just now, my cockatiel lunged for my hand and arm. I have 5 band aids on now I didn't react to his bites, I waited until he was done biting, then he didn't bother with the training any more. Now, I hate to say this but I'm starting to feel a little hopeless.

 

[Aussie Ben]

I don't think the target training is working anymore. Last night, this morning, and just now, my cockatiel lunged for my hand and arm. I have 5 band aids on now I didn't react to his bites, I waited until he was done biting, then he didn't bother with the training any more. Now, I hate to say this but I'm starting to feel a little hopeless.

Don't feel hopeless. What are you using for a reward? Is he hungry?

 

[apatrimo94]

I use spray millet, which he loves but after i click and put out the spray millet for him to eat, he lunges at me instead, and he is hungry because I didn't feed him yet.

 

[apatrimo94]

I'll try with Bartleby again next week, after i return from Brooklyn. Raise my confidence a little bit with a break. I just tried it with my keet for the first time and in one minute, she was already chasing the stick like a pro!

 

[Aussie Ben]

See, you can do it!

S'mores is obviously much more comfortable with you. Bartleby will come around, it will just take time. Another thing you could try which I had to do with Buddy:

Start fresh, remove the clicker and get rid of the stick. Simply offer a treat for a session or two (if there is no way he'l accept food from your hands, you could even start by dropping a treat in his bowl). Once Bartleby understands and will accept your treats, then start bringing in the clicker. Once you have done a few sessions of conditioning the clicker, then bring in the stick. All small steps.

 

[apatrimo94]

Alright, I'll try that! Hopefully, it works out better this time But I'll start it next week.

 

[Aussie Ben]

Hopefully it works. Have fun on your trip.

 

[boabab95]

WELL, today was very successful!!! he learned 2 new tricks (used natural insincts, but still) :

-"Bat"= Hangs upside down like a bat.

-"rope climb"=climbing a rope

 

[boabab95]

I found it! I found it! I found it!

I FOUND IT! I FOUND IT! I FOUND IT!

2.5 years later...

this is an amazing book no only for cockatiels, but for small-medium parrots too!!! This is what i base my training techniques on (modified it a bit)...

The Guide to Owning a Cocketiel by: AnMarie Barrie

 

[Aussie Ben]

WELL, today was very successful!!! he learned 2 new tricks (used natural insincts, but still) :

-"Bat"= Hangs upside down like a bat.

-"rope climb"=climbing a rope

Solid effort thats amazing! Natural behaviours are great starters as they get the bird in the swing of things.

That book looks very handy. I stupidly lent my tiel books to a guy I worked with, since drifted apart and don't know where he is now So still trying to track em down.

 

[apatrimo94]

That book looks good. Where can I get it for a good price?

 

[boabab95]

I've seen it for approx. $11 canadian(10.61 USD or 12.14 AUSD) at petstores...