Feeding and training

[leelee]

I've been researching training techniques like touch target training etc and I've seen that its best to keep the bird a little hungry to motivate them with treats. I need to work on recall.
Normally I go to work through the day and do training sessions after I come home. I do give her fresh food and water before I go to work.
Now I'm wondering if I should feed her after our sessions on an early evening instead?
I know in their natural environments they would have to work to eat.
Is it better to have a set meal time? Or let them pick as and when they want?
I'm torn between feeling cruel and denying her food through the day or giving her a regular routine and training her to eat as rewards for training with me.
As we have going back to the cage on a night for bedtime issues, I'm wondering if this would help with her perception ofbthe cage as a positive place to be.
As long as she gets a regular balanced diet, I'm not being a bad mum am I?

 

[tab_xo]

I dont believe in the whole 'train your bird when they are hungry'

I have NEVER done that with Fargo, we just train whenever we feel like it, and he knows 20 tricks and flight recall!
We might train at 8am in the morning, might be at 7pm at night when he has a completely full crop! Sometimes we dont do it at all

Whether he is hungry or not he is motivated to train, because he ENJOYS it

Fargo has food all day, so his crop is full most of the time!

Some people give their birds routines, others dont, its personal choice! Fargo gets new bowls of food at different times, and training sessions always at different times! The only thing that stays the same is bedtime!

So just make the training sessions fun and interesting, and use her favourite foods for a treat and she will be motivated no matter what!!

As soon as Fargo hears me crack that nut open, he gets so excited and starts performing tricks by himself hahahaha

Good luck, keep sessions short and simple!

 

[BACON]

Totally agree ^^ blue will eat her favourite treat even if she's just eaten, find out what he/she can't resist and use it.
Good luck.

 

[JDlugosz]

I would agree that it's not good to train when hungry. But for birds in particular, there needs to be some room in the crop available for treats!

Birds have different kinds of "hungry". Low blood sugar, running on reserves, is true hunger and should never happen to a pet. But birds digest food and produce energy in a constant trickle, and the level in the crop can be a matter of comfort/preference. This varies by individual based on habits and lifestyle. A bird that self-feeds all day long a little at a time needs to know to save room for special treats during training.

 

[JadeC]

I usually feed fresh foods (chop mix) in the morning and pellets in there 25/7. Then when I get home from work, I empty the fresh food dish and do training before I give him his 'dinner'. Otherwise if I give him dinner first, he doesn't care about the treats. Although, I usually give him a seed/fruit mix for dinner, so I just give him seeds from that as treats and then he gets the rest after training. He's usually motivated. Any other time he doesn't care, so I just train before dinner time.