Free feed or not?

[lplummer52]

I've read lately that parrots should only be fed twice a day...once in morning and once at night. Then all food removed from cage until the next morning. Especially if you're trying to treat train...you want them to be hungry. What's the consensus on this? At what age would you start this? I think a young bird that gets a lot of time outside his cage should be able to eat as much as he wants at least until he matures. All,healthy food of course.

 

[Christinenc2000]

Speaking for myself I don't want my Parrot hungry. I put Food in the morning before leaving for work. Obvious I can't remove it or he would not have anything till I get home. Yes he has pellets but again. I do NOT want my bird hungry for any reason. Training I use treats he LOVES . Most rewards with BB are done verbal and so far its working.

 

[Christinenc2000]

I don't mean to sound um rude in my comment . I just happen to watch a video the other day. That is how the guy trained his Bird. It was so sad listing to the bird cry . Trying to do the tick but crying for the food that was the reward. If I can find that video I will post it

 

[JerseyWendy]

GREAT answer(s), Chris! I whole-heartedly agree!

I NEVER deprive my birds of food. There is always a dry mix in their food cups, and twice a day they get homecooked food, which I remove after an hour or so to avoid spoilage.

You can still (trick) train a bird with a full tummy. Here is a link for you: http://www.parrotforums.com/training/60435-clicker-target-training.html

 

[LeaKP]

Wholeheartedly agree. I've always kept food in the cage and used special treats for training. Adding chop and other fresh foods twice daily.

 

[BIRDIGIRL]

I want so badly to have a great relationship with Mr Biggles...I have a great relationship with Peter Pan who was hand reared and Im getting there with Mr Biggles but I never starved Peter Pan or Mr Biggles and Peter Pan does a few tricks...I dont intend having Mr Biggles hungry either and if I was told that in order to touch him and train him I had to remove his food then he would never be touched and I would never train him. I do however use treats and nuts that he likes when training Mr Biggles (Peter Pan responds more to praise and cuddles than treats)and these nuts are ones Mr Biggles really likes and becuse his God is a peanut I make sure he only gets them as treats and that they are not in his feed also. One Peanut when sliced can go a really long way in a training session ...if fact I have got a few sessions out of the one peanut Its not necessary to starve them ...there are easier and better methods of training I believe thsn leaving them hungry.

 

[GraciesMom]

Most rewards with BB are done verbal and so far its working.

Same with Gracie (she's very self focused and loves to be told how great she is). She thrives on verbal praise. I haven't used any treats for training at all mainly because she doesn't seem to favor anything since she is so picky.

Besides verbal praise when she performs a behavior I'm trying to reinforce I immediately take her to her favorite perch/area and praise up a storm then play her favorite sounds- R2D2 (she crushes hard on R2D2 lol). It's been working for me really well, its how she learned to hang upside down from my fingers/flip, lift her wings, shake her feathers I also use it to try and get her to eat or at least shred veggies that she has no interest in (even if she touches them with her beak I reward her)

Lately it's been whenever she lets me give her all of her meds without a fuss. Med time = really, really fun times. With her health problems meds are in her future so it's a major priority for me that she not stress out and sees it as a fun part of the day. Actually for the meds it's the same praise whether we have to use a towel or not simply because I think med time has to = fun times. We are working on "open beak" and she's actually done it several times for her meds (then shakes her head cuz they are yucky lol)

I don't agree with withholding food & I think a "treat" can be more than a food item - figure out what your bird "values" the most, a favorite perch, playing in the sink, head scritch, a favorite toy, song, a cuddle etc.

Good luck

 

[SailBoat]

The Big Names in treat training promote pulling food so that the animal (in this case a parrot) is fixated on the food. For them, its all about rapid training. This is understandable when you understand that they are getting paid by the hour or event to teach the process. The parrot trains-up rapidly, they get paid, and asked back. Harsh, but from their point of view it makes sense.

The other part of this process comes from large organizations, i.e. Zoos, etc... Here because of the volumes involved, feeding a specific volume at a specific time takes the Human out of the equations. Thus, the animals get feed, none of them starve and the system can buy, inventory, feed and most importantly, budget.

At the end of the day, it is important to understand the source of the information and why, for them, it is important in their specific World.

For us parrot owners, we can incorporated their systems into our homes. But why? After all, we are in it for the long term loving relationship! Right? I do not see a starving parrot being a happy, trusting parrot, but that's my belief.

 

[Christinenc2000]

The Big Names in treat training promote pulling food so that the animal (in this case a parrot) is fixated on the food. For them, its all about rapid training. This is understandable when you understand that they are getting paid by the hour or event to teach the process. The parrot trains-up rapidly, they get paid, and asked back. Harsh, but from their point of view it makes sense.

The other part of this process comes from large organizations, i.e. Zoos, etc... Here because of the volumes involved, feeding a specify volume at a specify time takes the Human out of the equations. Thus, the animals get feed, none of them starve and the system can buy, inventory, feed and most importantly, budget.

At the end of the day, it is important to understand the source of the information and why, for them, it is important in their specific World.

For us parrot owners, we can incorporated their systems into our homes. But why? After all, we are in it for the long term loving relationship! Right? I do not see a starving parrot being a happy, trusting parrot, but that's my belief.

We are emotionally invested

 

[Aquila]

It's one thing to pull the food at night, because they're sleeping, and maybe you want to soak and wash the dishes overnight, but denying food for long periods (through the day) can likely trigger a similar reaction that happens with dogs where they scarf down everything and make themselves sick.

My birds have pellets available 24/7, but get meals and snacks when I'm home. Certain treats like peanuts or sunflower seeds, or certain unshelled nuts are reserved for training and rewards.

 

[jdlehman76]

When training animals other then parrots removing food does focus the animal's attention on a treat reward. However, in my experience that type of training produces a response behavior that has little to do with the animal enjoying or wanting to please the person they have bonded with. It is more of a survival response. As bird/pet owners I feel that we should be training our animals to respond because they enjoy the action and the reward, not because they need to survive.

 

[OutlawedSpirit]

I won't deny my birds food just to simplify training. My budgies and cockatiel have food around the clock, and Aria has food from the time I get up in the morning until I go to bed. Since her diet is primarily fresh food, there is no point in leaving it in her cage overnight. She won't eat once we go to bed anyway, and then it would just sit and spoil. I just reserve some "special" food for training. For the little birds, it's millet, and for Aria, it's almonds. Although, I have found that often, it is the repetition, rather than the reward that gets them to cooperate. I think most birds that are treated right are willing to do almost anything you ask them, once they realize what it is your asking. If you are a valued member of the flock, they are willing to do things simply because you ask them to, and it appears to make you happy when they do it.

 

[wrench13]

Salty has pellets 24/7 and chop around 3:00 PM. We train most days, and he is always eager. Some tricks he actually likes, like rolling over, and will give ME the signal to do the trick again and again. We do training as a form of bonding and giving him a sense of having a job to do in the family. I would never with hold food. That method is for bird show trainers, bicycle riding cockatoos and such. Not our babys!

 

[Scott]

Companion parrots are not domesticated and retain their basic instincts. They are, however, largely amenable to "captivity" amongst humans striving to provide the best substitute life. Accordingly, it is my belief food is a fundamental tenet of their existence and never be rationed for our amusement. Whatever "training" is necessary can be accomplished with the positive reinforcement of treats and love.

 

[lplummer52]

Well, looks,like the overall 100% consensus is not to withhold food...I really couldn't do it anyway. Screech will do anything for a walnut whether he's just eaten or not. They love picking at their food, right? They throw more than half of it out od the cups, so I,always refill. Good to know everybody agrees.