turtle neck?

[Oliver17]

besides wearing a turtle neck in 90 degree weather.....How can stop him from going down my shirt?
I squeezed my neck collar and he goes up my shirt sleeve ugh!
Thanks in advance

 

[noodles123]

Don't allow him. You move him if he tries or block him. Teach him target training and move him every time he attempts. If he is food motivated, you could teach him a phrase, like "stay" or "target" and point to a location on your arm etc-- then treat him when he does it for a few seconds--- gradually increasing the time. If he is obsessed with being held, you could also gently say "no shirt" and set him down each time (but that would only work if he wants to be held-- if he likes being down, then that could actually reward the behavior, so you have to know your bird). I was about to make a post on ABA for another person, so I will try to post it here too.


Also- if you have any huts, tents, boxes, shadowy spaces etc, remove those. This is a hormonal behavior (or will become one at adulthood if yours is still young)and you don't want to encourage cavity seeking. He can sleep on a perch just fine-- nests and nest like spaces are for making and raising babies and by providing one, you set the stage for hormones and increase the likelihood of behavioral problems long term.


This post doesn't apply to you yet, but it gives an overview of the concepts of ABA- see my responses to the OP- http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/89733-new-parront-here-biting.html

 

[Oliver17]

Thank You, I do not have any hut type of things I learned that from here
During the day its when Im at the computer
Night time is when he wants to sleep, so I get up and put him to bed

I read the ABA you sent but I was somewhat confused. I am a more visual person
Is there a video?

Thank you so very much

 

[fiddlejen]

Basically, you need to divert him.

If every time a bird tries to do something, it is prevented, it will eventually Stop doing that thing.

So, he starts going down your collar, you remove him, and move him. Or you put your hands in his way and block him. Every single time. And the same for crawling up your sleeve etc. It'll be a little work, and while you're doing it, it might seem to take a long time because you will be giving your attention to it Every time. But actually relatively quickly he will learn, that behavior just gets blocked, and will do something else instead.

Especially, if you give him something alternative to play with. For example, take some string and tie some toys to it and make yourself a birdie-play necklace. Or, wear something with buttons / zippers /collars. I usually wear my shirts inside-out at home, so my conure can play with the seams easily. (She is less-destructive than some, so my shirts are still intact.) Eyeglasses are usually great for getting a shoulder-bird's attention.

Then if every attempt at shirt-diving is gently but definitively Blocked -- and, NOT with any other response (ie, don't say "no" or attempt to punish or anything); just block the bird from entering the shirt -- but there are lots of other readily-available birdie-attention-grabbers,, birdie will quickly realize he has better things to do with his time than waste it attempting to enter a non-enterable shirt.

 

[noodles123]

Here is an overview of the functions (which you will know based on whether the behavior increases after a response (e.g., consequence)--REMEMBER- CONSEQUENCE =NOT BAD. It is just what happens immediately after the behavior. ABC charting helps you find patterns to determine the 4 main functions listed below---- When you make an ABC chart, you are looking for trends in the consequence columns to determine whether the behavior is Escape, Tangible, sensory or attention. If a behavior keeps happening, it is being reinforced- behaviors are reinforced when the consequence matches the FUNCTION/purpose of the behavior. Read this and then watch the videos below:


If it is escape, the bird got out of a situation, away from a person, contact was removed, or some stimulus was removed (that could be you, your touch, a perch, a room etc etc)-- doing the behavior results in then getting out of something (whether that is a task, a room, a location, you, touch, sounds, increased distance from an object or person etc)
If it is sensory/Automatic -- that means it is like a reflex (a loud scream when injured, a baby screaming for food from a parent, open-mouthed breathing or tail-bobbing when sick, scratching and itch etc.
If the behavior is driven by attention, it means that the bird's behavior is being rewarded with some form of attention as the consequence(yelling at the bird, anything verbal-whether praising, scolding or trying to calm down, getting closer to the bird/proximity, entering the room, touching, eye contact, saying the bird's name etc---- this can be provided by people or pets)
If a behavior involved tangibles, it means that the consequence/result of the behavior involves them getting access to a preferred food, toy, object etc etc.

Parrot's (and human's) behaviors are ALL motivated by one of these things. Let's say a bird bites because it doesn't want to be handled anymore and as a result, you bring the bird back to its cage. You might THINK that this is going to teach the bird a lesson, but in reality, you are rewarding the bite because the ultimate goal was ESCAPE (to get away from your touch) and by removing your touch following the escape-motivated biting, you are rewarding the behavior (even though it wasn't your intention.



ABA is the go-to training method for parrots and other intelligent animals, BUT the following videos focus on children, as this is used for kids and adults clinically and in schools.


Watch this first: [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMWioJsS7Dk"]Autism Help at Home: The Four Functions of Behavior - YouTube[/ame]

Then this-- the whole thing: [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G_4U_6IB1U"]Functions of Behavior (Behaviorbabe) - YouTube[/ame] then the next one

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVKb_BXEp5U"]Antecedent Behavior Consequence: ABC Charts & Model - YouTube[/ame]