how do u train bird??? (pics)

[rearrolled]

iv got this pink & gray boy how can i train him to dance and to say scratch???? his name is mitchal

any think ells that i can train him???? his not old just a bay

dont no what to do

plzzz help

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Mitchal is adorable!

If I could have one more parrot, that's the one I would choose. Lucky you!

There are lots of different things you can teach parrots to do. They write entire books on trick training parrots, plus there are videos you can also buy. Bird Talk and Good Bird magazines also had trick training bits in them at various times. I'm sure there are web sites with instructions, too. Learning how to do some of the basics with clicker training is a good way to start. Hopefully, someone that has more time to answer in depth or that has a couple of links to web site information will come along soon. Otherwise, I will look for something for you later. I have to go walk my puppy.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Here are a couple of groups for clicker training birds. You could join these and learn a lot about training parrots.
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/clickbirds/
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Bird-Click/

Beginning clicker training for birds. I good overview and how to get started training.
http://www.essortment.com/all/clickertraining_pbj.htm

Getting started with clicker training, teaching that click=reinforcement.
http://www.avitrain.com/cwb/gs.html

Target training, using a targeting stick.
http://www.avitrain.com/cwb/behaviors.html

An overview of clicker training, explaining the cue and bridge concepts.
http://www.parrotchronicles.com/features/clicker/click.htm

There are videos on youtube.com on how to train tricks, too.

I usually use a "Good boy" in place of a click. Everything else is pretty much the same. With my particular parrot, the "good boy" not only marks the behavior, it's his reward. For a lot of parrots, a small favorite treat, like a single sunflower seed, works very well. I use sunflower seeds once in awhile, depending on what we are doing.

Sometimes, I just teach my bird that a particular action has a name. Like, every time he pooped, I would say, "Potty!" You can use any word you want. I also watched, to see how often he usually took between poops. When I had him out of his cage, handling him or on a play mat full of toys for almost that amount of time, I would put him on his stand and say, "Potty!" If he didn't go right away, I waited until he did and then said it as he was going. He got the idea pretty fast. Also, mine does a little tail wiggle, when he's getting ready to go. At least it's a warning to put a paper or your hand under there.

If you haven't already, the first thing I would teach is to step up onto your hand, when you offer it and say, "Up!" Also, to step off your hand and onto something else, when you say, "Down!" That's very helpful. I also trained that by just using the words as my bird was doing the movement on it's own.

It's also good to teach your parrot to step up onto a perch. This can help when your parrot is an adult and needs to be handled by strangers or when he may be hormonal and not as cooperative. Sometimes, parrots don't like all the people in a house equally and may not like being handled by everyone. A perch works for that issue, too. I would try to socialize your parrot to other people while young, if possible. Treats as a bribe or a reward can be useful for that, too. Sometimes they will take an interesting little new hand toy from someone, too.

My bird is not wing clipped. When I first got him, he was. I would encourage him to exercise, by flapping his wings. I taught him the word, "Fly" for that. After his wings grew out, when he would actually fly, I would also use that word. He likes to be with me. When I could see he was fidgeting and wanting to come to me from the top of his cage, I would hold my hand up in the air, in the position he is used to stepping up onto and say, "Fly!" He would fly over and land on my head. If I had my back turned and heard him take off, I also turned and held up my hand, for him to land on. It was either that or my head.

He was impetuous in his youth.

I also taught him to fly back to his cage. I would aim him at his cage, say "Fly!" and give a slight upward movement of my hand. I only did this after he had gotten attention from me and wouldn't mind going back to his cage.

You can teach a spin by holding a treat in your hand and moving it in a circle. If you're clicker training, you can have the bird follow the target stick. You can teach a bird to bob it's head up and down, again, either following a treat or a target stick. If you are clicker training, use a click when you get the behavior you want. I say, "Good boy!" instead.

My parrot also hangs upside down from my fingers or will lay on his back, on my hand.

If you ever want your parrot to wear a harness, it's easier to to get them used to it when they are still young. It's also the best time to introduce them to a lot of different foods, so they don't grow up picky.

I hope this helps you get started.

 

[VioletandBodie]

a major mitchle cockatoo ( seths with jelsiusy) no but really he looks in great shape, though he may never talk though...not all parrot do

 

[BAMABIRDS]

IF you don't mind me asking what did you pay for him

 

[rearrolled]

dont no my whife wont tell me

 

[Jillian]

Compared to their cost in the US, the Major Mitchell 'too (I believe this is the one pictured?) is dirt cheap in AUS- I believe 500ish or less. Here in the US it's more like upwards of $4,000. XD

 

[rearrolled]

thanks?

 

[Jillian]

No insult intended, it's just that 'toos here cost a lot since we have less of them. Export/import shutdown. They're native for you guys, common enough to be considered pests in some areas. Therefore cheaper.

Enjoy the complexity of your parrot, nothing like it. Woodland Woman had the best advice for training.

Parrots are very interesting and intelligent. Best advice for any parrot owner is foraging. Busy beaks are happy beaks.
http://foragingforparrots.com/
http://www.parrotenrichment.com/

 

[bagendhens]

in terms of talking simply say the words you want him to repeat to him frequently...if hes going to talk he will pick them up eventually...not all birds talk, and ive met some toos that are chatter boxes and other toos that never say a word...

ive found the best way to teach birds to talk is to associate words with things...
every morning i tell my birds good morning, each night i tell them good night and bedtime...when i walk past its hello or hi, i say their names alot too, when i feed wee call it yum yums, if i give them apple i say apple ect...
they are incredibly smart and do associate a word with an item as long as your consistent and patient.

in terms fo tricks, i like lots of positive reinforcment, figure out his favorite treat and try to bait the behaviour, then click or good and treat.
parrots do very good with positive reinforcment training

toos are very smart but incredibly sensitive! try not to spoil him, i know its hard but ive found toos to be the most loving, sweetest and most 'baby like" they love to be talked to, fussed and snuggled, but can become problem screamers if they get alot of attention early on and then that attention drops off later.