In the wild, parrots bathe in the rain, dripping leaves, pools or streams, so we should try to replicate that in captivity. Bathing is important for skin and feather condition. Bathing, showering, misting helps dislodge debris, dust and loose feathers, plus it keeps dander down which can benefit the respiratory […]
Training & Behaviour
10 posts
Biting is communication. Usually it means “No!” or “I’m not comfortable”, but can also be a response to over excitement or even as a way of getting social interaction. Body Language Before the bite a parrot will usually give loads of very obvious (to the parrot) body language to say, […]
Although parrots rarely bite in the wild, aggressive behaviour is often used to protect resources like a nest site/territory, food, a mate, etc. However, rather than physical contact, body language and vocalisations are usually enough to successfully drive away the intruder. Consider too, the average human caretaker who is often […]
Make clipping or filing a parrot’s nails easy using desensitization and shaping. No need for toweling and loss of trust on the bird’s part! Of course, if the parrot’s claws are extremely overgrown or if you aren’t sure of the amount you can take off, it is best to take […]
If a consequence/outcome to a behaviour (the step up) is reinforcing, the parrot will most likely repeat the behaviour in the future. For some birds, reinforcement for stepping up might be the chance to interact with their caregiver. Others may work better for a treat, a head scratch, access to […]
Target training is teaching a parrot (or any other animal) to touch something (often the end of a chopstick) with a body part (usually the beak or feet) for a reinforcer (a treat works well). Targeting is a fantastic first behaviour to explore for both the parrot and the […]
Ask yourself what purpose the behaviour serves for the parrot? There may be different reasons throughout the day. Commonly there is the screaming first thing in the morning and/or in the evening. This is the normal dawn or dusk chorus which means it’s good to be alive! At other times […]
Shaping is a wonderful tool to teach your parrot any single behaviour without force. Shaping is breaking down the goal behaviour (in this case, the step up) into tiny manageable steps which are reinforced along the way. You can shape the step up onto your hand, arm or perch. Some […]
Building a history of reinforcement from almost nothing We all have to start somewhere. A new parrot will have had no time yet to build a nice long history of reinforcing outcomes with us. Maybe that parrot is used to humans and being handled in which case new reinforcing consequences […]
If the outcome to a behaviour is desirable, then we will repeat that behaviour. That outcome or consequence is therefore said to be reinforcing. Positive Reinforcement As trainers we can engineer the outcome so that our parrots repeat behaviours that are desirable to them and us. This is the premise […]