Parrot training
How to train your parrot
pet
Achieving a
positive behavior is a must for your parrot pet as it is for
you.
Parrots are
intelligent birds, meaning that they have the ability to learn and reproduce
behavior, so they will respond at what is called instructional
interaction.
Using some
simple tricks you can help your parrot learn positive behavior. You should know
that it is important for parrots to learn in their early lives, and their
learning is mostly based on social interaction.
Without
stimulation and interactivity some parrots can delay their
development.
And a good relation with a companion parrot is
one based on learning and recompense.
Parrot training at all
ages
A parrot can be trained at any age; he is never
too old to learn. Still, it is a little more difficult and a different approach is needed when it comes to train an
adult parrot. You have to start by interacting with him, and become familiar to him. Building trust and redirect
his old behavior is a first must, and it has to start at the first meeting. Your interaction should be based on
verbal and non verbal communication. A close interaction may not be immediately accepted.
Make sure you are doing small steps and learn
his body language. At the beginning be happy when you can feed him by hand without being bit. Don't forget that a
bird who did change many homes need time to get used to a new environment and might have accumulated a lot of
behaviors. Take your time, work in stages, with small steps - eventually you'll have a life together to learn and
know each other. It is important to find out what kind of food he prefers, help him to know the surroundings by
taking him to see different places in your house, play with him and give him different toys to play
with.
The training steps for an adult parrot are
almost the same as for a baby parrot, only you have to keep in mind he already has a baggage behind, and needs more
time and patience to familiarize with a new situation and the learning process might be very slow. When you have
decided what tricks you want to teach him, help him get familiarized with the props without allowing him to play
with them. Talk a lot with him and help him to make connections about what you say.
This can be done by showing the things you talk
about. Being an adult who didn't live from the beginning with you, the parrot might have undesirable words in his
speech. All you can do is ignore those, while you recompense the new or desirable words he says.
The same trick can be used with negative and
positive behavior. Don't forget that giving attention and interacting with a parrot is the biggest recompense, and
the fundament for every change or good behavior. Anyhow, a training plan should be applied for a parrot with
behavior problems only when his negative behavior has changed. In conclusion, before training tricks to your adult
parrot, focus on behavior.
Baby parrot training should start in early life
You should start interacting and train your baby parrot
immediately when it's taken from his parents, during the hand feeding.
The ideal period to start the training is between 3 - 8
months. This is the ideal situation which obviously is not always possible. In
this case the training should start from the moment the baby parrot is
yours.
You should
know that every interaction with your parrot is part of the training. It is
important to play with him and spend time with him as long as it is possible,
especially provide him physical contact: touch his feet, hold his wings and
feed him by hand. Parrot potty training is more succesful
at this age.
The early life is also a great moment to
teach your parrot to talk, as for
the wild baby parrots this is the time when they learn his group call. It is also the moment for feeding training,
which starts by introducing all kinds of nutritious food in its diet. To increase its confidence it is the moment to let him fly – the baby
parrot will learn to handle its body, safely fly and land and get used with the
environment.
It is known that for a parrot changing the
environment is confusing and usual they don't get easily used to new spaces. Playing training for baby parrots is
helpful at this age. As they learn fast by reproducing other behavior, playing training is more effective. You
should not only give him toys to play alone, but you must interact with the baby parrot, so he can learn how to
play.
In conclusion, parrot training should start
early, from the moment you've got it and it should include many aspects you. This process should be based on social
interaction and behavior imitation. This simple trick will result in a good relationship between you and your
parrot pet, making life easier for you and your parrot too. While every bird is different so its evolution will be.
Make sure you have enough time, patience and attention to understand and communicate with your
parrot.
Parrot training
area
Where is the best place to train my parrot?
Well, fist you have to have in mind is a quiet place, free of any disturbance and noises. Also, it is very
important that the training takes place out of the parrot's cage. You shouldn’t change the training place before
the parrot understands what the training is about, and he makes the first progresses.
Parrot training rewards
The idea of this method is simple and useful
for parrots as for any other pet. Known as positive reinforcement the method is based on immediately rewarding the
positive or desirable behavior while ignoring the negative and undesirable behavior of your parrot pet. In this way
a recompensed behavior will be repeated. For knowing what reward works, pay attention to your parrot, see what he
mostly likes to receive: it may be his favorite food – in this case give him little pieces for every progress he
made in listening your instructions. Other useful rewards which work with parrots are giving attention and
admiration. Anyhow, you can try different things as a reward but always a reward has to be given to repeat a
certain behavior that you are trying to teach him.
Parrot feeding as a training
tool
When it comes to food reward in parrot training
process take into consideration only the moments before a meal. The only motivation for your parrot to repeat what
you are trying to teach him is the reward. If so, a parrot who has just eaten will not respond to a food reward in
the same way as if he is a bit hungry (not starving). The best moment for training is before meals. For instance,
if you plan the training during morning, do it before breakfast. And it is also important to eliminate the food you
use to give him during the trainings from his regular diet. And keep in mind that you should never starve your
parrot for this reason, feed him normally and correctly while not planning his training sessions when he is
bellyful. See more about parrot
feeding.
Parrot training
planning
Maybe you are asking about how long or how
often a training session should last. How long and how often should you and your parrot hold training
sessions?
Well, there are no strict rules. Take it as
fun. It is supposed to be fun, isn't it? The main purpose of a training trick is to spend a good time with your
companion parrot and get to know each other. Well, it is said that it is better to have a few short sessions than a
very long one on a day, because a parrot's attention span is quite short. But this is not a rule.
More important is to be sure that a session is
relaxing and fun, for both you and the parrot. Each day can be different. You might have one day less time
available than in another, or you might feel one session is more relaxing and find training more delightful. It is
not good to have e very strict schedule. It will be no good for a parrot to get used to spend every morning at 10
o'clock a training session with you, and one day you'll have other important appointment, or simply feel tired that
day. You'll get a disjointed parrot, and maybe a confused one too.
Another reason for planning the sessions at
various times is precisely the purpose of them: you don't want your parrot trained for an exact hour, but you want
him to perform anytime you will ask him to do that. If he'll get use with 10 o'clock trainings he will only perform
at 10 o'clock. Also, by having a very strict timetable for training your parrot, it will become very demanding, and
it is you the one that has to control this process, isn't it?
For maintaining your parrot's interest for
learning, change from time to time the training place. But only do that when you are sure he had got the idea. It
is recommended to change the place for every trick you are teaching him several times, so he gets accommodated with
the trick, not with the place.
The trick should be alternatively introduced,
for diversity. Don't expect him to perform perfectly one trick insisting on it. Instead to concentrate at this in
one single session, alternate the tricks, otherwise he will get bored and tired. And the whole process is
compromised. Don't begin with long session and try to play or socialize with your parrot during training sessions.
This will make your parrot not only to love the training, but to want more of it.
Parrot training trick - How to
begin?
In first lesson try to introduce 3 tricks: turn
around, shake hands and the wave. Don't focus on perfection, be happy if he will get the idea, and you will come
back at this trick later. Don't plan it to be too long; 30 to 45 minutes are enough at the beginning. Anyway,
consider even your time. Your parrot might want more, but you should be the one who decides this. A parrot can
easily transform in a little dictator if you allow him. Eventually the idea is to have a respect and good behavior
based relationship.
See more about parrot potty training and
parrot speech
training.
|