Behaviour Modification Program

[Graehstone]

As per request, here is the Behaviour Modification Program reposted.
Again, I am NOT the author of the following, rather the intermediary.
Posted with the permission of the author.

Basic taming and training program for large biting parrots: primarily amazons, eckies, ‘toos, and big macs. (Sorry small bird people, but conure and love bird bites are pin pricks. Wear an athletic sock on your hand when handling your bird at first, and handle it often to keep it tame. What more do you need to know?!)

I will be setting up and posting a fairly comprehensive, step by step, "how to" taming and training behavior mod program. Topics will include training diet, training treats, what you will need, what to wear when working with a biter, where to train, when to train, how long each training drill should last, and how to do the training drills.

If you agree to commit to setting aside an hour a day for three months to work with your bird, by the end of the first month, I expect your bird to be stepping up for you WITHOUT BITING. By the end of the second month, I expect that your bird will no longer be trying to bite you at all. By the end of the third month, I expect that your bird will lie on it’s back in the palm of your hand on cue.

I’m not selling anything. My fee for this service? Seeing interactive happy birds, bird owners, and less rescues.

What I ask in return:

1. Consistent effort. Set aside 1 hour a day for training. Not sometimes. Every time. Persistence and consistency are the keys here. Half measures don’t work.

2. I expect regular progress reports posted on the thread, so that everyone helps each other out with problems that arise.

3. At the end of two months, I expect you to post a picture of yourself, holding a happy bird on your arm or hand, scratching it's head.

4. By the end of month number 3, I expect you to post a photo of yourself holding your bird on it's back in the palm of your hand.

5. Pay it forward. I don't want to post the same stuff over and over again. Direct other people with problem biters to the thread. (Less problem birds = Less rescued.)

Let's see how many "headscratch" and "play dead" photos we can get posted on this thread!

[Graehstone]

Step 1: Getting your bird on a feeding and training schedule.

Things you will need to complete this step:

(1) Unsalted toasted slivered almonds to use as training treats. (Reason: Ideal for portion and attraction, and they are inexpensive. Already broken up into tiny bite sized pieces. Most birds will fly through a brick wall for an almond when they have not had any nuts in their diets. I use Trader Joes brand about $2.00 - 3.00 per bag. One to two bags should be sufficient for the entire 3 month period.

(2) A clock you can see.

(3) A soft voice.

(4) Patience.

First, get your bird on a training diet.

Your bird should be on a pellet diet, with fresh fruits and veggies. ABSOLUTELY NO SEEDS OR NUTS DURING TRAINING TIME. These are going to be his training rewards. If he wants them, he must work for them! If he has satisfied his taste for them at mealtimes, he will be less likely to work for them at training time.

Your bird should be fed twice per day. Once in the morning. Once in the evening. DO NOT LEAVE BOWLS FULL OF FOOD IN THE CAGE DURING THE DAY. YOU WANT THE BIRD ON A FEEDING SCHEDULE. You want the bird to be slightly hungry when working with him.

Next set a training schedule and stick to it. Your bird needs to adjust to this regimentation. He will quickly come to anticipate it, and enjoy it. Trust me. Same time every night. Same length of time every session. Use a clock you can see. Regulate it.

Ideally, training should be AFTER the morning meal, and BEFORE the evening meal. Reasoning: Birds are usually grumpy in the morning before they eat, especially if they don’t get enough sleep. Working with them before the evening meal means they will be hungry and more receptive to food based stimulation.

Each session will last approximately half an hour. We don’t want to wear the little guy out, or exhaust his attention span. Try to make it fun.

YOU ARE NOW READY TO BEGIN TRAINING!

Ready?! Here’s the big secret. For the first three to five days you are not going to be handling your bird AT ALL. You are going to be getting him used to the schedule that he will soon be handled on.

During that time, for half an hour at a time, sit next to the cage and talk softly to the bird using “the bird voice.” It doesn’t matter what you say (recite the alphabet, talk about your kids, make fun of his feet, I don't care) what matters is that you are being animated and attentive, using the birds name often, and not making any threatening movements toward him.

After five or ten minutes, once you have your bird’s attention, pour a small handful of slivered almonds into the open palm of your hand, and show them to him. Make sure he sees them. Eat one or two yourself. Make gestures that show how ‘yummy’ they are. Place the bag they came from in plain view, so he can see it.

Now that you have his full attention offer him an almond. Pick it up from the palm of your hand, and hold it up. Show it to him before you offer it. In order to receive the treat, he must take it from your fingers gently. Do not let him get your fingers. You do not want to reward him for biting you. If he takes the treat from your hand reinforce with “good bird.”

Talk to him a little more, and then hold up another treat. After four or five treats, make a game of it. Tease him a little. Pull it away a few times before you let him have it. Let him get used to hands going in and out around his beak without grabbing at them.

The object here is not to shovel treats into his beak. This is something that should be done slowly and over time. Let him savor it. Wait until he wants more. You are not catering to him. He is being attentive to you. Reward him for that attention. Keep this up for the full half hour.

If he lunges for your hand or the treat move your hand back, and he does not get it. If he is not gentle, scowl and give a brief disapproving look. Reinforce with, “No biting.” and “gently.” Offer him the treat again. If he takes it from you gently, give it to him. If he attempts to bite, or snatch it, back away again. If he does not take the treat gently from your hand by the third attempt, turn your back on him and walk away. Ignore him completely for five minutes.

Most birds, but especially Big Macs and Toos CANNOT STAND TO BE IGNORED. It is one of the most powerful weapons in your arsonal. Use it. Walk away from the cage. Put your nose up in the air. Don’t respond to bids for attention. Play “hard to get.” Stop catering to the bird’s every whim. Make him work a little. When he calms down, come back.

If he continues to act up, he doesn’t get fed. Walk away again. When he calms down, come back. If he doesn’t calm down in the entire 30 minute session, he doesn’t get his treats. Let him watch you place them one by one back into the bag they came in. End the session and walk away. (Don’t be afraid to fail. Be persistent. Enforce the rules. Insist that he follow them.) Begin again when its time for the next session. In the interm, if he has been naughty, ignore the bird completely.

Objective: By the end of the three to five day period, he should be completely comfortable with you, and with having your hands in and around his beak without lunging or attempting to bite. He should be used to his regulated diet, and his new training schedule. He should be looking forward to getting his treats. Don't be surprised if he knows it's time for training, and starts to get excited.

END OF STEP ONE

[Graehstone]

Step 2: Getting Him Comfortable With Being Handled.

Before moving on to step 2, your bird must first be to the point where he is completely comfortable with you in step 1. He should be responding to your voice. He should be reacting when you ignore him. (If it upsets him, GOOD! It’s working. Keep doing it.) He should be taking food from your hand gently. He should not be attempting to attack your hand when you move it towards his beak.

A bird who has had it’s wings clipped is easier to control and work with. I strongly recommend it.

Things you will need to complete this step:

(1) Items 1-4 in step 1.

(2) A T-stand or table top training perch, same diameter as the main perch in the cage.

I used a table top T-stand that I bought on ebay for $10.00 for my Amazon. Because of the size of their tail, if you are working with a Macaw, I would recommend a telescoping floor to chest T stand. Sounds expensive, right? Wrong! Stop shopping in pet stores! A good floor microphone stand and an 18 inch piece of hardwood dowel makes a great big T stand that is adjustable to the height of any member of the family.

(3) Two 18 inch lengths of wooden dowel, same diameter as the main perch in the cage.

Home Depot item. Only a buck or two.

If your bird has been abused (as mine was) with dowel perches, and absolutely freaks out at the sight of them, then substitute two large beach towels for the two dowel perches.

(4) A large, thick beach towel.

(5) A quiet neutral room away from the cage and all other people.

I used the master bathroom for this.

(6) A steady nerve, and calm, confident demeanor. These guys can smell fear a mile away. Never let them see you sweat! If they sense fear, they will bully you. If you act wishy washy, you send mixed signals and confuse the bird. All your actions must be deliberate. I am a friend, not a threat, bird. You know me now. We ARE going to do this, bird! Be the one in control of the situation.

What to wear during training:

(1) A heavy long sleeved shirt, preferably sweatshirt material, and long pants. Minimize the amount of exposed flesh.

(2) Closed toed shoes! Preferably leather. If the bird flies down from the perch, he may go after your toes. This is especially true with Big Macs!

Ready for round two?! Set up the training perch in the neutral room. Place the large towel close by the training perch, just in case. You probably won’t need it. Place the bag of treats in the room as well. Take out about 3-4 first, and take those with you to the cage.

Sit in front of the cage at your normal training time. By now your bird will probably be anticipating it. Start using the bird voice as always. Feed him 3-4 treats to get him in the mood.
This time, something new has been added. Open the cage door and take a step back. Wait for the bird to come out on his own, and perch on the cage door.

Reasons: first, territorial aggression. You don’t want to be viewed as “invading the nest” at this point. You haven’t earned that much trust yet. Secondly, if he climbs up on the cage door, he can’t run around inside the cage. Position yourself between the cage door and the cage. He only has the length of the cage door to maneuver on when you try to get him to step up. If he flies down to the floor, he will want to step up. Either way, you are now holding the bird.

Distract him with one of the dowel perches, and step him up, using the step up command with the other. DO NOT LET HIM BITE THE PERCHES OR YOU WILL BE TRAINING HIM TO BITE YOUR HAND. Position the dowel perch at the usual spot by his legs. If he does not step up right away gently nudge him with one perch while distracting him with the other. The minute he puts a foot on the perch, lift up. He will have to step up. PRAISE THE BIRD WHEN HE STEPS UP.

If you are using towels instead of perches, wrap them tightly around your arms and hold them closed with your fist. Make sure all the bird can grab if he bites is a beak full of towel. Distract him with one toweled hand while stepping him up onto the other toweled hand. Then walk him over to the training room perch and set him down on it.

Training exercise no. 1: For the first 5-7 minutes of the training session, have him step off the T stand, onto the dowel (or towel), and then back down onto the t stand over and over again. Talk to him in the “bird voice” the entire time this is happening. Do not let him bite the stick or towel. Move fast. Stay far enough back with the other hand/dowel that he cannot reach it, but close enough to distract him with it. If he moves toward the “perch hand” immediately distract him with the dowel hand, or blow hard in his face to distract him.

If he becomes aggressive and attempts to latch on. Grab hold of the beak. Towel him, and take him back to his cage. End the session for the day. Ignore him. No treats. Bad boy.

If successful after 5-7 minutes, and he is stepping up nicely for you, reward him with praise and treats. Make a big deal about how good he was. Shower him with attention.

Begin training exercise no. 2: Again 5-7 minutes. This time we are going to use our two perches to GENTLY touch him all over. Desensitize him to you. Let him get used to it. Let him figure out that this is not a threat. If there are areas he hates to be touched, be sure to touch him there over and over again, pulling away as he turns to bite. Touch him on the other side, with the other perch when he does, and back to the other side again. Do the back of his neck. The chest. The sides of his wings. The feet. The tail feathers. Touch everything. BUT DON’T LET HIM BITE THE STICK OR THE TOWEL UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. Talk to him the entire time. Your hands should be moving constantly. Your eyes should be focused on the bird’s posture, eyes, head, and shoulder movements. He will show you when he is getting upset, and what direction he is intending to turn.

After 5-7 minutes, discontinue and reward him with treats and praise.

Begin training exercise no 3: HERE COMES THE MOMENT OF TRUTH!

Set down one of the two perches. Distract him with the perch in your left hand. Step him up onto YOUR OTHER BARE HAND. If he strikes for the hand, he will go for the thumb. Be prepared to move the dowel perch to a position between the bird’s beak and your thumb. DO NOT HIT HIM WITH THE PERCH! But position the perch where he cannot bite your thumb, and gently “nudge” his beak away from your thumb with the perch or the towel. DO NOT LET HIM BITE THE PERCH. DO NOT LET HIM BITE YOUR THUMB. Use the “no bite” command. You may have to move his beak away several times before he stops attempting to grab your thumb. Praise him when he stops, and go back to the “bird voice.”

Wait for him to be calm. Now, walk around the house with him for the remainder of your ½ hour training session. Wander from room to room. Go out in the back yard sit down for awhile. Let him get used to you moving around while holding him. ALL THE WHILE WATCHING HIS BODY POSTURE. In the case of big macs, don’t let him go for your thumb or your trapezious muscle. (That’s where they will strike.) Amazons or toos will likely go for the thumb or the forearm. Use the other perch to block and control the beak and prevent it.

Walk him back to his cage and set him down on the door. Praise him and give him some more treats. This training session is now over. DO THIS TWICE A DAY FOR 1-2 MONTHS.

Objective: Teaching him to step up without biting. Teaching him to walk around with you. Getting him to accept being touched. Teaching him that touching is not bad, and that you are not going to hurt him. Gradually move your hand up the two perches over the course of the two months, until you are no longer using perches or towels, but are actually petting the bird all over with your hand.

[Graehstone]

Clearing up some misconceptions, based on a disturbing email. You don't starve the birds to get them to do tricks! Where are you getting that from?! I WOULD NEVER DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT, AND I WOULD NEVER ADVOCATE DOING SOMETHING LIKE THAT!!!

You get them on a regular eating schedule. That's healthier for them anyway! As prone as these guys are to obesity and fussy eating problems... We eat normal scheduled meals, so do they.

What happens to a parrot who just sits in a cage and eats all day long?! They become fat and lethargic, and develop health and behavioral problems because of it! THAT'S WHAT!

What they don't get, is favorite treats. NUTS in large quantity are bad for most of them anyway. (Unless you are talking about certain species of big macs that require high fat contents in their diets)

So they work for those, and get them in small amounts as a supplement or treat, instead of a staple that they pick out and gorge themselves on, eating healthy only when all the treats are gone! It's healthier for them this way...

You work with them BEFORE the evening meal, because they will be a little bit hungry, and they will be that much more responsive to training, and they pick things up that much more quickly. That's all!

What we are talking about it a little playtime before the evening meal. And trust me, they like the attention and interaction as much, if not more, than the treats!

[Graehstone]

Next step: Getting the bird to lie on it's back in the palm of your hand.

The key to trick training is to develop the degree of interaction with your bird before starting. Trick training is simple. It only takes a few days. Establishing the level of trust... that's the hard part. Don't rush the trust part to get to the tricks. The trust part is the critical component.

What you will need: A bird that is completely comfortable interacting with you. Your "bird voice" and a few favorite treats. (You guys will probably kill me when you find out how easy this is! That's it? That's not even hard!)

First, step you bird up onto your right hand.

Second, put your thumb over his feet so that he has additional support.

Third, distract your bird with your left hand by raising it over his head, high enough so that he cannot reach it. Your bird will focus his attention on your left hand. Leave it there as you tip the bird backwards.

Fourth, tip the bird back over on his back and hold him there in mid air. He may panic a little initially. Use your bird voice to keep him calm. Talk to him the entire time. Count to three. Now raise the bird back up. Praise him. Give him treats. Stroke his head. Wait til he calms down completely, and repeat.

Do 5-10 reps of this until your bird is completely comforable lying on his back in your hand. After each rep he gets praise and treats. (This part takes about, maybe, 2-5 minutes.)

Next step, once he is comfortable lying on his back for three seconds, you slowly lower your left hand, and move it to the center of his back. Continue holding him on his back while you scratch the "sweet spot" near the center of his shoulders. He will probably like this. Do it for 10 seconds or so... Then raise him up again,and praise him, and give him treats. Do about 5 reps like this. (Another, maybe 2-5 minutes.)

Next, instead of scratching his neck or his back when you tip him backwards, lay your hand flat and set him down on the palm of your hand. Then raise him up again,and praise him, and give him treats. Do about 3 reps like this. (Another minute or so.)

On the 4th rep or so, let go of his feet with your thumb, and slowly pull your finger out. BINGO! Your bird has just learned to lie on his back in the palm of your hand! (How long did that take? Somewhere between 5-15 minutes?!)

Once he begins to lie on his back, stroke the chest, tickle the wings. Talk to him. See how long he will stay that way for you. You will soon find that he cuddles with you in this manner during play, on his own...

Reinforce for 5-10 minutes a day for 2 weeks or so...

And post those photos!

[Graehstone]

The original thread with questions and answers can be found here: http://www.parrotalk.com/forum/index...opic=5938&st=0
Any and all questions concerning the above should be directed there.

[kaylap]

This is just what I've been looking for. I have a 3 yr old Catalina who is really going through some adjustment issues with a new home. I'll be going by these guidelines 100% in hopes of creating a better bond between myself and Sonshine.

[dfispy]

I just wanted to say thanks this has been really helpful.I was doing something right but,was nice to have direction. Julie

Originally Posted by Graehstone

Next step: Getting the bird to lie on it's back in the palm of your hand.

The key to trick training is to develop the degree of interaction with your bird before starting. Trick training is simple. It only takes a few days. Establishing the level of trust... that's the hard part. Don't rush the trust part to get to the tricks. The trust part is the critical component.

What you will need: A bird that is completely comfortable interacting with you. Your "bird voice" and a few favorite treats. (You guys will probably kill me when you find out how easy this is! That's it? That's not even hard!)

First, step you bird up onto your right hand.

Second, put your thumb over his feet so that he has additional support.

Third, distract your bird with your left hand by raising it over his head, high enough so that he cannot reach it. Your bird will focus his attention on your left hand. Leave it there as you tip the bird backwards.

Fourth, tip the bird back over on his back and hold him there in mid air. He may panic a little initially. Use your bird voice to keep him calm. Talk to him the entire time. Count to three. Now raise the bird back up. Praise him. Give him treats. Stroke his head. Wait til he calms down completely, and repeat.

Do 5-10 reps of this until your bird is completely comforable lying on his back in your hand. After each rep he gets praise and treats. (This part takes about, maybe, 2-5 minutes.)

Next step, once he is comfortable lying on his back for three seconds, you slowly lower your left hand, and move it to the center of his back. Continue holding him on his back while you scratch the "sweet spot" near the center of his shoulders. He will probably like this. Do it for 10 seconds or so... Then raise him up again,and praise him, and give him treats. Do about 5 reps like this. (Another, maybe 2-5 minutes.)

Next, instead of scratching his neck or his back when you tip him backwards, lay your hand flat and set him down on the palm of your hand. Then raise him up again,and praise him, and give him treats. Do about 3 reps like this. (Another minute or so.)

On the 4th rep or so, let go of his feet with your thumb, and slowly pull your finger out. BINGO! Your bird has just learned to lie on his back in the palm of your hand! (How long did that take? Somewhere between 5-15 minutes?!)

Once he begins to lie on his back, stroke the chest, tickle the wings. Talk to him. See how long he will stay that way for you. You will soon find that he cuddles with you in this manner during play, on his own...

Reinforce for 5-10 minutes a day for 2 weeks or so...

And post those photos!

[kaylap]

Originally Posted by ParrotletLover

Good luck with your birds, dfipsy and Kaylap.

Up until now I was afraid I'd have to get drunk to dull the pain and just go for it!

OK, so I wouldn't really do that. I have been frustrated with the lack of progress. Some moments Sonshine is the sweetest thing but he refuses to let us get him out of his cage. The only way he'll come out, without drawing blood, is if we leave the door open and let him crawl on top and we stay out of his way. That just leads to the "King of the Mountian" mentality and then getting him back in is a nightmare. And even then I realize all we've taught him is that he can call the shots. I'm really excited to have found a training plan that at least gives me some guidlines.

Thanks again,

Kay
Mom to 3 grown kids, 2 fids, 2 dogs, and 2 cats, and one spoiled rotten husband.