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I’m 62 years old and getting my very first love bird this week. I very much enjoy watching and learning from your videos! Ty for taking the time to make them!
One of the things i appreciate so much about your videos is not just your patience, but your explanation of EXACTLY what to do when one is not sure of why one's birdy is afraid or seeming unsure. i kept thinking that i was maybe doing things wrong when i first got my little budgie, but your videos have helped so so much to give me a better understanding of how birds view things in ways i'd only half really thought of. The detail and attention to specifics You explain in your videos are the most thorough as well as encouraging of anything i've found anywhere online in the last month of literally SCOURING the net for bird care and training related things. Thank You SOO MUCH! i feel so much more confident, as well as patient, in befriending my new little roomie thanks to you!
hey ,if anyone else wants to uncover how to train a parrot to talk try Parrot Ploy Plan (do a search on google ) ? Ive heard some pretty good things about it and my mate got cool results with it.
Thank you so much for starting these *beginner* video tutorials on training your bird. I was always fascinated by the wonderful relationship you have with your Birds. I want that level of trust with my feathery friends. ❤️🐥
i love how when you taught us "step up" the bird didnt really know step up. thats what i love about you! In other videos, people already have a bird that knows what the video is teaching, which makes us think that its gonna be easy, and birds have the instinct to just hop on.
That’s what I try for! I find it’s a lot easier to demonstrate how to train on an animal that doesn’t know what to do yet. It shows a prime example of issues you may run in to, the way a bird may present confusion, and a natural progression of the behaviour!
Thanks for this :) I couldn't get my lorikeet to step up with his second foot, did the perch extension you suggested & eventually we got there :). Very slow with him, due to a history of abuse, but the perch extension did the trick :) I'm back watching again now to make sure I stay on track as we move forward a little more. I started rotating my finger a little while he was on it so he'd get used to movement (after about a week of just perch extension & no movement) & then today I tried moving it while he was on it to just behind the perch for the step down. He freaked out a little, kept running up the cage to safety before I even got a chance to give the treat for the step down, but would then come back down to repeat it again pretty quickly & was still willing to fully step onto my hand. He still won't do a second foot step up with my hand in front of the perch, but we did well today with stepping up with both feet via the perch extension & then stepping down onto the perch after my hand had moved slightly to be just behind it. We did that at least 20 times, kept having breaks & then he kept coming back for more, reached the point where he was pretty full I think & really didn't even seem interested in the reward other than out of routine, but still wanted to do more for the attention & stimulation of doing it, so we're making good progress now I think :) My other one was willing to sit on the perch that's attached to the door while the door was open today too, which is REALLY unusual for her! Normally she won't come out of her cage at all! So we did some starter work on step up too, with my hand extending on that perch & she even put her foot onto it for a second - twice! Mostly though just getting familiar with my hand being there & touching the stick over my hand for the reward & also licking some treats of my hand (which she does fairly comfortably anyway) Long path ahead with mine, but we're definitely making good progress :) I missed training yesterday cause I wasn't well & I think that's why they were both so keen today (I was expecting it to go the opposite way)
3 months later & training this almost every day & FINALLY she stepped up properly, stepping forward & with 2 feet! So that's about 5-6 months of training total & 3 months since learning the successful strategy of shimmying along the perch onto my finger. My birds have some SERIOUS emotional issues from their past home!
My sun conure is shoulder trained but not step up trained, I got him from an old man who raised him from an egg, He’s currently two years old and I’ve had him since July of last summer, we’ve bonded pretty well over the past few months to the point where he lets me give him head scratches when I’m laying down and he won’t let me leave the room without flying to my shoulder but the only problem is I can’t get him to step up off of my shoulder and I have to physically put my shoulder next to his perch or cage so he can step onto it and off of my shoulder, I taught him how to whistle which is pretty cute. He is also very timid about everything, he’s scared of stepping up onto new things like perches and bird carriers, anyways thanks for the video, I’ll definitely try this!✌️
I love the tone of your voice. I hope this is your career, this is definitely what you should be doing with your life. You’re AWESOME! I’ve learned so much from you. You’ve given me confidence. I’m scared to death of owning a bird. I’m getting my bird in a few weeks!
I just stumbled on your training recently. You're a "natural" at doing these videos! I hope you'll continue posting them! There's so many things to learn when you're a new bird owner! Thank you so much! Please come back!!! I'd love to know how to get my bird to come away from his cage and how to get him to interact more with me and play. It's been a lot more challenging than I expected. Been making progress, with many mistakes made and having to start over several times. Sigh!
I just wanted to let you know how much I love your videos and greatly appreciate all the information I learn here and elsewhere about training and caring for birds! It's been a while since I've had a bird, but even then, I barely did anything for training and since finding this channel and your blog (as well as others'), I've realised more fully the extent to which my care of my birds had been subpar. Even though I haven't yet had a chance to apply what I've learned here personally, I'm still proud of myself for looking for and finding this information and I love being able to contribute and help others figure out how to adjust their own methods for training and enriching the lives of their birds. I feel that really speaks to how easily accessible you and other people are making this information and how well you communicate all these concepts and their flexibility/applicability, that people who have no practical experience using them (like me) are then able to brainstorm with others to help with specific issues their bird is having. So I guess what I'm trying to say is you're doing a great job! I know that one of the main goals of this channel is making bird care and training information accessible and so I want to thank you for doing exactly that 😊!! PS: I remember reading on your Tumblr about Newt's previous owner's warning regarding his aggression/biting, so I want to quickly say how relieved/proud/overjoyed I am at how well he's doing now that he has someone as knowledgeable and patient as you to care for him! I was concerned about him and Mia getting along when I read about the biting, and while I know you're still working on easing them into being comfortable around the other, I feel a lot better about the chances of that happening after seeing his sweeter/goofier side and how eager he is to be training with you!
I’m so happy your back and are able to make these videos. They are very helpful especially since I’m getting a cockatiel in a few weeks. Any tips? I can tell Newt is settling in very well. Awesome video keeps up the great work. Can’t wait to see another video!❤️
I have had my lovebird for about 6 months, since she was 5 weeks old (way too young, I know), and she taught herself a few tricks without me having to try to train her. For example if I make a tunnel (shaped like the letter 'n') on the ground or desk she'll run through it and it's adorable. She is also teaching herself how to sing and dance. I would recommend hand rearing an almost fully weaned bird as they attach to you very quickly and will love being around you and they don't need step up training as they will automatically want to sit with you. You must know how to take care of such a young bird before you commit to buying one first. Mine's named Eva after Wall-E
Thank you for this video. I've had my budgies for a few weeks now. They are comfortable eating from my hand now but I haven't been able to get them to step up on to my hand or fingers yet. Your tips should help.
My story: the first month my lovebird was already pretty good with stepping up to my hand.. for food. But after being let out in the aviary he found ways NOT to step up, such as stretching his neck lol. So Im starting over with new strategy. Lesson learned: its easier for them to shimmy, thanks for the tip!!!
I know this is an off-topic question but I remember in one of your videos 'products to avoid' you mentioned how mirrors are quite bad for birds mental health because they can get quite obsessed and start mating with it etc. My bird has a mirror and isn't fully obsessed with it but likes to sleep next to it. He hasn't shown any signs of mating interest and doesn't rlly stare at it for hours, more tries to destroy the chain and frame around it. Do you think its ok to keep it in their or should I take it out? Thanks and btw love your channel! My bird has learnt to come to me, wave and turn around because of you :)
Jess 28 (I know I am not her but I have bird experience) I suggest you take it out. Even if they are not obsessed, they could become obsessed. And it will also confuse them. If you think they would still like to have the frame and Chain, the mirrors are easy to pry out :)
Hey! I had a question unrelated to this video, but about bird care. Do birds need colorful objects to play with or it doesnt matter if they are quite plain? Does it stimulates anything, healthier for them (regardless of the actual game of the toy)? Thank you for answering, love your videos! ^-^
It’s nice to see success with target training without a clicker! Do you still use a key phrase with the treat reward as well? I don’t really like the clicker it’s kind of annoying noise for me but I know it’s a good way of reinforcing the target, so we will see what my little guy responds to best!
I had the same problem with my 8 year old rescue. But I changing his diet helped a lot so he was eating chop and not seeds. He still doesn’t like the chop and doesn’t want to eat it. But that makes it easier to train him because he does whatever I ask him to do for regular seed
She loves millet but won't come to me to get it. She stares into my eyes sometimes like she's looking into my soul..through the safety of the bars of her cage or above me if she's out flying around. There's a definite bond between us but she's still weary.
Try making the step-up training more exciting, like with new treats or bright colored toys or something. Try holding it away from your hand so they have to hop or scoot on it to get to the treat. Make the training sessions short, 5 - 15 minutes, and end on a good note, so your bird won't have a bad impression of training and will be excited for the next training session. Hope this helps!
my lorikeet's doing that (and more) if I'm not super careful to keep my hand steady & careful as to how I move it in to her, I'm wondering if yours is doing that cause your hand is not being a stable enough perch & so she's trying to tell you to fix it
My bird is afraid when I reach my hand inside the cage and I’ve read it’s bad to put your hand inside your birds cage. How do I teach him to step up and not be seen as a predator?
I would love some advice on picking a bird for a time bird owner. I am torn between getting a parrotlet or a GCC. I would really appreciate some insight on how I should pick between the two. I like the both a lot.
I know that she has used clickers in other training videos, but it doesn't look like she's using one here. I think it's mostly because it would be a little awkward to incorporate both treats and a clicker for this particular training, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's also because of how new Newt is to the household and she's still learning his reactions and likes/dislikes. She did mention using praise as the secondary positive reinforcement along with treats as the primary reinforcement, so there's that.
What kind of treats do you use? how long will it take for me to get him on a stick out of the cage so he can start working on step up from the door frame? Or, how can I get him being interested in coming out of his cage? When I put my hand in there he runs away. Please help. Your bird was already on the door frame in the video.🤔
She's made an explanation about treats, i think the video title is taming tips. Basically you learn what your bird likes, rate which food is most fav (which is called jackpot, and will only be given when they do wonderfully correct thing)
i was wondering where you got your cage? i need a bigger cage for my cockatiel and sense conures aren’t much smaller then cockatiel is like a cage like yours.
I got a new bird and he's not tame, but quite young and at least a little bit used to being near my hand. I'm a bit scared to open the cage in order to really train with him because I'm afraid he'll fly out, hurt himself and be traumatized. What should I do?
How old is/was Newt when you got him? I am finding it much easier to train my 4 month old bird that I just got than the 8 year old rescue, and I think that people need to understand that. Not that older birds can’t be trained. They absolutely can. They’re just a lot harder to train, and I wish more bird channels would be honest about that. Training a bird out of bad habits is harder than training a young bird into good habits. Especially because of the food issue where young birds haven’t had an entire lifetime of eating junk from their previous owner. Sadly. Not that people should be discouraged from getting rescues, because rescue is awesome! But people shouldn’t be so disappointed and discouraged when their older rescue bird isn’t automatically doing the things they see RU-vidrs able to make their young birds they just got from a breeder able to do
im trying this technique with my GCC but with the tips of my fingers on his cage door he just bites the mess outta them. He'll eat out of my hand no problem, but trying this only makes him bite my fingers more.. If you have any hints or tips on how to fix that please share with meee
I'm not sure if you are still experiencing this problem, although if you are, I'd highly recommend slowly removing your hand and having your back turned to him for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes put your hand back into the place it was before making the least noise possible. If he leaves it alone, leave your hand there 5-10 seconds and then reward him (millet, seed sticks, seeds, fruit/veg, etc.). If he continues biting, repeat the process. Hope it helps
i do the same procedure. my parrot is so excited when i put stick infront of her . she is running and step up ang getting reward. she getting reward. next second she always wanted to return to cage😞she dont want to be in hands
I've been doing permission training over a month and still not there with my new plet. My last one nailed it everytime in days and flying across the room in a week. Help!
What if you have a bird who is stubborn, they will let you pet them and feed them, but any time you offer your hand to step up they screech or attempt to bite but will step onto someone elses hand without command if they want to be on them.
Ocenite I know what you are talking about my bird was like this what I did was just waiting and a couple of days when he looks comfortable I will try to pet him he sometimes didn’t let me but he sometimes did. It will take a couple of weeks
Ocenite i’m in the same exact situation except my bird only lets me scritch through the cage bars. he looks uncomfortable almost all the time even though i’ve had him for 3 months lol
Can you please answer my question? So the question is do we have to have a stick? Or can it be any sort of material like plastic?? Thank you anyways!💞☺️
We got a bird and he used to scream every time someone came within like one yard of him. Now he has gotten used to me through trick training taking the process slowly. He used to step up for a few seconds, but then we took him to get his nails clipped and ever since then he doesn't step up hardly ever even though I offer a large treat as a reward. He will still do other interacting tricks such as waving, high five, turning around, target, retrieve, and stacking rings but I can't seem to get him to step up. Any advice?
I have two new cockatiels, haven't had their first molt yet. They have been with me for three weeks now. Where is best to start? Target training or step-up?
My bird will step up but once he see the sunflower seed if I move my hand away from the cage he will hop on to the cage and the only time he ain't afraid of my hands when I feeding sunflower seed I don't understand why he's doing that why he's afraid of my hand
Hey... I lately buy a pair of parrotlets a few days ago, and the seller told me there where tame but there not and I was wondering if u can help me with some advice in a process of taming them, please
My 4 month old baby cockatiel doesn't like any treats yet. I've tried papaya, banana, peanut butter , she is just not interested, she steps up only because I take her out of her home and bring her over to the playground (jungle gym and all kinds of toys) and SHE will not let me pet her, help me pkease?
Hi I was just wondering I juts got my bird 1 day ago and she is hand fed but she steps up out of the cage but she has trouble stepping up on other stuff and won’t step up unless I show her a treat and she bites me I don’t know how to fix this? Help pls
Same situation here,just with an african grey!Tip:On the weekend or in your free time be with the bird(in the room),they will get much comfortable with you,and let them out of the cage when you're with them
@@lubartulovic2260 Thanks for the tip but nope...Thats not the issue...My birds are in my home office where l spend most of my day and night...also their cages are completely open all the time and have the run of the house...They are all sitting above my head as lm typing this reply...Thanks anyway
Depends on your schedule, a session is usually one 5-15 minute segment of training. You can do up to three sessions a day if you have the time, once a day is most common for the average household. Birds tend to retain information best when doing 2 or more sessions in a day though!
I know I'm not her and this is three months ago but she has mentioned that training sessions should be twice a day and for 5-10 minutes each time due to the bird losing boredom. She rewards them with millet usually but you can put different seeds in a small plate and see which ones your bird picks out first, those will be their favorite treats
I have a 3month old high red yellow sided GCC an he likes to bite and latch on. Any advice? He loves me to pet him an likes to sit on me but also loves to bite me
Can you make a video on how to train your parrot to use there foot to pick up and hold food? When I bought my baby parrotlet Melo she was in a cage with 12 other love birds all by herself on the floor of the cage looking terrified, I don’t think she ever had the interaction with a bird that showed her how to do that & I was wondering if there’s a way to teach her myself. Thank you!
I have a question, How do you feel on the pet Difficulty system? Where people will rank animals depending on how much work or effort they need. Like some birds are classified as "beginner birds". Do people need to work their way up the difficulty rungs, or is it possible to skip through with enough research?
Snudder Mado I think it depends on how many difficulty rungs you plan on jumping. I think a mid range difficulty bird like a conure or ringneck is possible if you're diligent. In the case of larger parrots though like Cockatoo or Macaw I think it'd only be possible if you had a close friend or mentor who has experience with larger birds helping you along and as well as trying out fostering or bird sitting beforehand.
what if your bird is scared of hands? I got my budgie, Tiki, yesterday, and I'm studying what to train her first. He is deathly afraid of them. If I put mine even close, he freaks out.
My new cockatiel is supposedly hand-trained, but shies away and panics when I put my hand in the cage, even if I do it very slowly and gradually. My nan thought it would be good to put one of our finches in with him to teach him where to eat from as he used to eat from shallow dishes on the floor of his cage, but I’m afraid if she’s in there too long he will learn to form a bond with her and not me and I might not be able to get him used to and friendly with me. Does anyone have any suggestions?
NinjAnne thanks! He’s actually gotten more friendly and when we have him on his stand I can get him to step up. I still can’t get him to step up when he’s in the cage but hopefully he’ll learn :)
I have a question my budgie doesn't want to step Up. He just runs away or he goes under my hand and then he Falls asleep. He only steps up in the cage and not outside the cage. Only when he wants to. I don't force him to step up, but it's kinda annoying. Because I can't take him to other places. He is bonded with me, he feels safe. I know that, but he doesn't understand the sign to step up. How can I fix that without forcing?
How does it work if my parakeet doesn't eat treats? No seeds, nuts, berries, or anything but lettuce? I want to train him, but I can't use lettuce because he's evil with it.
Hello! I'm new to your channel and I recently got a 3 month old male, not hand reared, aviary bird cockatiel. I want to be able to handle him and hang out with him and he seems like a gentle bird. He's very scared of hands and pretty much anything to do with humans. He is a little better with me because he is in my room, next to my bed. We have in a small cage for now, and I sing to him and let him fly around while I clean my room and such. But when It comes to trying to pet him and stuff, or just in general trying to check up on him he won't bite ever, he'll hiss, back away and open his mouth and rub it rapidly over my hand. I think he knows that I'm not trying to hurt him but doesn't want me to touch him? Because he never seems intent to hurt me like my late budgie did. He won't take treats or anything if I offer them through the cage bars, and he won't eat from my hand. He'll also back away if I get too close to the cage, this includes if he is eating or drinking. Do you have any tips on quick bonding? I'm on holidays till about the start of February. I'm also limited with resources because I'm only 14. I also live with 2 dogs, and 2 three year old's (Who are very good with not opening his cage door or trying to grab him). He also attacks a perch when I try to get him onto it to get him in a cage (he won't attack me if I am forced to grab him though, he'll hiss and do the weird beak rubbing)
Mam I can I use a millet instead of target stick please tell me Mam I am 13 year old boy I really want to have a bird and want train the bird without my elders help please Mam tell me please
I highly recommend you wait a few years before you adopt a parrot. They’re a massive commitment, and not in any way comparable to a dog or cat. There’s a lot to understand about them, body language, mentality/psychology, care, vet bills (avian vets are very pricey), etc. Please wait until you’re in a more stable position to have one. At your age, you never know where your mindset is going to be at in a year or two. If you decide to go to college, who would be taking care of your bird? If you want to travel, who will take care of it?
What if your bird is scared of your treats? 😂😂 My bird is 3 months old, she was hand raised, she has been with us for a month now. She has had a lot of human interaction, but she is just scared of my treats.. She will never step on my hand, but I need to reward her, I can’t.
hello @flocktalk! Would I use this same technique for a bird that used to know how to step up but has forgotten? I recently got a galah and made the mistake of not doing any training with him while he was settling in and no he doesn't remember how to step up!
So whenever i put Boi (My bird parakeet) outside the cage, and i put him in my finger, his foot/claw is always warm is that normal? please answer it will be very helpful!
So my bird it terrified of sticks for target training how can I make this possible? I try showing him the stick every day but he either tries attacking it or he will run to a corner trying to hide.pls help
leave the stick on/near the cage all the time & later in the cage if needed. Let him attack it & eat it until he gets bored with that & over his phobia of it :) Then after that, really focus on rewarding for contact with the stick but not rewarding for biting/attacking it & if he keeps biting it, just walk away for 5-10 minutes & then come back & try again & just massive reward with your voice & treats if he touches gently
I’ve had my bird for 4 months now and it’s really difficult for me to get him out of the cage and when he does he flies to places in my room where it’s hard for me to reach him. I can get my hand close to him but I can’t touch him or he goes somewhere else. He won’t take treats from me and starts shaking when people go near him. I’ve been watching videos on how to train him but I don’t understand how I can do this when he doesn’t trust me. Also we got him from the finch farm I think it was called and he had to get mailed to my house. I think the people working there may have treated him badly because he’s missing half of his toe. Does anyone have any advice?
ASmallToaster talk to him softly, try to let him know your not a threat or anything. If he remains calm and even starts preening or showing signs of being comfortable, reward him. He’s probably scared of humans a little based on that half-toe. Try letting him know your safe and he might open up to you. Teach him to target and target him on your hand like in this video. Also feed him treats from your hand. I hope this helps, I didn’t want to repeat what every one says to do because every bird is different and it might not work for you.
