BirdTricks Tuesday | Foundational Failures Series
Added 2020-03-24 23:00:00 +0000 UTCOur BirdTricks Tuesday 2020 series is focusing on 18 Foundational Failures that lead to major problems! They may seem obvious, but they're things we see ALL. THE. TIME. and finally felt the need to address in this series!
Be sure to leave a comment and let us know how you relate to this topic, or what topic you hope we cover in the next episode!
Comments
Kathy I also have a rescue Goffin- it can be so difficult training them! Feel free to message me anytime, I have had similar issues in the past and I definitely relate to what you're going through. I've had Cheeky for 6 going on 7 years now and I'm always learning. You're in the right place! I really wish I discovered Birdtricks videos the first few years when I initially got Cheeky, I could've avoided so many mistakes...
Catrin Griffiths
2021-01-23 20:15:11 +0000 UTCGreat information! and great thing to have in mind especially when you want to socialise the birds with other people and how to treat it as a trick, rather than an interaction. In my case with Mezcal, I never consider him a shoulder rusher, as I can get him of quite easily and whenever I want to... expect when he is hormonal! and it is not only the shoulder, but the head, the side of my shirt, my shoes... he just likes being on me the whole time (no matter the location). Problem here is that he starts to slightly pinch my skin, not hard.. but still annoying. In those cases I just minimise the time he gets to spend out of his cage, but when he's out we are always training or flying around the house to make sure he's happy.... curiously this always happens around the time he is molting feathers! Thank you so much for the information guys! We are both looking forward to next Tuesday already!
Andrea
2020-03-26 10:43:18 +0000 UTCYay!!
BirdTricks
2020-03-26 00:18:02 +0000 UTCWe used her social nature and began having a different dancer come out on stage and get her after the routine instead of asking her to fly up to the back. So she never knew which dancer it would be and that was more reinforcing to her.
BirdTricks
2020-03-26 00:17:07 +0000 UTCWhen we first got Tango, he would NOT come off the shoulder. And he would only shoulder rush me, not David (my husband) and it wad SO FRUSTRATING. But, he had come from an environment where he wasn't getting a good diet and he was encouraged to go on everyone's shoulders and heads for photos (mostly kids who would squeal when he did so). It. Was. Awful. (I even have a video of how bad it was here - https://youtu.be/C5U71RzMRIc) But once we started working with Jamie and Dave, getting the diet right, and teaching target training through the cage (out time was extremely limited at first), then all the sudden things started changing. No more rushing, we could spend more time together, and if he happened to go to the shoulder it was as easy as holding out my arm and saying "you know better". Limiting out of cage time seems awful, but if it's a short period of time (and you keep the cage full of fun toys and experiences) then it's worth it in the long run so that they can be out longer and with positive interactions all around 😁👍
Ashlyn Barnes
2020-03-25 16:40:07 +0000 UTCGreat information. My Goffin's Cockatoo Fred was previously owned by a man who had Fred on his shoulder ALL THE TIME. Fred ate with him, hung out with him and spent most of his time on the guys shoulder. This man passed away and his family gave Fred to a friend of mine who "rescued" birds as well as other animals. So when I was first introduced to Fred he immediately rushed my shoulder and proceded to bite my ear and as I gave him my finger (Hahaha) to step up he bit it really hard and deep. So needless to say I do not allow Fred on my shoulder. And we're still working on the step up, but he's doing much better. He hasn't bit me or rushed my shoulder for quite a few months. I'm very proud of my little buddy. This is all due to the information you two have shared. I owe Fred's success to both of you. I continue to watch and learn and like this video be reminded of things I need to stay aware of. I can't thank you enough for the information you provide and the way you do it. Love you two. 😊💖
Kathy Surber
2020-03-25 08:21:43 +0000 UTCHi guys!!!!!! Love your videos!!! So informative and helps you see things from the birds point of view. I belong to a Cockatoo fb group where novice owners post questions looking for advice. Numerous times I've told them check out Bird tricks. Oh, and I see other people recommending Bird tricks also. I have learned so much from you guys!!!! Keep up the great work?
Kelly Sedrel
2020-03-25 02:58:09 +0000 UTCThanks for the video, I have stopped the shoulder rushing with most of my 12 babies, thanks to your awesome teachings. Can't wait to see what the next 17 failures are that you are going to cover. :)
Kimberly Caro
2020-03-25 01:56:49 +0000 UTCOh this reminds of the Saipan incident during the avian flu pandemic where Bondi screamed at the audience to make them scream, 😂. How did you train that out later on?
Rosanna Lam
2020-03-25 00:31:54 +0000 UTCI’m in the process of taming two cockatiels and I notice they aren’t comfortable being below a certain height. I transport my birds to the bathroom for a shower with a travel cage and even though the shower rod is higher, sometimes they don’t want to get off the travel cage (I take them out and place them on top) or they will fly back. So I move to place the travel cage on the floor and voila, fly to the shower rod. Another compromise if one of them is in and the other one hanging out on top won’t fly off because they are bonded so relatively safe transport. I always try to find a solution that doesn’t involve me grabbing, toweling or netting them to get to a place. I use their bond, spray millet and target training to persuade them, lol.
Rosanna Lam
2020-03-25 00:25:26 +0000 UTCAwesome info. Thank you!!! My baby is scared of everything right now. Have lots of work to do, but she is only 4 months old.
Shannon Stover
2020-03-24 23:38:05 +0000 UTCI agree on the shoulders so much that I've only put my bird on my shoulder one time and he wasn't thrilled. I needed two hands at that time. I may let him more later once he's mature but while he's young, he's going to go through so many changes in behaviors that I'm reserving the shoulders entirely for right now. I feel like that is keeping him from demanding them. On the harnesses, I agree. My umbrella would not go out without his harness on. So while I do use one SOMETIMES now while I'm getting my young bird used to things, I also make sure to not use it when it's safe to do so. He can get a great death grip on my hand and I've had the nail marks to prove it. :)
Cindi Lund
2020-03-24 23:37:29 +0000 UTC
