What topics do you want for live chats?
Added 2021-01-02 17:59:59 +0000 UTCNow is the time to comment with topics you want for live chats going forward so I can plan them each month - be sure to heart the comment you agree with and want to nominate too!
Comments
I do have a foot holding video talking about this if you can search for it, I demo with Lefty!
BirdTricks
2021-01-17 18:04:46 +0000 UTCIs it ok to only feed small birds (Parrotlet size) 2 set meals a day or do they need access to food all day?
Maureen Mancinelli
2021-01-17 15:44:28 +0000 UTCI would love to know more about how we can keep our gorgeous cheeky 1yr old Sun Conure better occupied. He has all his fav toys, decent size cage, is on your diet, have had him 4.5 months and we have taught him to step up, recall, go to perch, dancing (too cute), shake hands, go upside down, spun, target and kisses all on cue. He is fully flighted and going through (towards end of) full malt. He get sun and out of cage time wherever we can with training, toys, foraging and attention but is mostly only interested in flying to us. He is always wanting to be with us. He gets 12 hours sleep, in a separate room with blinds drawn and no cover. He is very mouthy and has a huge personality. Not sure if they mature over the years but he loves to nibble your ears or skin and yep loves your shoulder and easy access to nibble you. He has gotten so super fast and sometimes clips himself when flying in a doorway etc so this is a bit of a worry. He is very good now and can navigate most areas well but is just so quick. Will things settle down as he gets older and more confident if that is possible lol. With his foraging ball in his cage (a favourite of his) after breakfast but before pellets I will fill with things like alfalfa, cucumber and carrots and little bits is corn on the cob which is his favourite thing and has to work to pull out everything so he can get his pieces of corn. So this and shredding he loves. I plat music for him during the day when working or busy. We have bought many of your videos and I studied the breed for months before purchasing. I still feel I am not guiding him properly to stop the nibbling although stationing training and stepping up has vastly improved, it feels like his nibbling addiction is the most difficult to break?!
Tasha Markwell
2021-01-13 06:27:19 +0000 UTCThey have some really good videos on working with birds who are afraid of water bottles and spraying that you can look up. I believe ones with an African gray. The water rolls off of them because birds are waterproof to certain extent they have oils on their feathers that repel water so you have to get a lot on them and that's why they will fluff up their feathers so that the water will go between them when they're bathing
Erin Hall
2021-01-06 20:03:08 +0000 UTCI have so many problems I need help with. I cannot get my cockatiel to step up off the floor no matter how much Target training I do no matter how many rewards I try to offer him he just would rather be on the floor than with me 100% of the time. that's a big problem I have cuz getting him back in his cage up off the floor is difficult. The only thing we found is that if you pick up a piece of newspaper and scrunch it he'll fly at you because he's very aggressive towards anyone holding paper he wants all the paper for himself and will attack you if you try to take paper away from him. My other big thing is I just bought the seasonal feeding system and I want to confirm him from his high quality pellets on to the fresh foods with pellets at night but he won't even investigate or look at foods I offer him that are not the pellets. I'd really love an in-depth video series on this from you guys if you have a bird that's on pellets.
Erin Hall
2021-01-06 20:01:42 +0000 UTCYES! We have a medium-sized bird, and she's pretty good at pooping in designated spots, BUT the one that's hard is her choosing our two computer chairs as poop spots - how can we discourage pooping in a perch-like spot (such as the back of a chair)?
Maddy Williams
2021-01-06 00:01:55 +0000 UTCThat was my second one, so I’m glad you brought it up. I know people swear by a water/vinegar mix and I use that now in my house. But what if I get a little mold in my bathroom and need a stronger cleaner? What measures can I take, if the birds must be in the same house? Thanks for bringing the cleaning topic into the mix!
Brittany Hoganson
2021-01-05 04:19:14 +0000 UTCMy YNA is a rehome and she has a terrible screaming problem. I know about not reinforcing it by coming into the room etc. but since I work outside the home, I don't have any way to be consistent. I would love to hear your thoughts on working on fixing problems when one is not around all the time.
Charrisse Dyer
2021-01-04 19:55:23 +0000 UTCHow to get over your fear of working with a bird once they bite you pretty bad!
Jess Spencer
2021-01-04 17:41:14 +0000 UTCI like all these suggestions
Lisa Fahlstrom
2021-01-04 16:41:51 +0000 UTCGreat question, Brittany! I would also like to extend it to house cleaning products. It would be great if I didn't have to move the birds every time my mum goes on a cleaning spree 😂 Which, if any, are safe? Maybe give a general list of ingredients which appear on product labels that are toxic for birds? After all, we are from all over the world so we don't all have access to the same products, but we can all read the ingredients lists.
Pablo The Congo African Grey
2021-01-04 07:53:23 +0000 UTCMy little two year old green eclectus buddy has trained me to do some behaviors that I'd prefer to not do. He's very good at it and can get me proficient in most behaviors after one or two short sessions. He uses positive and negative reinforcement. He threatens with his beak for the negative (very effective) and he looks all cute or sad and implys that I'll be his friend if I do what he wants me to do as the positive. I acknowledge that he's very clever and he's been talking lately about creating a YouTube chanel to teach other parrots how to train their humans. He's gonna call it "HumanTricks" and he's gonna sell merch and human toys like cell phones and video game consoles. He's been working on a human food dry pellet to sell through the channel as well as some recipes for some minced fresh human foods. The birds have their own flock media they call "twitter" and they "tweet" to each other on it. They trained a bunch of their humans to set it up and maintain it for them. They made us think it's for us. Silly humans. I don't know how I lost control but for the sake of all humans, can you help me get it back? There may be others of us who have lost some control of their feathered friends so I'm recommending it as a topic.
Ted Loebe
2021-01-04 05:57:43 +0000 UTCParrot nail trimming ;)
JAW
2021-01-03 19:11:09 +0000 UTCHi Dena, the birds I adopted are older. In their 30’s. They did not come from the best circumstances. They had a terrible diet, all their toys were plastic & metal & pretty much indestructible, they were in a cage together that wasn’t really big enough for one Macaw, never mind two, I’m pretty sure the B & G was part of a mating pair for a long time & the Greenwing lost her person & started plucking & has been plucking for a decade. I watch BirdTricks YouTube non-stop & I’ve bought several of the courses & their cookbooks. Diet is 90% converted which took a looong time. I had a consult with Dave after only ten days of owning them & he got me on the right track with diet conversion & it was so helpful. They will play with toys & forage as a trick or almost like because they think they’re supposed to but don’t do it on their own, they have toys galore but don’t even destruct them or forage unless we are training, the B & G tries to make a nest out of anything & then seems to get anxious when she/he is away from the “nest.” They seem to show interest is flying. They will lean off their perch & flap their wings but will not make the leap. They are not clipped but like I said the Green Wing is seriously plucked. I don’t even know at this point if they can fly or how to get them started. It’s 30 years of living one way (non enriching, no opportunity to fly or exercise, no baths-so they have absolutely no bath response when I give them showers-they just hunker down & look like they’re in hell, poor diet, poor air quality and being allowed to have a nest & defend it) and now they have access to the whole house, play stations & perches everywhere, their own 10 X 20 room, humidifier, air purifier, Birdtricks toys galore, huge cages (they each have their own now), love & affection (which they love-the B & G is a kisser & the GW just wants to be with my daughter every second of the day), we target train, they’ve learned a few tricks, but if it was their choice they would just continue to engage in the same behaviors from their past. I was hoping they would take advantage of their new life but don’t seem motivated. I guess I’m looking to see if there’s any kind of training I should be doing to help in this process/that’s more specific to older birds with a long reinforcement history for engaging in undesirable behavior. I’m also super curious about indoor flight training for older birds & plucked birds. Maybe I’m doing ok & just need to have patience but for some reason I just keep second guessing myself & over analyzing every little thing I do & feel like I’m failing them. Guess I’m looking for professional advice, even if it’s, “hey Mandy, take a chill pill, you’re doing ok!” I should mention, I’ve only had them for about 6 months. So, I realize I’m not going to undo 30 years in 6 months. This is long winded...
Amanda Smart
2021-01-03 17:49:49 +0000 UTCSetting up a bird cage for new and already have birds...
DENA FRITZ
2021-01-03 17:07:17 +0000 UTCSpecifics on trick training. Body language and rewarding for proper response we are looking for. Bathing specifics with spray water bottle. How long to spray, why water repels off the bird and how often. Redirecting bad behavior. Like my CAG will charge after my hands when I take something away from him that he shouldn't have or when he jumps down on the floor from his stand and I try to pick him up and he doesn't want to step up he will charge my hand. He is 2 years old. How to keep the birds on there stands without climbing down. Why you hang the toys from the bottom of the tree stand instead of having something over top of the tree stand for them to reach better. Maybe start a file for the different topics you are creating for us to go to to view. Thanks Jamie!
DENA FRITZ
2021-01-03 15:59:20 +0000 UTCAmanda I feel if you can be more specific on what your wanting to change or work on with your bird would be helpful ...
DENA FRITZ
2021-01-03 15:33:15 +0000 UTC‘Breaking down’ trick training steps. I’m not as intuitive as you two, so could you give some pointers re how you decide each ‘step’ to a trick? xC
Carrie Stewart
2021-01-03 12:51:35 +0000 UTCI too have quite a big travel cage for my charles to sit with me on my tiny roof terrace in the summer. xC
Carrie Stewart
2021-01-03 12:48:50 +0000 UTCWhat would be your best advice for owners getting a new baby parrot. Advice around introducing a baby bird to current birds and pets , best first foods to introduce, how to teach them to fly safely from the start ect? I'd love to know your opinion on how this would be different to bring an older bird home if anything also. Thanks in advance ☺
Alicia Appleton
2021-01-03 06:16:47 +0000 UTCAlso - bird handling but of smaller birds. I’m fascinated by the mechanics explained by the handling of the bigger birds, but with conures or mini macaws it’s a little different I’m assuming?
Missy Sanchez Lee
2021-01-03 04:41:05 +0000 UTC“Bird Safe beauty”. I know this sounds vain, but tips for a bird safe beauty routine. I’ve given up wearing perfume, lotions, and even have styled my hair less so I use less hairspray, but sometimes a girl wants to get glammed up. Is it about using certain products or getting ready away from the bird? A little of both? How can one be a responsible bird owner, while still having a normal beauty /self care routine?
Brittany Hoganson
2021-01-03 02:25:04 +0000 UTCYes I'm interested on this as well. I am currently looking to adopt a feathered friend that needs a forever home, knowing that there will likely be things that need to be 'untrained'
Sierra Dorpinghaus
2021-01-03 02:03:03 +0000 UTCPotty training in general please!
Maggie Mitten
2021-01-02 22:32:16 +0000 UTCWhat would day to day bird owning look like for Jamie, Dave, and Capri if they lived downtown in an urban city? Or in the suburbs of a city? I’ve heard casual comments of them saying “still don’t like any cage for inside the home”, and the one for Blueberry was cool but what what your day to day look like if you had 1-2 macaws or your sun conures inside your home? What choices would you make?
Missy Sanchez Lee
2021-01-02 21:53:28 +0000 UTCBird proofing your home. I'm sure you picked up a lot of tricks after having Touche & Lefty cageless and now Blueberry. I don't have a cageless bird but he is out a lot. I would like to be able to turn my back for a moment without having to worry about him playing Jr Electrician Outlet Patrol.
Holden Kendrick
2021-01-02 21:47:47 +0000 UTCThis playlist of Q & A videos might help narrow down what to suggest. It starts with what bird you should start with, if any, then has lots of other topics after that. Copy/paste into address bar since Patreon doesn't do links in comments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJrjdiusKjw&list=PLTDMtzpg_JIhUQmdBq4Ktmbf45GexOc6H&ab_channel=BirdTricks
Chris Mallabon
2021-01-02 21:30:11 +0000 UTC1. Potty training older birds -- what to look for to know when the bird will shortly be pooping. 2. How to identify a contact call (what is screaming, what is acceptable contact calls) 3. How to reduce frequency and volume of contact calls
Gale Rhoades
2021-01-02 21:11:07 +0000 UTCHow to encourage an older bird to fly when he can but is reluctant to do so.
Carmen Griggs
2021-01-02 20:58:25 +0000 UTCWhy not put her in a travel/small cage and go outside? Buy a foldable chair and table and just hang out or read outside with them. Or go on picnic in the park. That’s what I did in the summer.
Rosanna Lam
2021-01-02 20:48:53 +0000 UTCI don’t mean to be selfish to suggest another subject and I know you don’t approve, Jamie but when you have little birds there just is so little ways to get them sun safely unless you have the money to make a screened in porch or something similar. I live in a townhouse and I cannot put anything in my yard and screening my deck is also impossible. Harness training… Please! I have been trying to gently harness train my Green cheek conure for over a year now and I’m sure I must be doing it wrong because she is just not interested and VERY fearful. Now I’m having the same result with my Indian ringneck.
Connie Muttart
2021-01-02 19:27:00 +0000 UTCMore about how to get birds to play with toys! My cockatiel is obsessed with me and I need some me time every now and then.
Justin Leach
2021-01-02 19:26:17 +0000 UTCHow to identify a responsible breeder to buy a bird ( I don't have a bird yet, and I don't know how to find a good source other than google). Are chain pet stores okay, or no? Sorry if this has been discussed before somewhere. Thanks :)
Emelia
2021-01-02 19:11:10 +0000 UTCWhat to say when folks show up on the Q&A page with zero read so far and ask “I got a bird. Now what?” Etc. I mean, we want to support each other, but sheesh. Is there a certain video we should always just point to as a launchpad for folks jumping in? Saying “read the blog, search the bar, and scroll through the units above,” feels mean and unwelcoming, so I’m not wanting to do only that, but gosh, our thumbs get tired re-promoting these wonderful tools, like it’s never been done before. I’d Feel a lot better with an actual check from Dave and Jaimeleigh about how they’d best like their followers to direct that traffic. Then we can point and paste with confidence. If there’s already something like that out there, I am sorry that I missed it. I feel like I’ve watched and read everything you’ve ever done, but it’s a big ocean and I’m a little fish. Ps. Morgie is doing so wonderfully. Thanks for everything. Hugs from Wisconsin.
ShelB
2021-01-02 19:08:11 +0000 UTCVery interested in hearing about this one!!!
~ksc~
2021-01-02 19:05:33 +0000 UTCStopping Biting/nipping. ( green cheek, Indian ringneck)
Connie Muttart
2021-01-02 18:47:45 +0000 UTCPotty training, small birds..... PLEASE
Connie Muttart
2021-01-02 18:46:26 +0000 UTCHow to acclimate new birds to the flock.
Patricia Lynn
2021-01-02 18:34:44 +0000 UTCHow to work on INDOOR flight skills.
Wendy Cottingham
2021-01-02 18:17:57 +0000 UTCMy request is selfish & I’m not sure if it’s a popular request amongst the BirdTricks community, but I’m struggling with undoing some problem behaviors that have a long history of being reinforced with previous owners/in their previous lives. I adopted 2 Macaws in their 30s that were rehomed several times. One is super hormonal & will try to make a nest out of anything he/she can get his/her beak on & the other has been plucking & mutilating her feathers pretty significantly for a decade. These are not the only problems, but I guess my request is in general about working with older birds & helping them break old habits & teaching them about the new healthy, enriching & fun life we are trying to offer.
Amanda Smart
2021-01-02 18:12:43 +0000 UTCDesensitization to all things (including sounds), husbandry, and maybe harness training?
McKell Riensche (@babybirdies9)
2021-01-02 18:05:50 +0000 UTCHow to help an adolescent bird through its first hormonal surge. What are some rules of thumb to prevent behavior issues. How can I assist my macaw during the fledgling stage to set him up with the best skills for eventual free flight?
Maggie Mitten
2021-01-02 18:03:07 +0000 UTCHow to find an emergency vet/ how to identify an emergency? My bird is currently hospitalized and it took me 4 hours for an emergency vet to agree it was an emergency and agree to see her.
Amber Hopps
2021-01-02 18:02:35 +0000 UTC
