Parrot Rescue Centre Newsletter

December / January 2011

Thank you - Come Fly with Me - Bird Behaviour Training

"Many have forgotten this truth but you must not forget it.

We remain responsible forever for what we have tamed"

(Antoine de Saint-Exupeny)

Once you have flown, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, For there you have been, and there you will long to return.
Leonardo Da Vinci

Some of the rules and training I personally feel are important are:

Step Up and Step Downs
Come
Go To, as Go To Your Perch, or Fly To A Stand
Stay
Give, or Drop
Gentle

If a parrot will follow all of these commands reliably then it is less likely to be anxious, as it knows what, when and how, to do it. A parrot that knows what to do and has learnt by positive training has fewer decisions to make and should form a better relationship with its owner as it wants to do what is asked and knows how to do it. If a parrot is well trained, there will be less conflict in everyday handling, which should create a stronger human/ animal bond, with less anxieties.
    After a parrot is Stepping Up and Stepping Down reliably, I will start teaching it to stay. The reason I teach this next, is that it is hard for parrots to Stay, as most companion parrots want to be near or on us, and most of us encourage it. It is easy to teach a parrot to come to you, as it is so rewarding, for both of you, but Staying, has to be taught very slowly, building step by step in duration as well as distance. Always remember to set the parrot up for success. In many incidents people train their parrot not to stay, by placing it somewhere and telling it to stay, then just walking away. The parrot doesn’t know what Stay means and will naturally want to be with its owner, so will fly to them. We inadvertently reward the wrong behaviour of the parrot not staying, by telling it off and giving the parrot attention, which is exactly why it flew to us!
     When I teach “Stay”, I start off by asking the parrot to Step Down onto its stand. I will tell the parrot to “Stay” in a deeper drawn out tone and at the beginning I will stay close. At the beginning, all I want my parrot to learn is to not come to me. To make it easier, you can have food or favourite toys on the stand to help keep your parrot occupied. Anything to make it easier for your parrot and set it up for success. Remember to reinforce the desired behaviour and you can repeat the word “Stay” while you praise and reward. If you want to add a visual hand cue, you could use a stop sign, using an extended arm and upright hand, palm towards your parrot.
    As your parrot learns to Stay, you can very slowly start extending the distance you move away from your parrot and also the length of time. Remember you want your parrot to succeed and to learn what to do, not to get it incorrect and break the Stay. If at any time your parrot looks as if may becoming tense and about to try and come to you, return to your parrot quickly, before he tries to come to you. If your parrot was about to come to you, this means you were moving too fast and you will have go back a few steps and build up slowly again.
    If your parrot does fly to you, it means that you were not reading its body language carefully enough and did not react fast enough. Just carry your parrot back to his stand, without giving any reaction what so ever, tell it to “Stay”, and then reward. Remember the old rule, Praise for desired behaviour, while ignoring unwanted behaviour.
    Once your parrot is Staying, you can start teaching other rules such as Come, and “Go”. Teaching the “Come” is very easy, as usually a companion parrot finds it very rewarding to be with you. When your parrot flies to you, use the word “Come” and praise and treat. You can also start teaching your parrot to fly to a spot, such as a stand or to its cage. You can teach this by either using favourite treats placed where you want the parrot to fly to, as a lure, or start teaching your parrot to fly from one person to another. When your parrot performs the desired behaviour, start putting the behaviour on Cue, by saying a word such as “Go” and then rewarding with a treat, praise, or attention.
    Depending on how well your parrot can fly, you may need to teach your parrot to fly in restricted areas, as your parrot may need to manoeuvre in tight areas within your home. Even though we take for granted that our parrots know how to fly, unless they have had the opportunity to practice flying in our home, we may need to teach our parrots and let them experience and build up their abilities.
    Having a flighted parrot means that we must also safe guard its safety and you may have to teach your parrot about simple things, such as, windows which we take for granted. You may have to make sure you have the curtains drawn, hang things in front of the glass, or even use coloured tape on the glass, as a temporary way of letting your parrot realize the invisible barrier exists. While holding your parrot, take it from window to window and let your parrot feel, tongue and investigate the glass. You can set your parrots stand next to different windows, so that parrot can get used to being next to glass.
    When flying your parrot inside, remember to shut all doors and windows to prevent accidental escape. When you have a flighted parrot, you become very diligent about protecting your parrot from escaping. I find more parrots escape from owners when they have clipped their parrots wings, which can lull an owner into a false sense of security. The new flight feathers regrow and suddenly a bird that an owner thought couldn’t fly, has taken off. You must also remember to supervise your parrot while it is out of his cage, as there are many household dangers throughout your home, which could possibly cause serious damage, and even death.
     Also having a flight aviary large enough for your parrot to practice flying is ideal way to give your parrot exercise and environmental enrichment while being unsupervised. You can also combine indoor and aviary flying with harness training, which I have discussed in earlier articles.
     Having a flighted parrot is a thing of beauty to watch and will allow your parrot to practice one of the most natural behaviours it knows. Being flighted should contribute to your parrots well being both mentally and physically and a better relationship between you and your parrot.

Reference: Phoebe Greene Linden with Andrew Luescher, Behavioural Development of Psittacine Companions: Neonates,Neophytes, and Fledglings,
Manual of Parrot Behaviour, Blackwell Publishing 2006

This article was published in Talking Birds Newspaper

Alternatively contact Zarita directly by:

Mail:
Parrot Rescue Centre
Po Box 797, Mudgeeraba, QLD 4213

Phone: 07 5569 2840

Thank you for your kindness

Yours Truly
Zarita Garozzo

Need specialised care for your pet bird or parrot that a kennel, cattery, pet minder or house sitter just can’t offer?
High priority is given to stimulation and social contact contributing to achieving the happiness and general well being of your pet bird whilst in our care.

* We offer a collection and delivery service should you require the convenience.
* Serving the Sunshine Coast, Bundaberg, and Gympie areas .Other areas also welcome.
* Training and Behaviour Modification also offered.
* We require all parrots to be health checked by a qualified Avian Veterinarian.
* Knowledgeable Experience 31 years.

Contact Name.... Natalie Masciadrelli
Business Name... Happy Hookbills Parrot Retreat
Phone number.. 07 54826284 M 043 883 189
Email address... smileysbirds@bigpond.com

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Koko next to Natural Boing Large. Kenichi spends hours chewing on the boing.

Kenichi next to Natural Swing Large. Koko spends most of her day sitting, swinging and chewing the nuts on the swing.

It’s all about the birds!.....Michele

Sweet is one of the PRC Special Needs Birds

Beth, Wayne and Sally Abbot are Winners of the Story of the Month

Sally helping in the garden

Dear Zarita,

Just wanted to apologise for taking so long to get back in touch, have been meaning to send some photos but my computer skills are very basic and I have had to wait for a time to get Wayne to pass them onto you. Sally is settling in well, she is a real mans bird and very independent. Most of the day she remains in her aviary however she spends at least 2 hours every day wandering around the yard. Unfortunately because of her wandering and independence she only comes out of the aviary when either Wayne or I can keep an eye on her.
With the wind in the right direction one afternoon she went for a 200 metre flight down slope. Paul had mentioned she had never flown before, but she has now and we will need to keep a wing trimmed so she can have as much free time as possible.
She took about a week to settle in but she seems well and truly happy now. She keeps both the dog and cat in line and on their toes, so far the only thing that has put the wind up her was a neighbours “randy” drake with a glint in his eye but I managed to save her dignity.
Thank you so much for the time and effort you take in placing these orphan birds in good homes and for organising the Sally adoption with us. Please find attached Sally images.

Regards,
Beth and Wayne.

Andrea, Rocky and Loki Piscitelli are Winners of the Story of the Month

Loki at front and Rocky at far back corner

Loki at front and Rocky at back

Some of Rocky's and Loki's extended family

Bird Behaviour Training

When you take on the responsibility of owning a parrot, it is like adopting a child. This is especially true with the larger parrots. They are long lived and if their needs are fulfilled they will be with the family for a long time. Some parrots will outlive their owners and provision needs to be made for them in case of death.

Just like children, parrots grow and mature. They do not remain as cute hand-raised babies. They have the intelligence of 3 – 5 year old children and need to be treated in a similar way. As owners, it is our responsibility to make sure their nutritional needs are met. We also have to consider their environment. Is it safe? Most importantly, we need to consider their psychological needs. It is our responsibility to teach them manners and to socialize them well.

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