Life Saving Training: Scale Training Parrots

One of the easiest and most important behaviors to train your parrot to do is to step onto a scale. It is very helpful to your veterinarian to have a record of your bird’s weight throughout its lifetime. Ideally, you want to weigh your bird about once a week. This will give you a very good idea of what is normal for your parrot. If your bird loses or gains a lot of weight this can be a signal to you that something may be wrong with your parrot. 

The first thing you need to train your parrot to do this behavior is a gram scale. This is the type of scale that will measure your bird’s weight in grams. You want it to measure in increments of 1 gram. This will give a very precise indication of your bird’s weight. You can find this type of scale in stores that sell office supplies. In this type of store you will find the scale in the mailing supplies section. Some people use scales to weigh items that are going to be shipped. Another place you can find a gram scale is in a kitchen supply store. Some people use scales to weigh food when cooking or preparing a recipe. 

The scales you will find in these stores will usually have a flat top. This surface might be slippery. To make it more comfortable for your bird you want to attach something to the top like a piece of thin foam or fabric.  I use thin foam from a craft store and attach it with double-sided sticky tape. Also look for a scale that sits low on the table. This will make it less likely the scale will tip over when your bird is standing on it. 

Some birds may find it more comfortable to stand on a perch. You can also modify a flat top scale by adding a perch to it. Some companies make a perch that you can rest on top of the scale. You can also secure a perch to the scale with hardware. For a bit more money you can also find scales made specifically for birds that have perches already attached. Any of these types of scales can work to weigh your parrot.

When you are ready to train your parrot to get on a scale, be sure to place the scale on a very stable surface. If the scale moves or wobbles it may frighten your parrot. If you have a parrot with a long tail, such as a king parrot or conure I recommend placing your scale at a corner of the table. This way your parrot can stand on the scale and his tail can hang over the edge of the table. By making sure his tail is not touching anything you will get a more accurate weight.

In order to train your parrot to step onto the scale, it is helpful to train your parrot to target first. This means you want your parrot to orient his beak towards a chopstick or closed fist as a target. You can then use this to lure him towards the scale and eventually onto the scale. Remember to offer him a treats every time he moves closer to your target and scale. 

Some parrots may show a fear response to the scale. If you see this try placing treats all over and near the scale. Let your parrot explore the scale and get the treats on his own. Don't try to force him onto the scale because that will only increase his fear.

For scales that have a perch on top, this will be just like asking your parrot to step from your hand onto another perch. Look for body language that says your bird is interested in stepping on the perch. If he is leaning away, then he is afraid. Approach the scale slower and offer your bird treats for staying upright and interested.  Be sure to offer your bird lots of goodies when he steps onto the perch.

Pretty soon your bird will learn that he gets treats whenever he goes to the scale. As soon as the scale comes out, he might try to get to it as fast as he can. You veterinarian will be very pleased and impressed if you train this behavior. Most of all it makes it super easy for you to monitor your bird’s health and it is stress free for your parrot. Try this one at home with your parrots!

Barbara Heidenreich has been a professional animal trainer since 1990. Her company Good Bird Inc (www.GoodBirdInc.com) provides parrot training DVDs, books and workshops. She has been a featured speaker in twenty countries and has been published in nine languages. Barbara also consults on animal training in zoos. 

Barbara Heidenreich

For more information on how to train your parrot visit Good Bird Inc  

Barbara's Force Free Animal Training www.BarbarasFFAT.com

Copyright 2014  First appeared in Fledglings Magazine by The Parrot Society of Australia

The Parrots and People Advancing Avian Medicine

My 26 + year old Amazon, Tarah

It can be devastating to lose a beloved pet. Because parrots can live so many years it can be particularly difficult. I often joke that my relationship with my Blue Fronted Amazon Parrot, Tarah is the longest in my life. I have lived with that bird since 1987! And yes I would be crushed if anything were to happen to him…I mean, her. (I am still adjusting to the confirmation that my “boy” is truly a girl.)

It is for this reason I do what I can to provide a healthy life for my parrot. But there are some things we need to know more about in order to protect our birds. This is why the research done in regard to avian medicine is so important.

I am fortunate to live close to a university that is well known for its groundbreaking work in avian medicine, Texas A & M University. The Schubot Exotic BirdHealth Center is a division of the veterinary teaching hospital that is devoted to the advancement of avian care. Their mission is to improve the health of wild and exotic birds by promoting research into the cause, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of avian disease.

One area of interest currently on the edge of a major breakthrough is Proventricular Dilatation Disease (PDD).  There have been major strides in accurately diagnosing the disease and there is the hope for the development of a vaccine in the near future. Researchers at The Schubot Exotic Bird Health Center are a significant part of this important work.

Over the years a number of birds that carry PDD have eventually made their way to The Schubot Exotic Bird Health Center. They are well cared for by students and veterinarians at the University. I have been fortunate to spend time with these birds and their caregivers. The birds have participated in training workshops and were also the stars of an excellent project by veterinary student Kelsey Daugette. She trained several of the birds to be voluntary participants in medical care.  

The Schubot birds enjoying a toy from Dot Rambin

Making sure these birds have a good quality of life is important to everyone.  Parrot enthusiast Dot Rambin helps contribute to this by making, donating and shipping toys to the center. She uses Café Press to help raise money to do this. My yellow naped Amazon Delbert has agreed to allow his image to be used on her Café Press items to help get more toys for the Schubot birds.

If you want to help Dot, be sure to visit her Café Press page and buy a few items. Here are the links.

Greeting Card http://www.cafepress.com/drambin/9690203

She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot http://www.cafepress.com/drambin/9683689

My parrot can talk. Can your honor student fly? http://www.cafepress.com/drambin/9702790

Pets http://www.cafepress.com/drambin/8573121

To learn more about the research on PDD at The Schubot Exotic Bird Health Center, listen to my interview with Dr. Sharman Hoppes on the Wings ‘n Things podcast. Visit Pet Life Radio and look for Episode 36. And visit the website for The Schubot Exotic Bird Health Center.

Barbara Heidenreich
Copyright 2013
www.GoodBirdInc.com 

Parrot Toy Safety

Apparently whenever a weird sound comes from my yellow naped Amazon parrot’s cage I say “Are you all right?” Because now my bird, Delbert offers an “Are you all right?” whenever he falls off a perch or plays so rough with a toy it drops to the floor of the cage. He has also learned to say “Is that scary?” at what always seems to be the appropriate moment. Gotta love a talking parrot!

However the other day instead of “Are you all right” I heard a very bizarre half growl, half screech. My bird was very distressed. It turned out he had loosened one of the clips that is used to hang toys in his cage. And now he managed to get it stuck on his beak! He was definitely not happy. Fortunately he was able to remove the offensive clip on his own. However it was a good reminder that even the most innocuous, every day item can sometimes be a hazard.

I am very careful about what toys go into my parrot’s cages. I pay attention to the length of exposed chain, loose threads, breakable parts, types of metal, where manufactured, what types of colorings and more go into each toy my parrots might be exposed to. This is all in an effort to allow my birds to have as much fun as possible with minimal risk. But the truth is there is always some risk that goes unforeseen. I never would have thought the typical clip used for parrot toys might get stuck on my bird’s beak. Now I make sure each clip is screwed down tightly daily.

Another risk I did not foresee has to do with foraging toys. Foraging for enrichment is an awesome way to enhance your parrot’s life. I use a variety of foraging toys with my parrots including the foraging green from The Leather Elves seen here with one of my cockatiels. Cockatiels being grass seed eaters love to forage on flat surfaces.

I also make it a point to rotate toys every day. This is to keep going back into the cage a very rewarding experience for my birds. One day I went to put a foraging toy in the cage that had not been used in a while. I opened it up to refill it only to find a plethora of mold! I had inadvertently left some old pellets in the toy. Thanks goodness I checked before putting it in my parrot’s cage.

Does this mean I will no longer use foraging toys or use clips to hang toys? No. Their benefits far outweigh the risks. (The number of parrot behavior problems that can be circumvented with the help of enrichment is enormeous!) It does mean however that I will be more diligent about checking toys for leftover food and screwing down clips. Having a parrot or any pet for that matter comes with risks and responsibility. In trying to give your pets great quality of life you will no doubt come up against situations that will require you to decide if the benefit outweighs the risk and are there things you can do to reduce risk. Some will decide never to use a certain toy, or keep their bird flighted or allow their bird near other parrots. And others will find ways to make those same situations work in their household. It is important to evaluate what works in your home. And what works for you, may not work for someone else.

In any case I am happy to report that today every parrot in this house is safely and happily enjoying their toys.

Barbara Heidenreich
http://www.goodbirdinc.com/
Copyright 2011 Good Bird Inc

Parrots and Stress Bars

It is raining feathers in my house. I am so excited to report that Blu Lu the Blue Throated Macaw from the Bird Endowment is molting. That may seem like a silly thing to celebrate. Let me explain why I am so happy.

Blu Lu had a rough start in life. She was rejected by her parents. This meant she likely did not get fed as frequently or as much as she needed during those critical early weeks of development. When baby parrots miss feedings, become ill or are otherwise compromised it shows. One place where it becomes very evident is in their feathers. What is often observed when conditions are poor and a feather is growing in is what is known as a stress bar. The bar is a line that is visible across the feather. This line represents a weak spot in the feather. Without adequate nutrition the feather did not development properly at that spot.

The drawback to stress bars is that the feather is very vulnerable at this line. Many feathers break at the stress bar. Tail feathers and primary feathers (wing feathers) need the support of surrounding feathers to grow successfully. Without support they too can break.

Blue Lu did break a few tail feathers close to the base of her tail due to stress bars. And it will be important to keep an eye on her new growing tail feathers. New feathers initially have a blood and nerve supply. If one of the growing feathers were to break it could bleed and be painful. In most cases a little pressure can stop the bleeding, but if you are unsure what to do when a blood feather breaks, I do highly recommend you visit your avian veterinarian. You can find an avian at The Association of Avian Veterinarians website.

Fortunately once she was rejected by her parents Blu Lu was well taken care of by caring humans and her feather growth from then on improved considerably. However this first molt is a welcomed one. It means she will soon have a brand new set of very healthy feathers. Just one single broken flight feather can dramatically effect flight skills. It is often a matter of pride for many professional bird trainers that their birds are in perfect feather. It is a reflection of excellent care.

Blu Lu is already pretty stunning. But I can’t wait for her new spring wardrobe!

Barbara Heidenreich
For quality information on parrot training visit http://www.goodbirdinc.com/
Copyright 2011 Good Bird Inc