Best Talking Parrot Contest Winners!

The contest is over and the winners have been selected. It was indeed a difficult decision. There were over 175 videos entered and yes I watched every single one…several times : ) I have to admit this contest turned out to be more fun than I could have imagined. I was laughing to the point of tears on several occasions, but the most rewarding part was watching so many people enjoying their parrots. The good news is we plan to keep the site up. Although we will change the text about the contest, people can continue to share their special parrots at http://www.besttalkingparrot.com/. One viewer pointed out that they enjoyed being able to view so many talking parrot clips at one location. I agree.

Onto the winners! This contest included an amateur and professional parrot category. Our professional parrot category only had one entry. Therefore Clover the Congo African Grey parrot from Turkey takes the prize in this category. The amateur category had lots of competition. We let your votes decide and the front runner when it came to votes was Mishka the Congo African Grey parrot. Mishka resides in South Africa and carries a lovely accent as he announces “He would like to go to the bathroom.” Congratulations to our top prize winners. They will receive a gift certificate to Good Bird Inc products, prizes provided by KAYTEE and five free signed copies of the soon to be released “Train Your Parrot To Talk” DVD/CDROM.

In addition to Mishka and Clover, there were a number of other notable entries. The following parrots and their families will receive three signed copies of the “Train Your Parrot To Talk” DVD/CDROM.

Ariel the Panama Amazon Parrot

Bibi the Congo African Grey Parrot

Bongo the Congo African Grey Parrot

Bowie the Indian Ring Necked Parakeet

Casey the Yellow Naped Amazon Parrot

Disco the Budgerigar

Einstein the Talking Texan African Grey Parrot

Emma the African Grey Parrot

Freddie the Yellow Naped Amazon Parrot

Kona the Green Winged Macaw

Koolaid the Parrotlet

Ozzy the African Grey Parrot

Pluto the Quaker Parrot

Ray the Blue and Gold Macaw

Sunny the Cockatiel

Poly the African Grey Parrot


I hope you enjoyed our talking parrot contest. The new DVD/CDROM “Train Your Parrot to Talk” should be in stock mid February 2011. Just sign up for our mailing list on the top right hand side of this page to be notified or visit this link to purchase it shortly.

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

Scale Training Parrots. A Life Saving Behavior

What simple behavior could save your parrot’s life? Scale training! Sounds silly but getting and recording regular weights on your parrot can be a life saver. One of the things we know about parrots is that they have a tendency to mask signs of illness. The theory behind this is that in the wild standing out as a sick parrot might make you a prime target for a predator. Therefore it is to your advantage to “pretend” to feel good, even when you don’t.

Many times when a parrot is not feeling well, they consume less of their diet and water. Sometimes they don’t process food properly. Such parrots can drop weight very quickly. Because parrots can easily fluff up their feathers and look quite robust, a weight loss may not be visible to the naked eye. However the scale doesn’t lie. A sick bird can drop quite a few grams, even overnight. And this rapid weight loss can be a signal to parrot owners to take their bird to their avian veterinarian or at the very least keep an eye out for more signs of illness.

A scale that can be used to weigh a parrot can be purchased at most office supplies stores. Look in the postage scale section. I was able to find one for around $30. Be sure to pick one that weighs in one gram increments. Five or ten grams increments are too great of a fluctuation for weighing parrots.

Some people prefer to use a scale that has a perch attached to it. Avian specialty stores often carry these. However I found it quite simple to train a parrot to step from my hand onto the flat surface of a scale. Just be sure to place the scale near the edge of the counter so that the tail of the bird can hang freely. If the tail is resting on a surface it will influence the number on the scale. You can get step by step instructions on how to train this and other behaviors helpful to the health and welfare of your parrot from my DVD Training Your Parrot for the Veterinary Exam.

In this clip you get to see Blu Lu the Blue Throated Macaw and Delbert both demonstrating how they step up onto a scale. I weigh them about one time per week just to make sure they are maintaining a healthy weight. Keep in mind each bird is an individual and the perfect weight for your bird may not be perfect for someone else’s. For example, I have two Amazon parrots in my home. One has weighed about 306 grams for over twenty years. The other typically weighs in at 460 grams. Neither is obese nor skinny. They are just right for their body size.

It takes practice and exposure to a number of parrots, but another great way to evaluate your parrot’s condition it to feel the muscle on either side of their keeled sternum. This is called body condition scoring. In the Summer 2010 (Vol 6 issue 2 )of Good Bird Magazine there is a chart provided by the Kaytee Learning Center to help you interpret what you are feeling for when checking a parrot’s condition by touch. This does take some practice and it helps to have an experienced person by your side to help you learn how to do this properly and tell you what to feel for. But if body condition scoring doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, rest assured that scale training is super easy and something most parrots can learn to eagerly do in one to two training sessions. I hope you will give this behavior a try with the parrots in your home. It’s a life saver!

Barbara Heidenreich
www.GoodBirdInc.com
Copyright 2011 Good Bird Inc

Training a Parrot to Bathe

Blu Lu the Blue Throated Macaw from the Bird Endowment took her first bath at my house today! I had just finished eating lunch and was running the water to wash my dishes when guess who launched herself to the sink. In her first few weeks with me I did make a few attempts to spray her, offer a pan of water, etc. However she did not show any interest. To me when a parrot wants to bathe I see some very specific body language, such as some flicking of the head side to side, dunking their head in the water, the wings stretching out, maybe some eye pinning and small vocalizations and most importantly an effort to interact with the water.

Blu Lu had not shown this body language in my earlier attempts. In fact she decidedly moved away from the water. Maybe people advise you must bathe a parrot no matter what. I personally can’t force a bath on a parrot who does not want one. I also think doing so makes it less likely a parrot will voluntarily participate in a bath in the future. Therefore I wait for moment just like the one that happened today. And while I have a bird actively engaging in the water I start to introduce some of props that might be involved with bathing such as a spray bottle.

I gently sprayed Blu Lu from quite a distance, and only a little at a time. This helps introduce the spray bottle at her pace and keeps it paired with the fun she is already having under the water stream. I also used my fingertips to trickle a little water over her back. I tried introducing a pan of water too. The best part is that anytime she wanted she could fly away. This piece of empowerment kept her coming back for more. Remember giving your parrot the choice to not participate is a big part of building trust and confidence. And it is an important part of a positive reinforcement approach to training your parrot.

I anticipate as more of these type of bathing experiences happen Blu Lu will be more inclined to bathe more frequently and bath time will continue to be viewed as fun time. Needless to say after so much fun, a nap was order. Her photo shows her resting on one of the parrot perches she has been trained to fly to.
Barbara Heidenreich
http://www.goodbirdinc.com/
Copyright Good Bird Inc 2010

Harness Training a Macaw

I have already written a bit on parrot harness training, here on my blog and also in Good Bird Magazine. However it is one of those behaviors that people just can’t seem to get enough of…therefore here is a little bit more!

Every time I train this behavior it is yet another opportunity to refine my techniques. I am a huge proponent of training this behavior with a very strict positive reinforcement approach. Sadly there are lots of video examples of parrot harness training on the internet that claim to be positive but still clearly show the parrot does not have a choice in the matter. When you hear the trainer telling the bird “no” or “stop” or “hold still” or you hear the parrot vocalizing his objection, or even trying to escape but being blocked you can bet there is coercion being used. Harness training can be a difficult behavior to train with some parrots and I can see where one’s patience can be tested. However the pay-off of avoiding coercion is worth it. Some of you may recall Beni the Blue Throated Macaw I trained for the Kaytee Learning Center. I loved how he would just become a giant fluff ball when he saw the harness. It meant he was going to be showered with head scratches, which he loved. I am aiming for the same response with Blu Lu.

Blu Lu is also a fan of head scratches. Thankfully this often makes harness training a lot easier. A parrot that is receptive to touch is far easier to teach to wear a harness than one who isn’t in my experience.

Once it was clear Blu Lu liked to be touched I immediately starting pairing head scratching and cuddling sessions with the presence of the harness. I then gradually worked through approximations of putting the harness on followed by head scratches. We took our time. This is because I don’t want her to ever panic when the harness is on. This meant short sessions and small approximations. In the video clip she is up to letting me place it under both wings. She still needs some sessions to work on tightening the strap and leaving it on for longer intervals of time. Eventually the process of putting it on and taking it off will go faster than what is shown in the clip. But for now this is the pace that is working for her.

My goal is that when the harness comes out, Blu Lu will be happily anticipating head scratches. That is what positive reinforcement is all about…eager participants. Enjoy the video. I will post more as she progresses on her harness training.

Barbara Heidenreich
http://www.goodbirdinc.com/
Copyright Good Bird Inc 2010.

Best Talking Parrot Contest

Do you have a talking parrot? Enter him or her in the Best Talking Parrot Contest. Good Bird Inc is looking for talking parrots of all kinds to participate in an upcoming DVD. You parrot could be one of the featured stars. You also have a chance to win some fabulous prizes from KAYTEE and Good Bird Inc.

Here is how to enter. Visit http://www.besttalkingparrot.com/

o Read the terms of the contest. By participating in the contest you agree to the terms.
o Create a profile page for the parrot you wish to enter
o Upload as many videos as you wish.
o Share the link to your parrot with friends and family so they can vote for your parrot.

To get you inspired here is a clip of Delbert my Yellow Naped Amazon parrot sharing some of his favorite words.

I look forward to watching video clips of your special parrot!

Barbara Heidenreich
http://www.goodbirdinc.com/
Copyright Good Bird Inc 2010

The First Two Weeks Training a New Parrot

What a difference a few weeks makes. Blu Lu the Blue Throated Macaw from the conservation project the Bird Endowment has now been here about two weeks. In her first week here although quite cooperative I would describe her as hesitant. In other words the environment was so different to her that she was slow to get out and explore.

Because she is a flighted parrot I really wanted her to get those wings flapping and get to know the perches in the house. She quickly learned to fly to a PVC perch that was similar to one she knew from her time at the breeders. But I had to spend some time teaching her to fly to other perches in the house. You can see this process in the video clip.
The training has paid off! Now she is showing the kind of confidence I would expect out of a more seasoned flyer. She knows where her perches are and has figured out how to maneuver through doorways and around corners. So far she has not made too many attempts to fly to places that are not sanctioned for parrots. However when she has, I have returned her to an acceptable perch and reinforced her there with a toy, head scratches or a treat. My goal is to make the perches I want her to use the most reinforcing places in the room. Because Blue Throated Macaws tend to be active and inquisitive parrots (someone once described them to me as the engineers of the parrot world) this means I am going to have to be very attentive to this, especially in these early stages of training. Fortunately I just had a fabulous outdoor aviary finished that I hope will help keep her enriched throughout her lifetime. (More on that in future blogs!)

Besides facilitating flight training right away, I have also been very attentive to Blu Lu’s eating and weight. When a bird transitions to a new home, that dramatic change in environment can also cause a bird to eat a bit less. This is because the bird may not be feeling comfortable and is more focused on paying attention to the new surroundings and circumstances. Blu Lu responded to pine nuts even at the breeder’s house. So I was able to weigh her as soon as we arrived at my home. She easily stepped onto a scale to get a pine nut. I then started positioning her food bowl right next to the scale when she was out in the mornings so she would simply perch there to eat. Her weight fluctuated in the 20 -30 gram range at most. And has leveled out around 600-615 grams. I also paid close attention to the quantity of food she was consuming and types. Because she is a young parrot it is especially important she is eating a healthy, plentiful and varied diet. This can help set the precedent for the rest of her life.

We have also been working on meeting new people, being receptive to touch, harness training and more! I will save those for upcoming blogs.
I am a big fan of the Bird Endowment for many reasons. One being that I trust their funding goes directly to helping Blue Throated Macaws. When you order products from Good Bird Inc you will notice an option to donate to parrot conservation. All the money collected has gone to The Bird Endowment. And it is that time of year to send them a check! If you would like to donate to the Bird Endowment, please consider pressing the optional donation button for parrot conservation when you make your next purchase. Thanks for supporting parrot conservation in the wild and positive reinforcement training for companion parrots!

Barbara Heidenreich
http://www.goodbirdinc.com/
Copyright Good Bird Inc 2010

Introducing a Child to a Parrot

Blu Lu the Blue Throated Macaw made a new friend today. Before she arrived at my place I am not sure if Blu Lu had met any children or not. But her initial reaction to Camryn showed she was not sure kids were to her liking.

When three year old Camryn first arrived at my house she had “happy feet.” She was dancing and wiggling until she found some parrot toys to play with. Blu Lu flew up to a high perch and looked down on the activity. After awhile she was willing to come over to the adults in the room to munch on some pellets and pine nuts. Pretty soon Blu Lu was willing to stay put if Camryn moved closer. 

Eventually Blu Lu decided her belly was full and head scratches and cuddling were in order. Camryn’s mom and I were both happy to oblige. This again paired a positive reinforcer with the presence of the little girl.

Camryn joined us on the couch and brought a slew of parrot toys with her. After a while this proved to be too tempting for the much more relaxed Blu Lu. Camryn shared the toys and Blu Lu discovered kids can be fun!

The process took about an hour and a half, but it is time well spent. For Blu Lu to be a great ambassador for Blue Throated Macaws it is important for her to feel comfortable around the many different people she may meet in the years to come. Today was a great start on that training.

Here is a short clip of some of the interactions. Enjoy!

Barbara Heidenreich
www.GoodBirdInc.com
Copyright 2010 Good Bird Inc