The Good Bird App is Here!

I have been working on this one for awhile, and it is finally here! Announcing the Good Bird app for Android phones! Iphone users your version is almost ready : ) The Good Bird App let's you practice training my parrot Delbert to talk on cue. In other words you get to practice capturing behaviors and inserting the cue. If you just want to hear Delbert talk and give him treats there is an option for that too. Here is the link to download the Good Bird app for Android phones:

Here are the instructions:

Train Delbert the Parrot
Here is your chance to practice training a parrot. The animated Delbert is based on professional animal trainer Barbara Heidenreich's talking Yellow Naped Amazon parrot. You will notice Delbert says quite a few things. The vocalizations the animated parrot makes are actual recordings of the real Delbert. Your goal is to try to capture one of his vocal behaviors and put it on cue.

When your session begins Delbert will start offering behaviors he knows how to do. When Delbert presents a vocal behavior you want to train, reinforce him with a food treat. Simply place your finger on the treat and slide it into his beak. Just like in real life, if you quickly and consistently reinforce the behavior you want, the parrot will offer it more frequently. When this happens pick a cue and try to insert it just before you think the behavior will be offered. You will notice a variety of cues to choose from. The cue gains meaning when inserted just before the behavior is presented and then reinforced. If you have played correctly Delbert will present the behavior you have chosen on cue. To practice your training skills, delete the session and retrain the behavior using a different cue.

Repeat the process for all the different behaviors Delbert knows. You can save your training session and come back to it later. You can also delete your sessions and start over at any time to fine tune your training skills. The animated Delbert learns quicker than a real parrot, however just like in real life you may need to be a patient and observant trainer in order to capture the behavior you want.

Play with Delbert the Parrot
Have fun cueing Delbert the Yellow Naped Amazon parrot to talk and sing. Select your cue and watch him present his behavior. Be sure to reinforce him with a treat for being a good parrot.

Here is the link again. The app is educational and fun and it costs just $1.99. I hope you will check it out. I will post  links for the iphone version as soon as it is available.

Enjoy!
Barbara Heidenreich
http://www.goodbirdinc.com/

Medicating Your Parrot

I have an older blue-fronted Amazon parrot. She is at least 25 years old. Since she was an adult when she came into my life she is likely quite a bit older than that. Her body is certainly showing evidence of aging. She was diagnosed with arthritis a number of years ago and has been taking glucosamine daily ever since.

Giving her glucosamine is fortunately relatively easy. Avian veterinarian Dr Scott Echols gave me a resource for excellent quality supplements. I learned from him that supplements are not well regulated and you can’t always be sure you are buying what it says is on the label. The source he recommended is a company called Usana. I buy glucosamine tablets from them and pulverize them. I sprinkle the powder on cooked quinoa (a high protein grain) that my parrot adores.

To pulverize the pills, I use a mortar and pestle, a tool I was introduced to in college chemistry class. It just takes seconds to get a fine powder when you use this ancient tool. I bought mine for a few dollars at World Market. I also use the mortar and pestle to pulverize the heart worm pills I give my dog. Despite their claim to be tasty, my dog is not fond of them. After I grind the pill up I mix it with palatable treats such as cheese or tuna juice. They taught us about acids and bases, how to make soap and the formula for alcohol. But now it turns out the handy dandy mortar and pestle was the best thing I gained from chemistry class.

I also recently learned about another way to give medications that has exciting potential for the parrot world. Dr Susan Clubb and I recently lectured together at the Kaytee Learning Center. She mentioned she has delivered some medications transdermally, especially Haloperidol for parrots with feather destructive behavior. I LOVE this idea. Can you imagine simply gently rubbing a medicated cream onto your parrot’s foot? The medication is then absorbed through the skin. This wonderfully non stressful way of delivering medication is perfect to help maintain trust between the caregiver and bird. Too many birds learn to fear their owners when they end up being toweled over and over to be medicated. It can take a long time for some parrots to trust humans again. Unfortunatley this method is not yet readily available for all types of medication.

This predicament caused by restraint is why I made an eBook to help people learn how to train their parrot to take medication from a syringe. It is a pretty simple behavior to train and one I demonstrate at most of my parrot training workshops. Best of all it also helps avoid having to restrain a parrot to medicate it. However most people don’t take advantage of this resource until it is too late and the bird is already sick. This is a resource to use now, before your parrot is ill. To encourage people to train this behavior right away, I actually offer this resource for free. All you have to do is visit this link for the free eBook offer. You will need to go through the motions of “buying” the eBook. You will see a box for a promo code. Enter the code PARROTRX. This will take the balance of your order to $0. Don’t click “Make Payment” unless the balance says $0. You will immediately be sent an email with a link to download the book.

Please note the eBook works best on PC’s. We had a hard time finding a resource that would work well with both PC’s and Macs. (Wish those two would play nice with each other.)

Just recently I received this wonderful email:

"I want to let you know that your video on medicating birds was extremely helpful. I was able to train my 30 year old Congo African Grey parrot to accept oral antibiotic medication within minutes of being offered the medication in a syringe while he was sitting on a free standing perch. I have been toweling him for years and it was never a positive experience for either of us. I was absolutely shocked when he immediately accepted the antibiotic solution. Your video helped turn an unpleasant experience into a fun event. He willingly swallowed more of the antibiotic than he ever swallowed when held in a towel. Thank you so much for your video. I just wish I had known about it sooner!

Emails like this make my day. It makes me happy to know there is one more parrot who has learned taking medication can be fun! Medicating a parrot is something all parrot owners will likely face at some point in their bird’s life. I hope you find the ideas and resources above helpful to you when that day comes.

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

Happy Parrot Sounds!

“Happy” is one of those words that is open to interpretation. However anyone who shares their life with a companion animal knows there are definitely times when our parrots seem to be happy.

One moment for me in which I am pretty sure my blue-throated macaw Blu Lu is happy is when she first goes out into her aviary every day. After she takes a few bites of her diet she starts to squeal. She seems to be expressing a joy for life in those moments. Because I tend to associate the squeal with moments of fun for her it is a sound I have tried to reinforce in the house. For example if she happens to squeal when inside I give her lots of attention or squeal back. At first I was reinforcing squealing because I thought it was cute. It turns out my decision was beneficial in other ways.

When I return to the house after errands or travel, my parrots tend to greet me with a plethora of vocalizations. Delbert my yellow-naped Amazon parrot offers every word and song he knows, which I love. Blu Lu used to let out a blood curdling scream when she was thrilled I was home. I definitely did not want to reinforce that behavior. She quickly learned the scream got her nothing. However the squeal most definitely got a response and pretty soon my welcome home from Blu Lu turned into a squeal.

Listen to Blu Lu's squeals. Note there is no picture for this example.

My other Amazon Tarah also learned to replace screaming with a pleasant sound. Tarah now whistles when she wants attention or recognizes I am home. When you look at vocalizations, even language, as just another set of behaviors that get reinforced you begin to see how much influence we have over the sounds our parrots emit.

Many people speak of their birds learning to say the right thing at the right moment. If you look at the principles of learning it certainly makes sense that a parrot can learn to generalize a series of words for certain conditions. For example, anytime Delbert shows body language that indicates a fear response, I usually say “That was scary.” He has now associated that phrase with a fear response. He often will say “That was scary” right after he was frightened by something. Of course had I used the words “That was fun” in those moments, he would have learned a phrase that seems inappropriate to us. It is not so much the words that matter, but what they are paired with and under what conditions. Delbert will also say “That was scary” at other times when no fear response is happening. And because I might decide to put the words on cue, I could train him to say the phrase whenever I cue him. It truly is amazing the power we have to shape what and when our birds say when they vocalize.

When Blu Lu vocalizes outside in her aviary I am not in control of the reinforcer. She is! For her in those moments those vocalizations seem to be intrinsically rewarding. I am usually far from her sight, listening and smiling knowing my parrot is having a great time. Pay attention to your parrot’s vocalizations. You might find you are reinforcing some great sounds, and maybe some not so pleasant ones. Fortunately you have the power to make sure the great ones happen more frequently. To learn more about stopping your parrot from screaming for attention just fill out the form below to receive a free article about how I trained my parrot Tarah to whistle for my attention. Keep an eye out for the Fall 2011 issue of the digital publication Good Bird Magazine. It also has an article about common mistakes people make when trying to address parrot screaming problems. It is due out soon!

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

Interview with a Zoologist

I recently got to participate in an uber cool project. A very creative writer named Gaby Dunn decided to interview 100 people in one year. Her subjects are about as diverse as you can imagine. One title on her list was a zoologist/zookeeper. My degree is in zoology and I have certainly scooped up my fair share of poop in zoos, which apparently qualified me for the interview.

Gaby and I met in New York City, the night before Hurricane Irene was to arrive. The weather was picture perfect as we chatted over drinks and dinner, just a few blocks from the Museum of Natural History.

I will let Gaby tell the rest of the story. Here is the link to the interview. 100 Interviews

Barbara Heidenreich
Good Bird Inc

Heidi Fleiss Prostitutes to Parrots – More Parrots Please

Like a lot of parrot lovers I was anxious to see the new Heidi Fleiss Prostitutes to Parrots program on Animal Planet. I had known it was in the works for quite a while now. The name Heidi Fleiss immediately conjures up all sorts of salacious stories and no doubt was the hook to get people to watch. However as a parrot person my hook was the twenty macaws! Finally a program featuring parrots. There are millions of parrot people who have been waiting for the world to learn what we already know. Sharing your life with a parrot can be truly amazing.

Clearly Heidi adores her parrots and her concern for their well being is genuine. I got that and I do think other parrots lovers could relate. However I do wonder about the folks who don’t have parrots?

The most important personalities overlooked in this program where the stars themselves, the parrots. Parrot people do tend to be labeled as crazy. Heidi herself keeps referring to herself as acting like a crazy parrot person. While there were a few things about her parrot care that could be less odd, I do understand why she loves her birds. But without spending some time focusing on what it is about parrots that makes them so important to her I don’t think the rest of the world got the message. Instead we see Heidi being obsessive and reclusive playing with a mob of macaws who don’t seem to do much of anything except take over the house and bite the hired help.

I know that is not the image I want people to see when they think about pet parrots. And I tend to think that is not what Heidi would want either. Television is a powerful tool. It can entertain but it can also educate. I think there is a huge opportunity to help people understand the powerful positive aspects of life with parrots. People can learn what makes them special, how to provide excellent care, what to do about those biting behaviors, how to provide a great habitat for them (and why spending $2000 a month on pistachios is probably not such a good thing for parrots.) I do hope if the show lasts beyond the pilot the producers will let us get to know the parrots. There is a story there that people want to see.

Right now it seems most television is about when animals attack, or about people who hoard animals or keep dangerous pets. It reminds me when it was OK to dress chimpanzees in tutus and have them ride bikes. People flocked to the attraction and money was made. However at some point somebody stood up and said that is the wrong message to send about animals. And now most of the world doesn’t support that type of animal experience.

I think we are at similar crossroads with animal related TV. Where is the television that showcases the positive impact animals have on our lives? I personally have no interest in those animal attack type programs and I have a feeling I am not alone on this one. Let me know what you think in the comments below and I will make sure to let Animal Planet know what you would like to see when it comes to parrot related television.

Barbara Heidenreich
www.GoodBirdInc.com
Copyright 2011

Building Trust with Your Parrot

Today I was stroking my yellow naped amazon parrot Delbert’s foot. I was marveling at how such a little tiny creature would sit there so relaxed while I gently touched him. Seriously, it really is a moving experience when you think about it. An animal that can easily fly away from me or perhaps bite me hard enough to draw blood is allowing and enjoying me touching his feet. I think that is really cool. And in a weird way, a proud moment. The pride comes in because I know it is the choices I have made when interacting with my parrot that allows me this wonderful privilege.

Building trust with your parrot is a very realistic goal. What it requires is tossing out those old school notions about how to interact with animals. You are not going to be the boss, your bird does not have to obey you, and your parrot doesn’t have to do anything right this second.

Instead you are going to be your parrot’s partner, his provider of all things wonderful and most of all, you will be his friend.

Here are a few tips to help you start building a trusting relationship with your parrot.

1. Avoid using force to get your parrot to do something you want.
2. Avoid doing anything that creates a fear response. (You will need to learn to be very attentive to your bird’s body language so you know what the slightest fear response looks like.)
3. Avoid doing anything that creates aggressive behavior. (Just as with fear responses you will want to become very familiar with aggressive body language to avoid creating it.)
4. Empower your parrot to choose to participate. Let him walk or fly away when he wants to.

Some may be thinking “With my parrot having all that freedom to choose how in the world will I get him to be well behaved and do what I ask when needed?”….like step up when it is time to go back in the cage. This is where learning about how to train with positive reinforcement will be very important.

Positive reinforcement training will teach your parrot that when he does cooperate with your requests wonderful things happen. Like he gets treats, head scratches, cuddles or attention. Or all of the above! When you use this approach you get a parrot who can’t wait to do what you ask. And best of all you get a parrot who really enjoys interacting with you.

Follow these tips and not only will your parrot learn to trust you, but you will also find your relationship will blossom. Making that connection with a parrot is very rewarding for you both when you train with positive reinforcement. You can learn more about how to train your parrot and build trust from my DVDs Parrot Behavior and Training: An Introduction to Training and also my Live Workshop DVD The Basics of Parrot Training. Also check out the DVD Understanding Parrot Body Language to fine tune your sensitivity to fear and aggressive behaviors.

I get lots of emails about people having turned their relationship with their companion parrot around by following these strategies. I can’t wait to hear your story!

Happy Training!

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

Help! My Parrot Laid an Egg

A veterinarian once said to me there are two times in birds life when it looks like it is dying. When it is dying and when it is laying an egg. It is no wonder I sometimes get emails from panicked parrot owners when they see their feathered friends “give birth” to an object that seems to be as big as their bird.

Egg laying can be problematic. Therefore if you would prefer your parrot be a companion bird and not a breeder, first be sure to avoid doing things that lead to reproductive behaviors. There is a great article about this in the free sample of the digital publication Good Bird Magazine.

But what do you do if your bird does lay an egg and you have no intentions of adding more parrots to the household? Here are a few tips to help you out.

If your parrot lays an egg, leave it alone for a few days. Watch your bird to see if she shows any interest in the egg. She may ignore it as first. Parrots often take a few days to lay a full clutch of eggs. This can be as many as three eggs. Leaving the egg alone for awhile gives your bird time to lay more if she is going to, and then wait and see if she decides to sit on them. Many parrots will simply ignore the eggs as times passes. If this is the case, go ahead and remove the eggs and throw them away.

However if your bird does show interest in the eggs, you will want to try another strategy. Parrots often show strong aggressive behavior when they have eggs. Wait for a moment when your parrot is not attending her eggs. Remove the eggs and addle them. This means to shake them vigorously. The goal is to break the yolk inside the egg. This will prevent the eggs from hatching if they are fertile. Then put the eggs back. Handling the eggs will not cause your parrot to abandon them. If you know the eggs are not fertile (for example there is no male around) addling is not necessary. Just let your parrot sit on the eggs.

During this time your parrot may stay tight to her eggs most of the time. She may eat and poop infrequently. And when she does eliminate it is usually in large amounts and sometimes smelly (from holding it for long periods of time.)

The reason you do not want to pull the eggs is that this can stimulate your parrot to lay even more eggs. To make the shell of the egg your parrot must pull calcium from other parts of the body. Too much egg laying can cause your parrot to be calcium deficient which can be life threatening for your bird.

Eventually when the eggs do not hatch your parrot will abandon them. Once this happens you are free to pull them and throw them away. It may take several weeks for your bird to give up.

Remember your first line of defense is to prevent egg laying by avoiding doing things that encourage reproductive behavior. Do this and you won’t ever have to worry about your parrot laying an egg. Of course if your parrot is a boy and he lays an egg, you might want to get your money back on your DNA sexing test.

Barbara Heidenreich
Copyright 2011
www.GoodBirdInc.com