Does your parrot high tail it out of town when a towel is in sight? More than likely it means at some point in his life something scary happened with a towel. Perhaps your bird had to be captured and restrained for a medical emergency. In a moment like that your veterinarian may have to take action right away.
However if your bird is healthy and not in need of immediate medical attention consider taking some time to train your parrot to LOVE towels. I say love because my birds have become obsessed with them thanks to some positive reinforcement training.
Delbert my yellow naped Amazon parrot will fly across the room to land on one. And as you can see in this clip of Blu Lu the blue throated macaw I hardly get to sit down before she lands on the towel in my lap. That is because she knows it means she gets to roll around on her back and get showered with head scratches. (I think it is adorable that she rolls over on her back all by herself.)
I also take advantage of this time to do things a veterinarian might need to do. These include wrapping her in the towel and moving her. It also means feeling her chest, looking at her vent and stretching out her wings. I also trim her toe nails when she is comfortably resting on her back on the towel.
To her it is all fun. I sometimes incorporate foot toys for her to juggle with her feet and beak. To me this is what it means to play with your bird in a towel.
An important part of this is that she is empowered to leave if she wants to. You’ll notice she sticks around for more. That is a good sign. A skilled flyer like her will just leave if the activity is not to her liking.
If you can’t get a towel even in the same room with your bird I do have a DVD that shows you how to train the behavior step by step. It is called Train Your Parrot for the Veterinary Exam. The birds in the video are mostly rescued birds with some bad experiences in their past. You will see even a bird with a questionable past can learn that towels now result in good consequences. There is also information on how to train your parrot to step on a scale, step onto strangers, enter a transport cage and more. (All of these are behaviors that can make life a little less stressful when it is time to visit your avian veterinarian.)
Having Blu Lu trained for toweling gives me peace of mind. I feel confident we have a good chance of keeping her next vet visit super positive.
To help you get inspired to train your parrot for a medical behavior I have a very special gift for readers of this blog. Just click on "free parrot training resource" and enter the code PARROTRX when you check out. It should let you get a free eBook on how to train your parrot to take oral medication.
Every parrot owner should train their birds for this behavior before illness strikes. It is an easy behavior to train and will avoid you having to grab and restrain your bird to give medication, which can cause your bird to lose trust in you. Train this behavior ASAP…you will be glad you did.
Barbara Heidenreich
Copyright Good Bird Inc 2011
For quality information on parrot training visit www.GoodBirdInc.com
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
This Parrot Talks on Cue!
I recently received a link to a video that made me grin ear to ear. I absolutely love it when people watch one of my DVDs, read one of my books or an article I wrote and apply the information at home. A teacher’s greatest reward is a successful student. And the students of the day are Einstein the Texan Talking Parrot and her caregiver Marcia!
You may know them from my latest DVD Train Your Parrot to Talk. Marcia, Jeff and Einstein the African Grey Parrot all graciously agreed to appear in the DVD. In the DVD Marcia and Jeff shared their experience of living with a very gifted talking parrot. Einstein also lends her vocalizations to the accompanying CD ROM of talking parrot recordings. I have known Marcia and Jeff for a few years now. One thing they had not yet spent too much time on was putting Einstein’s many vocalizations on cue.
After receiving their copies of the Train Your Parrot to Talk DVD they went for it. And I am over the top excited for them. Check out this clip of Marcia demonstrating all the things she has already put on cue. This was all within a few weeks of the DVD coming out. You go girl! I love the "where's the mouse" behavior. Awesome cue!
If you have had success using the Good Bird Inc resources to train your parrot, drop me a line and tell me about your experience. I really do love hearing what you are doing with your parrots at home. Take some video and a few pictures too. Your story could end up in Good Bird Magazine and you and your parrot can be an inspiration to others. Just like Einstein.
Barbara Heidenreich
Copyright 2011 Good Bird Inc
For quality information on parrot training visit www.GoodBirdInc.com
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Fun Video Clips of My Amazon Parrot Singing
My yellow naped amazon parrot Delbert was in the mood to sing this morning. He pretty much is every morning, but today I quickly set up a video camera to capture a few of his songs. Here they are. Enjoy!
To learn more about training your parrot to talk and to see more of Delbert check out the DVD Train Your Parrot to Talk
Barbara Heidenreich
Copyright 2011 Good Bird Inc
For quality information on parrot training visit www.GoodBirdInc.com
To learn more about training your parrot to talk and to see more of Delbert check out the DVD Train Your Parrot to Talk
Barbara Heidenreich
Copyright 2011 Good Bird Inc
For quality information on parrot training visit www.GoodBirdInc.com
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Go See a Bird Show!
What luck! This morning there just happened to be a Bird of Prey demonstration just a 5 minute drive from my house. This show was presented by Last Chance Forever a raptor rehabilitation and education organization. I have seen these folks before and am always impressed by their excellent training skills.
It was a windy day today but the trainers were attentive to this as well as some earlier spottings of a red shouldered hawk in the area and a loose dog. They flew a HUGE female Harris' hawk, a crested caracara (one of my favorite birds!) and a Lanner falcon. They had a few walk on's too (barn owl, screech owl and a red tailed hawk)
I enjoyed watching all the flying. It took me back to my bird shows days. But the best part for me was the caracara doing the infamous dollar bill trick. I have seen various parrots and corvids do this behavior, which is basically a retrieve, but never a caracara. As the presenter said they are not quite a hawk, not quite a falcon and not quite a vulture. They seem to be a combo of all of the above. Really cool bird in my opinion.
Of course the presentation was meant to educate a well as awe and I was thrilled to see my non animal trainer friend who was with me was totally into it. It is one thing to hear about birds, or watch them on TV, but once you have had an up close and personal experience it really can give you a deeper appreciation for animals in your home and the wild.
I hope the video clips give you a little taste of the experience. Go see a bird show if you can!
Barbara Heidenreich
Copyright 2011 Good Bird Inc
For quality information on parrot training visit www.GoodBirdInc.com
It was a windy day today but the trainers were attentive to this as well as some earlier spottings of a red shouldered hawk in the area and a loose dog. They flew a HUGE female Harris' hawk, a crested caracara (one of my favorite birds!) and a Lanner falcon. They had a few walk on's too (barn owl, screech owl and a red tailed hawk)
I enjoyed watching all the flying. It took me back to my bird shows days. But the best part for me was the caracara doing the infamous dollar bill trick. I have seen various parrots and corvids do this behavior, which is basically a retrieve, but never a caracara. As the presenter said they are not quite a hawk, not quite a falcon and not quite a vulture. They seem to be a combo of all of the above. Really cool bird in my opinion.
Of course the presentation was meant to educate a well as awe and I was thrilled to see my non animal trainer friend who was with me was totally into it. It is one thing to hear about birds, or watch them on TV, but once you have had an up close and personal experience it really can give you a deeper appreciation for animals in your home and the wild.
I hope the video clips give you a little taste of the experience. Go see a bird show if you can!
Barbara Heidenreich
Copyright 2011 Good Bird Inc
For quality information on parrot training visit www.GoodBirdInc.com
Friday, March 11, 2011
Parrots and Stress Bars
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
Friday, February 25, 2011
Parrot Training DVDs – Behind the Scenes
Oh have I got a fun video clip to share with you. Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes when making a DVD? Here is your chance to find out!
Whenever I film a DVD I am busy at work doing my part as the host or animal trainer. I do a little bit of work explaining my vision and shots I think would support it. But most of the real work is in the hands of the film crew that you usually don’t get to see.
Einstein the African Grey Parrot, who appeared in my recent DVD Train Your Parrot to Talk, has caregivers who find film and photography as interesting as I do. Jeff and Marcia were gracious enough to allow me to interview them for the DVD, and they also set up their own cameras to capture this glimpse into the making of a parrot training video.
I was also thrilled to hear that Marcia has already been putting more of Einstein’s vocabulary on cue using the instructional information in the DVD. I have my fingers crossed she will get that on film too so I can share it here. If you want to learn more about Einstein the Talking Texan Parrot and see more video clips of her visit her website. http://www.einsteinparrot.com/
An interview with Jeff and Marcia is featured in the DVD. And of course Einstein also makes an appearance. She also lends her voice to the CD ROM of talking parrot recordings you can play for your own parrot. You can find out more information at Train Your Parrot to Talk.
Barbara Heidenreich
For quality information on parrot training visit www.GoodBirdInc.com
Copyright 2011
Whenever I film a DVD I am busy at work doing my part as the host or animal trainer. I do a little bit of work explaining my vision and shots I think would support it. But most of the real work is in the hands of the film crew that you usually don’t get to see.
Einstein the African Grey Parrot, who appeared in my recent DVD Train Your Parrot to Talk, has caregivers who find film and photography as interesting as I do. Jeff and Marcia were gracious enough to allow me to interview them for the DVD, and they also set up their own cameras to capture this glimpse into the making of a parrot training video.
I was also thrilled to hear that Marcia has already been putting more of Einstein’s vocabulary on cue using the instructional information in the DVD. I have my fingers crossed she will get that on film too so I can share it here. If you want to learn more about Einstein the Talking Texan Parrot and see more video clips of her visit her website. http://www.einsteinparrot.com/
An interview with Jeff and Marcia is featured in the DVD. And of course Einstein also makes an appearance. She also lends her voice to the CD ROM of talking parrot recordings you can play for your own parrot. You can find out more information at Train Your Parrot to Talk.
Barbara Heidenreich
For quality information on parrot training visit www.GoodBirdInc.com
Copyright 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Parrot Flight Training- Improving Skills
It has been a busy month releasing the new DVD Train Your Parrot to Talk, putting out another issue of Good Bird Magazine, presenting at Parrot Festival and somewhere in all that I came down with a nasty virus! However even though I have been rather busy, every day there has been time made for Blu Lu training. Yay! I just have not had time to blog about it until today.
Blu Lu the Blue Throated Macaw from the Bird Endowment is doing extremely well. One of the behaviors she has really been practicing is her flight training. You may recall I posted a video a while back about training her to fly to different perches in my house. I wanted to share a video clip of her progress since then. She is really mastering her flight skills. She has learned a nice quick response to my cue for recall.
She is sometimes a little slower than I would like flying to a perch when I cue her. But I suspect that part of the problem is that being with people is also a strong reinforcer for her. So going away from a person is tougher than coming to one.
One of the benefits to training your bird to fly to designated perches in your house is that it makes it very reinforcing for your parrot to fly to those spots. So instead of chewing up the back of a chair, or flinging papers off of the table your parrot deliberately opts to go to the perches.
I do have another place in the kitchen loaded with toys that Blu Lu goes to as well. These also work as reinforcers for her to stay in that area and have fun. This really handy strategy of making the behavior you want your parrot to do the most reinforcing option is based on The Matching Law.
You can apply this to so many aspects of living with a parrot. Think of it this way. If your parrot has the choice to do behavior A or behavior B, whichever one he knows will earn the most reinforcers is the one he will do. This means it is your job to make the behavior you want your parrot do more fun than the one you don’t want. For example make it more fun to play on play stand, than chew up the books on the book shelf.
The video clip does not show off her maneuvering skills. She literally can fly through every doorway and turn every corner in my house, which can be quite tight at times. She is a smaller species of macaw, but even so, it is quite impressive. She also does this with impeccable precision. You can literally “see” her making decisions on the wing as she decides where she will turn and where she land. I never get tired of watching a young bird master flight skills.
More videos to come as her training progresses……….
Barbara Heidenreich
For quality information on parrot training visit http://www.goodbirdinc.com/
Copyright 2011 Good Bird Inc
Blu Lu the Blue Throated Macaw from the Bird Endowment is doing extremely well. One of the behaviors she has really been practicing is her flight training. You may recall I posted a video a while back about training her to fly to different perches in my house. I wanted to share a video clip of her progress since then. She is really mastering her flight skills. She has learned a nice quick response to my cue for recall.
She is sometimes a little slower than I would like flying to a perch when I cue her. But I suspect that part of the problem is that being with people is also a strong reinforcer for her. So going away from a person is tougher than coming to one.
One of the benefits to training your bird to fly to designated perches in your house is that it makes it very reinforcing for your parrot to fly to those spots. So instead of chewing up the back of a chair, or flinging papers off of the table your parrot deliberately opts to go to the perches.
I do have another place in the kitchen loaded with toys that Blu Lu goes to as well. These also work as reinforcers for her to stay in that area and have fun. This really handy strategy of making the behavior you want your parrot to do the most reinforcing option is based on The Matching Law.
You can apply this to so many aspects of living with a parrot. Think of it this way. If your parrot has the choice to do behavior A or behavior B, whichever one he knows will earn the most reinforcers is the one he will do. This means it is your job to make the behavior you want your parrot do more fun than the one you don’t want. For example make it more fun to play on play stand, than chew up the books on the book shelf.
The video clip does not show off her maneuvering skills. She literally can fly through every doorway and turn every corner in my house, which can be quite tight at times. She is a smaller species of macaw, but even so, it is quite impressive. She also does this with impeccable precision. You can literally “see” her making decisions on the wing as she decides where she will turn and where she land. I never get tired of watching a young bird master flight skills.
More videos to come as her training progresses……….
Barbara Heidenreich
For quality information on parrot training visit http://www.goodbirdinc.com/
Copyright 2011 Good Bird Inc
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