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Taming, now parrot rarely let's me even pet her!

Discuss the methods and techniques of clicker training, target training and bonding. These are usually the first steps in training a young parrot.

Taming, now parrot rarely let's me even pet her!

Postby KwwB » Fri May 09, 2014 4:18 pm

I have a three year old red-lored amazon who I've had now for only two months. We got her from a family who couldn't spend time with her anymore. I bought Michael's book Well-Behaved Parrots and started doing taming like he suggested.

After getting used to me she would let me scratch her beak and pet her, but now after doing taming exercises like grabbing her by the neck gently and moving her to my shoulder, or carrying her across the room and putting her on a perch ect... as well as practicing one handed grabs around the back and across her wings, she doesn't really let me touch her beak or scratch her much. She instead acts like she wants to fly away, and if I proceed trying to do those things she will fly away.

Any suggestions? It's almost like she now associates me with those things she doesn't like so she is just gonna bail before I can grab her.
Last edited by KwwB on Fri May 09, 2014 4:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
KwwB
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 8
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Red-lored Amazon
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Re: Taming, now parrot rarely let's me even pet her!

Postby KwwB » Fri May 09, 2014 4:25 pm

Oh, and as a side note. She is doing VERY well with those taming exercises above. When I do grab her by the neck now she doesn't fuss at all. I can usually hold her for nearly a minute now and she is fine. I can also grab her one handed and move her where I want and she is fine. I also started doing the bat trick which IMO is a combo of a trick and taming and she is catching on quick! So it's working, just with the above mentioned side effects.
KwwB
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 8
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Red-lored Amazon
Flight: Yes

Re: Taming, now parrot rarely let's me even pet her!

Postby Wolf » Sat May 10, 2014 12:02 am

I know that you mean well and this grab the bird thing is a useful skill for both you and your bird, so for that reason, I have no problem with it. In your two posts you have recognized what the problem is and also suggested the answer to it. I am happy that you are actually this aware, even if you didn't recognize this in your posts.
You recognize that your bird does not like " the grab" and acts as if she wants to fly away before you can do this to her. Well, I would bet that if you have a friend who keeps doing things you don't like that you first try to tell them you don't like it and if they continue to do it you want to get away from them before they have the chance to do it again.
I hope that you can see in this that these are the very actions of your bird. She loves you and wants you to be happy so she goes out of her way to cooperate with you on this " grab the bird thing", but she doesn't like it. She is withdrawing and trying to tell you that she doesn't like this by not letting you pet her head and beak, and by telling you that if you don't listen to her about this that she will fly and not allow you to touch her at all.
My opinion is that it is time to move on to some other training item or trick, preferably one that does not entail grabbing her. You are using this one too often and she is trying to let you know this. She has learned this one so don't do it so much. Now take a short break from all of this training and just spend some time with her without trying to train her to do a new trick. Regain the trust that you have damaged by overtraining and just love her for a while then pick up on the training again a little later, just don't get so gung ho with it.
Wolf
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