Is my CAG old enough for training?

[thrillanmanilla]

So I finally got my African Grey on Friday the 9th of April.! His name is Felix and he hatched 1/23/10. I gave him two days to settle down but today (the third day) i started to train him. Just clicking the clicker and giving him a treat. I had trouble finding a treat to give him because he takes too long with seeds and hasnt really figured them out yet. I waited untill he was hungry and cut up some carrots which I know he likes and tried them. At first I thought it was working well but he was very quickly not into it so i took him to his cage to feed him his pellets(main diet) and he got excited over them so i used them to clicker train. Is that not a good idea? Do you think he is too young for training? Is he too new to me and his enviroment to train?

Thanks In Advance!

[Kathleen]

I think your African Grey is old enough for training. If you cannot use seeds right now, don't worry too much. Keep offering the bird seeds sometimes and let the bird figure it out. You could do a training session by offering a seed once in a while and having the main component of treats being something else.

You can use pellets, but it's more motivating to use something that the bird doesn't get all of the time, that's the purpose of a treat.

If you need some other ideas for treats, here are some you could try: fruit such as berries, banana or apple, oatmeal, nuts, pasta, rice, bread, scrambled eggs etc.

Just a safety reminder: please make sure whatever you give your parrot to eat is safe and nontoxic to birds.

[Chicklet]

Don't worry, a parrot is never too young to start training, learning begins the second they are born

It's not too soon either, training will actually help you build a bond with your bird and make his adjustment to your home easier. It will also being to establish the boundaries of communication between the two of you so that Felix knows what to expect from you and will be less confused and a more confident youngster Also with well established routines and expectations from you and Felix, he will have a much easier transition to an adult bird, ensuring less confusing during "puberty".

Like Kathleen said, pellets are ok but it makes it more fun for him to work for something he gets only as a treat.

[thrillanmanilla]

Thanks!