Having trouble with clicker training..

[Ashley]

Hi everyone,
So I'm still relatively new to this site, but I'm already learning a ton! My fiance and I brought home our first fid, a 3 month old female green cheek conure! We drove 8 hours to get her, and from the minute she got into the car with us on the way home, it was all snuggling and cuteness! She bonded to us from the minute we got her home! We've only had her 2 days now, but all she wants to do is sleep on my chest. She loves it when I place my one hand over her back, keeping her toasty, while I rub her cheeks and head with the other. How do I get her to be more independent and play with her toys? We purchased 350$ in toys and she has a huge cage, but whenever I'm in sight she chirps and flutters around trying to get my attention so she can come out of the cage.

I also bought a clicker and we have sunflower seeds (only for training treats), and I tried to start with her today but she didn't want any of it. I clicked and gave her a treat several times, so she realizes that the click means a treat is coming, but all she wants is to fly over to me and cuddle up in my hair or on my chest. How do I clicker train her when all she wants is to cling to me?? As soon as the cage door opens BAM she's stuck to me like glue! While this is adorable and I love that she is so attached to me already, I want to be able to train her to do various things.

Thank you all for any help and suggestions!!

[meowingaround]

From what I've read.. and I am no expert. You could either find a different treat that your bird is more responsive too. Or take the regular food away for a bit ( a few hours), and then try with the clicker.

[Michael]

Sometimes the really young parrots are too eager to play and aren't ready for training. I had to wait a month or two since having Truman until I could begin any formal clicker training. He just didn't have any attention span and wasn't food motivated. There's no rush though. Enjoy the baby stage. Work on flight recall, handling, petting and stuff like that while the bird is young and eager to be around people. Don't withhold food for more than a few hours on a growing baby bird.