Taming a Sun....Progress?

[Ashwin1224]

Hi all!

I have been spending lots of time with my 9 month old Mojo. All this time has gone into his taming as he was not hand reared and completely untamed . When I got him about 4 months back, all he used to do was buff up his feathers on seeing me or anyone come near his cage and we couldnt even think of letting him out, or getting something in. Now, he spends his day with his cage door open, moves freely in or out regardless if anyone is in the room/passing by/ or playing a guitar. He does step up, occasionally.

The problem is, he only steps up if he sees a treat in my hand. And I can feel him vibrating all the time he is on my hand. And as soon as I put a break to his treats, he goes back to his cage. I cant even move my hand far from his cage. Actually I cant move my hand at all. If I move it for more than an inch, he jumps back onto his cage.

I couldnt find a good clicker anywhere, so I downloaded an app. It is a genuine replacement for the clicker, but my phone aint handy. So the clicks usually denote only the start of the session, or sometimes I click just before I offer up my hand to him.

He has startd stepping only from the last few days, so do I assume that these problems will go away eventually. And someday I can talk to my friends with mojo on my shoulder?
And with the clicker, is it OK if I use it like that?
Or should I change the system, clicking everytime I offer treats?

[Michael]

Ok, this should be easy. First of all you can buy some real clickers here. Use the clicker for training and positive behavior. Don't use it for taming.

Considering he is motivated and stepping up for treats, it should be pretty easy to get him to step up without them. It's all about variable ratio reinforcement and secondary reinforcers. For now start hiding the treats better and better in your hand. So if at first you held it in plain sight, start hiding it so half is visible, then a quarter, and then not at all. But because he was getting treats all the other times, he'll continue trying cause he expects the treat to be there.

Next you gotta work on providing alternative reinforcement. You gotta find out what else he likes: toys, scratches, talking, attention, baths, etc. Sometimes instead of giving him a treat for stepping up, do these other things he like. Also train tricks. You can use the opportunity to perform a trick for a treat as a reward for stepping up. Eventually rewarding directly for step up entirely fades away and it seems like the parrot steps up just because. In reality it steps up because it leads to other things that are good or earn treats.

[Ashwin1224]

Thanks for the reply Michael!

The problem is, I cant buy stuff online right now (I am sorta grounded). Secondly I am from india, local stores dont have a clicker so i had to resort to getting the app.

He still doesnt let me touch him, so I cant scratch him. Is this not normal?
I mean shouldnt he first trust my hand by letting them touch him then climb over? I wont climb on something 10 times my size if i dont trust is...

[Michael]

No, sounds perfectly normal. He'll step on your hand cause he is empowered (feels in some level in control) whereas you touching him he is completely helpless. If you end up deciding you want to order the clicker set, PM me or contact me via the contact form on that site and I can give you a price including international shipping for the set (just about $2 more than in the US).

[Ashwin1224]

Thnx!
I ll contact asa I can use my card(or dads)


BTW, on an average, how long does it take for a sun to truly show its colors?
Mine is 9 months and still looks as if he is 3 months....