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Flying the Heck Out of Your Parrot

Discuss topics associated with teaching birds to fly. Training parrots recall flight, target flying, and other flying exercises.

Flying the Heck Out of Your Parrot

Postby Michael » Fri Oct 29, 2010 10:38 pm

Truman was antsy while we were eating dinner and kept trying to land on the table. He was being a total pain in the butt doing fly bys and knocking things over. So how did I deal with this? Did I put him away in his cage as someone suggested? No! I flew the heck out of him until he no longer wanted to land on the table. He was super super motivated to fly to me so I kept recalling him for a small treat or a toy (but never food from the table). After 30 minutes of such active flying, he was pooped and just wanted to stay on his perch and rest.

So a great way to deal with a hyperactive parrot is to encourage it to expend that energy with flight recall training. Not only is this great exercise but it also builds a stronger flight recall response for the future. Of course if you don't have time to deal with a flighted parrot at the moment, then just don't take it out of the cage at all to avoid having to put it away when it is just going to be itself.

Of course there are people who will just clip, but what's the fun in that!? :mrgreen:
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Re: Flying the Heck Out of Your Parrot

Postby entrancedbymyGCC » Mon Nov 01, 2010 7:57 pm

I think this is sort of analogous to longing a horse (having it go around at the end of a long line) to get the ya-yas out and settle the horse. It can certainly be a good thing to make sure the horse has plenty of exercise in a productive manner, but people who over-use this and make it part of the routine often wind up making their horses more fit and even more of a handful... I wonder if the same is true of parrots?
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Re: Flying the Heck Out of Your Parrot

Postby Michael » Mon Nov 01, 2010 8:01 pm

Possibly to an extent. I know Kili would be much worse a flier if I did not exercise her constantly. However, you keep this in moderation. Use it on occasion when you need the extra peace/quite rather than doing all of the time. You have to choose your days. However, I don't think fitness is the limiting factor for flighty parrots. I think it has more to do with boredom and such.

Truman doesn't get tired of flying from place to place to explore as it is. He still spends much time perched relative to flight. How quickly he gets bored of something and flies on to something else is more of a factor. It's just that flying him till tiredness can stop him from exploring so much in the moment. That might require more flight to tire him next time, but I don't think it will make him any more or less energetic for exploring next time around.
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Re: Flying the Heck Out of Your Parrot

Postby skeetersunconure » Mon Nov 01, 2010 9:07 pm

this is a good idea! I havent really ever thought of that Michael!! :thumbsup:
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Re: Flying the Heck Out of Your Parrot

Postby Michael » Mon Nov 01, 2010 9:36 pm

Basically you cannot overdo it my way cause the parrot will refuse to fly for any more treats/toys (which also means it will stop flying to bug you either). However, please do not do this with forced flight such as scaring the parrot or drop/throwing it. As long as it is unforced, hands free, voluntary recall... it is perfectly safe in any amount.
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