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Training on a full crop!

Exchange information about how to teach specific tricks to parrots. Most of these techniques should apply to all bird species. Share your success stories.

Training on a full crop!

Postby Michael » Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:59 pm

I was unexpectedly called out at 8PM and uncertain if I would make it back in time for my parrot's training at 9, I left her an early dinner. I ran out of fresh vegetables so I thawed some frozen ones for her. It's been a while since I last fed her those so I left them in abundance.

In fact I did make it back in time for training. I weighed her and she was 134g, a record high weight for her. Normally I get her down to 113g to train. She was about 114g before I fed her, so she ate up 20g. And you can tell by the enormous balloon of a bulge from her crop.

When I got back I let her out anyway just so she could be out. She got so fat she could barely fly. But then I saw her fly up to some training props I had not put away. It seemed like she wanted to train so I gave it a shot. Surprisingly she did train and did a fantastic job! 4 rings on peg, 1 basketball, and 5 coins in piggy bank, all for no more than 2 treats. She was doing the tricks just for the hell of it. She had eaten an enormous meal and could not possibly want to eat. This is probably why she offered up a higher ratio of tricks for reinforcement as well. And I let her do that because she was probably burning off more calories flying to do the tricks than the little seeds I was giving her. Just goes to show that food management is not everything.
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Michael
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 6286
Location: New York
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal Parrot, Cape Parrot, Green-Winged Macaw
Flight: Yes

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