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My Goals for New Cape Parrot

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My Goals for New Cape Parrot

Postby Michael » Thu Jun 10, 2010 12:43 pm

My Goals for New Cape Parrot and the Trained Parrot Blog (click here for article)

I outlined my goals for training the Cape Parrot as well as for how I want to structure the blog. As a special treat/incentive for you to go read my blog, lots of baby Cape pictures at the bottom! :P

Feel free to post any comments, suggestions, or questions here on the parrot forum and they will show up on the blog.
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Michael
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Re: My Goals for New Cape Parrot

Postby Kim S » Thu Jun 10, 2010 1:35 pm

You have some plans, mister... Looks good though. We should take some bets on how fast you will have your first flied recall. :D
They are both adorable btw.

Could you clear up a couple of points for me please?

Teach target training through modeling rather than trial/error if possible
The usual trial/error would be waiting till the parrot touches the target and then click/reinforce. And not doing so when it 'misses' the target. How do you model?

Develop safe petting cue and method
You're attaching a cue to 'petting time'? LIke: 'want a scratch?' and then it can expect a scratch? Or am I thinking the wrong way completely? (feeling rather blond right now)
Kika: Senegal Parrot.
Guus: Cockatiel, Yellowcheek, cinnamon, pearl, pied.
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Re: My Goals for New Cape Parrot

Postby MandyG » Thu Jun 10, 2010 1:57 pm

"Provide occasional foraging opportunities in/out of cage"

Why are you only providing occasional foraging opportunities? Usually people stress how important foraging is for parrots.
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Re: My Goals for New Cape Parrot

Postby myakando » Thu Jun 10, 2010 2:29 pm

Hmmmm... I think Michael is beginning to get more and more excited about his new baby next week :mrgreen:
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Re: My Goals for New Cape Parrot

Postby Michael » Thu Jun 10, 2010 2:57 pm

Kim S wrote:Teach target training through modeling rather than trial/error if possible
The usual trial/error would be waiting till the parrot touches the target and then click/reinforce. And not doing so when it 'misses' the target. How do you model?


You got it exactly right. Modeling would be where I leave the Cape in cage but in sight and let it watch me target Kili. Then I put Kili away and take Cape out and target it. Hopefully, if modeling works, it will grasp the concept and target without greater training effort. I will test this out to the greatest extent. If the Cape makes extensive efforts to walk over to the target stick off the first sight of it, then it was clearly modeling. If it's easier than normal to teach target but still using trial/error then modeling assisted but it still had to be taught. If modeling works well for target training, I will try to see how many other tricks I can teach simply by modeling. Basically the big difference between modeling and trial/error method is that the parrot would attempt to do the trick from the first attempt whereas trial/error doesn't work until it so happens to try the behavior for the first time.

Kim S wrote:Develop safe petting cue and method
You're attaching a cue to 'petting time'? LIke: 'want a scratch?' and then it can expect a scratch? Or am I thinking the wrong way completely? (feeling rather blond right now)


You are thinking exactly right. There is a pseudo cue with Kili and I'd say this is true for most household parrots. If you pet the parrot the same way every time, your parrot can see it coming from your body language. However, with the Cape (being such a big parrot and big beak), I'd like to create a definite offer cue and a response from the parrot. So if I wiggle my fingers in preparation to scratch, if it accepts it will bend head down or otherwise reject. This is a form of empowerment that reduces aggression and prevents bites. This isn't so much for me as it is for other people that might want to handle the parrot and the benefit of my viewers. I've pet Kili whether she wanted to or not and at most she'd nip to state her opinion. However, other people have gotten bit for trying to pet her when she didn't want it. So instead, I'd like to create a very definite way of doing it.

MandyG wrote:"Provide occasional foraging opportunities in/out of cage"

Why are you only providing occasional foraging opportunities? Usually people stress how important foraging is for parrots.


The reason I only do occasional foraging is because I do a lot of training. The way I do things, training is the parrots foraging opportunity. Rather than digging/breaking treats out of some place, it has to shake its head or turn around, etc. I think it exercises much of the same brain systems as foraging and is in fact an accelerated challenge. For people who don't work with their parrots, foraging opportunities are an alternative (and possibly more natural) substitute. I don't want to encourage my parrot to look for treats on its own too much. I'd rather it look to me as a provider of treats. So the foraging opportunities are more for when I'm busy or as a supplement to training.
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Re: My Goals for New Cape Parrot

Postby HyperD » Thu Jun 10, 2010 3:10 pm

Wow Michael, you will surely be busy! I'm confident you will manage it fine.

Have there been many success stories with modelling or is it something new that you have thought to try?
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Re: My Goals for New Cape Parrot

Postby Michael » Thu Jun 10, 2010 3:29 pm

I've heard of it used as the primary method of teaching in the Alex studies. Otherwise, not so common in parrot trick training. The reason being that it's not easy for them to model from watching us cause our limbs work differently. It's not particularly practical to use modeling other parrots for trick training unless you're trying to reteach a trick from one parrot to many because the first parrot still has to learn the tricks using the long trial/error method.

I'm just curious to see how modeling works out and to see if I can create a methodology that allows me to teach behaviors by modeling from Kili in the future. Basically I want the parrot to learn how to learn by watching Kili do it.
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Re: My Goals for New Cape Parrot

Postby skeetersunconure » Fri Jun 11, 2010 5:02 pm

wow good job :thumbsup: when you said optimize toward freeflight are you going to train them for the actual freeflight? just wondering...
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Re: My Goals for New Cape Parrot

Postby Michael » Fri Jun 11, 2010 7:07 pm

Well I'm going to do all the flight training as though we're going to do outdoor freeflight. I will have to see how that goes and gauge our relationship/reliability before actually attempting it. Even if I never do outdoor freeflight, those skills may someday come in handy if the parrot ever gets out.
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Michael
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Gender: This parrot forum member is male
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Types of Birds Owned: Senegal Parrot, Cape Parrot, Green-Winged Macaw
Flight: Yes

Re: My Goals for New Cape Parrot

Postby skeetersunconure » Fri Jun 11, 2010 9:57 pm

oh cool im really interested in freeflight but if i do it will be a long ways down the road ps im sure youve already seen this but on birdtricks it has a training entry on freeflight that explains a little bit its a good article i dont know how to insert link but here is the adress you can copy and paste http://www.birdtricks.com/AfricanGreyPa ... light.html
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