Bubba fetches with the Teach Box

[Andromeda]

Here is a video of Bubba's new trick. Eventually I want to make him fetch all four shapes before he gets a treat but for now the trick is new so he gets a treat after every one.

The video is one take but I cut out the parts of him just eating millet because that made up a full two minutes of the video.



The prop is Zoo Max's Teach Box (small size).

[marie83]

Hey well done
Minus the over protectiveness of the props how did it go getting that far with the training?

[Andromeda]

Thanks!

Bubba is a happy little guy so he's easy to train as long as I keep the sessions short (~5 minutes) due to his short attention span. It took 5 days of 2 sessions per day:

Day 1: Use the target stick to target him to the yellow shape and reward him for touching the stick, and later the shape instead of the stick.

Day 2: Reward for him touching the yellow shape on his own.

Day 3: Reward for briefly picking up the yellow shape.

Day 4: Reward for dropping the yellow shape in the box. To accomplish this I placed the shape on the very edge of the table and held the box under the edge so when he got tired of it and dropped it, it would fall into the box. If he missed the box he got no reaction. If he missed several times in a row I'd be sure to catch it in the box a few times so he wouldn't get discouraged. By the end of the second session he was deliberately placing the shape in the box when I held it a little to the left or right of the shape at which point I moved the box up bit by bit until he had to reach over the side.

Day 5: Place the box on the table and reward for placing the yellow shape in the box. It took two sessions before he understood that I wanted him to do it with the other colors as well.

Once he will fetch all four shapes before he gets a treat I'll flip the box over and work on having him put plastic "coins" in a slot (like a piggy bank).

[friend2parrots]

nice work, Bubba and Andromeda! Bubba seems so focused. he definitely looks like he understands the task well. good job!

thanks for outlining above the training steps/ schedule. I love all the colorful props that the zoo max company makes and Ive always wanted to get the "teaching box" prop and work with Ringo on it.

I'm looking forward to hearing how he does with the coins in the slot trick.

[Andromeda]

Bubba seems so focused.

Oh, yeah, he is SUPER focused... As long as you don't push him past ~5 minutes. Haha

he definitely looks like he understands the task well.

He definitely understands; he puts the shapes in the box 100% of the time. Three times now when he was done eating his millet he took the husk and very carefully placed it inside the box, too. He is so cute.

I love all the colorful props that the zoo max company makes and Ive always wanted to get the "teaching box" prop and work with Ringo on it.

I bet Ringo would love it. You can really use any object and container for "fetch" as long as it is size-appropriate, although I really like the Teach Box because on one side it's an open box and on the other it's closed with a slot so you can teach two different tricks with one prop. I have two other Zoo Max props but this trick is the simplest so I thought I'd teach it first.

I'm looking forward to hearing how he does with the coins in the slot trick.

I was having pasta for dinner I decided to see if he wanted to try the coins in a slot trick for some pasta (he loves pasta but I rarely give him any). I set out the yellow plastic coins and flipped the box over, not knowing what to expect but thinking I'd have to teach him to pick up the coins first. He immediately grabbed a coin and placed it on top of the box!

We did a 10-minute session (apparently he is willing to go longer if he's offered pasta) and every single time he picked up the coin and placed it on the box. By the end of the session he had put the coin in the slot several times but he wasn't doing it consistently enough for me to stop rewarding for just placing it on top of the box. However, I was able to stop rewarding for anything other than placing the coin in the exact center (where the slot is) so we made progress. I think he will learn this trick way faster than I expected.

[Pralina]

Wow!!! this is amazing!!! Really!!!

I am waaaaay behind on fetch training and stuff, I have the Teach box but my birds aren't trained enough yet to use it....
The throw the pieces around all over the place though

Keep the good work Bubba!!!

[Wiki]

Well done, Bubba! Good bird! I have that teach box - Wiki likes the blue (his favourite colour, definitely), but needs a little step to get up high enough to put in the box

[Strawfrawg]

This is so cool! Great work...and thanks for providing the steps. I hadn't heard of zoo max toys. Will order this box.

Bubba is adorable. He really does look like a pro.

[Andromeda]

Thanks for the continued views and comments! Bubba and I are still working on putting coins in the slot. He puts the coins on the box every time but only puts them in the slot occasionally; so far he doesn't understand that's what I want him to do.

I am also working on "fetch" with my Poi but it's kind of slow going with him. He is afraid of the box when I hold it under the table---but not when it's sitting on the table, even if it's right next to him! Silly bird.

I am waaaaay behind on fetch training and stuff, I have the Teach box but my birds aren't trained enough yet to use it....
The throw the pieces around all over the place though

Make sure you don't let your birds play with the props because it's better that they only associate the props with focused behavior and training as opposed to play.

However, if they will throw the pieces around that's a great start because all you need to do at that point is hold the box where you can catch the pieces as they drop them and reward when the piece makes it into the box, ignore when it does not.

Well done, Bubba! Good bird! I have that teach box - Wiki likes the blue (his favourite colour, definitely), but needs a little step to get up high enough to put in the box

Aw, he needs a little step, that's so cute! You should take a video of Wiki with the Teach Box, I'd love to see a parakeet doing the trick! It's funny that Wiki prefers the blue because for some reason Bubba will usually grab the blue piece first, too.

[Wiki]

Aw, he needs a little step, that's so cute! You should take a video of Wiki with the Teach Box, I'd love to see a parakeet doing the trick! It's funny that Wiki prefers the blue because for some reason Bubba will usually grab the blue piece first, too.

He only needs a step to do the slot side, haven't really gone there yet. He just doesn't want to do things in a considered way sometimes . Wiki's very enthusiastic - and he agreed to do it for you just now, so here he is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o22Mnygk78