A positive update regarding Loki

[NICrosis]

I bought Loki back in August, and while six months isn't exactly the longest time in way of owning a bird, I can honestly say that he and I have bonded.

Now, when I first bought Loki, I made some terrible mistakes. Here are the most prominent ones.

1. As a masochist, I decided to get an African Grey simply because of this comic: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/grump
2. I did not figure out if I really wanted an African Grey, or if I should have leaned more towards a Lorikeet or a pionus. I simply bought it because I heard they were smart.
3. At the time I purchased Loki, I assumed tht because I had raised Cockatiels, I knew what I was doing with a big bird.
4. I did not understand proper discipline and that "punishment" should not exist in a bird owner's vocabulary.

That being said, I bought a five year old Timneh, and quickly learned how powerful an angry beak can be.

I could go through the horror stories for a while. Loki has made me bleed more times than I care to admit. I've had hairlines cuts, scratches, and knicks. However, all of this has been good. I've learned that stern commands and laddering are the best in proper discipline for a bird as opposed to beak flicking or angrily dropping the bird as a response. I've grown to understand Loki's body language and his personality (in case you didn't know, birds have personalities) from my experience with him.

As of current, I have learned to really love Loki. He's a lazy little bugger. All he wants to do is eat newspaper, tear up empty cardboard soda containers, and sit on my shoulder. And that's alright. He does point training, whistles, and dances to the Mos Eisley cantina theme. We're working on flight training (at this point, he flutters from my hand to a soft landing spot on the couch from about 12 inches up), but when it comes down to it, he's not an active bird. He enjoys being lazy and watching more than anything, and I love him.

Fun side note: Loki has bonded to me and DOES NOT like my wife. I went on a business trip this month and from day 1 my wife blew up my phone screaming about how Loki won't listen to commands, nips at everything, and mockingly clucks at her following his disobedience.

I freaking love this bird.

[Wolf]

The joke is still on you and given enough time Loki will teach you that laddering is for humans and not for birds, it is a form of flooding and it will backfire on you. As to stern commands, you will discover that they too have only limited usefulness. Kokooloo, my Grey Lady, will listen to stern vocalizations, but primarily as a means of gauging if I am irritated or not. She responds best to calm and unemotional requests from me and only from me. She really doesn't care what anyone else thinks or has to say about anything. Being as intelligent as she is, she requires a certain amount of control over her self, if her wants and desires are not listened to and given proper consideration she ceases to listen until she feels that she has reestablished her control over what she does and does not do. She is not inhibited about the judicious use of a well placed bite to reinforce her desire for a certain degree of free will.

[Pajarita]

I agree with Wolf 100%. Stern tone of voice and laddering are not efficient tools and will, in time, backfire so I am afraid that you still have quite a lot of learning to do. Redirecting is the way to go. But you already took the first and most important step and it's that you realized that you did not know enough - and you will be surprised how many people don't even reach this first plateau! The thing to do now is to do a lot of research... but in the right places which means don't listen to other people's opinions because they might be giving you the wrong info, go to THE source: Mother Nature.

And you misunderstand, Loki is not lazy. He is a parrot, a prey animal, he doesn't work not even to get food. People think that foraging in the wild is work for them but it's not, it's an enjoyable social occasion. No drudgery and no hardship but fun. So, to a pet parrot who gets his food served every day like clockwork, chewing and chilling with his favorite human is what life is all about. Why don't you try foraging toys?

[NICrosis]

Loki doesn't love foraging toys. I've learned with him that what he loves more than anything else is tearing things to pieces. Have an empty box from a 12 pack of mtn. dew? Throw it in his cage, it'll be gone before the morning. Buy a toy meant for a cockatiel? Enjoy finding bits of plastic from all over the house. He loves to rip stuff apart. Foraging toys? Won't even touch them, no matter what. Loki is very clear what he enjoys. Gravity Falls, Adventure time, and ripping through news paper are his favorite things in the world.

I'm happy I've learned his body language though. Though I have to say, the most important thing you will learn when it comes to owning a bird is that they are unlike owning any other animal. Lizards, cats, fish, dogs, rodents? All of them require a special little thing. But none of them are as smart as a bird. You own a turtle. You own a dog. You own a ferret. Your bird owns you.

[liz]

Loki has done well taming and trick training you.

[Wolf]

Loki, I will wager would enjoy foraging toys, especially when they are of the type that you make for him to destroy for the treat tucked inside. Kookooloo, only has one reusable foraging toy that she likes, but I think that it has a lot to do with the fact that she figured out how to take it apart. A foraging toy can be as simple as a treat wrapped up in newspaper and tied to the bars of their cage It doesn't have to have drawers and other compartments that need to be opened. A pine cone with a treat or two hidden in it is very effective and it is meant to be destroyed.

[Pajarita]

Indeed! Now that you have identified her preferences, use the knowledge so she can get the right foraging toys. Take a favorite nut (like an almond, a pistachio, half a walnut or a cracked filbert, something like that) and wrap it in paper (do it in front of her) like a candy, place it inside a small paper cup with a paper lid (just a piece of paper stretched out over it and tied around the rim with a piece of sisal or hemp twine), put the cup in the middle of a small cardboard box filled up tightly with scrunched up paper, place this box inside a larger box, wrap it in paper and put it in her cage. She will have to go through layers to find her nut and this will provide good stimulation and entertainment. You can also make a 'treat tree' with little cups hanging from threads tied to a branch stuck and tied to the side of her cage and pointing up so she needs to climb it -only don't put a nut in all of them, just in one and make it a different one every day so she has to look for it.

[NICrosis]

See, I do most if not all of this with Loki. He loves newspaper treats. However, he's lazy as all get out. If his seed pouch takes him more than 10 seconds to tear through and start eating seeds, he'll hit me with it. If the pistachio doesn't have a clear crack in it, he'll fling it at the cat. Loki is lazy. He enjoys shameless destruction and treats. I make him plenty of toys. But if it is not a simple beak exercise toy, or a cockatiel toy, he does not care.

[Wolf]

Use that and don't make it easy for him to get the treat and don't be concerned about what he does with if. He is smart and he is well aware that if he does these things that you are deceived and will do all of the work for him. Why on earth would you buy a cow and do all that work when you can get the milk for free!?! Parrots are not above using manipulation to get the things that they want. If you are persistent and only offer him foraging toys that he has to do the work to get the treat and just leave them for him he will do the work for himself. but not if he can trick or make you feel sorry for him so that you make it easy for him. He is a smart bird and he knows you better than you think, but then what else does he have to do to amuse himself other that to watch you and see if he can manipulate you. Who is training who to do what? Think about this. It is one of the signs of true intelligence and much like Grump, the undead parrot.

[NICrosis]

Use that and don't make it easy for him to get the treat and don't be concerned about what he does with if. He is smart and he is well aware that if he does these things that you are deceived and will do all of the work for him. Why on earth would you buy a cow and do all that work when you can get the milk for free!?! Parrots are not above using manipulation to get the things that they want. If you are persistent and only offer him foraging toys that he has to do the work to get the treat and just leave them for him he will do the work for himself. but not if he can trick or make you feel sorry for him so that you make it easy for him. He is a smart bird and he knows you better than you think, but then what else does he have to do to amuse himself other that to watch you and see if he can manipulate you. Who is training who to do what? Think about this. It is one of the signs of true intelligence and much like Grump, the undead parrot.

Motherfu- Wolf, I love you.