Food oriented

[GreenWing]

It amazes me how food oriented my parrot is. You think a dog begs? Then meet my bird! Then again I guess most animals are food oriented, I mean, I am Anyway my sennie begs for food, wants what I'm having even though she gets her own portion, and flies to the kitchen if the word "cook" is uttered. She delights when I say "Tiki wanna EAT?" at mealtime. She loves to eat and has favorite foods, like yams, that she won't even lift her head up while eating. So how is your bird food oriented... does your bird beg? Or know the words of certain foods?

[marie83]

Mine don't beg but Harlie will eat and eat and eat if I let her. She is literally half the bird she used to be since starting food management.
Ollie will just try to help himself from our plates if we let him but again he doesn't beg, just tries to subtly or not so subtly sneak bits off or dive straight in. I put him away now when we eat and he gets his own portion in his cage if the food we are eating is suitable otherwise one day he will try to fly on a plate of hot food and get burned or something.
Mine never go in the kitchen although somehow they can tell whether I'm going in the kitchen to get them a treat or whether I've gone in to do the washing up lol.

[Pajarita]

Yes, of course they do know certain words. They know water, thirsty, hungry, papa (Spanish baby talk for food), pan (Spanish for bread), cookie, but they think that all fruit is 'apple' -LOL

[janetafloat]

I can't have Alfie out when I'm eating - he just lands right in the middle of it. He landed on my Cherry Bakewell the other day (a cake with icing, almond & pastry for you non Brits) as I inadvertently got one to have with my tea while he was out of his cage, and tore a chunk of icing out of the middle before I could stop him. I couldn't get it off him either! He's not nearly so keen on bird appropriate food though

And no, I haven't seen any sign that he knows any words yet

[InTheAir]

I'm not sure he understands food words yet, but our ringneck, Nila, can hear the biscuit tin open from anywhere in the house! If you want to eat biscuits alone you lock yourself in our house, you have to lock yourself on the pantry if the bird isn't in his cage.
Actually, I have just been experimenting with training him to go to his training perch if he wants biscuit (I got tired of eating biscuits in the dark pantry). He now flies to his perch when he hears the biscuit tin, instead of trying to wrestle the biscuit from your hand or mouth.

I think his cutest habit is when we train, but he is not actually hungry. He does the trick, takes the treat and then spits it out. The table ends up covered in treats.

He also tends to wave if you have something he wants. He will sit on a shoulder waving at the biscuit you are eating. Unfortunately for him, it is hard to see the bird on your shoulder is waving desperately at you. We usually reward spontaneous waving when we notice it, since it seems to be an easy way for him to tell us he really wants something (toys or food). It's more a polite communication than a trick now.

[hlasdf]

Haha I can't have Sunny out with me while eating. He tries to perch on my bowls and eat all my food.

[Eric&Rebecca]

Toast crumbs are my cockatiels' favourite... I have to rinse them off in the sink before they come out.If I just have fruit and veg I let them share a meal with me because it helps encourage flock feeding behaviours. Obviously my portion and their portion is separate. I lay it on the table in food grade paper wrappings and they forage away for their pieces while I eat my portion. This is a great way of getting them to try new things.