What trick should I train Kili next?

[Michael]

One of the hard things of having a parrot that knows so many tricks is that you start running out of ideas of what to teach!

Here's what she already knows:

Target, wave, shake, nod, turn around, fetch, bowl, play dead, wings, bat, piggy bank, slide, slinky, puzzle, basketball, ring on peg, rings on peg by color, card trick, coin trick, flight recall, flighted fetch, flighted version of just about every trick, hide and seek, flip, hello, climb rope

So anyone have any good ideas for a new trick?

[MandyG]

Come on Michael, be creative!

Teach her how to use roller skates, a skateboard, and to ride a bike! Those are really cute tricks.

[Michael]

It's really hard to get a bike/skates that size and they are really expensive. I do have a skateboard for her but it really wasn't working out. I can look into getting those props in the future but as I don't have them on hand right now, I'm looking for a new trick that I can start right away.

I always thought those were kinda cheesy. I really like teaching irregular behaviors like the flip cause no one expects a parrot to do that and it's not a natural behavior for them. Nor is riding a bike but that seems kinds of "staged" cause of the prop.

[MandyG]

Well you didn't mention you had something against props... PS - bowling is a "staged" trick too

If you have a deck of cards you can teach her the 'pick my card' trick, unless that's cheesy too.

[Michael]

Already do a card trick. Just can't get a good video of it cause it's a good in person trick. If I can get a third person in there, maybe I can video it being done to that person.

I didn't say I had anything against props but I don't have them available and I just think behaviors are cooler.

[Kathleen]

I've seen a few birds online do this... it's like playing dead but they grab onto a towel or something, hold it and lay on their back and it looks like they are gonna sleep with a blanket over them. That's really cute.

I remember you bought the mini shopping cart. Maybe you could start using that prop now. Or maybe raise the flag. You can teach her to stack plastic cups into each other. You can try to figure out how to get Kili to flip over a perch if you want to.

[MandyG]

Michael, what did you decide to start training Kili? Can't wait to see her next trick .

[Michael]

Hihihi... if I told ya it would spoil it haha. I gotta get a video of this new one. Probably over the weekend.

[bmsweb]

Can't wait to see Kili's new tricks

[Frederica]

Hallo Michael,
how about preperations for the vet?
Barbara Heidenreich has a DVD with that subject.

- "Allowing the handler to touch the bird all mover its body" is a long-long-loooong time training goal in my view!
Drinking different fluids from a syringe (without needle), showing its wings and having them touched/ examined by the handler/vet, dito feet etc.
Then target prcours: Pointingb the TS in different, "difficult" places so that the boird has to follow qucickly.
Learining colors:
First, let the bird touch one specific item (toy, colored builduing brick etc.).
Make him do it on the cue " - color of the item -".
Add another item, then several ones, let him finde the trained color every time.
Train another color.
In the end, you can show him a row of iems like colored building bricks and ask him to show you a succesion of colors.

Train him to fetch items with different colors - throw threee balls and say "Fetch the red ball!".

Train him to land/ step on different places, name them.
Practise to send him there while you stay in one place (Like: Kili, fly on the door! Fly on the sofa! etc.).

Do intelligence excercises with him:
Show him card with dots on ist, from one dot to appr. 5 -7.
Find out, how many he can recognise and distinguish after he gas learned the numbers.
Cover different bowls with different cards (dieffering in the number of dots on them or in color).
Show Kili a card that is identical with the one covering the bowl that hides a treat.

Teach him to play the shell game; teach him to turn around a certain type of shell; teach him to watch for the shell that hides the treat.

Lock him in his cage or let him wait on a perch.
Place a ball/ treat somewhere in the room the ask him to fetch it.
Make ist harder for him; let him wait somewhere, where he cannot see where you are hiding the ball/ treat etc.; but it has to be visible.
let him look for it and take it to you (ball etc.).
.
.
.

BTW:
Wh does Kili fly so low over the floor?

My budgies always fly rather near the ceiling....

Best,
Frederica

P.S. A lot of inspiration can be found in cat clicker trianing books or videos!