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Training Your Bird The Easy Way
When training you bird, teaching it good manners is a first priority. The "Up" command could be the very first behavior you select for your parrot training. It doesn't matter whether your parrot is a trusting, just weaned baby or an adult untamed bird, you can still use this easy process for training your bird.
When training you bird, teaching it good manners is a first priority. The “Up” command could be the very first behavior you select for your parrot training. It doesn’t matter whether your parrot is a trusting, just weaned baby or an adult untamed bird, you can still use this easy process for training your bird.
Training your bird manners and commands is, of course, easier if the parrot is tame rather than untamed. It just requires a bit more dedication and persistence when training your parrot that is not tame. You’ll find it works best for untamed birds if you use a perch or wooden dowel (be sure it is not treated wood) which is reasonably long. This allows training your bird to begin without the bird being encouraged to touch your hand at first.
I suggest training your bird outside his or her cage. Sometimes that is impossible and in those cases, you can train your parrot inside its cage. It helps if the cage has a big door so you can move the dowel inside the cage easily. Of course, you should choose a dowel or perch sized properly for the species of parrot you’re teaching.
In the first parrot training session, place the perch just above the parrot’s feet and just below its breast while saying “Up” clearly. There is no need to be loud or sharp, just say “Up”. Move the perch slightly toward the parrot so that it will naturally step onto the perch.
Once the bird steps on the perch reward it with loving sweet praise, telling it what a wonderful parrot it is. Repeat these steps for 10 minutes per parrot training session with two sessions per day if possible. One longer session is not effective; if you can only train your parrot one session per day, stick to 10 minutes.
Training your parrot is all about consistency! Once your bird steps up onto the perch, do not let it decided it can refuse to perform the behavior. You want your parrot to grasp the idea that it must do something when asked.
When training your bird, provide love, attention, and treats when the bird performs properly. When the bird responds, tell it how pleased you are and how much you love it. A treat can be given at first, but praise and love are the best rewards; tame parrots never get enough!
As your parrot becomes comfortable stepping onto the perch, slowly shorten the distance from your hand to the bird. I find that when training untamed parrots, shortening the perch more than once a week can stress them and actually create a loss of the trust you’ve built. Progress slowly and regular training will help you and your bird accomplish your parrot training goals.
As training your bird progresses, a point will be reached where the distance from the parrot to you hand is quite small. Then next step is to ask the parrot to step directly onto your hand or arm. This parrot training step is a big move for your bird, so be patient and loving.
How long training your parrot this behavior requires depends on you, your consistency and your parrot. If the parrot has been stressed or made afraid through abuse or trauma, it can take a long time. If your parrot is simply unfamiliar with you, you must prove to it that you won’t hurt it and the process can occur quite quickly.
When training your parrot that was hand-fed, you can count on the entire process being quick and easy. You may even begin with the final step and simply speak the command while asking the parrot to step onto your hand.
When training you parrot, watch for signs of its level of trust and comfort with the training by paying attention to body language. Parrots communicate with humans by using body language; all you need to do is watch for clues.