6 week old Pineapple GCC

[pip_luv]

I have a 6 week old pineapple green cheek that I've been hand feeding since he was 2 weeks old. This is the first time since I have ever had a baby bird, and so far everything is going great! Pippin has now been moved into his cage, eating apples, learned how fly, and refuses to get off my shoulder! He has finally got over his mouthing stage which I am relieved passed over!

I was just wondering if any former baby bird owners have any tips on any kind of training? Like potty training, biting, tricks, or anything else! Also, I would love to hear any funny baby bird stories! Thanks for any tips!

 

[MarciaLove]

if you have been raising him and spending time with him he shouldnt bite but if he starts to just ignore it! dont pull away or put him away because of it and good luck!!!

 

[MonicaMc]

I've never hand raised any birds. I've had two bourke parakeets produced from a pair, but both were parent raised birds that I had handled.

Potty training - a skill best not over-taught. Designate a spot or item for your bird to poop over. Napkin, paper, waste bin, etc. When you see your bird is about to poop, quickly pick him up and place over the spot. Say the "magic word(s)" (Go Poop/Go Potty/Bombs Away!/etc), and after the bird goes, praise! Birds typically go every 5-45 minutes, so it's just a matter of watching your birds behavior. If you train it too well, the bird may refuse to go to the bathroom at all unless over the designated spot.

Biting - Don't get bit! Ya, I know, easier said than done! First off, you have the baby nippy stage. This is where your bird will explore his world around him using his beak. Distract, distract, distract! Be sure to have plenty of toys, foot toys, beads, leather strips, balsa wood, yucca chunks, popsicle sticks, etc on hand! It's not really biting, but rather experimenting and testing. Exploring. You *don't* want to discourage the behavior, as you might unintentionally teach your bird not to play with toys. If you do it right, you'll teach your bird to chew on appropriate things.

Next comes the "growing up" stage, often called the "terrible twos". Birds, like humans, grow up. Many will not enjoy the same interaction as they did as young birds. At this point, you need to learn how to respect your bird, read their body language and don't put them in positions that will result in biting. Many people say to just "ignore the bite" - but by ignoring the bite, you aren't teaching your bird what to do, only what not to do, and can occasionally lead to worse biting or a lack of body language telling you the bird will bite. Lets face it, birds bite for a lot of reasons! They could be upset, startled, afraid, hyper, telling you "no", they're uncomfortable, etc. If you can read and understand your birds body language and not push them, you can greatly reduce the chances of being bitten.

I've been reading articles from animal trainers, and I came across some very odd information. These trainers are stating that they rarely ever get bitten, even with birds they are unfamiliar with. Pet owners are getting bitten *all the time*! To me, this just says that "we" (pet owners) are doing something wrong! These trainers are training based on positive reinforcement or Applied Behavior Analysis.

Tricks? Clicker training all the way! You don't need to physically use a clicker, but it is based off of Positive Reinforcement! No surprise there! You teach the bird to do something in small increments (make a goal, then break it down into steps that can easily be accomplished by the bird) and the bird will be rewarded for it!

An example is of teaching a bird to fly to you. You should not stand 5+ feet away from a bird and expect the bird to know that he or she is supposed to fly to you when you call their name. Instead, you start from the basics. Start with a step up, but instead of the cue "step up" you use "Come here" or a whistle. Repeat several times. Then increase the distance of the step up, and repeat several times. After that's down, increase the step up to a hop, repeat. Increase to a hop with a flap. Repeat. Hop with a couple flaps, repeat. Etc.


There's a lot of great books and articles about teaching birds tricks online! And tricks can be used to help strengthen the bond between you and your bird while also keeping their minds stimulated! Fun for the both of you! And it's also a form of communication! A way of learning about each other!