Honeymoon over!

[ShellyBorg]

This is about a 10 year old B&G I just took into my flock, she is from a loving rehome, I have had her 5 days.
So I have figured out Paris will step up happy to get out of her cage, she will step up if I am getting up to move. She does not see any reason to step up if she does not need to thank you vary much. If she is rampaging on my bed she does NOT want to step up thank you vary much! ANd if your right arm is tired and you need to shift her to your left, well suck it up buttercup I am not moving from this arm!
So we started step up training. She ran away. We get back to the stand and try again. I got bit HARD. (no blood its all good) I even break out the almonds, ok may be I will step up.....maybe. LOL I have worked with so many scared , mistreated, untouched birds, and I am having issues with the beloved spoiled one! LOL

So any ideas would be nice. I am clicker training and she is targeting well for our first day. I was jumping ahead to the step up figuring she was just needing some practice. She may just be testing me BIG time with it. She is still super loving and after biting me she she licked the finger and worried over it. *rolls eyes

 

[MikeyTN]

She's testing you and her limits....Don't give in on her otherwise she have you trained!!! Lola tried that with me and I stopped her in her track, nailed it in the butt right there and told her no. I used my training stick a lot from the beginning but I no longer need to use it anymore. She steps up 100% of the time when I ask her to. Good Luck with Paris!!!

 

[ShellyBorg]

Thank you! *facepalm* Training stick! I use them all the time with the others I work with, why did I not think to use one today! Ugg, ok need to get a training stick mac sized. Thank you! *slinks away in embarrassment...*

 

[MikeyTN]

Oh your fine!!! We all get into that moment when we don't remember a thing as we only see what's in front of us, a big blue chicken in your case! I call my macaws blue chickens all the time...lol

 

[GinaF]

Blue tried that with me when I first brought her home. She still does occasionally. I've come to realize she's all bark and no bite. Her little pterodactyl growl cracks me up.

Are you ready to put her a harness on her yet Shelly?

*snicker*

 

[ShellyBorg]

Blue tried that with me when I first brought her home. She still does occasionally. I've come to realize she's all bark and no bite. Her little pterodactyl growl cracks me up.

Are you ready to put her a harness on her yet Shelly?

*snicker*

LOL I did have the Amazon flight harness I have wrapped around my hand we we spent some time playing with it, but I think we are going to get "step up" cemented in that bird brain before we head off into the wild blue yonder of harness training!

 

[GinaF]

Alright Shelly. When you do, I want video!

 

[ShellyBorg]

Step up went great! I pulled the whole flock into it. First Danny then on to Demon and Spirit. She watched the whole time. When it came to her turn she was NOT happy. and would run up the stick to me when she would step up. I would firmly put her back on the stand and try again. I ended up putting a paper plate "guard" to keep her from running up the stick and it worked great . I only worked with her for 5 min, then using the stick put her back and rewarded with a almond (she was being rewarded with peanuts for stepping up.) She is thinking about it right now and talking softly to me. So I don't think I rocked her boat to hard.

 

[MikeyTN]

You did great with Blue chicken!
They do bluff a lot like Gina says, all bark....lol

 

[Lis]

Oh my, I'm going to be watching this thread closely. I started quickly adding up the days I've had Duke and started worrying if he begins to test limits. I'm such a novice, I'm going to be in trouble. Please explain training stick? I don't have one and wouldn't know what to do with it if I did.Is there anything I can do to lessen how far he tests boundaries?

Is it wrong to already try to work on new little tricks with Duke? Nothing major, just laying down in my arms like a baby. He seems to love it or love the attention.

MikeyTN, love you call them Blue Chickens. My Roos defiantly noticed the Blue Chicken walking around with me in the yard and kept a close eye on making sure Duke didn't go near their ladies. lol

 

[ShellyBorg]

My training stick is nothing more then a dowel with some vet wrap on it that I put through a paper plate on to keep her from running up my arm. This is so she will chomp the stick and not me. It also in the case of emergencies allows others to move her if needed.

Step up is the number one thing you need to be able to do with these guys. Its just to dangerous not to be able to move them quickly if needed.

For testing you, it will come. There is always a honeymoon first where everything goes great, then after they are feeling more comfortable they start seeing what all they can get away with. It may be really simple, it may be a HUGE long fit. Just ride it out and be firm. On the other side you get this great bond with a amazing intelligent animal.

 

[GinaF]

On the other side you get this great bond with a amazing intelligent animal.

I beg to differ. At this point I can't use Blue and the word intelligent in the same sentence.

But everything else was pretty spot on. Although, I didn't get a honeymoon with Blue. She bit the crap out of me the first day. Now, some time later I can't get her off of me. I think she'd sleep in my bed if I let her.

 

[ShellyBorg]

OK A large percent of Blue and Golds are highly intelligent. Some much more then others. LOL

 

[Lis]

Thanks for the info about the stick. I will make one today. I have consistently been able to have him step up, but I was given a gray back in feb that is still uninterested in doing that. That has been something I have tried to work on at times but he is just happy being in the room with you as long as he has toys and boxes to destroy. Lol.

Is there anyway to control the degree of testing? I know his previous owner mentioned something about using a spray bottle for correction. I will try to contact her on where, when and why on her use of that.

Lastly if there were one book to read first about Macaws, which would you all suggest? Or about parrots?

 

[tlfisher]

I have a harliquien macaw. She steps up only when she wants to. My daughter burnt supper once and the bird refused to step up so I could take her outside til the smoke cleared. She is ok.... it was 4 weeks ago, but Im worried if there had been a fire. How can i safely get her out in case if er situation? She is a biter
.. almost took the end of my finger off when I was still learning about parrots and did not know enough:/
I know more and stay clear when she is agitated.

 

[SandyBee]

Reading this thread I just have to throw in my 2 cents

Yes your bird should learn how to step up, this is better to do if they want to and are not forced to. Offer treats and get them to enjoy and want the process.

Please do not use a water bottle or squirter to correct behavior

For the new birds or ones that have not been trained to step up, I know there are times where you need to get them out, please keep working with them positively.
Every owner should know how to towel a bird or emergencies and their own safety, plenty of you tube videos out there. I don't like towelling and never use it, but I would in a heartbeat if I needed to!!

 

[tlfisher]

Thanks. I thought of that but have only handled smaller birds. Wylie hates towels so someone might have used that on her. She is 17, but has only been in my care a few months.

 

[SandyBee]

When I first got my amazon a sight of a towel would make him go into full display mode and run for the hills.
I desensitized him to towels by folding laundry in front of him, uses dish cloths near him, having a towel on my wet hair or as I got out of a shower.
He now knows that just because there is a towel there it doesn't mean it's for him.
BOY will he be surpised the day I have to towel him LOL

Seriously I have only had to towel him once and that was for a vet visit because he wouldn't step up yet. I do believe it is a skill that people need to know for just in case scenarios.

 

[ShellyBorg]

I got my amazon and went to towel him for the first time when I put him in his cage. Imagine my surprize when he snuggled and started making happy noises! That boy loves his towel time!

 

[tlfisher]

Lucky you! Wylie hates blankets and towels.