claireby13
New member
- Apr 29, 2013
- 9
- 0
- Parrots
- Tiko the Pale-headed Rosella
Blugar the Budgerigar
Hi, I'm Claire. I'm a 14 year old girl and have loved animals passionately ever since I could remember. I am fully responsible for a large collection of animals (my 'menagerie' as I call it 
) including a cat, a large tropical fish tank, a Bearded Dragon, various geckos, mice, goldfish and of course parrots!
Let me first introduce you to one of my best friends, Tiko.
Tiko is a Pale-Headed Rosella, a relatively unheard species of parakeet native to Australia. He was not hand-raised, nor have I ever clipped his wings. He is just over 2 years old currently, and he was my first bird I had ever owned! Unfortunately I was not aware of the fantastic world of birds until very recently, although I have always had a passion for them.
Before I go on, let me just warn you that rosellas are not ideal pets. They are feisty and aggressive, especially to strangers. They don't tolerate petting of any kind and aren't known talkers.
However, I think Tiko might be an exception to some extent. I've had rocky times with him; as he hit one year of age, he turned from a sweet, quiet bird into a nipping noisy whirlwind. But I've found firm training has eased his aggression a lot. Luckily, I had already given him basic training before he became quite nippy and was stepping up and targeting with ease.
I've accepted that he will not tolerate petting. If I force him to endure it, I may risk breaking the trust I have literally bled for!
However, one thing that is surprising is that Tiko actually mimics human speech!
I was so shocked when I heard a "Hello, Tiko" coming from the cage. I had never aimed towards him talking as I much prefer training him tricks that are practical and amazing to watch.
Tiko is very intelligent. I know most parrot owners will probably say this much like proud parents, but I think Tiko is quite exceptional. He learns tricks in a matter of minutes before I can fade the target stick away. For example, recently I taught him the turn around trick. I had tried earlier in the year but he became frustrated as he was confused between targeting and turning around. He would simply give the stick a good chomp. However, just yesterday I followed a more calm training regime, moving the stick slowly. Before long, he was simply following the voice command and cue easily! I was actually quite surprised when he turned around because I was just about to use the stick, but he did it of his own accord.
Tiko has quite a list of tricks. He really loves learning, I can see the anticipation and excitement in his face as he waits for me to say the command again.
He can step up and target of course.
He gives kisses (this is a behaviour he displayed before which is quite touching. I simply put a command to it).
He can wave.
He can dance side to side on cue.
He can now turn around!
He can also drop assorted objects into a specific bowl, a trick I like to call "fetch". This is great when Im chopping up his fruit with him near me. I can pass him a chunk of apple and he'll travel across the room to drop it in his bowl! It's a great activity for both him and I!
My other parrot is of course, my little budgie named Blugar (blue budgerigar, see?).
I got him rather recently for my 14th birthday. Currently, I'm target training him with a little difficultly. He's very sweet. He absolutely loves head rubs, and will run across the floor to get to my awaiting finger (he caught on quickly to stepping up).
Another quirky fact about Blugar is that he loves music, but only certain songs.
I play piano, and when I have him on my arm and play his favourite song 'Starships' by Nicki Minaj (don't blame me for his poor taste xD)
he will go absolutely crazy, bobbing his head and whistling along.
All in all, I am so glad I was introduced to the world of parrots. Their crazy antics and intelligence always offers a surprise for me. It's so amazing to have a bond with these beautiful animals. One thing that always strikes me when training my birds is that we are communicating. They can understand my command and will follow out accordingly, basically asking them to do something. I have always been astounded by this cross-species communication.
I can't wait to find out what my birds bring for me to discover or work around tomorrow!
) including a cat, a large tropical fish tank, a Bearded Dragon, various geckos, mice, goldfish and of course parrots! Let me first introduce you to one of my best friends, Tiko.
Tiko is a Pale-Headed Rosella, a relatively unheard species of parakeet native to Australia. He was not hand-raised, nor have I ever clipped his wings. He is just over 2 years old currently, and he was my first bird I had ever owned! Unfortunately I was not aware of the fantastic world of birds until very recently, although I have always had a passion for them.
Before I go on, let me just warn you that rosellas are not ideal pets. They are feisty and aggressive, especially to strangers. They don't tolerate petting of any kind and aren't known talkers.
However, I think Tiko might be an exception to some extent. I've had rocky times with him; as he hit one year of age, he turned from a sweet, quiet bird into a nipping noisy whirlwind. But I've found firm training has eased his aggression a lot. Luckily, I had already given him basic training before he became quite nippy and was stepping up and targeting with ease.
I've accepted that he will not tolerate petting. If I force him to endure it, I may risk breaking the trust I have literally bled for!
However, one thing that is surprising is that Tiko actually mimics human speech!
I was so shocked when I heard a "Hello, Tiko" coming from the cage. I had never aimed towards him talking as I much prefer training him tricks that are practical and amazing to watch.
Tiko is very intelligent. I know most parrot owners will probably say this much like proud parents, but I think Tiko is quite exceptional. He learns tricks in a matter of minutes before I can fade the target stick away. For example, recently I taught him the turn around trick. I had tried earlier in the year but he became frustrated as he was confused between targeting and turning around. He would simply give the stick a good chomp. However, just yesterday I followed a more calm training regime, moving the stick slowly. Before long, he was simply following the voice command and cue easily! I was actually quite surprised when he turned around because I was just about to use the stick, but he did it of his own accord.
Tiko has quite a list of tricks. He really loves learning, I can see the anticipation and excitement in his face as he waits for me to say the command again.
He can step up and target of course.
He gives kisses (this is a behaviour he displayed before which is quite touching. I simply put a command to it).
He can wave.
He can dance side to side on cue.
He can now turn around!
He can also drop assorted objects into a specific bowl, a trick I like to call "fetch". This is great when Im chopping up his fruit with him near me. I can pass him a chunk of apple and he'll travel across the room to drop it in his bowl! It's a great activity for both him and I!
My other parrot is of course, my little budgie named Blugar (blue budgerigar, see?).
I got him rather recently for my 14th birthday. Currently, I'm target training him with a little difficultly. He's very sweet. He absolutely loves head rubs, and will run across the floor to get to my awaiting finger (he caught on quickly to stepping up).
Another quirky fact about Blugar is that he loves music, but only certain songs.
I play piano, and when I have him on my arm and play his favourite song 'Starships' by Nicki Minaj (don't blame me for his poor taste xD)
he will go absolutely crazy, bobbing his head and whistling along.
All in all, I am so glad I was introduced to the world of parrots. Their crazy antics and intelligence always offers a surprise for me. It's so amazing to have a bond with these beautiful animals. One thing that always strikes me when training my birds is that we are communicating. They can understand my command and will follow out accordingly, basically asking them to do something. I have always been astounded by this cross-species communication.
I can't wait to find out what my birds bring for me to discover or work around tomorrow!
