Salty Sez: update 5/11/16

[wrench13]

We are super excited in our house, cuz it will be Salty's hatch day on 5/15!
He has come so far from when I brought him home, scared little Amazon, still taking baby formula 2x a day, just learning to eat veggies and frutz and pellets and my nose.

Last nights training session was a big breakthrough ! He and I have been training to place colored rings on plastic posts, and previously I did most of the work, with Salty barely just holding the plastic rings, and with a lot of guidance, get them onto the posts. Last night's training session opened like usual... ; circle, circle ; then some rollovers - he loves doing these. I decided to break up the routine and go to the rings and posts, instead of doing Dead Birdie and the CHopStick routine. I set the rings on the posts and took a blue one off to get started. Salty likes that color. I tell him "Salty get the BLUE ring" And .... wow. takes the blue ring from my hand puts it onto the post by himself, and then starts taking the rings off the posts so fast, I cant even reward him. Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, and before you know it, he has a dozen rings off the posts. All the colors. At this point in learning this trick, he is supposed to be learning the beak coordination to remove and then place the rings back on the posts. Man does he ever know that now! I was clapping my hands for him, since there was no way I could give him his piece of pine nut for each ring. Lots of high pitched praise. AND then he starts to put the rings back on! Not the right color sequence, but that will come . I was just so taken aback, because he was doing it really FAST!! It was like something clicked and he figured out what I wanted these last 5 weeks or so. Then we finished our training session with some Harness training ( also slow going) a few more roll overs and then a palm full of crushed nuts to finish off. Luckily my son saw the rings flying off and on, or no one would believe me. Cant wait to see how he does tonight.

https://www.dropbox.com/home/Photos/Sample%20Album?preview=Salty_Peanut%5B1%5D.mp4

Or try this one:
http://s1360.photobucket.com/user/thighbiter/media/Salty_Peanut1_zpsgneexx6n.mp4.html

OK and a video is attached, with Salty climbing out on his chain, and attacking his peanut foraging toy. SHows his colors off well !
So Salty Sez - almost my berfday! And Daddy is very proud of me!

 

[Pinkbirdy]

Such a riot to read this Go Salty !!

 

[LeaKP]

He's feeling salty (yeah couldn't resist). SUCH an adorable zon!

 

[BIRDIGIRL]

WAY TO GO Salty you are a WOW...Well Done and that palmful of crushed nuts at the end were so well deserved

 

[RavensGryf]

That's great! Good work there both of you. When Salty has it all down, you will have to take a video!

I'd love to train mine to do more, but even the times I'm not busy, I admit I'm not willing to put the work in. Maybe someday. Now they just know basic stuff like poop, and 'in' (to go in cage).

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Great work Salty! And Amy,when younger,loved to do the "rollover" thing too lol..I'd just point my finger at her,and twirl it in a circular motion,and she got the idea lol.

Wrench < can't remember your real name lol >, When I first read Salty's profile quote.."I'm Salty,the parrot man..." I almost fell of my chair lol..



Jim

 

[SailBoat]

I think it just all Biological, I just have to have some Salty every week or so!

Love the Salty updates!

 

[wrench13]

It's AL, btw. Wrench13 is my screen name for like 35 years, since the early days of AOL. I used to write a tech article for a motorcycle magazine, needed an email address, and some idiots had taken wrench1 through 12 !

I would encourage any parront to try any little bit of trick training with your birds. Doesn't have to be fancy, or funny, or even relevant. Just the one on one work with them helps to keep the bond strong, something to look forward to every night, and gives the bird a job, even if it's some silly trick. Trying to get better at it every nite. To quote Dr Van Helfing from Mel Brooks 'Dracula, Dead an Loving It'..."It'll give him a sense of accomplishment".. ( after giving Renfield the umpteenth enima). We spend about 15 to 20 minutes, every night. But it's EVERY night. Thanks for all the positive feedback folks. Salty sez.. Thank you!

 

[TexasWade]

That's so cool! Happy for you and Salty.

I hope to do the rings with Dusty one day but he isn't even into taking treats yet so it's gonna be a while! Can't see your video though, I just get a sign in screen but I don't have an account for that :5_sad:

 

[wrench13]

Added photobucket link to the video

Salty And The Peanut Video by thighbiter | Photobucket

 

[LeaKP]

It's AL, btw. Wrench13 is my screen name for like 35 years, since the early days of AOL. I used to write a tech article for a motorcycle magazine, needed an email address, and some idiots had taken wrench1 through 12 !

I would encourage any parront to try any little bit of trick training with your birds. Doesn't have to be fancy, or funny, or even relevant. Just the one on one work with them helps to keep the bond strong, something to look forward to every night, and gives the bird a job, even if it's some silly trick. Trying to get better at it every nite. To quote Dr Van Helfing from Mel Brooks 'Dracula, Dead an Loving It'..."It'll give him a sense of accomplishment".. ( after giving Renfield the umpteenth enima). We spend about 15 to 20 minutes, every night. But it's EVERY night. Thanks for all the positive feedback folks. Salty sez.. Thank you!

I've been working hard with Nigel, the first time I've had opportunity to train from such a young age! Loving it! Would you be able to suggest advanced training techniques? I've googled and some of them are good, some, meh. Would love to see what you have, maybe you have some you tube videos for that?

Nigel is four months old. He's perfectly stepping up, mimicking whistles and intently listening to all sounds. As a grey he is still a tad clumsy at 4 months but getting better each day with his footing. He knows to fly to me on command and is nearly trained to go poo over the cage or on command. So funny, when he sees me walking him to the cage,he goes. So, I try to walk him there backwards. Not always working, ha!

 

[wrench13]

@ leak, I am NO TRAINING expert at all. I observed things that Salty liked to do naturally and then just expanded on them To me it is all about working one on one with your bird, and doing it every night. Could be shaking hands after a signal, or rolling over, or whistling, or talking ( I cant seem to get Salty to talk on command, and I am cool wit that). The trick with the rings - man we been trying that for weeks and weeks, with me guiding his beak and the ring onto the post, but you know last 2 nites, he has been getting it on his own, like the light bulb finally went off for this one. But if it still took us 2 months more, at least we worked together, one on one; Salty looks forward to his training sessions every nite; gives me a good excuse to lavish praise on him when there is improvement; keeps his mind active, and lets me show him off occasionally. Same deal with the Aviator hardness training. I know it will be months and months before he is ready to go outside, but he has learned"On' .. to stick his head thru the head loop, munch on pine nuts while its on, and "Off' to pull his head out. We back sllide with that one, cuz he gets tangled sometimes but go back and do it right the next time. Study Nigels behaviour, pick something he is almost doing now. encourage that with a treat and associate a hand signal with it. Treat should be immediate if he gets it right ( or close to it). THats how I'd start. And just build from there. EVERY nite. Its more about the trust then the trick.

Well that was rather long winded......

 

[LeaKP]

Ok I'm on track then. Nigel's talking I think will be the easy part, he whistles a lot now. Greys usually don't talk til around a year. All my birds all my life til now have been adults or rescues when I got them and I've worked on getting them handle able, to step up, and be social and some potty training. It's a long process with adult birds, I'll keep on track with Nigel. I think shaking hands is our first trick. Maybe one day I'll post videos too :-D

 

[TexasWade]

I finally did get to see the video! Very cute, thanks for making that second link :smile049:

 

[wrench13]

Thanks, tex, glad you liked it.