SilverSage
New member
- Sep 14, 2013
- 5,937
- 96
- Parrots
- Eclectus, CAG, BH Pionus, Maximilian’s Pionus, Quakers, Indian Ringnecks, Green Cheeked Conures, Black Capped Conures, Cockatiels, Lovebirds, Budgies, Canaries, Diamond Doves, Zebra Finches, Society F
Scout is my male turquoise IRN, and he is a joy. He is fully flighted and always has been. He is smart and curious, and mostly recall trained, and does not like to be touched. He is tame, dont get me wrong, he is not afraid of me, he simply chooses to not allow me to touch him. He can touch me. He lands on me, climbs all over me, including my hands, but does not allow me to touch him other than his beak and feet. If I try, he flies away.
For months I have tried to figure out how to motivate him for training, so that I could train him to let me touch him. I dont need him to be cuddly, but I very much want to harness train him because I know he would love being able to go out with me, and being able to fly outside, as flying is the thing he loves best. I had toyed with the idea of clipping his wings as he enters his first molt, but I was loath to do it.
Well, I have discovered his magic solution! I made some toys out of beads and pipe cleaners, and he loves them. He is obsessed with them! So now, he flies to me for a toy. I hold the toy in the same hand I hold him in, and place my other hand over his head. I started having to put my hand as high as I could, and now we are down to about 12 inches over his head. When I move my hand away, he is allowed to take the toy and fly off. He flies to the tree, plays with it, and eventually it drops. Instead of going down to pick it up, he flies to me to get a new one. This is workable. This we can do. This is so exciting! I had tried toys as treats before, and it just hadnt worked, but these toys he cannot get enough of!
For months I have tried to figure out how to motivate him for training, so that I could train him to let me touch him. I dont need him to be cuddly, but I very much want to harness train him because I know he would love being able to go out with me, and being able to fly outside, as flying is the thing he loves best. I had toyed with the idea of clipping his wings as he enters his first molt, but I was loath to do it.
Well, I have discovered his magic solution! I made some toys out of beads and pipe cleaners, and he loves them. He is obsessed with them! So now, he flies to me for a toy. I hold the toy in the same hand I hold him in, and place my other hand over his head. I started having to put my hand as high as I could, and now we are down to about 12 inches over his head. When I move my hand away, he is allowed to take the toy and fly off. He flies to the tree, plays with it, and eventually it drops. Instead of going down to pick it up, he flies to me to get a new one. This is workable. This we can do. This is so exciting! I had tried toys as treats before, and it just hadnt worked, but these toys he cannot get enough of!
