Training bonded Amazons

[Boki]

I have had two adopted Amazon for 4 months and we are starting to get along pretty well. I want to take it to the next level and start doing some basic training. Since these are adopted parrots, I have no idea if they were trained previously. My guess is yes for one but no for the other.

The question I have for this group is whether I try to train them together or separately? On one hand, I think they will bee less attentive with their partner there or they could be anxious being alone?

Maybe each bonded parrot couple is different but I figured this group would be the place to aask.

 

[ChristaNL]

Mine are not really bonded (to each other anyway), and I've tried both ways.
One on one gets better focus, but sometimes it helps if they can see how the other is doing and are more motivated to earn/grab their share ot the treats.
(Sunny really freaks out if she does not get to play as well - that's macaw for ye, the greys are way more polite )
So sometimes I make sure the others can watch from the cage, but not interfere- sometimes I let them be closer to the action -> it makes it more challenging for me anyway I have to keep an eye on all 3 instead of just one.



If one is trained ...start with that one, so the other one can 'catch up'.
You'll find out soon enough if it pays to seperate them or not. (just mho)

 

[EllenD]

I would agree that if you're trying to "train" a bird, regardless of it's level of bonding with another bird in the house, you almost always have to work with each bird separately, otherwise their attention spans are short, and usually you will not be their main focus of attention...It's the same as training them in a room separate from their cage, as their cages are their "safe spaces", and often they can only focus on getting back to their cages if their level of training is low to none.

I would work with each bird individually and away from their cages/stands. You want their full attention, and YOU want to have their full attention and be their focus. Something else to keep in-mind that their short attention span is also the reason that you should only do short training sessions at a time, that way everything they learn will have an impact. If you try to train them for too long at one time, they just lose focus and tend to forget everything they've just been learning on. So short training session of no more than 20-30 minutes tops, depending on your birds maybe shorter, and do it one-on-one, one bird at a time, in a totally separate room from the other bird and their cages/stands. Set-up a special "training room" or area that includes any training perches, etc., and have that room/area be a place that they ONLY go to train, so that they know that whenever they go to that room/area that it's training time and they need to focus on you for a little bit.

 

[wrench13]

Separately - no question about it..