Truman and Michael on the news!(Video)

[MikeyTN]

Monica hit it right on the spot!!!! I completely agree!!!!

 

[labell]

When I brought home Lola and Gomez and gave them real eclectus food for the first time in their lives, they put their heads in the bowl and ate for hours and STILL did not look like the pictures of his when he gave them a bowl of food to eat instead of his rationed out pieces! Parrots don't eat like that unless they are kept VERY hungry and I just don't agree with it and never will.

I free feed my dog as well, he is a dog that has a deep chest and gastric torsion is not uncommon in this breed. I don't want him scarfing his food, and because he knows it is always available he doesn't eat fast or over eat.

Light grazing frequently through out the day has been proven to be better for human's and animals. Large meals are much harder to digest. Think about how truly bad most people feel on Thanksgiving!

Go look at the picture on his facebook page of his Senegal after being given a bowl of food. She is packed like a baby who doesn't know when to stop. That is not normal adult parrot behavior. After seeing that you or no one else can convince me that he doesn't keep them very very hungry to meet HIS needs!

 

[BirdyMomma]

Hi. I was absent for a few days, cause I'm moving. So I'm sure no ones even paying attentionnto this anymore.

I'm not good at computer stuff, so I don't yet know how to quote posts, so I can't directly address anything.

I just wanted to say, that I agree with some folks here on the forum. I don't think Michael starves his birds, or uses food management to the point where it is cruel. I understand that some people may have a dislike for his personality, or the way he picks his birds up by the neck, but one cannot deny that he loves them just as much as we all love our own birds.

I personally do not begrudge anyone who has made a living working with their birds. Let's be honest who wouldn't LOVE to be able to support themselves, and their flock by working together to educate people on the proper treatment and care of parrots? I have training materials from Barbara Heidenrich, Bird Tricks and The Parrot Wizard, guess what, they ALL cost money. None of these trainers is conducting FREE seminars. I don't remember anyone mentioning that Michael Sazhin actually has free parrot training videos on line. They are the most comprehensive free videos I have found.

I pick and choose which training procedures from a variety of trainers work for me, and to what extent I moderate their diet (I don't, they're spoiled rotten). In a million years, I wouldn't hold my birds around the neck (but you had better believe the vet does, and if they need professional grooming, your babies are getting held that way too) I just feel like the disparaging remarks about Michael are a bit harsh, and I felt the need to point out that as someone who is putting it out there, and basically raising his birds in the public eye, he is doing us all a service. His successes, and his mistakes (which he admits to) are all there for us to learn from.

 

[DanR]

Yes, I would *love* to be a bird/animal trainer! But I wouldn't be in it for the money! I would be training because it's something that I would love to do. I would love to help people to reconnect with their pets. I would love to see animals finally understanding what to do, instead of what not to do.

However, if I wanted to make this into a career, I'm going to have to charge people. I can't give free training if it is my job to be a trainer, just as a construction worker can't live off of working for a company for free. People also put more value into something that they've paid for vs getting it for free.


Bird Tricks are sales people. They are in it for the money. This can clearly be seen by the DVD's they've made, the e-mails they've sent out, the way they market their products, the information they've put on their website and how Chet used the Product Launch Formula to make *thousands* of dollars to purchase an engagement ring!

Barbara Heidenreich, Lara Joseph and a bunch of other *well respected* trainers aren't in it for the money! Barbara actually learned positive reinforcement training while working at a zoo in California and at the end of the bird shows, people would come up to her and ask questions about training their birds. She went from a zoo trainer to an all around animal trainer (pets, zoos, wild life) because people needed the help. They needed someone to help guide them on what to do with their "misbehaving" animals. It's the reason why she started writing books for pet owners.

Hi Monica,

I'm not saying you're right or wrong on the business side and I am not siding with you or with Mike or with Bird Tricks. I just wanted to chime in on your comment that I quoted above and point out that if you do plan on having any kind of long-term business, the motivations and origins of the business idea can vary, but it ALWAYS comes down to the money. If you LOVE what you do as a business owner, that's fantastic and in my opinion, shows through the end product or end result of your business. But at the end of the day, logical and non-emotional decision making, proper business strategy and following the numbers are all that matters - again, if you plan on owning and running a long-term business. We all have bills to pay, operating expenses, cost of sale etc... making sound financial decisions to sustain a healthy business is critical and I think accusing someone about being in it for the money is not a bad thing AS LONG AS IT'S DONE WITH INTEGRITY, which is key. No amount of how much you love your job will change that, at the end of the day you have to make money or your business will be gone.

I also think there's a MASSIVE difference between having a career doing what you love, and owning a business around what you love. They are both very different world, with totally different levels of accountability, especially when you start having a location, employees, financial institutions, and that's not even considering the possibility of partners, lending partners or other financial directors etc., which is a whole other world of concern.

Anyhow, just trying to say that a business owner NEEDS to be about the money and logical non-emotional decision making, this doesn't mean they're a bad person. It's when they start becoming sketchy and suffer a loss of integrity, which is actually NOT being logical, that's emotional decision making. It's not easy... believe me. If it was easy, we'd all be running our own companies and driving BMWs and have an office just for our fids

In terms of Michael, I think his strategy is sound in terms of offering the free content. It's an excellent tool that puts his name in front of thousands of people, including bird owners. It's all free publicity to sell his book, his training services (from what I gather he is available to help people work with their birds), and his own branded bird related products like perches and such. I also think Michael has no plans of making this a full-time business, he seems to be heavily involved in the aviation field, giving lectures and such, so I would assume his aspirations point in that direction.

Anyhow, just my two cents on business ownership - there's a difference between someone who is money focused and someone who throws integrity and even laws to the wind because they're greedy jerks.

 

[RavensGryf]

So many interesting posts came in on this today!

While I've known OF Michael for some time, I was never familiar with what he offers, beyond seeing his bird on Letterman etc.
So since I had not bothered to really examine how he feeds his birds I can't comment on it, but I do believe in free feeding animals, especially birds who would naturally forage when they want (unless there is a reason not to directed by a veterinarian).

About the around the neck thing, I see both sides of the issue. This bird is obviously not struggling and is trained to lay back relaxed in his hand. He was not really even 'grabbing' the neck, more like gently slinging while supporting the body with his palm. I can see though, that if the parrot would struggle, it potential could be dangerous. Also as it was mentioned, avian veterinarians and professional groomers towel the bird patient and GENTLY do restrain around the neck while supporting the body securely to avoid injury both to the bird and the person. Literally GRABBING with pressure in your fingers, a nervous/scared parrot around the neck as it freaks out for it's life is a WHOLE DIFFERENT THING and is cruelty.

 

[MonicaMc]

DanR, I understand that there are differences between creating my own business and having to run it, or working for a company that deals with all the business matters and I'm just an employee. I realize that being a business owner is far more involved than being just an employee. Being a business owner, I could set what hours and what days I work, but being an employee I wouldn't have to worry about where money needs to go, making fliers or getting my name out there.


It is something I am considering and learning more about. Right now, I don't have enough experience where I'd feel comfortable being a trainer, but it is something that I would like to get more hands on experience with, and I already have ideas on how to do that!



As far as the free content? Other trainers, even well respected ones, do give out some free advice. Barbara Heidenreich and Lara Joseph both have blogs and use Facebook. Steve Martin has his website with some good articles written on it. Susan Friedman also has her own website and articles on behavior.

That I'm not against. What I'm against is the potentially bad advice being put out there for new owners who are in need of help, and when they come across something that sounds good, they are going to believe it's good.... kind of like believing if someone works in a pet store, they know all about pets! Or taking your car to a mechanic and he knows everything that's goes wrong with vehicles! It does take trial and error to figure things out, but to put blatantly bad advice out there on the web for others to follow, I'm not ok with.

 

[JerseyWendy]

I think it's a safe assumption when I say we are all very happy that Truman was found unharmed and reunited with his owner.

Having said that, the story has now run its course, and the thread will be closed.