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hi..in a couple of weeks im getting a 6 yr old parakeet called Bobby his owner is giving him away because he is quite an evil parakeet my mum thinks I shoulnd't get it because he goes after cats and dogs and we have both even when he is in his cage he goes after them he also goes after small children but there is no small children in the house. By saying "goes after" I mean physicaly try to get to them he has gone through his owners thump before and has pulled of wallpaper chewed his cage but I really want to try and teach him right from wrong bui need some advice if he doesn't come to me then he wil be sent to a professional which I think he needs but I really want him its going to be challenge but what do you think? please help :) xx
The best advice I can give is to learn as much about bird behavior as you can before starting any sort of training regimen. If you've only owned mammals in the past, the difference can be hard to understand at first. Birds are flock animals, not pack animals, and as such, they have no concept of dominance or punishment. Smacking a dog on the nose to correct bad behavior works because the dog then (hopefully) sees you as dominant. Bopping a bird on the beak, however, just tells the bird that you are not to be trusted and that he should avoid you from now on.
Withholding food, placing a bad bird in their cage, and other such "negative" punishments are just confusing to the animal and only serve to breed more mistrust. Since a lot of our animal training is learned with animals where this sort of thing works, it can often be very frustrating to communicate your wishes to a bird.
Fortunately, rewarding a bird DOES work, and often works very quickly. The key is to reward the bird when it is displaying a behavior that you want to see repeated. Keep plenty of peanuts or other treats close at hand, and when the bird behaves in a good way -- stepping onto your finger or even coming closer to you -- reward the bird. Birds are very smart, and after only a few repetitions, they will connect, "Oh, if I do this, sometimes I get treats."
As an example, when I taught my parrot to do a head-bob dance on command, I waited for him to do it on his own, then showed him a hand gesture and gave him a peanut. Then I showed him the gesture again, and as soon as his head moved in the slightest hint of a nod, he got another peanut. By the end of the hour, this had graduated into him dancing with verbal commands.
There is a wonderful book on bird behavior that you should think about checking out called "Why Does My Parrot...?" Good luck.
Bit of advice from a fellow bird owner. Do not feed them nuts as a regular diet, pelet food is the most healthy. Nuts are a treat. Look up what veggies they can eat and what they cant eat. Parakeets are typically very aggresive because no one has the "know how" to train them. Like all animals once they are given an opportunity to please they will seek to do it on a regular basis. Day and night are very important to them, never lock them away durring the day and make sure they have shade. Night time make sure they are covered if you have lights on so they will be encouraged to sleep. When they bite the best way to handle it is put the bird in its cage and put the cage in another room for 5 minutes then take him out and try again. Their Beak is VERY sensitive so please do not strike the beak if they bite.
Also it is important to know why they bite. Birds are typically one owner birds they have a bond with somone in the household and only want to be handled by that person (typically the person it will see the most). They will somtimes bite you when strangers are in the room because they want you to get away from them.
thanks for the advice hopefully I will be able to change him :) ty xx
sorry about the spelling I mean thumb* :) x
any advice welcome :) sorry its so long x
