The “put the ball in the cup trick” was the first big “stupid parlor trick” this little sun conure learned, but when we started training he was still pretty bitey; in fact, he’d reach around training props just to bite me, so I needed to be careful not to leave my fingers exposed when I gave him the wiffle ball. As you can see in this video (below), it’s a non-issue now, because he’s stopped seeking out biting opportunities. (Personally, “not biting” is my favorite trick , but that doesn’t make for very exciting YouTube clips.)
I’m still a terrible cinematographer, but I figured I’d go ahead and post this anyway. I wheeled Stewie’s playstand in front of the computer (with a built-in camera) and did a couple reps of targeting. Because the target stick is a black chopstick and the background is basically black, you often can’t see it in this video — but he does beak the end of it to earn a “good boy” and a safflower seed each time he does it.
Even if you can’t see the chopstick well in this video, you can definitely see how Stewie will climb all over to touch it. That’s a solidly reinforced behavior.
I’ll post some better YouTube videos of other people training their birds to target in a bit.
This cockatoo’s puzzle solving skills are really impressive.
Doesn’t she look like she’s having fun? Just another example of children’s developmental toys making good (large) bird toys too. (Imagine having to keep a toddler entertained and healthy … that’s at least how much work a cockatoo takes too!)
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Welcome!
Welcome to my parrot blog, where I share insights with other and would-be parrot owners on ways to keep their pet birds happy. These are just my opinions, observations and insights based on my life with Stewie and my efforts to do the very best for him. I also read voraciously and will share other cool stuff I find related to parrot ownership and training.
, but that doesn’t make for very exciting YouTube clips.)
