Training your bird manners and commands is, of course, easier if the parrot is tame rather than untamed. It just requires a bit more dedication and persistence when training your parrot that is not tame. You'll find it works best for untamed birds if you use a perch or wooden dowel (be sure it is not treated wood) which is reasonably long. This allows training your bird to begin without the bird being encouraged to touch your hand at first.
I perform parrot training sessions outside the cage. If that isn't possible, you can perform the process with the parrot inside the cage as long as you have a large door opening and can move the perch about easily. Be sure the selected perch is comfortably sized for the species of parrot you are taming or training.
The second step to watch for when training your parrot, during that very first session; simply place the perch below the bird's breast and above its feet. Say the word "Up" clearly but not loud or your parrot might be startled or scared. As you say the word, move the wooden dowel slightly forward so that your parrot will place a foot on the perch and step onto it.
Once the bird steps on the perch reward it with loving sweet praise, telling it what a wonderful parrot it is. Repeat these steps for 10 minutes per parrot training session with two sessions per day if possible. One longer session is not effective; if you can only train your parrot one session per day, stick to 10 minutes.
Training your parrot is all about consistency! Once your bird steps up onto the perch, do not let it decided it can refuse to perform the behavior. You want your parrot to grasp the idea that it must do something when asked.
When training your parrot let your bird know that you will provide treats, love and attention when the bird steps up. Each time the parrot does the behavior, let it know you are pleased. Treats can be used, but never rely entirely on treats; praise is the greatest reward, especially for tame parrots.
As your parrot becomes comfortable stepping onto the perch, slowly shorten the distance from your hand to the bird. I find that when training untamed parrots, shortening the perch more than once a week can stress them and actually create a loss of the trust you've built. Progress slowly and regular training will help you and your bird accomplish your parrot training goals.
As training your bird progresses, a point will be reached where the distance from the parrot to you hand is quite small. Then next step is to ask the parrot to step directly onto your hand or arm. This parrot training step is a big move for your bird, so be patient and loving.
Parrot training in manners-type commands can progress quickly or slowly. A lot depends on you, your consistency and your parrot. If the parrot has been over-stressed or made fearful through abuse or trauma, it can take a longer time. If your parrot is only learning to trust you, the process can occur quite quickly. If your parrot is a tame, hand-fed baby, the process can happen in only a few days.
When training your bird that was hand-fed, you can reasonably expect the parrot training process to progress quickly. Not long ago, I brought home a baby budgie, just weaned, but not hand-fed. Within one week, he was happily performing the "up" behavior on command whenever I asked him to step up.
You can learn a lot about your bird's level of trust by watching the bird's body language training your bird includes learning to read its communications about comfort levels shown via posture, stance, and other body language elements. Parrot training is much easier if you pay attention to these clues.
Build a trusting relationship. Trust is absolutely essential to parrot training. It takes time to build a trusting relationship, but the effort is well worth it. Spend time with your parrot each day, and house its cage in an area that you and your family frequent. When you first bring your bird home, don't try to rush things. Change is very upsetting to parrots, and it's important that you give it time to get used to its new surroundings before attempted to remove it from the cage. Be patient, and take things slowly until your parrot learns that you are safe and is comfortable stepping onto your outstretched finger.
Use positive reinforcement. Never, ever physically punish your parrot, raise your voice at it, or bang on its cage. That trusting relationship that you built up will go right out the window the first time that you frighten your bird, and you'll be back to square one. Rebuilding trust after it's lost is even more difficult, as your bird is now frightened of you, rather than just nervous about a new person. Instead, use positive reinforcement. Birds respond well to praise and treats. Praise them lavishly when they do something desirable, and use food as a reward.
Be consistent. Parrots learn through repetition. It's essential, when teaching a bird new tricks, that the same actions are repeated consistently. If you begin by speaking to your bird in a low, soothing tone of voice, continue to use that same tone each time you interact with it. If you follow a certain routine during training sessions, be sure to go about things the same way every time. When teaching a bird how to speak, continue to repeat the same words in the same way. This will keep your parrot motivated to succeed, and allow them to learn at a much quicker rate. Consider this: if you're learning a foreign language, can you pick it up with just one lesson? Certainly not. The same concept applies with speech training for parrots.
Don't give up! Most importantly, don't give up! It's a lengthy process, but it's very rewarding. By taking things slowly and showing patience and determination, you can train your feathered friend to do many things and have a very large vocabulary.
Both Nora Caterino & Tony Bick are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Nora Caterino has sinced written about articles on various topics from Bird Parrot, Nutrition and Bird watching. Master the easy way. Get a free 1h45 minutes audio on parrot biting, screaming and feather plucking with bird training expert. Nora Caterino's top article generates over 6600 views. to your Favourites.
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