|
|
Post by aussiewhippet on Nov 4, 2010 8:21:38 GMT 10
hello,
I have recently got a new cockatiel, he's 3-4 weeks out of the nest. i am looking for some advice on where to start with his (and my) training to become tame.
I have done some research on the internet and come up with a few standard things, hopefully someone will give me some guidelines or point me to a similar thread on where to look.
seems that he's not ready for the clicker training. i can't reward him with millet because he doesn't know what it is. so i have put some millet in his cage and he's getting stuck into it.
please confirm the steps.
1. get him used to me being near the cage
2. get him used to me putting my hand in the cage
3. get him used to me putting my fingers close to him using the clicker method.
4. when he trusts me get him stepping onto my finger.
what the timing on these steps? i know every bird is different.
|
|
|
|
Post by vankarhi on Nov 4, 2010 13:11:50 GMT 10
ok.......so he was parent raised then??
First you need to give him time to settle in to his new surroundings. Watch what he likes to eat. At his age he probably loves seed and millet.....or he will. Also be aware these guys can become seed junkies.....sunflower seeds that is. Make sure he gets plenty of fresh stuff too.
ok......you are on the right track.
Firstly just try to get him used to you. Sit near his cage and talk to him, walk over to his cage and talk to him and give him bits of food in his bowl or cage and if he wont take them then just leave them where he can see them.
It is can be hard to train a baby bird because it is hard to know what they like and dislike but once you can see what he likes then take it away from his food and just use it for a training tool/reward for a while.
Firstly to clicker train you need to condition the bird to sound of the clicker........this usually means "click then treat" "click then treat"......until the bird lifts it's head when it hears the click and you can see the bird knows what the click means...........that a treat is coming.
Then I was taught to target train first. I used a knitting needle (I have heaps of them lol) as the target and I did it something like this
1............. bird looks at knitting needle ............. "click then treat"
2.............bird moves even slightly closer to needle........."click then treat"
3........... bird moves closer to needle............."click then treat"
4............bird touches needle.........."click then treat
Teaching to target might only take a few mins or it might take 10 mins or even longer. It really all depends on the bird.
A treat/reward might also not necessarily be food either. I had a galah who I taught a few tricks and I taught her before I even heard of a clicker.........(about 20 years ago) and her reward was a scratch. When she did the correct thing I said "good girl" in a happy excited voice and gave her scratch immediately. So Bo's bridge was "good girl" not the sound of the clicker.
5 years ago I heard about clicker training (well I had heard about it a few years prior with people using it to train their dogs..........but back then I was one of those who 'poo hooooo'd' it........now I like it lol)
I joined an internet group (a yahoo group I think they were called birdclick) and I bought a book on training birds with a clicker by Melinda Johnson
I taught my eclectus hen 5 tricks and used the clicker as a training tool.
I conditioned her to the sound of the clicker, then taught her to target, then taught her some tricks......some times I needed to lure her to do something like "turn" around and I used the knitting needle to lure her then I would click her for doing whatever it was and it didn't take long for her to not needing to be lured. I didn't lure all the time......only if I couldn't get her to do something naturally.
You need to sit down and figure out what it is you want the bird to do and then work out a plan........and you need to pull it apart into teeny tiny steps. You do not move on to the next stage until the stage you are working on until your bird knows this step.......then move on to the next step. If the bird seems to be struggling a bit then go back to the previous step for a while........give the bird some confidence to do something right........then maybe either end the training there on a positive note or move on the next stage if the bird is enjoying and appears to be coping. I think my training sessions started quite short at first but I did a few of them a day.......as she learned more things I could do 10 or 20 min training sessions with her but only did 1 or 2 of them a day. If she appeared to be not interested in doing anything or wasn't interested in her rewards (for her it was food.........she was very food orientated where as my galah was not)....then I stopped training hopefully ending it on a positive note. If I felt frustrated............I definetly had to stop and do something else.
But the first thing is to just let the bird settle in and get used to you and just take notice for a few days what it seems is his fav food at the moment. It is also handy to have more than one fav food in case he gets bored with one.
|
|
|
|
Post by aussiewhippet on Nov 4, 2010 14:21:13 GMT 10
|
|
|
|
Post by vankarhi on Nov 4, 2010 15:54:49 GMT 10
hang on is that him on your shoulder??? So he comes out of his cage no problems? He sits on your shoulder obviously with no problem......... ;D ;D well all it will take now is some time and patience.......you are already on a roll ;D
With time he will become more confident and will fly around and come back to you when he wants. My tiel flies around and I put my arm out and he flies to me ........ if he wants to......but usually he is looking for somewhere to land and my hand is pretty good ;D
My eclectus also flies around and he will fly to me when he wants to.......quite often I am sweeping when he decideds to land on my shoulder and watch what I am doing lol
The other night the baby alexandrine I have just weaned flew down the hallway and into the spare room to be with me while I was on the pc. I didnt call him either.......he must have seen me in the doorway and flew down here and he is only 10 weeks old.
Congratulations on your companion and you should have many many happy years together ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by aussiewhippet on Nov 4, 2010 18:22:14 GMT 10
yep, that's him, he'll sit on my shoulder, but it sort of like he's not so happy about it. dunno. he's a lot quieter now than he was. i guess i just need to take is slowly with him.
he doesn't like coming out of the cage so much. starting to step onto my hand in the cage, but seems uneasy about it.
|
|
|
|
Post by vankarhi on Nov 4, 2010 19:28:16 GMT 10
Well I think you are doing excellent with him. They live for around 20 to 25 years or more...........so much time for him to learn so many things. In a few more weeks you will be surprised at how much more tamer he will be ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by aussiewhippet on Nov 5, 2010 6:56:31 GMT 10
ok, one last question (for now  ) what colour is clancy? lutino pied?? i really have no idea. |
|
|
|
Post by vankarhi on Nov 5, 2010 7:17:26 GMT 10
I have no idea what colour he is. But it looks like pearl on his wings. If he is a male he will probably lose that pearl when he moults. I am sure someone with more experience with the colours will come on and help you.
|
|
|
|
Post by avinet on Nov 5, 2010 16:32:57 GMT 10
He is a pied, and probably a pearl-pied but we need a view of his back to be sure.
Do you know if he is a male - it is about his current age that he should be starting to whistle if he is a male, females just shout and don't develop any whistles.
cheers,
Mike
|
|
|
|
Post by aussiewhippet on Nov 5, 2010 20:01:17 GMT 10
i don't know if clancy is male or female, i was told that he is a he by the bloke who sold him/her to me. clancy will chirp, but no whistling, but i am not really sure what you mean by whistling? below is a pic of his/her back, this was the day i got him/her! img64.imageshack.us/img64/7470/img00050201011011541.jpg |
|
|
|
Post by avinet on Nov 5, 2010 22:08:12 GMT 10
Yes, definitely a pearl-pied. If he is a girl then the pearl markings will stay but if he is a he then the pearl will disappear between 6 and 12 months old and be just solid grey on the back so he will look like a pied. However he will still carry the pearl gene and if he breeds in the future then any daughters will have pearl markings.
The whistling is quite distinctive from the chirp he has at present. A definite 2 or 3 note whistle. That usually begins between 3 and 4 months, and if he isn't whistling by 5 or 6 months then he will be a she. There is a clip at that will give you the idea
cheers,
Mike
|
|
) 
