I taught my Senegal Parrot Kili to do the bat trick right out of parrot magic. It was fairly easy to teach it to her because she was already very hand tame. Getting her head down out of the fetal position was a bit more work but nothing unmanageable. Just like the play dead trick, the bigger challenge and most time consuming part was to get her to put her head down. Teaching the basics of the trick does not take more than a few days but then getting the bird to stay still and keep head down during trick is what takes months of perfection.

I even went so far as to teach my parrot to do the inverted fetch that you can see at the end of the video. This took zero training because the bird is so smart that it totally figured out to fetch her ball and drop it in the bin (from the bat position) the first time I tried it. She made the connection and it is just super cool to realize the bird is so smart.

We even taught our budgie to do the bat trick. I told my girlfriend that I didn’t think a budgie could do it but she liked the trick a lot and wanted to try anyway. Unlike the Kili, Duke the budgie wasn’t very hand tame and definitely did not like being held upside down. When we started teaching the trick, Duke would bite and try to get out of our hands. Although it took a few weeks to train the trick, by the end of training, he was a far tamer bird and would tolerate being held in just about any angle and way. Hands on trick training is also a great way to tame your bird to hands and make it less bitey. If a budgie can be taught this trick, I cannot imagine any parrot being unable to do it.

Since my personal experience ranges in the small to medium birds, this article is really intended for owners of budgies, cockatiels, lovebirds, conures, senegals, quakers, and mini macaws. While I am sure the same overall techniques apply to larger birds, the actual details of it may be slightly different. However, what I write here applies the same for all birds that can fit in your hand. I am going to write about how to do it by yourself but if you can have a second person help you do it, it would be so much easier.

If your bird is very hand tame and allows you to grab, hold, and cuddle with it, then you can follow the procedures I lay out directly. If your bird is aggressive, timid, or just not that tame, you have two choices. Either you can focus a lot of effort on getting it to this level of tameness (which I highly recommend regardless) by training it and teaching tricks. Otherwise you can use a towel by doing the same technique that I describe but with the towel between your skin and the bird’s beak to avoid getting bit.

Warning, doing it my way can get you bit. You need to be careful and respect your bird. I prefer to do this bare handed on my bird because it involves trust both ways and the bird does have the freedom to give me feedback if something is really wrong. I try to be gentle and not let the situation turn to biting and if the bird does bite I ignore the bite to avoid teaching biting. However, knowing that the bird is biting tells me that I am either doing it too long or too hard which teaches me how to go about it better in the future. So I really trust my bird and my bird trusts me. I don’t push it too hard or file her too long and she doesn’t bite me (even though she is in the position to). She doesn’t bite me too hard or any more than necessary so it doesn’t bother me too much if she does and I just ignore it (but take a mental note what to avoid next time). So if you are terrified of your bird or really afraid of getting a little bite, don’t do this. Use a towel or let a bird expert do it for you.

This is the grip to use to file nails solo.

So what you will do (assuming you are right handed, probably reverse this if left) is hold the bird in your left hand and file with your right hand. Grab the bird with you left hand with your thumb curled around its neck. The rest of your fingers will be on the birds back and lay the bird in your hand so it is laying on your fingers. The thumb goes under the beak as high up as possible. Under your bird’s beak is the safest place for your finger to be because it is harder to bite so close.

All Psittaciformes have zygodactyl feet which means that two toes face forward and two face back. However, for the purpose of filing the nails the feat could just as well be anisodactyl (typical bird feet with 3 toes forward and 1 back) because the fourth digit evolved to swing back from the forward position. So even though the long toe faces rearward, you can actually hold it forward because that is the original position from which the rear facing joint evolved. The hallux (small rear facing toe) cannot be moved and is very hard to reach when filing. The nail is so small and outgrown by the others that I often don’t file it at all and just wait till the next time the nails get cut. It is nearly impossible to hold and file it because it is so small and not end up filing bird’s skin or your own.

Hold bird on back and grip toe with thumb and forefinger

So I hold the bird’s 3 large toes one at a time between my thumb and forefinger. I hold at the tip of the nail and try to hold as much of it in my hand as possible and leave just the tip exposed to file. If you hold too far back, the file will just drag your bird’s entire nail or even toe back and forth without progress. I use a sturdy coarse nail file and quickly make some large deliberate strokes back and forth on each nail. I will go for as long as the bird lets me but usually only enough to blunt the  tip of each nail. If you really want to file the hallux you will probably need a smaller file and to be careful. The grip I use to file the bigger toes does not work so well for the hallux and the foot is in the way. That toenail, even when sharp is usually no bother because it is shorter than the rest.

Some other things to remember. A challenge while filing the nails is to keep the other toes out of the way. The bird may like to bite the file or rip it away from you. You may end up filing yourself a bit in the process because it is hard to grip so close. I take the hit because I don’t want to hurt my bird, rubbing my skin a little doesn’t bother me so much.

No matter how much my bird bites or squirms, I do not stop until I am finished. The more I’ve done it, the more enduring my bird has become so it is a good thing that I do not give in. She usually does not give my any trouble for the first foot I file but only by the second. If I had more time, I am sure I could file one foot per session without any trouble at all. After I finish filing I usually give my bird a treat but she usually doesn’t care about it. She just wants to relax or cuddle. So I will pet her and put her on my shoulder as a reward for being brave. The positive ending is essential if you want your bird to let you file again in the future.

Toco Toucans

I live in Austin, TX.  Since the onset of June, the temperatures have been over 100 degrees nearly continuously.  Three quarters of the year here is spent in A/C, and less than 1/4 of the year requires the use of heating.  My favorite times are those rare days when neither the heat nor the A/C is necessary, the windows are open, and the fresh air is blowing in on a balmy breeze.  If I am ever going to play hooky from work, it will be on one of these days.

I am moving to Florida at the end of October.  This is a wonderful opportunity for me, and my birds will have the benefits of a bird room and outdoor aviaries.  Hurray for natural lighting, I can’t wait!

Currently, there are birds situated everywhere in my apartment.  My goffins cockatoo can fling her pellets from her cage onto my bed, which she delights in doing.  I am looking forward to not needing to vacuum and wipe down surfaces everyday because their mess will be confined to one room.

However, the bird room there is not air conditioned.  There are lots of windows providing fresh air and light, and of course, the aviaries are outside.  The temperatures in Florida are a bit lower, but they make up for that with very high humidity levels.  I am wondering how my spoiled, indoor flock are going to be able to handle the temperature and climate changes.  Right now, they last about 30-45 minutes in the heat, out of direct sun, before their wings are drooping and they look like they need a marguerita.

I have been taking them outside more trying to up their tolerance for the heat.  The really fortunate part about this concern is the time of year we are moving. October temperatures will be cooler and more easily tolerated, but still warmer that what they are accustomed to.  Once they get used to October’s temperatures and humidity, they will then be able to make the adjustment to colder temperatures naturally and gradually.  In the spring they will start the slow adjustment toward the oncoming warmer temperatures again.  Their metabolic rates and heat regulation will change as the seasons dictate.

Quaker Parrot

There are flocks of feral quakers throughout the US.  Quakers are very hearty birds and have learned not only to adapt and survive in our climates, but thrive.  These South American parrots live well in the very cold climates of the northeast.  The very distinct seasonal temperature changes  have helped them slowly adapt to the harsh winters and scorching summers.

Rumor has it that the first flock originated in 1968 after a group of quakers broke free from a shipping crate.  Because they are so prolific, and like to build their elaborate nests on the highest available site with the least obstructed view, which happens to be our power transformers, they are banned in some states.

It is obviously important not to let your parrot’s nails get overgrown. If they are too long, the have a higher likelihood of getting broken and are sharper which would cause anyone holding the bird discomfort. Some people freefly their parrots or have them in particularly natural environments so they don’t cut the nails but I would say they are the exception to the rule.

Given that your parrot lives in a cage at home, it is understandable that it is not exposed to the natural claw cutting things it would encounter in the wild. Naturally the nails keep growing to compensate for the rate at which they are used. At home they are not used, so they become overgrown. Since we live in unnatural environments and use tools/helping devices for different things we have to cut our own nails and our companion parrot’s.

There are basically three ways to keep a parrot’s nails trimmed:

1) Cut them with a nail clipper

2) File them with a nail file

3) Provide filing perches

I use all three of these and highly recommend that you use all of these methods. I would like to describe the benefits of each of these.

The advantage to cutting the nails is that it is relatively quick and leaves a clean cut. The end of the nails is very blunt and it takes a longer time for the nails to grow back from this stage. The downside is that it is a dangerous/stressful process. If cut incorrectly, the bird can bleed to death so it is important that you have a vet or bird expert do this.

To prolong the benefit of the cut nails, I file my bird’s nails every few weeks. By doing this, I can stretch visits to the vet or bird store from once every two to once every three months. I would have to file the parrot’s nails every other day if I wanted to avoid having to get them cut altogether but it is difficult to find the time to do that. So instead, I just blunt out the tips every so often. By holding my bird for nail filing every so often, it makes her more used to the process and better behaved at the store when she gets trimmed.

The disadvantage to nail filing is that it is a lot of work for a little benefit. One filing session takes as long as one nail cutting session because each toenail has to be individually worked on. But unlike the cut, the amount of nail scaled back is barely noticeable. The other problem with filing is that even if the nails are kept short, they end up getting sharper and sharper. A cut every now and then helps to keep the nails blunt and not cut your hands when your bird is on them.

Finally, I provide my parrot with natural branches with bark and filing perches to keep the nails trimmed. Unfortunately, this does not seem to help that much. It does help me prolong the duration between visits to four months because filing and perches take about a month off out of every four but it is not enough by itself. Also the filing perches seem to make my bird’s nails sharper while keeping them shorter. This forces me to have to file them by hand every so often to dull the points. However, because filing only takes a little bit off at a time, it doesn’t take long for the nails to get sharp again.

Even if I cut the nails myself, I still find benefit in taking the parrot by the bird store every quarter. At the bird store I bought Kili from, the women that runs it is quite expert in birds. It is reassuring to me to have an outside expert take a look at my bird for a quick assessment. Vet checks are very expensive and in my experiences, general veterinarians aren’t very proficient with birds. An exclusively bird veterinarian is very hard to come by. But by bringing the parrot by the store every so often, I can have an unbiased glance over health inspection, nail trimming, and beak trim all in one.

So what I recommend is to have your bird’s nails cut but to use filing perches and manually file them in order to prolong the duration between required cuts. Following these steps will help ensure your own comfort and bird’s safety.

It’s rare to see a bird sleeping. Nearly impossible in the wild because it will either be dark or the bird startled before you could catch a glimpse. Less unlikely yet still rare to see your companion parrot sleeping in your home. That is because normally it sleeps at night when you do. Otherwise there is just too much activity going on that the bird is too aroused to sleep. But on occasion there are opportunities to see your birds completely relaxed.

If your bird trusts you, if tired it may decide to take a nap in front of you, knowing that you won’t hurt it and will protect it from danger. Most times I’ve seen my birds fall asleep is sitting out on their playpens for a long time when I am busy on the computer doing my own thing. If the environment in the room is very mellow and the birds are sleepy, they will doze off.

My Senegal Parrot starts by fluffing up her feathers and getting really relaxed. Next she gets on one foot and even squats down to get her feathers to cover her exposed foot. The first time I saw this I wondered where her foot had gone! In fact birds lose a great deal of heat through their feet because there is no insulation on them. By sleeping on one leg, birds can save a lot of energy that would be lost otherwise. The way birds leg muscles and tendons work, the bird can sleep relaxed on one foot and hold its balance. After getting on one leg you may observe your birds closing for a few minutes at a time and you know it’s getting sleepy. Finally, if your bird is really going to go to sleep, it may turn its head around 180 degrees and tuck its beak under the scapula feathers. This also preserves a lot of heat energy.

Birds may sleep with one eye open and this is not just a saying. They can have a state of unihemispheric sleep where one side of the brain shuts down for sleep while the other keeps an eye open to look out for danger. The brain is cross linked as on mammals so if the left eye is closed, then the right brain is sleeping. There have been some studies done about bird dreams and scientists have found that some types of birds actually practice their songs in their sleep. I wonder if my parrot dreams about training sessions because I swear to you, she does a newly learned trick so much better after a night of sleep.

It was very difficult to catch the above video footage because on the occasions I’ve seen my birds fall asleep, reaching to get the camera would always wake them up and ruin the opportunity. This must have been a particularly sleepy day that they slept through it as I caught them falling asleep.

It seems like my parrots get especially sleepy midday during a drop in pressure prior to rain. Sometimes there is a thunderstorm coming and the birds get really sleepy and fall asleep on their playpens and I get sleepy and fall asleep on the bed next to them and nap an hour. It’s kind of fun because all gets quiet and everyone is just really sleepy and wants to relax. I trust that they won’t do anything crazy while I’m asleep and that if they do it would probably wake me up. Then I wake up refreshed and so do the birds. They are usually excited to be handled after this and are happy to spend time with me. I think it’s a nice way to spend meaningful time with the birds and to build a mutual trust both ways.

*Note, when I do not support actually sleeping with your bird on the same bed or location. I know that babies have been killed sleeping with their parents and the same thing could happen to a bird. What I mean by taking a nap with your bird is having them on a perch or cage near you but not close enough that they could get hurt.

Food Diet vs. Social Diets

In the previous two posts, I discussed the types of non food diets that can be used on your bird. Now that you are aware of other ways to ration something your bird wants, you can turn that into a reward and controlling its hand out. In turn, you can use those rewards to motivate your bird to do certain behaviors that you desire.

I would like to outline the difference between food diet and social diets in their practical application and use. The fact is, a food diet is the most concrete, easy to control, and predictable diet that is guaranteed to motivate your bird to learn. This is why the BirdTricks system emphasizes this rationing of food. The food training diet is very effective and will help you get 90% out of your birds motivation.

But what about the other 10%? If you really want to get 100% out of your bird, if you want more than just a bird who will wave/play dead, if you want a well behaved, well vocalized, happy, loving companion for life, you should use the social diets previously outlined. The reduction in daily attention that the bird receives will just make the interaction that it does that much more enjoyable. The limit of number of toys will make new toys all the more exciting. The withholding of petting until a favorable behavior is performed will make the bird learn acceptable behavior.

For every diet (food, social, petting, etc), there is an X amount that your bird needs to satisfy its hunger. This may be (hypothetically) 10 grams of food, 3 hours of attention, and 2x 20 second petting sessions. Any more than this may be bonus or may just be fattening and unnecessary. So for food, you would ration out 1 out of 10 grams to feed exclusively during trick training. For social attention, you would ration 3 out of 24 hours to spend out of the cage with you. Finally you would pet it twice that day when it is sitting quietly on its perch and not flying off.

Sometimes you can emphasize a particularly desired behavior by giving a bigger helping (of whatever diet you are using for that). For instance, I will let my bird stay out of the cage longer when there is company around because she is learning how to behave around strangers and to reward her for being good with other people. This will help the bird remember that other people are good, she gets to spend more time out. My bird has been prone to one-person-bird challenges but by giving her greater petting, attention, etc around other people, she is beginning to look forward to social outings more. As you may have read, I give my bird greater than usual attention when I take it driving or out on trips as a reward for the stress of being in the carrier and traveling. It would not even be possible to reward my bird with a food reward for doing this because she will often be scared and not eat or just eat a normal meal. That extra motivation for being good while traveling comes from all the bonus attention I give to her.

You can only use a particular motivator for as much as the bird wants. You can only feed a bird till it’s full, pet a bird till it’s satisfied, or keep it out of the cage until it’s tired. This is a great reason to use a variety of motivators and diets for your bird because when one runs out, you may still be able to influence your bird by using another. You can also use different types of motivators for different behaviors. A lot of these social motivators are very long term while click/treat is direct. These are both good for their individual purposes. A click/treat is excellent and pin pointing the exact way to hold the foot while teaching the wave trick. On the other hand, there is no real click for sitting on the perch quietly. This is where all of these toys, attention, and petting come in. While you may be able to do 50 repetitions of a particular trick using a food reward, you might only be able to do one or two rewards per day for sitting quietly. But if you do this over a long stretch of time, your bird will realize that actually being calm and quiet earns it attention more reliably than screaming and being a nuisance. In this case, food would not be such a good reward because the bird would not be receiving food for all times it is relaxed and also the bird may still be receiving food when it is rambunctious. But if you are limiting attention, talking, and petting to only a relaxed bird, it will soon catch on. Don’t give your bird food for not doing anything (being calm) because that will hurt your ability to get the bird to do something (a trick). Teaching it to be calm for food will extinguish its desire to try new behaviors that may lead to a trick for food. So reserve those non-food rewards for those calm behaviors and food for teaching tricks.

By rationing and rewarding your bird with everything it wants (and not only food), you can build a much stronger relationship. Not only will your bird learn better behavior but it will also be thrilled because it is receiving all this stuff from you and it knows exactly what to do in order to get it. If you pet the bird randomly, it doesn’t know how to ask. If you pet it when it is calm and well behaved and bends its head over to you, and you pet it, the bird will know what to do.

This all may sound very regimental but really it is quite simple. Give your bird what it wants only if it is giving you what you want. In turn your bird will only give you what you want if you give it what it wants. The bird wants food, you ask it to do a trick, it does trick, you give it a seed. If the bird does the trick wrong, you do not give it the seed. Apply the same thing to something like petting/attention. If the bird is sitting calm/quiet/relaxed you can talk to it, give it attention, pet it. If the bird is running around and screaming, you ignore it. So just remember, never to give the bird anything that it wants if it is going to be used to reinforce undesirable behavior but to hold it off until the bird is doing what you want.

Conclusion

A real “training diet” should actually be rationing everything that your bird enjoys and not just food. This way you always have something that the bird will try hard to earn from you. Whether that is food, attention, being left alone, time out of the cage, time in the cage, toys, vocalization, petting, training, or just playing together, you have full control over how much of that your bird can get. If you leave your bird always wanting more, you have the power to influence your avian friend about proper and improper behavior. If you give your bird too much, your bird will feel like it doesn’t have to listen to you. If you don’t give enough, your bird will be lonely, upset, and neglected. Finding the proper balance is key to a healthy owner to bird relationship. And it is this balance that will be the subject of the next article in this series about the healthy balance for birds.