Help and advice
Egg laying
This is just a sign of the dreaded HORMONES. Many parrot owners get to this age and find they can no longer cope BUT PLEASE BE ASURED with the correct care they will normally go back to the baby you once had.
Working in rescue we have seen trends of birds that come in at certain times of the year. We at Problem Parrots want to give you all the help we can to get through this sometimes troubled time.
So what do you need to be aware of?
The signs of hormones are as above but also you may find your parrot likes to be in dark places around your home, this is a clear sign that they want to nest.
Parrots DONT need a “mate” to want to nest or even lay eggs, a female will lay eggs but will not be fertile if they are solitary birds. During Egg laying you MUST up their calcium intake as forming eggs takes up a lot of their energy and stored calcium. It’s best to talk with your avian vet about this.
So what do I do if my parrot has eggs?
There is one simple answer to this….. Leave them! Simply leave them to it they WILL get bored in time. If you take away any eggs your parrot lays it will just trigger them to lay more. If you wish you can purchase false eggs to do a swap with so the eggs don’t go rotten and smell. But be aware that your parrot may not like the false eggs and lay more.
Different species are “programmed” to lay a certain amount of eggs let’s say it’s 3. If you then take away one egg they will be forced by nature to lay one more to make 3. This will just take its toll on calcium levels for unnecessary reasons. It will also increase the risk of egg binding which can be fatal.
Parrots DON’T need boxes to lay eggs either; if they are determined they will lay them ANYWHERE! So if your parrot is suddenly possessive over the back of the sofa then check for eggs that may be present.
How does it work?
This depends entirely on your parrot and what motivates them. Some like nothing more than hearing their human laugh, more commonly food is the motivator. Pele my Senegal loves nothing more than a round of applause after hearing the clicker however, Sid my cockatiel is motivated by favourite seeds.
Introducing your bird to the clicker! Start small!
Introduce the clicker by asking your bird to do something that they already do well. This could be a high five, a hand shake, step up etc. With your clicker in one hand and your reward close by give the verbal command. As soon as the bird performs the action use your clicker, then offer a reward.
Initially your bird won’t make the connection but repeat this activity by alternating familiar commands until your bird reacts positively as soon as they see the clicker. My bird’s positive reaction is to spin excitedly as soon as he sees me getting the clicker out of the draw. Pele is so keen on the clicker that he has been known to find and steal the clicker so that he can ‘click’ it himself in the hope of a reward!
Remember our aim up to this point is to teach your parrot that the clicker means lots of attention, fun and treats!
Why do we need a verbal command?
Your birds first language is not English and like anyone learning a new language they have to understand what key words mean. For example in French lessons you might have learnt that ‘Masion’ means house by being shown a picture of a house. Clicker training swaps pictures for clicks.
Whatever verbal cue you choose to use for this new behaviour means nothing to your bird however, your bird does know that a click means “well done” and getting it right means getting a reward. Therefore, they will quickly learn what the verbal command is asking them to do and once this happens, you will not need to use the clicker for this behaviour!
IN PRACTICE
Training should always be FUN! You want your bird to succeed and enjoy the time you spend together for this to happen they need to be able to achieve what you are asking of them. Before you attempt to train your bird think carefully about the behaviour and break it down into smaller steps, you may not realise how many individual actions go into the simplest behaviours. Each step should be taught in sequence and fully understood before moving onto the next one.
Try this at home using a human companion: Decide on a simple task you want your companion to do, for example sitting down on one particular chair. Now without touching, speaking or using hand gestures try to get your companion to sit in that chair. It’s not easy! Now swap over and you try and work out what your companion wants you to do without speaking etc. Frustrated? thats how your parrot feels!
GOLDEN RULE
CLICKER = REWARD!!!
NEVER press the clicker when not training. If the clicker is pressed by accident you MUST offer your parrot a reward.
If you require further advice please get in touch
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From loving tickles to lifelong friend