Macaws:
Red Shouldered (Hahn's) Macaw
Severe Macaw
Blue And Gold Macaw
Blue Throated Macaw
Military Macaw
Red Fronted Macaw
Scarlet Macaw
Green Winged Macaw
Hyacinth Macaw
When I was visiting Arizona for my seminar, I spent a lot of time with Ginger and her flock. Her living room is full of foraging trees for her expansive flock of rescue parrots. She has a large climbing tree that she custom built for her Congo African Grey Parrot, Ozzy. On several occasions I let Truman loose on this tree (while its occupant wasn't around) and he was absolutely thrilled. He was just climbing all around and checking the different toys out. I'd never seen him get more excited about a playstand. Since it was built for an African Grey, it was the perfect size for a Cape Parrot. Truman navigated his way through the expanse of branches and found toys that he was able to snap with ease.
Toward the end of my stay we had my birds and her (clipped) birds out at the same time. I put Kili and Truman on an unoccupied stand while the other birds were out. Truman was getting bored so he flew over to a seemingly unoccupied tree. However, its Senegal Parrot occupant came charging at him with open beak! It didn't take long for Truman to realize that not only was he unwelcome but that his assailant looked a heck of a lot like the one back home that kicks his butt. He flew off in the nick of time and headed for his favorite tree in the house, Ozzy's. Little did he know, however, Ozzy was actually out on his tree. Truman landed on the tree not far from Ozzy and the two Psittacinae came face to face for the first time.
Ozzy the African Grey on his custom built tree
The stand off ensued. Truman was like "who are you?" Ozzy was even more shocked, "I cannot believe you are on my tree. Don't you know this is my tree? What are you doing here?" For a while the two parrots stood dumbfounded, waiting for the other to make the first move. Eventually, Truman in his playful nature went for a toy and proceeded to play. Ozzy, still staring in disbelief at this uninvited stranger was unsure whether to attack or flee. Truman saw a toy near Ozzy and began walking toward it. Ozzy got a bit defensive and flashed his hooked bill in warning and Truman demonstrated his. In a moment it was all over and Ozzy retreated to a sulking corner of the tree while Truman roamed freely from toy to toy as he wished. This was the first and only time Truman won a fight. He is used to being bullied by Kili but here he did not even have to fight. The skittish Grey yielded his beloved tree to the uninvited guest with a bowie knife for a beak.
Thus I was persuaded to seek a bigger tree back home for Truman. I never bothered buying a large tree for him because at first I did not want it to block of his flight space but later because I got an aviary for him to spend time outside. Kili and Truman each had their own little table top tree at home but never gave much mind to them. One of the benefits of a larger tree that I learned from Ginger is that you can hang swings from them.
I spent some time searching for a ready to go Java tree. But not only are they very expensive, but none are perfect. Since they are all natural trees, there are a multitude of compromises in each. The thickness of the branches, the spacing between branches, the overhang of branches to hang toys from, and the size/shape of it all play major roles. However, after looking at dozens of trees, I realized that the only way to have one the ideal size, shape, and thrill for Truman, would be to engineer it myself. Thanks to Ginger, I realized that building a custom tree is a possibility.
I bought a variety of Java branches meant for mounting in the cage, some swings, and new toys. I also bought a cheap coffee table to mount this tree on to get it elevated without the cost of more branches. From the moment I was picking the branches, I was seeking ones that would be able to join together well. Deciding which branches would connect to other ones posed the biggest challenge. I had to find ends that would mate with the limbs of other branches and align it so higher branches could serve as toy hangars for lower ones. The tree also had to fit a specific contour of the space I had set aside for it.
Unlike most trees/stands for sale, I bolted an extensive series of stainless steel eye screws throughout the tree. This stand was engineered from start to finish to be a parrot dreamhouse. Large eye hooks suitable for mounting entire swings were factored into the original design. The tree was partly built in my workshop but then had to be completed on location because it would not fit through the door. What was extremely difficult was that I could not build further branches until prior ones were mounted but I needed to see the prior ones to know where the further ones would end up. So there was a lot of back and forth work assembling and disassembling the tree in order to be able to put everything together.
It took the greater part of a day to complete assembly of this deluxe custom built foraging empire. 4 swings and 11 toys completed the expansive mosaic of climbing locations for the parrots. Unlike the random branching of natural foraging trees, this one is layered in a way that guarantees the parrot can access every level. If Truman can't get to a specific branch from another, he can always climb up a toy or swing to get there. This may not be a huge tree, but it's highly accessible and efficient.
This morning I took Truman out to see his tree for the first time. He was like a little boy on Christmas morning. He ran around from perch to perch to try each toy. His eyes were running wild and he couldn't decide what part he wanted to play with first. Ironically he laid greatest preference to the two cheap toys I built for him myself rather than all the ones I paid good money for.
Kili was a bit weary of jumping straight on the tree at first. She watched from a safe distance but later decided to join. I put her on a perch at a distance from Truman and she proceeded to check things out as well. The tree is big enough and convoluted enough that the birds can play at opposite ends without the proximity to fight. Kili preferred some of the thinner swings and rope perches while Truman searched for tougher things to destroy.
Now with this homebuilt parrot amusement park I am hoping to be able to leave Truman out for longer spans of time. In the past I would inevitably have to put him away because he'd get into too much mischief. By concentrating everything a playful parrot could want on one tree, it will hopefully contain his attention for more time. Today he has spent hours playing and napping in his tree while I took care of other things. Yet, despite his expansive fun house, he still flew over to me from time to time to cuddle. This is an important balance. Truman is able to spend hours having fun independently, yet remains a cuddly people friendly bird.
After visiting Ginger's flock, rescues, and parrot stores on my Phoenix trip, I realized the pressing need for affordable parrot trees. With my experience building training perches, trees, and toys I intend to launch a new line of practical, affordable, quality parrot play stands with the busy parrot in mind. Stay tuned for an announcement about this new line of stands on the Parrot Wizard website. In the meantime, enjoy this video of Kili & Truman in their new custom built climbing tree:
Socialization is crucial for companion parrots because if not for what we teach them, they're wild birds. All too often a parrot will bond to its caretaker or someone in the family and then be aggressive toward everyone else. If you think about it, this makes sense. The parrot gets everything it needs/wants from this individual while everyone else is erratic, unpredictable, and possibly dangerous.
Guests, visitors, and strangers are possibly the worst people from the parrot's perspective. At worst they come and invade their territory, scare them, and make them feel helpless. At best, they leave them alone while diverting their owner's attention away from the parrot. Either way, there is nothing to be gained by the parrot and everything to be lost so it's not a wonder parrots typically don't like company. This is why socialization through a positive reinforcement approach is essential. Here I will outline the steps I take with my birds and suggest you do with yours when introducing any new people.
First, never take the parrot's tameness for granted. Just because it steps up for you and doesn't bite (if it does, you're going to have to go back to basics before introducing others) does not in any way mean that it will behave this way towards strangers. Hopefully the parrot has a history of training and positive reinforcement from you which gives it reason to be around you. Or perhaps it's just used to you and nothing else. Regardless, don't take this for granted and invite others to handle your bird straight out because most likely this will result in failure, bites, and worst of all encourage your parrot to be aggressive towards people.
Here are my 12 steps toward introducing people and having a well socialized parrot that will step up for any person:
1) Ignore the bird. More importantly have your visitor ignore the bird. The worst thing that could happen is your visitor gets excited that you have a parrot and goes straight to the parrot cage upon entry. The parrot doesn't know what to think of this but is safer to get defensive than wait to see what happens. Even if the parrot doesn't get a chance to attack your guest, it will still develop a bad first impression that this individual is potentially dangerous. So instead, it is best to pretend the parrot doesn't even exist for the first 10-60 minutes. The visitor should avoid eye contact or walking straight toward the parrot. Otherwise the visitor should just go about things as though you didn't have a parrot at all. I usually tell people that I'll show them the parrot later but for now something else. This shows the parrot that the guest is harmless and avoids setting a bad impression. This gives the parrot a chance to watch within the safety of its cage without feeling trapped by an approaching stranger.
2) Let the bird loose. Let the parrot out of the cage and choose whether to approach or not at its own pace. Again, don't allow the visitor to impose upon the parrot. Ideally the parrot should be flighted and given the chance to fly closer or retreat at its own comfort level. Most likely in no time it will approach out of curiosity or come to you for security. By letting the parrot set the pace rather than the guest, it's guaranteed that it won't have reason to be terrified.
3) Show how to handle parrot. You must realize that most people have never handled a parrot before and don't know how to. Even the ones that have still probably don't know how to handle your parrot so assume you must start from scratch with anyone. This is best because then the way guests approach your bird will be similar to how you do and familiar. Show your visitor how you approach the bird, how it steps up, how you pet it, etc. Don't give people the opportunity to treat your bird like a dog or child. They have to understand that this is an intelligent free willed animal deserving respect and admiration.
4) Human perch. Let your visitors first contact with the bird be as nothing more than a human perch. Guide your visitor into holding their arm or finger out to accept the bird and do nothing else. NEVER let them just reach in and have the bird step up. You can't be sure what they'll do and the bird especially. Many times this will result in a nasty bite but if nothing else, will assure the bird that it's safest to just avoid strangers all together. It's a great idea to target train your parrot beforehand and then use the targeting method to target the parrot onto your visitors hand and then back off. Again, remember that the first time on someone's hand should be uninvolved. The person should not pet or handle them yet. Showing the parrot that it can stand on random people's hands without anything happening is far more reassuring than something unpredictable going on. If the bird doesn't target or is well capable of going on other people's hands, just put the parrot onto their hand. Use your hands to keep their attention and deflect a potential bite. Don't give an opportunity to either visitor or parrot to get scared. If one gets scared, the other is sure to become scared too and ruin everything. A scared, biting parrot will make a human scared; by the same token, an unsure human will scare the parrot into biting.
5) Tricks. The bird should be trick trained beforehand. This is yet another reason why trick training is so useful. Have your visitor cue tricks from your parrot and reward it with treats. This is fun and exciting both to visitor and parrot. Allow the visitor to present bigger treats or the best ones you refrain from using too much. This will help the parrot overcome the unfamiliarity and even look forward to visitors instead of dreading them. This is a fun, safe, hands off approach to use positive reinforcement with the parrot for socialization.
6) Step Up. Only after going through the prior steps do you actually allow a new person to request the parrot to step up. What we did was build a certain level of trust in the bird before having someone actually move their own hand toward it. By the time you think it's appropriate for a visitor to approach the bird for step up, the bird has received good things and nothing bad so it's worth a try. My preferred way for having my parrots step up for visitors is by surrounding the bird with tricks..My parrots are accustomed to receiving treats after performing a trick. Thus I have the visitor cue a trick, then while approaching with the treat, ask the parrot to step up to get it. The parrot already knows it earned a treat so it might as well step up to get it. This gives the parrot less reason to doubt motives. After a few successful step ups as such I switch it around. I have the visitor get the bird to step up first for the opportunity to preform a trick for a treat. Thus the parrot learns to simply always step up to earn potential opportunities and not exclusively when a treat is in the hand. Again, it's good to go through these stages with your parrot yourself before completing them with visitors so that the parrot knows what to expect.
7) Petting. Now that the parrot is comfortable being on hands, we can introduce hands for petting. Remember that people don't know how to handle or pet a parrot so you must show them the way your bird likes it. This is not a time for experimental petting. If your bird won't end up liking it then it will avoid allowing people to do it in case it's bad like that again. I have my parrot perch on my hand and hold its beak between my fingers. This teaches it a submissive pose, puts a buffer between biting guests, and it tells it what's about to ensue. I begin by scratching my bird's neck the way it likes and then having the guest reach in and join together. Then I take my hand away and allow them to continue. Since the parrot was enjoying it from the start and the visitor did nothing more than continue it, the parrot allows it and even enjoys it. This creates a reason for the parrot to look forward to visitors and not dread that they will manhandle it in some terrifying way.
8) Bird Potato. Play bird potato with one or more guests by randomly passing the parrot around between people and handling it. Mix tricks, scratches, step ups, and breaks randomly so the parrot just becomes accustomed to as many people and hands as possible but always keeping it desirable for the parrot.
9) Grab training. Teaching the bird to allow itself to be grabbed by different people is not only useful when that needs to be done (grooming, vet, boarding, emergency, etc) but also builds a greater level of trust. If the bird will trust someone to grab it and not bite, then it will especially feel safe and not bite just standing on their hand. At first this process may take days or weeks so work with someone familiar but eventually the more people you follow these steps with the easier and quicker it will go. Have the visitor come as close to the bird as it allows and give a treat. Then the visitor should progressively bring the hand closer to the bird without touching and then give a treat. Eventually the visitor should be able to touch the bird for a treat, cup it, and finally grab it for a treat. In the long term have visitors grab and carry the bird to other parts of the room, grab it on/off the cage, and give treats and mixed intervals. The parrot will just become accustomed to being handled by people as a normal activity.
Repeat the above steps with as many people as possible at home. Once the bird is ok with at least a few people you can begin trying the next approaches.
10) Private Outings. Bring the parrot on private outings with not too many people. Take the parrot to dinner with family, over to a friend's house, etc. Start with smaller events that can be controlled before going to things that are more bustling. These are great opportunities for the parrots not only to meet new people but also to become more at ease with people they already know. My parrots can get more bossy at home but when out they are much nicer to other people. This is a good opportunity to continue the socialization process and mend bridges. People that were previously enemies can become friends in unfamiliar places.
11) Public Outings. Once the parrot is used to some people and places you can begin taking it on outings to public places. Parks, malls, streets, carnivals, etc are all great opportunities for your parrots to learn that people are harmless and good. Inevitably people will want to handle your parrot and they will be willing to listen and do as you say. This is your chance to guide the interaction as you have done at home and ensure that interactions with other people will always be good. Since the parrots are busy taking in all the activity of being outside and not within their own territory, they will be less likely to protest. Since humans have always been a safe thing before and the new unfamiliar ones are being presented in familiar ways, the parrot will cooperate. Again it is your responsibility that the parrot does not bite or scare people and vice verse. However, successful public outings like this will make your parrot infinitely more robust and social towards people and changes in their life.
12) Uncontrolled Random Interactions. It's inevitable that at some point or another someone will handle your parrots not in ways that you would recommend. Most likely this has already happened previously and set things back a lot. Well once you reach this last stage, it should be ok for this to happen sometimes. Ensure that the parrots are not hurt but as long as it's not harmful, allow people to handle them in random unpredictable ways. Every now and then someone will just run up and touch my parrots at the park or pet them in ways I wouldn't recommend. But the parrots realize that this is harmless and get over it. If you always shelter your parrot from this, then of course these unpredictable interactions will be terrifying. But once your parrot is already well socialized, allowing some of these to slip by now and then just makes them more robust and prepared to deal with things you could never have foreseen to prepare them for.
Remember that every person is different and that every interaction will make your parrot more social. At first control the interactions very closely to ensure that they aren't too much for the parrot but over time challenge your parrot with tougher less predictable situations. Even when you achieve a socialized parrot, continue to maintain it or over time it will again become too comfortable with you and not with others. Encourage interaction with family members, friends, and strangers that is always positive to the parrot but also always fun/safe for humans. Don't give humans the opportunity to scare the bird but also don't give parrots the opportunity to bite people and make them afraid of birds either. Lastly here is a video of how Kili and Truman have been socialized with Jamie:
I flew to Phoenix Arizona to present the Parrot Wizard Bird Show & Seminar (which you'll get to hear more about later). Airline travel would have been too restrictive, expensive, and difficult so I opted to make the 2 day trip to Arizona myself by airplane. I loaded Truman into his travel cage and Kili into her carrier and we were on our way with over 250 pounds of merchandise for the event.
Jamie, my girlfriend, accompanied us for the first day. We spent the night with her in St Louis but continued to Phoenix without her (but picked her up on the way back). In the beginning of the trip flights were short. Because of the weight of all the baggage and two people, I was restricted on how much fuel I could bring. It was just a 3 hour flight from NJ to OH and then another 3 to St Louis.
I realized that I forgot the food bowls for the travel cages at home when it came time to feed the birds. Worse yet, I realized that I forgot their pellets in the airplane as well. I had to scramble and find people foods to feed them instead to get them through the night. I got a hold of some corn, bread, and grapes. Kili pigged out and had no problem with this arrangement. Truman on the other hand had a few bites but eventually boycotted. He refused to eat anything but his pellets but they were not available till the next day. Here's a great example why it's important that birds be accustomed to people food as well as bird food so that they could still be fed in a pinch.
After spending the night in St Louis, the long part of the journey began. I flew 3.5 hours to Oklahoma and took advantage of some of the cheapest gas in the country. Then it was a long 5.5 hour flight to Phoenix over inhospitable terrain. I diverted around thunderstorms and flew high to stay over the mountains. I had to use an oxygen system for part of the flight due to altitude. The birds were alright but it sure made them sleepy. It was so cute to see Kili & Truman fall asleep on the same perch together. Getting high is a great way to mellow out the little buggers.
Finally I had to perform a steep descent into Phoenix after clearing the mountains and was greeted by a dust storm blowing through the area. It was difficult to find the airport in low visibility and I had to close the air vents cause it felt like my face was being sandblasted.
After landing I was met by Ginger who helped run the event and played host to the birds. Luckily because the dust storm blocked out the sun and moved the air around it wasn't too hot and we were able to unload the plane quickly. We headed back to her house and got the birds situated and fed. Here is a video of the flight there. More videos and stories from the trip coming soon.
This was a really fun and exciting weekend. The parrots came on a flying and camping trip to Maine. We set out not too early. Shortly after takeoff, air traffic control had me fly right over the Empire State Building and cross La Guardia airport. I let the birds out and they would go from sitting on me to atop Truman's travel cage. This was the first time I have ever taken them flying together in my airplane. Prior to this it was just one at a time and on occasion. But lately I have been testing things out and making preparations for our cross country flight to Arizona in June to present our live seminar.
Cartoon depiction of Kili & Truman on their camping outing
Kili copiloting the airplane
Truman giving flying advice from my shoulder
Kili & Truman perch atop Truman's travel cage while he tries to put a shoe on
We climbed to 13,500 feet to practice high elevation flying in preparation for our upcoming trip to Arizona to present a seminar. The birds got sleepy and dozed off. Kili was out like a log in her carrier in the full turned around sleeping position. Truman took longer to fall asleep but fell into a light slumber as well. However, the birds held up just fine and I'm no longer worried about flying over the rockies with them without supplemental oxygen. My airplane isn't pressurized, so although flying lower than jetliners, the actual cabin pressure is far lower.
Truman falls asleep in his travel cage because of the low pressure but shows no discomfort
After two and a half hours flight, we arrived in Belfast, Maine. We took a quick fly over the town and landed at the municipal airport. I harnessed up the parrots in the airplane and then we walked to town. It was only a few miles each way so not a big deal. Fresh air, sun, and entertainment for the birds. Kili & Truman took turns riding my hand or shoulder.
We went to a seafood place by the water and enjoyed some Maine lobster and seafood. Although pets aren't allowed into the restaurant, Kili and Truman earned special permission for their cuteness. We took a table at the furthest end to avoid disturbing anyone. The parrots sat on a nearby fence and earned scraps of french fries and veggies from the masters' table.
Airport and town of Belfast Maine
After a tasty seafood meal, we go to check out the marina in Belfast Maine
Kili and Truman find the airplane's propeller an ideal place to perch and drop a poo before the next flight
We walked back to the airport and climbed in the plane for a very short flight over to the island of Islesboro. The airport there was quite short and desolated. One other airplane was parked there but otherwise it did not appear as though anyone had been through there in weeks. I parked the plane near a grassy patch and then proceeded to unload. I put the parrots out in their carriers to watch the tent set up process. They were just in awe how all that tent fit in such a small bag. After everything was set up, we took a walk and watched the sun set.
Upon return to the camping area, we broke out the cooler and sat down for a picnic dinner. I brought a parrot training perch for the birds to share when they were out. The two of them jealously watched the picnic set up but were treated to some bread and parrot food. It was getting dark so I put the birds into their travel cages and wrapped them with their sheet so they could have their own tent within the tent to stay warm at night. I specifically opted to cover them with one big sheet rather than separate ones so they could share their trapped heat under it.
The parrots were awakened by the calls of wild birds that they had never heard before. So they joined in with their own chatter, shrieks, and whistles. I took the parrots outside wearing their harnesses and practiced some flight recalls with them for treats. They did some but were mostly busy looking around so I didn't push it much. I let them climb around in the tree near our tent and they were thrilled. It was a lot bigger than their tree at home!
Parrots go camping in a tent by the airplane in Islesboro Maine
Kili and Truman decorate the airport sign by doing their own run up
The parrots enjoy some morning sunshine in the tent atop Truman's travel cage
Kili and Truman had a thrill climbing around a tree by the tent
We packed up the tent and loaded the plane. Before long we were airborne and enroute to Hyannis in Cape Cod Massachussets. We flew right over top Boston Logan Airport enroute and Kili got a bird's eye view of Boston.
We arrived in an hour and a half, parked the plane, and headed into town for lunch. After a pleasant walk, we found my favorite raw bar called The Raw Bar. This place is home of the biggest Lobster Roll I have ever seen. For $25 you get a Lobster Roll the size of a Cape Parrot. It's gotta have at least 3-4 lobsters worth of meat piled on it. It is virtually impossible to eat this much lobster by yourself so it's good to have someone to share it with.
I set the parrots on the chair next to me and fed them oysters. Actually they were just the cracker kind, oyster crackers. But the parrots were in paradise. They love the crunchy chewy goodness of these little baked delights and were begging for more. I gave them a chance to taste some lobster but they opted to stick to the french fries and crackers instead.
Kili gets a "bird's eye view" of Boston as we fly over Boston Logan Airport
Parrots checking out the giant Lobster Roll. And yes, it's all real lobster, no substitute!
Kili and Truman prefer fake seafood like Oyster Crackers instead
After a delightful, and somewhat overfilling, seafood lunch, we strolled around Hyannis. From all directions Kili & Truman received praise from shocked onlookers. We returned to the airport and completed the flight back to New York in record time. With a steady tailwind, I was able to bring the power back to fly at 185mph on a mere 14 gallons of gas in an hour and fifteen minutes. Coming back to New York from the northeast, we turned south and flew down the Hudson to get back home.
Map portraying our trip. Red, green, yellow, then blue. NY - Belfast - Islesboro - Hyannis - NY
Senegal Parrot flying over New York City
The trip proved a huge success and we had a lot of fun. It was a new experience for the parrots but far from overwhelming. By camping, walking, and using personal transportation we were able to avoid all issues surrounding travel with pets. We ate outside and cleaned up our own mess. Thus we were able to make the entire trip with the birds without any question of whether they'd be allowed or not. This broke up the parrots' typical routine and also got them involved in something I would normally leave them at home to do. It's a win/win for everyone. Now check out the video footage from the parrots' camping trip to Maine.
A common problem that companion parrot owners face is the parrot being unwilling to go back into the cage after being out. I kind of end up taking it for granted that parrots just go back into their cages because the system I set up makes it so mine always go back in without protest. It isn't so much about the technique of how to put them in as the complete approach to parrot ownership and scheduling. First I'll go into my system that ensures that parrots always go back into their cage willingly and then I'll show how I go even further and vary the exact methods I use for putting them away to maintain maximum tameness. Note, this article is about how to get an already tame parrot that knows how to go into the cage (but doesn't want to) to be more willing to go inside rather than the initial taming/training. If you have a new parrot or one that never learned to step into the cage, refer to the taming article instead.
Many people complain that their otherwise nice parrot will start screaming, biting, flying away, or causing any other sort of trouble when the time comes to put it away in the cage. Let me tell you, it doesn't have to be this way. In fact it should never be this way because it causes undo stress on the parrot (and the owner). Having a little planning and self-discipline can take care of all of this. Here is the strategy laid out:
1) No meals outside the cage. I have absolutely no idea why people feed their parrots outside the cage. They don't need it and it makes it pointless for the parrot to go into the cage. If a parrot has everything it could possibly want outside the cage, then why in the world would it want to go inside of it? Treats for training or foraging are fine, but meals must be in the cage only.
2) Save the best toys for the cage. Unless you're at the stage where you are having difficulty getting the parrot to come out, you don't need to give the parrot the best stuff to stay out. Usually they are thrilled at the diversity of things to see and do outside the cage anyway. You should provide them with toys to keep them busy (and distracted from your stuff) but there's no reason the out of cage toys should be better than the in-cage ones. If your parrot likes toys, sometimes hanging a brand new toy in the cage right before putting it away provides a good enough reason to go inside and check it out.
3) Don't make it suck to be in the cage. As much as you should avoid making out of cage time be too good (so the parrot wants to stay out), you must avoid making the cage be a bad place. Never use the cage as punishment. Make sure that the cage is a safe/comfortable place for your parrot. Provide a desirable variety of perches, toys, and things to do. This also means making sure the parrots never feel unsafe in the cage. Never allow people to taunt or scare the parrots when they are in their cage. While many people recommend having cages in high traffic areas, I prefer the exact opposite. I find that (with at least my Poicephalus parrots) they need a substantial amount of quiet alone time during the day for things like relaxing, vocalizing, preening, playing, and napping.
4) Let the parrot get tired when it is out of cage. Basically let it fly when it is out of the cage (don't clip its wings). In fact make it fly so much (through flight training) that it is happy to take a break in the cage. Since my parrots associate the cage with peace/relaxation, they are very willing to go inside when they are tired.
5) Don't let the parrot spend too much time out of cage. Some people keep their parrot out of the cage all day and then complain that it won't go into the cage when they need it to. If the parrot is used to being out all the time, then it just tries to continue what it is most accustomed to. I prefer to have a balance. Rather than letting my parrots out for a lot some days and less others, I try to keep it more uniform based on what I can normally provide. So even if I'm home all day on the weekend, I don't spoil them with out of cage time all day. I may take them outside or on a trip, but at home they spend a typical amount of time in the cage every day.
6) Put the parrot away when it is time for sleep. Maintain a predictable sleep schedule for the parrot. If the parrot expects to go to sleep and is accustomed to sleeping in its cage, it will be willing to go in if not entirely on its own. I keep the lights in the parrot area on a timer to go off at the same time every night and then I cover the cages. This way they are used to the routine and want to go into their cages in the evening. For this reason the last time of the day when they are out is right before their bed time.
7) Provide in cage meals when the parrot is put away. First have the parrot without food or out of its cage long enough for it to get hungry. Don't provide food while it is out (except small treats). Then put it away to a meal waiting in the cage. The parrot will notice the meal and go in the cage for it. Instead of thinking how it doesn't want to be in the cage, it will instead strive to go in for the meal.
What it comes down to is that if the parrot wants to be in the cage, it will not create resistance to being put away! To sum up my routine: I let Kili & Truman out briefly in the morning to poop and then put them away to their morning meal as I am leaving. Some days I put them outside in the aviary in the daytime. By the time I need to put them back in the cage, they are happy to be reunited with their cage after being out for so long. I may take them out to the park in the evening. When we return they are very willing to go back into their cage because they are tired from all the excitement and flying they do outside. Finally in the evening I take them out for out of cage time and training. After this they are usually tired and just dying to go back into the cage for meal and sleep. By keeping their cage as a place of food, familiarity, and rest I can ensure their willingness to go in any time. They never protest going in because they are so accustomed that going back into the cage is a good thing even if that one time there isn't a specific reward for going back in.
On the flip side, I don't take any protest from my parrots either. Even if they were to bite, fly away, or give me any kind of trouble for putting them back in, I would not let it change my determination to put them away one bit. This is an important point because many people end up teaching their parrot to bite by giving in. If the parrot is rewarded just a few times for biting by being left out longer, it learns to bite whenever it doesn't want to be put away. There may be some occasional times when my parrots don't want to be put away and they may make it known through body language. However, it never gets to biting or anything else because they would never get away with it. Still, the main solution is making it so they want to go into the cage and not force. Because even if you can ignore biting, the parrot can still outfly you. You certainly don't want to get into a situation where you have to forcefully capture and cage the parrot because it will leave terrible associations both with you and the cage.
I used to let my parrots watch me pour food into their bowls outside the cage, come up to them with the bowl in one hand and have them step onto the other. I would fix their attention on the bowl and put them into the cage along with the bowl. Now, I just put the food in and they already know its there. Basically I would recommend the first method to people who have trouble putting the parrot away so the reward is on its mind and distracting from biting. However, if it's not the case then it doesn't matter much either way. I do not leave food in the cage though while they are out. I don't want them sneaking in, pigging out, and then coming back out. Then the lesson is entirely lost. Meals are only fed when out of cage time is entirely over. By the time the parrots are done with their meal, I'm sure they've forgotten exactly how they ended up in the cage to begin with.
I absolutely do not recommend letting the parrot climb into its cage itself. This is bad training. This teaches the parrot too much freedom that makes it difficult for you to circumvent in the case you truly must put the parrot away yourself. By allowing it to go back in when it wants to, inadvertently makes it not want to go in when you want/need it to. This is why every single time my parrots are to go back into the cage, it is through some form of interaction with me. Usually they really want to go into the cage so I get credit as the awesome savior that delivered them to their cage/meal. Other times there is no good reason for them to go in but they are so accustomed to going in whenever I put them in that they just go for it.
I never give treats for going back in the cage (although it's not a bad idea in some people's cases). Since mine have their food managed (at least to the extent that they receive exactly two meals a day), so to them a complete meal is already a super huge reward as it is. They clearly value it higher because they are willing to display more sophisticated behavior to receive it than for other treats. This is why it is so hugely successful for making them go in willingly. In fact is is so successful that I can recall the two parrots simultaneously and have them race across the room to land on my hand first! I always put whoever got to me first in the cage first as an additional incentive. False starts do not count though! This exercise teaches both patience (waiting for the cue) and cooperation! If one of the parrots does not fly, the other doesn't get the treat. With time they've each learned to come because that is the way to get the meal.
Since my parrots really want to go in the cage, I take this a step further and to my training advantage. I vary up the exact method that I get them into the cage in order to maintain maximum tameness. Sometimes I flight recall the parrots individually. Other times I recall them together. Yet other times I walk up to them, wherever they are, and have them step up onto my hand to be put away. Finally, I grab them from on top of their cage (or wherever they are) and just stick them in. Because this is rewarded with the meal inside (or the other reasons I previously mentioned), they always let me handle them this way and put them in. Sometimes I even combine methods where I will have them recall to be grabbed and put away. Whatever method I use, it is something that I want to maintain. Thus not only going into the cage is reinforced but also handling methods that I may use with them in or out of the cage!
By setting up this system of food management, environmental management, and scheduling I ensure that my parrots are willing to go back into the cage on a daily basis and at any random time that I need them to. I use going into the cage as a reward for other taming behaviors or flight recalls. This makes it easy for me to keep my parrots as pets and it makes their life less stressful because they get what they want. They still get to eat, spend time out of cage, etc but it is done in a way that I get credit for it instead of a pissed off parrot. This allows me to maintain control and the parrot to be well behaved around humans. It's a win/win for everyone. It doesn't even require a lot of training, just a rational approach to managing time and resources.
Trained Parrot is a blog about how to train tricks to all parrots and parakeets. Read about how I teach tricks to Truman the Brown Necked Cape Parrot including flight recall, shake, wave, nod, turn around, fetch, wings, and play dead. Learn how you can train tricks to your Parrot, Parrotlet, Parakeet, Lovebird, Cockatiel, Conure, African Grey, Amazon, Cockatoo or Macaw. This blog is better than books or DVDs because the information is real, live, and completely free of charge. If you want to know how to teach your parrot tricks then you will enjoy this free parrot training tutorial.
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Ozzy the African Grey on his custom built tree
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