I wonder how that will go down when the police arrive due to breaching lockdown rules "oh sorry officer, but they're not MY guests, they're my bird's guests"
U R a beautiful Soul! Ur attitude and values are truly admirable! When I was growing up, my folks used to visit a family with 4 kids and a parrot which had pulled all of it's feathers off. That always upset me so! But none of us knew or understood why that was happening. They just said it was a "silly and crazy" bird! OMG! It makes me want to crawl out of my skin to have been a party to that situation! The fact that both families were abusive to the kids, kind of explains why we didn't understand nor could we say anything about it! It's only after my mom died and we were all adults that I learned about all the abuse going on in that family too! I wish I knew Ur name! Well, I don't so I'll just say "WingsNpaws" U R the kind of enlightened person we need teaching and guiding American society!
Hi Iadora, I know I am a year late to your comment but I thought it's better late than never. I'm John and it's funny that you said that because I do teach in a public high school in the US.
My grandparents had an unsocialized grey given to them, after a bunch of bites and learning his boundaries he's now super cuddly and those boundaries are now gone. Thank you for your videos! They taught me a lot and gave me hope for my bird!
It's great to see what a wonderful relationship you & Smokey have. Her body language speaks volumes & it's always nice to watch such positive human-parrot interactions. Keep up the good work! =)
wow! "learned helplessness" must also apply to dogs! my rescued pomeranian dog froze whenever I picked him up or even reached out to pet him. he lived in a crate for his first 8+ years and was only in contact with others when he was to be mated. he didn't even know his name. it has taken me 2 years of patiently showing him there are good humans in the world too. his fear has abated with me... it is lovely to watch him frisk and play and even ask to be petted! my heart is joyful for his escape from fear.
My bird is so phobic. He is a feather plucker too. We have had him for 17 years and he is quite attached to my ex-husband. However, he is with me because my Ex husband is gone from home a lot.He works out of town and he began plucking his feathers when left alone with his new girlfriend who did not really like him. He has been with me for three years now. He lets me pet his head and beak and his back a little. He also lets me feed him, of course. But he never stepped up for me. I watched a few of your videos and was able to get him to step on my hand multiple times. This is a FIRST! Thank you! I just held up my hand and kept talking to him until he was ready to come to me. How can I help his phobias? He does not like toys or new foods, or new perches or many things? I bought some toy parts thinking as they are smaller maybe he will get used to them. We just ordered them after watching your videos.. I don't know. Can you help. We have not done a great job with him in the past with socialization. We let him just be attached to my ex husband. But we are trying now... any ideas? I want him to be happy!
As someone who takes in rescue birds from people who don't understand what it takes i really appreciate your videos. hopefully you are helping bird owners everywhere be better to their birds
I'm getting a female baby CAG in a few weeks when she's weaned, and I'm so excited to bring her home and start training, desensitizing her, socializing her, and getting her very comfortable with the whole family and all different things and sounds. I can't wait to have her 😍
Hey man. I got an African Grey a month ago. He is 16 months old and dont have good social skills.(He loves only to come to my hand and to cuddle but he doesnt like other people) :/ Now, at this moment when im writing this its 4 am in Croatia and for last hour im watching your videos of your cute bird. I really wanted to help him but didnt know how and finally I found your channel. :) Now I will watch your videos and take your advice...I hope I will get some results with him. Thank you so much and keep doing this! Respect! :) P.S. I apologize for my english...im not good with grammar.
I\'m not sure but ,if anyone else trying to find out how to teach parrots tricks try Dalz Parrot Tips Discovery (Have a quick look on google cant remember the place now ) ? Ive heard some pretty good things about it and my mate got great results with it.
Two weeks in our relationship, my jenday conure and I are doing very well, thanks to your tips and tricks! He does a few tricks, likes to cuddle a lot, flies on my hand on demand, doesnt bite anymore. He also lets me pet his wings and his little feet. The only thing is that he doesnt trust anybody but me, and nips other people. I ask friends and family to give him lots of treats when they visit, he even did some step ups on demand and was sitting on my sisters shoulder, all relaxed. Were getting there!
Desensitize him around strangers, however you can, but of course that can be difficult. What you don't want to do is keep him away from strangers cause he 'might bite them', as that would trigger a more emotional response out of him when he actually does get around them, so it is a bit of a double edged sword. Maybe keep the cage in an area with a lot of traffic, so he associates humans with harmless, and not only YOU as harmless. If the parrot is young and biting is when he is being curious about new people, he might be 'mouthing' strangers to learn more about them, like a baby mouths things, they grow out of that.
Dude you are such a great person when it comes to animals. Everything in this video can apply to other species like dogs, cats, ferrets, etc. I have never been concerned with teaching the animals I share my home with tricks. I just want them to be as happy as possible. I want them to be relaxed and well adjusted. Socialization is probably THE most important aspect of "training" an animal. Thank you for this video. This is excellent
I got my little blue budgie Floof two months ago :)(he is around six months old now) it feels really nice training him and sometimes he somehow knows if i don't feel as well he will randomly start chirping. Mine loves music that i listen to and chirps and dances to it. It's awesome having a bird and getting it to slowly trust you. I still can't get him out of the cage but we made quite a bt of progress for a bird that has been in a pet shop all his life. I hope you get a bird as well and good luck!
MarbleGray terrible advice, there is no such thing as a 'starter bird' you will have this parrot for 10 years at least. Budgies are parrots. They actually hold the record for largest vocabulary
wingsNpaws : I recently purchased a yellow sided green-cheeked conure that is just 7 weeks old. While I have spent a lot of time around "greys" but never owned one, or any other type of bird, & was always with the owner, who had bred & raised them since they were hatchlings. So after about 8yrs of being around her wonderful birds, coupled with my 4 yr old daughters obsession with birds of any kind I decided that I would start the process of choosing a bird that fit our capabilities & household in general. Enter, young Salvador our conure, he has a wonderful disposition & seems to acclimate quickly to situations and surroundings. He is affectionate , inquisitive, highly fond of new people, places and things. Truly an adventurous spirit. My 4 yr old, I believe because of her fondness for all animals & the fact that she has had a copious amount of exposure animals due to my profession as a horse trainer, riding instructor and active horse rescuer with emphasis on physical as well as emotional and behavioral rehabilitation and sustained well being, with an objective of successful reintroduction to life as a horse used for riding and/or companionship. So she has been taught to respect animals and apply "the 3 C's", if you will, 1. Confidence, in your ability & level of comfort when working with animals. 2. Consistency, in the way you ask an animal to learn and/or do something and be sure your clear with whatever you may be asking of them. 3. Compassion. always, always be aware of the animals body language or form of communication , i.e... level of discomfort, signs of distrust or distress, ect,ect,... & the utmost importance of positive renforcement. So, the "concern or issue " is while of course she is supervised during the time that she is handling him she will approach this play/hopefully learning time with a little too much gusto which in return makes Salvador seem to get uncomfortable and sometimes slightly agitated. When these situations arise I will ask him two step up onto my hand and talk very calmly to him and reward him with a nut or a seed, explain to my daughter why I think setting him n the play kitchen microwave & shutting the door might make him uncomfortable. My questions are as follows: 1. Am I handling this type of situation correctly, in regards to the approach in extracting Salvador from said situation? 2. In my intention to bring a long term animal friendship with the perks of growing up together, learning how to work together and seeing the rewards if executed properly & hopefully watching their friendship grow, did I inadvertently make a bad decision to have a young bird and a young child be companions? Please advise &/or suggest anything I can do to make sure that Salvador will remain resilient and maintain his beautiful personality rather than becoming a untrusting of people, aggressive and overall unhappy bird. I thank you in advance for your time & guidance on the aforementioned concerns. Sincerely, J
Thank you so much for your time and sharing all these very useful tips. I'm looking into adopting(Cody) a 6 yr old male African Grey who needs a home, very sweet, very skittish and needs lots of attention. I just want what's best for Cody and prayers that with the correct knowledge one day Cody will have a fulfilled life
Our vacuum cleaner is a central one so powerful it cannot be used anywhere near small species of birds: it will suck a budgie to the basement container in about 1.5 seconds! LOL! Seriously, though, this is a very thoughtful video for which you must be commended. On the subject of "training" as you perceive it, I agree that it is an excellent way to interact with your bird(s), but it is not the only way...
I always learn so much from you! We have a pair of Amazon Yellow Head 6 week olds and watching your video made us fall even more in love with them! Thank you for all the great info! You're such a wonderful teacher for all of us out here in the Tube, who truly want a healthy balanced relationship with our pets. Thank you!
after I few minutes of listening to you and watching smokey, I thought I wondered where he is located and if he would work with my new African gray..lol...Then it dawned on me, I'm the one he needs to bond to.. Percy is 4 years old and I was told he was to getoutta the cage on his own.. I did and it took me forever to get him back.. now I will start listening and watching your tapes :)
"Learned helplessness" hmm that makes a LOT of sense to me actually! I've inherited 2 lorikeets, former owner I believe got one as a baby & the other as an adult. The one he got as an adult arrived cage territorial, biting like mad & very hormonal, still won't leave her cage, but biting has almost always stopped in just a couple of weeks (still bites if hormonal/bad mood & I'm not paying enough attention, but otherwise doesn't). The one he got as a baby arrived feather plucking & rocking back & forward from stress/anxiety/fear, but never biting, only nibbling, would sit on my shoulder, come out of the cage, come close to me & interact in general, so seemingly much "tamer" BUT as I've tried training with her, there's some major resistance to stuff like "step up" onto my hand, will now lift 1 foot onto it, but with other foot locked solid on the cage wire & will NOT budge & when I accidentally moved my hand slightly while her foot was on it, she bit like mad & she regularly bites me actually, despite never doing that when I got her 3 weeks ago, always in predictable settings, ones where a nervous bird would be scared or threatened, so the learned helplessness idea makes PERFECT sense! One he got as an adult never fully went into that, while the one he got as a baby did & now as I undo that, & teach him it's ok to be himself, he doesn't have to fear me, his real emotions & fears are starting to show. Thanks for that :) Gonna be a LONG path ahead for me I think! We'll get there though :)
Everyday I'm learning more. My grey is eating pellets fairly well it seems and other healthier foods. Now it's just the veg haha. She loved carrots now she won't touch them (I clearly have a fussy bird!!) I just really want to learn how to get my Bella to be in my hand like smokie is. That's amazing. Thanks for so many helpful videos
My reason for getting a bird: 1.) I have depression and being around animals seems to really help with that and birds are very intelligent creatures that need stimulants like humans. So it’s kinda like having a friend to keep you entertained and occupied on other things. Getting my Sun Conure and interacting with it daily and training it has improved my depression for sure! Plus I know Ichigo enjoys it! ^^ So that also makes me feel good knowing he’s happy! 2.) Im 19 and I don’t want kids yet personally, birds are like kids but less hectic in some ways. So for those young people that have baby fever, I’d suggest waiting till your stable enough, birds are the next best thing! Cheaper too! They are also hilarious creatures! Never get a bird for its beauty though! It’s not fair to get an animal you don’t know how to or want to care for!
its all about having positive energy when it comes to bonding with your bird,no good trying to train something that doesnt have complete trust in you,it takes time and alot of patience
Great advice even for human behaviors. Also would think practicing this 'emotional awareness and intelligence' would greatly expand a birds lifespan; reduce long term health problems.
the first thing people ask about my eclectus is often "is it real?" hahaha. I'm not kidding. I once had a worker at petco ask me "is that a parrot, is that what that is?" wow
@Connor Anderson true, they look more like... A surreal and fake looking bird created by kids if u gave them a paper and call them to draw and colour a parrot. But to me, they look absolutely beautiful and would be glad to meet one and socialize with one if i had the chance
My plans are to purchase an African Gray in the next month, so I appreciate you sharing your knowledge. The bird rescues are full of unwanted birds of all species and I understand now that bird knowledge could have prevented their demise. Do you have DVD on your teachings? Again thank you.
What you said is true of all pets.... Dogs, cats, birds, ferrets, ... If you are going to keep any animal out of its natural environment, you need to stimulate. For dogs and cats, Nina Ottoson games, birds need toys to chew on and for foraging, but also need challenges and routines. They need a JOB, which is learning new great stuff every day.
You have a lot of pets. May I give a suggestion? “How to get your parrot acquainted to your dogs” or “How to keep your dogs and parrots from getting jealous of each other.” I think this is really important for pet owners who want many species of pets.
I love your channel. I'm getting another bird this spring, and I can't wait to bring him home. These videos are very helpful. I want this baby to be my companion when I'm on the road (which is a lot) and so I want to take extra time with socialization and recall.
I think it's very interesting that desensitizing and training methods are very similar with other animals, like horses or dogs. Concerning introducing these animals to scary things, the "learned helplessness" is very common especially with horse training. Poor training methods can really hurt them later in life, and you definitely emphasized that with this video and how inexperienced bird owners will do this. Very good video, very informative :) Definitely subscribing!
I have had Gala's before and cockateles but not parrots. I bought one a few days ago 5 months old. She is a Indian ring neck. So different to the others...I'm watching ur vids to learn lol
I have a 19 yr old CAG that I recently became the proud owner of. He came from a one owner home who took good care of him but I think neglected him somewhat in terms of talking and bonding. She was afraid of him and yanked her hand back a lot and they never bonded. Right when my mom brought Rocky home (he was suppose to be her bird) he instantly bonded with me and started twitterpating around me and just totally was drawn to me instead of my mom so I am now his owner and take him to work w me every day. We have a good bond beginning it’s working out well. However His whole life she had his wings clipped and he has never learned to fly. His wings are starting to grow back and it’s coming time to clip them again and I feel awful doing so. I feel like he is so excited that his ability to fly is coming back. He stands on the door of his cage and holds on with his feet and flaps like he’s exercising his wings and practicing. But I’m also terrified of him flying away from me and getting lost. I know I need to skip his wings but how do you feel about these birds wearing harnesses ? Have you had any experience with this? That way he can practice flying safely connected to me.
Thank you for this great video. I’ve always had parrots and greys are my favorites. All my birds over the years have been forever birds and training has always been a fun experience. I have a new grey, between 3-6 years old that was formerly neglected. Understandably he’s a fearful bird. We’ve successfully gotten him used to hands and taking treats from all of us. He no longer trembles and enjoys the odd scratch on the neck. He’s even exploring and says hi and by appropriately. However perching on the hand is slow in coming. Which of your videos do you recommend for this? I’m slowly watching them all. I know once we make this leap to stepping up we will make great progress. Greys are amazing, i love their personalities and the lengths they push us to get to know them!
nice video, makes me feel better about having a bird that loves being out around me and my partner when we are around, not sure how i'll manage getting him to learn anything in the future but it's always a nice feeling when your bird will run to you from wherever he is when out the cage. i thought the comment on talking was funny though, i was saying the other week i'd be happy with my quaker exactly how he is even if he never talks and now he's started learning to imitate us haha
Excellent instructional video. You hit the key points. I have had caiques for about 20 years. My little guy Kiki died at age 8 - waiting for post-mortem results. I have been in touch with several CAG breeders, one of them seemed very promising. He is a hobby breeder and hoping to have a clutch in the spring. My question: I'll be taking my bird home in his travelling cage. Should I leave this with the breeder, so that he can de-sensitive my new baby to the traveller? Or, being the primary "flock-leader" should I visit often and show my new baby that the travel cage is safe?
nice vid i learned a few things, as i got my blue amazone for a week now, hes 15 years old, after 5 days we gained trust so did my wife and he loves to be tikkeld. also what you said i let my father and brother try to give him a treat and he is ok with that so im trying to socialize him with strangers. i did this after a few days wen he got used to us. he got used to me and my wfe really quik. ill let everyone f my fam or friends try to give him a treat or tikkle him in the neck and he really likes that. but this vid wil really help us with futher training, hes only been a week here but we really like him. and the funny thing is, the parrot grow up with cats in the house, and i have 4 cats, he dont care and so my cats dont care about him its all good, so i am really happy with that. alll the animals are living happy with eachoter here. thx for the vid!!!
First things to do it train the boid not to bite, not to crap on the furniture, and be quiet during people's sleep time. Socializing a wild bird takes much patience and understanding.
This is only one way to have birds, but there are other philosophies. It really isn't necessary to socialize birds with humans. I've always prefered to have at least 2 of the same species. Birds like parrots in particular have their own type of socialization that is very different from human. This is not to say his method is wrong, but as he stated, you have to apply a lot of time with the bird. They spend all day interacting in the wild especially grooming each other, that is their type of socialization. By teaching a bird to socialize with a human there are a lot of risks. He saw his two week vacation as a long period, but what happens if you're in the hospital for many weeks or months? The bird will be traumatized, possibly permanently from a real long term absence. When he mentioned about nasty people being around the bird, he didn't really stress that enough. I had a beautiful India Hill Mynah that was so sweet. He built a really impressive vocabulary and he stuck to me like glue most of the time (for some reason he just loved watching me do dishes) when I let him out of the cage every day. They were too expensive to get two, but I had 5 other birds and 2 cats he liked to play with. My roommate had a friend he brought over frequently who had a boa and he kept saying he would feed Oscar to it. After repeating this I got fed up and put him in his place. After that he would only come over when I wasn't there and he teased Oscar. The Mynah can easily become very aggressive when they are mistreated and Oscar was getting aggressive and learning a lot of cuss words. The bird was impossible to overcome the aggression and I tried everything I knew for several months. I was so heartbroken that I had to sell him, but I was honest and very specific about telling the new owner about him. I was so angry at the guy that looked for him to beat the crap out of him. He moved to California. So, I would suggest you watch people like a hawk, parrots can also become very aggressive and unpredictable from abuse. It's just my personal opinion, but I think it very important for birds to socialize like a bird and not a human. Even if you have 2 parrots they'll still bond to you but they won't be dependant. Like he said, they tend to bond to one person. I think the smaller parrots are better because they love people and will play a lot even with having 2 or more of the species. Thomas
+Jan Durgen I've never been one who needed a "relationship" with a pet. During my childhood I lived quite a bit in the mountains. I really marveled at all the wildlife. So I developed an appreciation for animals simply being there. That especially applied to birds. There was only bird that I didn't get two or more, my India Hill Mynah (Oscar), they are a one man show all by themselves. Nearly every day I let my birds out for several hours. Oscar absolutely loved teasing the cats, yes I had 3 cats and not once did they attack the birds. The one time that Oscar was always on my shoulder was when I did the dishes, he wars fascinated by that. He had a vocabulary of over 50 words and I don't know how many sounds. When I finished he went back to the couch and called the cats and they came running. I had 3 Budgies and 2 white doves. I enjoyed them much more when they were out of the cage, it never felt right to have them in a cage. I wanted to buy a house and have huge terrarium, full of plants, other animals, waterfall, aquariums the works. I never did get to do that though, so I let them out as often as I could. I just never felt the need for animals to bond with. I was kind of duplicating the wild as much as I could because all the animals I saw in the wild were so relaxed and enjoying life. I won't criticize others for how they believe regarding pets. I know there are so many very lonely people who need to feel special and not feel alone, parents in particular help that extremely well. For me cats and dogs always kept me from feeling alone. One of my first cats the yellow and white (I don't remember the breed). This damn cat was better than any sleeping pill. When I went to be, she got up and curled around the top of my head and purred, I was out like a light in no time. Cats are just plain funny and so easy to entertain and get entertained. Those grocery paper sacks were the best. I much prefered many animals because each of them have their own unique qualities. In the wild, the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, I had so many things happen that no one would ever believe in a million years. I've come across cougar and bear, never attacked. I spent over an hour talking to a porcupine only inches away. If I had my way I would live in a log cabin where I'm in the cage and the animals are all free. I'm not an animal rights nut or anything. I have no problem killing for food and to end suffering, I just love to see animal free. Your birds sound beautiful, okay, all birds are beautiful. If you enjoy them and they enjoy you that's all that matters. Sorry for the rambling, a lot of pain today and a lot pain medication. Thomas
I just love your videos; your methods of working with your birds :) Thanks so much for helping teach people how to make the lives of their pet birds the best lives possible...I've got a little conure, a Ruppells parrot, & now also a young African Grey, like Smoky. She's sweet, but when I got her, she already had begun picking her feathers :( I'm hoping that she will grow out of it, now that she's in a good home, with a more interesting, full life than before she came to me. Her wings were clipped, & im wondering if I let them grow out again, if maybe she would leave her feathers alone...She might be stressed, not being able to fly? I'm watching as many of your videos as I can find.. (imo they're the best on u tube :) thanks again :)
just about to get a grey. What do you feed yours on and what do you give for treats. Have just lost a Red Lored Amazon to illness was very tame, so starting again any tips for a grey would be appreciated Thanks Andy
my parrot passed away now my other parrot doesn't like me touching him since I took her partner away from him. it breaks my heart what can I do he only let me touch him when he outside cage not inside cage
Do you have a video of your sleeping method for your grey? I just got a 4month old baby and am having a hard time night training. Also do you steam or cook her veggies?
I love your series of videos with Smokey, she is brilliant and your videos help me with my Casper, 15 yr old female African Gray who is also very smart and loving, like your Smokey. My Casper is priceless to me, as I imagine your Smokey is to you, In my case, she was my parents' bird and i inherited her along with a Sun Conure and a Quaker Parrot, all of whom are buddies. The Quaker is her favorite, but she is quite old, and I am concerned that when the inevitable time comes, how will Casper deal with her grief when she loses her life long friend? How can I help her before and after that time comes? The Quaker is 25 yrs old and still in good health, but I know she is already past her average life expectancy, so I want to begin to learn what could happen to Casper if she loses a friend. BTW, she did grieve for my dad, but my mother is still very much alive and healthy, just decided to let me have the birds now, instead of at a time when it would be hard on everyone, including them. Thank you for your series and much love to Smokey!
My mom has a Redhead Amazon. He's probably about 25. His first owner was neglectful and kept him outside and the neighborhood kids woukd scream at him, poke at him with sticks, etc. His second owner was my mom's best friend. He grew to love my mom and her friend but was still extremely temperamental, no matter what they did. After my mom's friend passed, he came to live with us (2006). The only person he trusts is my mom. I moved out in 2013 but still visit. He's let me scratch his head a few times but will not let me do anything else with him. I can't hold him, pet him or even give him a snack without him trying to bite the shit out of me. He is terrified of gloves, so I'm not sure how to protect my hand without further scaring him. He hasn't been out of his cage in almost a year and I'm really wanting to rehabilitate him and earn his trust, so to speak, and give him the attention he deserves. Is there any hope for calming him down or is this behavior cemented? Sorry about the long comment. There aren't any bird experts in my area. Thank you!
300th comment, even though nobody cares. Anyway, Smokey really seems to enjoy her time with you :) I would like to see more Smokey, or just a video of Smokey, being Smokey.
hi, i recently got a rescue parrot. Paddy is over 30 and has a big vocabulary. he is plucking his feathers and thinks i m gonna frighten him if i try and get him on a perch . . . we are working through all the issues slowly. can you recommend treats i can give him by hand? he likes sunflowers and peanuts but i would like to vary things
Where did you purchase Smokey? I’m looking to buy an African gray and am looking for a legitimate breeder as I heard that many people have been scammed for thousands of dollars and never received any bird. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
i hope u can answer me man, 2 days ago i got a 5 months african gary, he is a bit aggressive now and a bit frightend, he screamed and bited on the first day, but the second day he was a bit relaxed and steped up to my hand, and i fed him from my hand, he is still a bit scared, and sometimes try to bite and fly away, my question is, is that normal? how long will pass untill he will start building trust? i play with him alot and try to fed him by hand, and after how long u recomend to start traning an african gray?
Hi Cherry you are seriously a nice person, you really made my day. I really appreciate that you helped me like when I first read your reply on my comment it really put a smile on my face and you should be proud of that. I love you ❤️💕 even though I don’t know you 😂but I still think your a great person,I hope nothing bad ever happens to you keep up this positive great work that brings people motivation 👍
I was once a huge proponent of wing clipping but after I started training parrots for flight (even adult parrots who were clipped), I now vow to never clip another bird again.
@@wingsNpaws Hello, do you have a personal email? If you do not mind I would like to contact you and ask you a few questions on how I can gain my birds trust. I have just adopted a 3 year old cockatiel and it has only be a week in a half, but I am having a bit of trouble with him and am not sure what I should do.
ok, I listened to you, I am socializing my 5month old male Eclectus, let children and other people hold him, go on hikes to the ocean and mountains. I somewhat potty trained him. When and what is the next thing to do, should I train him to wear a harness because I love to take him outside. Btw, what do you think of eclectus parrots? I can't use sunflower seeds yet, he's not to interested. Thx in advance, Erika
How have you been taking him outside without a harness? In a travel cage? I would definitely recommend harness training if you and your bird enjoy being outside that sounds like the perfect direction for you guys :)
Parrots make a mess when they eat. I suggest you learn your parrot to fly back to his cage after you give him a treat. It's pretty easy to do (most things with food involved are) and also makes him see his cage as a positive thing. (ie: You should be careful when only using it to punish the parrot after they do something bad)
"We want the bird to learn that some of the things in its environment are okay, they're not that scary" LOL This is the w tfundamental difference between greys and, say, conures or cockatoos. XD . Greys are very sensitive to their environment in sort of negative way. They're suspicious and worried. Conures approach new things with the attitude of "Ohhh fun new toy I'm gonna chew on it".
"invite friends over for pizza" hey hey hey, im here for bird advice, my lack of friends isn't relevant here
this hit too close too home for me
I wonder how that will go down when the police arrive due to breaching lockdown rules "oh sorry officer, but they're not MY guests, they're my bird's guests"
😂😂
U R a beautiful Soul! Ur attitude and values are truly admirable!
When I was growing up, my folks used to visit a family with 4 kids and a parrot which had pulled all of it's feathers off. That always upset me so! But none of us knew or understood why that was happening. They just said it was a "silly and crazy" bird!
OMG! It makes me want to crawl out of my skin to have been a party to that situation! The fact that both families were abusive to the kids, kind of explains why we didn't understand nor could we say anything about it!
It's only after my mom died and we were all adults that I learned about all the abuse going on in that family too!
I wish I knew Ur name! Well, I don't so I'll just say "WingsNpaws" U R the kind of enlightened person we need teaching and guiding American society!
IADORA KELLEY his name is john
IADORA KELLEY s
Hi Iadora, I know I am a year late to your comment but I thought it's better late than never. I'm John and it's funny that you said that because I do teach in a public high school in the US.
This person definitely knows what he is talking about and is giving very good advice for all bird owners.
Best how to videos I came across.... He really takes a birds pov so importantly.... Thats what I love most about this channel
My grandparents had an unsocialized grey given to them, after a bunch of bites and learning his boundaries he's now super cuddly and those boundaries are now gone. Thank you for your videos! They taught me a lot and gave me hope for my bird!
It's great to see what a wonderful relationship you & Smokey have. Her body language speaks volumes & it's always nice to watch such positive human-parrot interactions. Keep up the good work! =)
wow! "learned helplessness" must also apply to dogs! my rescued pomeranian dog froze whenever I picked him up or even reached out to pet him. he lived in a crate for his first 8+ years and was only in contact with others when he was to be mated. he didn't even know his name. it has taken me 2 years of patiently showing him there are good humans in the world too. his fear has abated with me... it is lovely to watch him frisk and play and even ask to be petted! my heart is joyful for his escape from fear.
This is a super good trained parrot
!!
the vacuum cleaner treat idea is fantastic
My bird is so phobic. He is a feather plucker too. We have had him for 17 years and he is quite attached to my ex-husband. However, he is with me because my Ex husband is gone from home a lot.He works out of town and he began plucking his feathers when left alone with his new girlfriend who did not really like him. He has been with me for three years now. He lets me pet his head and beak and his back a little. He also lets me feed him, of course. But he never stepped up for me. I watched a few of your videos and was able to get him to step on my hand multiple times. This is a FIRST! Thank you! I just held up my hand and kept talking to him until he was ready to come to me. How can I help his phobias? He does not like toys or new foods, or new perches or many things? I bought some toy parts thinking as they are smaller maybe he will get used to them. We just ordered them after watching your videos.. I don't know. Can you help. We have not done a great job with him in the past with socialization. We let him just be attached to my ex husband. But we are trying now... any ideas? I want him to be happy!
this is very useful honestly.. and i was wondering why all parrots i ever had weren't okay with new surroundings and people
Ps, Smokey is one of the loveliest grays I’ve seen on UA-cam! Glad to have y’all’s videos! They truly help! I can tell you care a lot about birds!
Thanks for teaching us the importance of a living thing, we sometimes forget that these birds have feelings just like humans. This is a fact.❤️
As someone who takes in rescue birds from people who don't understand what it takes i really appreciate your videos. hopefully you are helping bird owners everywhere be better to their birds
I love everything you teach with parrots. You remind me of the horse whisperer!! I would buy your book.
I'm getting a female baby CAG in a few weeks when she's weaned, and I'm so excited to bring her home and start training, desensitizing her, socializing her, and getting her very comfortable with the whole family and all different things and sounds. I can't wait to have her 😍
Hey man. I got an African Grey a month ago. He is 16 months old and dont have good social skills.(He loves only to come to my hand and to cuddle but he doesnt like other people) :/
Now, at this moment when im writing this its 4 am in Croatia and for last hour im watching your videos of your cute bird. I really wanted to help him but didnt know how and finally I found your channel. :)
Now I will watch your videos and take your advice...I hope I will get some results with him.
Thank you so much and keep doing this! Respect! :)
P.S. I apologize for my english...im not good with grammar.
How is he doing?
Chef how did it go?
That boy dead
I\'m not sure but ,if anyone else trying to find out how to teach parrots tricks try Dalz Parrot Tips Discovery (Have a quick look on google cant remember the place now ) ? Ive heard some pretty good things about it and my mate got great results with it.
Thats usally normal for grey's because they are "one person birds" although they can be social to some other people!
Thank you for emphasizing politeness and respect for friends to understand prior to meeting/socializing with grey
this is great! I agree with your philosophy of training birds. It's important to know how flocks socialize and positive reinforcement!
Two weeks in our relationship, my jenday conure and I are doing very well, thanks to your tips and tricks! He does a few tricks, likes to cuddle a lot, flies on my hand on demand, doesnt bite anymore. He also lets me pet his wings and his little feet. The only thing is that he doesnt trust anybody but me, and nips other people. I ask friends and family to give him lots of treats when they visit, he even did some step ups on demand and was sitting on my sisters shoulder, all relaxed. Were getting there!
What helps is that i spend a couple hours a day with him.
Desensitize him around strangers, however you can, but of course that can be difficult. What you don't want to do is keep him away from strangers cause he 'might bite them', as that would trigger a more emotional response out of him when he actually does get around them, so it is a bit of a double edged sword. Maybe keep the cage in an area with a lot of traffic, so he associates humans with harmless, and not only YOU as harmless.
If the parrot is young and biting is when he is being curious about new people, he might be 'mouthing' strangers to learn more about them, like a baby mouths things, they grow out of that.
Dude you are such a great person when it comes to animals. Everything in this video can apply to other species like dogs, cats, ferrets, etc. I have never been concerned with teaching the animals I share my home with tricks. I just want them to be as happy as possible. I want them to be relaxed and well adjusted. Socialization is probably THE most important aspect of "training" an animal. Thank you for this video. This is excellent
I'm really excited to get birds because I think they're gonna help me feel less depressed and feel less lonely.
I got my little blue budgie Floof two months ago :)(he is around six months old now)
it feels really nice training him and sometimes he somehow knows if i don't feel as well he will randomly start chirping. Mine loves music that i listen to and chirps and dances to it. It's awesome having a bird and getting it to slowly trust you. I still can't get him out of the cage but we made quite a bt of progress for a bird that has been in a pet shop all his life. I hope you get a bird as well and good luck!
Erm.. Get a budgie or a starter bird, not a parrot though if it's your first one. (;
I know that feel...
MarbleGray terrible advice, there is no such thing as a 'starter bird' you will have this parrot for 10 years at least. Budgies are parrots. They actually hold the record for largest vocabulary
There is no such thing as a ‘ starter bird ‘
I'm so happy for your videos. we have a Goffin and I follow your advice.
im having an african grey in two weeks and your videos are good! thank you for these amazing videos
wingsNpaws :
I recently purchased a yellow sided green-cheeked conure that is just 7 weeks old. While I have spent a lot of time around "greys" but never owned one, or any other type of bird, & was always with the owner, who had bred & raised them since they were hatchlings. So after about 8yrs of being around her wonderful birds, coupled with my 4 yr old daughters obsession with birds of any kind I decided that I would start the process of choosing a bird that fit our capabilities & household in general.
Enter, young Salvador our conure, he has a wonderful disposition & seems to acclimate quickly to situations and surroundings. He is affectionate , inquisitive, highly fond of new people, places and things. Truly an adventurous spirit.
My 4 yr old, I believe because of her fondness for all animals & the fact that she has had a copious amount of exposure animals due to my profession as a horse trainer, riding instructor and active horse rescuer with emphasis on physical as well as emotional and behavioral rehabilitation and sustained well being, with an objective of successful reintroduction to life as a horse used for riding and/or companionship. So she has been taught to respect animals and apply "the 3 C's", if you will, 1. Confidence, in your ability & level of comfort when working with animals. 2. Consistency, in the way you ask an animal to learn and/or do something and be sure your clear with whatever you may be asking of them. 3. Compassion. always, always be aware of the animals body language or form of communication , i.e... level of discomfort, signs of distrust or distress, ect,ect,... & the utmost importance of positive renforcement.
So, the "concern or issue " is while of course she is supervised during the time that she is handling him she will approach this play/hopefully learning time with a little too much gusto which in return makes Salvador seem to get uncomfortable and sometimes slightly agitated. When these situations arise I will ask him two step up onto my hand and talk very calmly to him and reward him with a nut or a seed, explain to my daughter why I think setting him n the play kitchen microwave & shutting the door might make him uncomfortable.
My questions are as follows:
1. Am I handling this type of situation correctly, in regards to the approach in extracting Salvador from said situation?
2. In my intention to bring a long term animal friendship with the perks of growing up together, learning how to work together and seeing the rewards if executed properly & hopefully watching their friendship grow, did I inadvertently make a bad decision to have a young bird and a young child be companions?
Please advise &/or suggest anything I can do to make sure that Salvador will remain resilient and maintain his beautiful personality rather than becoming a untrusting of people, aggressive and overall unhappy bird. I thank you in advance for your time & guidance on the aforementioned concerns.
Sincerely,
J
Thank you so much for your time and sharing all these very useful tips. I'm looking into adopting(Cody) a 6 yr old male African Grey who needs a home, very sweet, very skittish and needs lots of attention. I just want what's best for Cody and prayers that with the correct knowledge one day Cody will have a fulfilled life
Our vacuum cleaner is a central one so powerful it cannot be used anywhere near small species of birds: it will suck a budgie to the basement container in about 1.5 seconds! LOL! Seriously, though, this is a very thoughtful video for which you must be commended. On the subject of "training" as you perceive it, I agree that it is an excellent way to interact with your bird(s), but it is not the only way...
I always learn so much from you! We have a pair of Amazon Yellow Head 6 week olds and watching your video made us fall even more in love with them! Thank you for all the great info! You're such a wonderful teacher for all of us out here in the Tube, who truly want a healthy balanced relationship with our pets. Thank you!
philanddeb818 do you still have them? How are they? Just got one that is currently being weaned and will be able to pick it up in a few weeks
Respect ..
very articulate
And loving ..
Love smokey.even the old videos .keep up the good work with her
Everyone who is planning to have African Grey should see your videos.
after I few minutes of listening to you and watching smokey, I thought I wondered where he is located and if he would work with my new African gray..lol...Then it dawned on me, I'm the one he needs to bond to.. Percy is 4 years old and I was told he was to getoutta the cage on his own.. I did and it took me forever to get him back.. now I will start listening and watching your tapes :)
"Learned helplessness" hmm that makes a LOT of sense to me actually! I've inherited 2 lorikeets, former owner I believe got one as a baby & the other as an adult.
The one he got as an adult arrived cage territorial, biting like mad & very hormonal, still won't leave her cage, but biting has almost always stopped in just a couple of weeks (still bites if hormonal/bad mood & I'm not paying enough attention, but otherwise doesn't).
The one he got as a baby arrived feather plucking & rocking back & forward from stress/anxiety/fear, but never biting, only nibbling, would sit on my shoulder, come out of the cage, come close to me & interact in general, so seemingly much "tamer" BUT as I've tried training with her, there's some major resistance to stuff like "step up" onto my hand, will now lift 1 foot onto it, but with other foot locked solid on the cage wire & will NOT budge & when I accidentally moved my hand slightly while her foot was on it, she bit like mad & she regularly bites me actually, despite never doing that when I got her 3 weeks ago, always in predictable settings, ones where a nervous bird would be scared or threatened, so the learned helplessness idea makes PERFECT sense! One he got as an adult never fully went into that, while the one he got as a baby did & now as I undo that, & teach him it's ok to be himself, he doesn't have to fear me, his real emotions & fears are starting to show.
Thanks for that :) Gonna be a LONG path ahead for me I think! We'll get there though :)
Everyday I'm learning more. My grey is eating pellets fairly well it seems and other healthier foods. Now it's just the veg haha. She loved carrots now she won't touch them (I clearly have a fussy bird!!) I just really want to learn how to get my Bella to be in my hand like smokie is. That's amazing. Thanks for so many helpful videos
Thank you for this video!. My Grey is already enjoying the changes.
You’re an avian psychologist! I just realized that I heard all of this in my psych classes.
Smokes must be so lucky to have you as his owner
If I had a friend with this bird, my life would be complete.
My reason for getting a bird:
1.) I have depression and being around animals seems to really help with that and birds are very intelligent creatures that need stimulants like humans. So it’s kinda like having a friend to keep you entertained and occupied on other things. Getting my Sun Conure and interacting with it daily and training it has improved my depression for sure! Plus I know Ichigo enjoys it! ^^ So that also makes me feel good knowing he’s happy!
2.) Im 19 and I don’t want kids yet personally, birds are like kids but less hectic in some ways. So for those young people that have baby fever, I’d suggest waiting till your stable enough, birds are the next best thing! Cheaper too! They are also hilarious creatures!
Never get a bird for its beauty though! It’s not fair to get an animal you don’t know how to or want to care for!
i dont think taking advice from a depressed 19 yearold is a good idea XD
its all about having positive energy when it comes to bonding with your bird,no good trying to train something that doesnt have complete trust in you,it takes time and alot of patience
Your videos are so great! Thanks for sharing tips and your experiences with Smokey!
Great advice even for human behaviors. Also would think practicing this 'emotional awareness and intelligence' would greatly expand a birds lifespan; reduce long term health problems.
the first thing people ask about my eclectus is often "is it real?" hahaha. I'm not kidding. I once had a worker at petco ask me "is that a parrot, is that what that is?" wow
@Connor Anderson true, they look more like... A surreal and fake looking bird created by kids if u gave them a paper and call them to draw and colour a parrot.
But to me, they look absolutely beautiful and would be glad to meet one and socialize with one if i had the chance
My plans are to purchase an African Gray in the next month, so I appreciate you sharing your knowledge. The bird rescues are full of unwanted birds of all species and I understand now that bird knowledge could have prevented their demise. Do you have DVD on your teachings? Again thank you.
What you said is true of all pets.... Dogs, cats, birds, ferrets, ... If you are going to keep any animal out of its natural environment, you need to stimulate. For dogs and cats, Nina Ottoson games, birds need toys to chew on and for foraging, but also need challenges and routines. They need a JOB, which is learning new great stuff every day.
Gee Bee q
You have a lot of pets. May I give a suggestion? “How to get your parrot acquainted to your dogs” or “How to keep your dogs and parrots from getting jealous of each other.” I think this is really important for pet owners who want many species of pets.
I love your channel. I'm getting another bird this spring, and I can't wait to bring him home. These videos are very helpful. I want this baby to be my companion when I'm on the road (which is a lot) and so I want to take extra time with socialization and recall.
I think it's very interesting that desensitizing and training methods are very similar with other animals, like horses or dogs. Concerning introducing these animals to scary things, the "learned helplessness" is very common especially with horse training. Poor training methods can really hurt them later in life, and you definitely emphasized that with this video and how inexperienced bird owners will do this. Very good video, very informative :) Definitely subscribing!
Your grey parrot is the best
Right on!
one of the best topics to cover
tnx alot
This video was super helpful. Your birb is beautiful 😍
I have had Gala's before and cockateles but not parrots. I bought one a few days ago 5 months old. She is a Indian ring neck. So different to the others...I'm watching ur vids to learn lol
I so much like the grey parroy😍
I have a 19 yr old CAG that I recently became the proud owner of. He came from a one owner home who took good care of him but I think neglected him somewhat in terms of talking and bonding. She was afraid of him and yanked her hand back a lot and they never bonded.
Right when my mom brought Rocky home (he was suppose to be her bird) he instantly bonded with me and started twitterpating around me and just totally was drawn to me instead of my mom so I am now his owner and take him to work w me every day. We have a good bond beginning it’s working out well.
However His whole life she had his wings clipped and he has never learned to fly. His wings are starting to grow back and it’s coming time to clip them again and I feel awful doing so. I feel like he is so excited that his ability to fly is coming back. He stands on the door of his cage and holds on with his feet and flaps like he’s exercising his wings and practicing. But I’m also terrified of him flying away from me and getting lost. I know I need to skip his wings but how do you feel about these birds wearing harnesses ? Have you had any experience with this? That way he can practice flying safely connected to me.
Thank you for this great video. I’ve always had parrots and greys are my favorites. All my birds over the years have been forever birds and training has always been a fun experience. I have a new grey, between 3-6 years old that was formerly neglected. Understandably he’s a fearful bird. We’ve successfully gotten him used to hands and taking treats from all of us. He no longer trembles and enjoys the odd scratch on the neck. He’s even exploring and says hi and by appropriately. However perching on the hand is slow in coming. Which of your videos do you recommend for this? I’m slowly watching them all. I know once we make this leap to stepping up we will make great progress. Greys are amazing, i love their personalities and the lengths they push us to get to know them!
Excellent vid. She’s lucky to have you.
nice video, makes me feel better about having a bird that loves being out around me and my partner when we are around, not sure how i'll manage getting him to learn anything in the future but it's always a nice feeling when your bird will run to you from wherever he is when out the cage. i thought the comment on talking was funny though, i was saying the other week i'd be happy with my quaker exactly how he is even if he never talks and now he's started learning to imitate us haha
You are great! I've found out a lot of new things from your video. Thank you.
Thanks a lot! Really helped. Our grey has become used to me ,he accepts treats from my hand but does not want to be touched.
excellent video - again. Really educational and helpful. Makes me more confident to seriously consider taking a bird at some point. Thanks!
Keep Going Bro!!! Great Work! You Deserve the love & respect👌💪
Very helpful. Thank you for this! ❤️
I have THE same bird thanks for the help.😁
simply, thank you for these videos!
Excellent instructional video. You hit the key points. I have had caiques for about 20 years. My little guy Kiki died at age 8 - waiting for post-mortem results. I have been in touch with several CAG breeders, one of them seemed very promising. He is a hobby breeder and hoping to have a clutch in the spring.
My question: I'll be taking my bird home in his travelling cage. Should I leave this with the breeder, so that he can de-sensitive my new baby to the traveller? Or, being the primary "flock-leader" should I visit often and show my new baby that the travel cage is safe?
Everyday people are respected of birds
nice vid i learned a few things, as i got my blue amazone for a week now, hes 15 years old, after 5 days we gained trust so did my wife and he loves to be tikkeld.
also what you said i let my father and brother try to give him a treat and he is ok with that so im trying to socialize him with strangers. i did this after a few days wen he got used to us.
he got used to me and my wfe really quik.
ill let everyone f my fam or friends try to give him a treat or tikkle him in the neck and he really likes that.
but this vid wil really help us with futher training, hes only been a week here but we really like him.
and the funny thing is, the parrot grow up with cats in the house, and i have 4 cats, he dont care and so my cats dont care about him its all good, so i am really happy with that.
alll the animals are living happy with eachoter here. thx for the vid!!!
Excellent advice, thx
First things to do it train the boid not to bite, not to crap on the furniture, and be quiet during people's sleep time. Socializing a wild bird takes much patience and understanding.
This is only one way to have birds, but there are other philosophies. It really isn't necessary to socialize birds with humans. I've always prefered to have at least 2 of the same species. Birds like parrots in particular have their own type of socialization that is very different from human. This is not to say his method is wrong, but as he stated, you have to apply a lot of time with the bird. They spend all day interacting in the wild especially grooming each other, that is their type of socialization. By teaching a bird to socialize with a human there are a lot of risks. He saw his two week vacation as a long period, but what happens if you're in the hospital for many weeks or months? The bird will be traumatized, possibly permanently from a real long term absence.
When he mentioned about nasty people being around the bird, he didn't really stress that enough. I had a beautiful India Hill Mynah that was so sweet. He built a really impressive vocabulary and he stuck to me like glue most of the time (for some reason he just loved watching me do dishes) when I let him out of the cage every day. They were too expensive to get two, but I had 5 other birds and 2 cats he liked to play with. My roommate had a friend he brought over frequently who had a boa and he kept saying he would feed Oscar to it. After repeating this I got fed up and put him in his place. After that he would only come over when I wasn't there and he teased Oscar. The Mynah can easily become very aggressive when they are mistreated and Oscar was getting aggressive and learning a lot of cuss words. The bird was impossible to overcome the aggression and I tried everything I knew for several months. I was so heartbroken that I had to sell him, but I was honest and very specific about telling the new owner about him. I was so angry at the guy that looked for him to beat the crap out of him. He moved to California. So, I would suggest you watch people like a hawk, parrots can also become very aggressive and unpredictable from abuse.
It's just my personal opinion, but I think it very important for birds to socialize like a bird and not a human. Even if you have 2 parrots they'll still bond to you but they won't be dependant. Like he said, they tend to bond to one person. I think the smaller parrots are better because they love people and will play a lot even with having 2 or more of the species.
Thomas
+Jan Durgen I've never been one who needed a "relationship" with a pet. During my childhood I lived quite a bit in the mountains. I really marveled at all the wildlife. So I developed an appreciation for animals simply being there. That especially applied to birds. There was only bird that I didn't get two or more, my India Hill Mynah (Oscar), they are a one man show all by themselves. Nearly every day I let my birds out for several hours. Oscar absolutely loved teasing the cats, yes I had 3 cats and not once did they attack the birds. The one time that Oscar was always on my shoulder was when I did the dishes, he wars fascinated by that. He had a vocabulary of over 50 words and I don't know how many sounds. When I finished he went back to the couch and called the cats and they came running. I had 3 Budgies and 2 white doves. I enjoyed them much more when they were out of the cage, it never felt right to have them in a cage. I wanted to buy a house and have huge terrarium, full of plants, other animals, waterfall, aquariums the works. I never did get to do that though, so I let them out as often as I could. I just never felt the need for animals to bond with. I was kind of duplicating the wild as much as I could because all the animals I saw in the wild were so relaxed and enjoying life.
I won't criticize others for how they believe regarding pets. I know there are so many very lonely people who need to feel special and not feel alone, parents in particular help that extremely well. For me cats and dogs always kept me from feeling alone. One of my first cats the yellow and white (I don't remember the breed). This damn cat was better than any sleeping pill. When I went to be, she got up and curled around the top of my head and purred, I was out like a light in no time. Cats are just plain funny and so easy to entertain and get entertained. Those grocery paper sacks were the best. I much prefered many animals because each of them have their own unique qualities.
In the wild, the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, I had so many things happen that no one would ever believe in a million years. I've come across cougar and bear, never attacked. I spent over an hour talking to a porcupine only inches away. If I had my way I would live in a log cabin where I'm in the cage and the animals are all free. I'm not an animal rights nut or anything. I have no problem killing for food and to end suffering, I just love to see animal free. Your birds sound beautiful, okay, all birds are beautiful. If you enjoy them and they enjoy you that's all that matters.
Sorry for the rambling, a lot of pain today and a lot pain medication.
Thomas
Great video john!
Doeeeeeeeeee
I just love your videos; your methods of working with your birds :) Thanks so much for helping teach people how to make the lives of their pet birds the best lives possible...I've got a little conure, a Ruppells parrot, & now also a young African Grey, like Smoky. She's sweet, but when I got her, she already had begun picking her feathers :( I'm hoping that she will grow out of it, now that she's in a good home, with a more interesting, full life than before she came to me. Her wings were clipped, & im wondering if I let them grow out again, if maybe she would leave her feathers alone...She might be stressed, not being able to fly? I'm watching as many of your videos as I can find.. (imo they're the best on u tube :) thanks again :)
I like your approach
just about to get a grey. What do you feed yours on and what do you give for treats. Have just lost a Red Lored Amazon to illness was very tame, so starting again any tips for a grey would be appreciated Thanks Andy
my parrot passed away now my other parrot doesn't like me touching him since I took her partner away from him. it breaks my heart what can I do he only let me touch him when he outside cage not inside cage
Humans do this too.
UltimateEnd0 lmao
Beautiful ❤️❤️❤️
Do you have a video of your sleeping method for your grey? I just got a 4month old baby and am having a hard time night training. Also do you steam or cook her veggies?
He cracked that pistachio like a boss
Smokes is so CUTE
Very good video. it provided me with a lot of information. Thanks
I love your series of videos with Smokey, she is brilliant and your videos help me with my Casper, 15 yr old female African Gray who is also very smart and loving, like your Smokey. My Casper is priceless to me, as I imagine your Smokey is to you, In my case, she was my parents' bird and i inherited her along with a Sun Conure and a Quaker Parrot, all of whom are buddies. The Quaker is her favorite, but she is quite old, and I am concerned that when the inevitable time comes, how will Casper deal with her grief when she loses her life long friend? How can I help her before and after that time comes? The Quaker is 25 yrs old and still in good health, but I know she is already past her average life expectancy, so I want to begin to learn what could happen to Casper if she loses a friend. BTW, she did grieve for my dad, but my mother is still very much alive and healthy, just decided to let me have the birds now, instead of at a time when it would be hard on everyone, including them. Thank you for your series and much love to Smokey!
I have my parrots on .y shoulder while watching this
My mom has a Redhead Amazon. He's probably about 25. His first owner was neglectful and kept him outside and the neighborhood kids woukd scream at him, poke at him with sticks, etc. His second owner was my mom's best friend. He grew to love my mom and her friend but was still extremely temperamental, no matter what they did. After my mom's friend passed, he came to live with us (2006). The only person he trusts is my mom. I moved out in 2013 but still visit. He's let me scratch his head a few times but will not let me do anything else with him. I can't hold him, pet him or even give him a snack without him trying to bite the shit out of me. He is terrified of gloves, so I'm not sure how to protect my hand without further scaring him. He hasn't been out of his cage in almost a year and I'm really wanting to rehabilitate him and earn his trust, so to speak, and give him the attention he deserves. Is there any hope for calming him down or is this behavior cemented?
Sorry about the long comment. There aren't any bird experts in my area. Thank you!
great tips thanks
great video, thanks for the information.
thank you very match for your answer.👍
Abdelali Berrissoul Your welcome.
+wingsNpaws *You're
your*
your*
its so funny and right in the beginning my african grey was scared of my little dog now its sitting on its back when its running having a blast :D
Thanks bro it is good for my Rio
Does your grey also struggle with the word desensitization?
300th comment, even though nobody cares.
Anyway, Smokey really seems to enjoy her time with you :) I would like to see more Smokey, or just a video of Smokey, being Smokey.
hi, i recently got a rescue parrot. Paddy is over 30 and has a big vocabulary. he is plucking his feathers and thinks i m gonna frighten him if i try and get him on a perch . . . we are working through all the issues slowly. can you recommend treats i can give him by hand? he likes sunflowers and peanuts but i would like to vary things
Where did you purchase Smokey? I’m looking to buy an African gray and am looking for a legitimate breeder as I heard that many people have been scammed for thousands of dollars and never received any bird. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
i hope u can answer me man, 2 days ago i got a 5 months african gary, he is a bit aggressive now and a bit frightend, he screamed and bited on the first day, but the second day he was a bit relaxed and steped up to my hand, and i fed him from my hand, he is still a bit scared, and sometimes try to bite and fly away, my question is, is that normal? how long will pass untill he will start building trust? i play with him alot and try to fed him by hand, and after how long u recomend to start traning an african gray?
I had a African grey parrot his name was also Smokey he has been with us for 3 and a half years but unfortunately he died 2 days ago 😭💔
im so sorry you had to go through that. That sounds absolutely heart breaking. Smokey and you will be in my thoughts ): rip
Hi Cherry you are seriously a nice person, you really made my day. I really appreciate that you helped me like when I first read your reply on my comment it really put a smile on my face and you should be proud of that. I love you ❤️💕 even though I don’t know you 😂but I still think your a great person,I hope nothing bad ever happens to you keep up this positive great work that brings people motivation 👍
Love your videos. With regards to wing clipping what do you think. My parrot always wants his own way and flys all the time
I was once a huge proponent of wing clipping but after I started training parrots for flight (even adult parrots who were clipped), I now vow to never clip another bird again.
@@wingsNpaws Hello, do you have a personal email? If you do not mind I would like to contact you and ask you a few questions on how I can gain my birds trust. I have just adopted a 3 year old cockatiel and it has only be a week in a half, but I am having a bit of trouble with him and am not sure what I should do.
ok, I listened to you, I am socializing my 5month old male Eclectus, let children and other people hold him, go on hikes to the ocean and mountains. I somewhat potty trained him. When and what is the next thing to do, should I train him to wear a harness because I love to take him outside. Btw, what do you think of eclectus parrots? I can't use sunflower seeds yet, he's not to interested. Thx in advance, Erika
How have you been taking him outside without a harness? In a travel cage? I would definitely recommend harness training if you and your bird enjoy being outside that sounds like the perfect direction for you guys :)
thanks for the video
Parrots make a mess when they eat. I suggest you learn your parrot to fly back to his cage after you give him a treat.
It's pretty easy to do (most things with food involved are) and also makes him see his cage as a positive thing. (ie: You should be careful when only using it to punish the parrot after they do something bad)
"We want the bird to learn that some of the things in its environment are okay, they're not that scary" LOL This is the w tfundamental difference between greys and, say, conures or cockatoos. XD . Greys are very sensitive to their environment in sort of negative way. They're suspicious and worried. Conures approach new things with the attitude of "Ohhh fun new toy I'm gonna chew on it".