Training parrots is a time for you to really connect with your bird and make a bond that could last for decades. While the overall experience should be one you will enjoy, the more you know about how to do it, the smoother it will go. With that in mind, here are my top tips for training parrots.
Preparing Your Room For Training Parrots
You should be prepared that when you first start training parrots and you let your bird out of the cage, it will probably fly around wildly knocking things over and crash landing. As a result, you should prepare the room before hand, making the area as safe as possible for them.
The first thing to remember when training a bird is that you should only let them out of the cage when you are going to be present the whole time. To get your room ready for training parrots, you should start by removing any plants that could be poisonous or harmful such as poinsettia, winter cherry or cacti.
Windows should be covered with net curtains or blinds as bare windows are hazardous, you also need to double check that all the windows and possible escape routes are closed before letting your bird out of its cage. Open fires should be put out or covered with an adequate guard.
You can make the experience a little easier for the bird by providing them with perches to stand on around the room so they can easily find a spot to rest. You may also want to provide them with a play area that includes a parrot gym or various toys strategically placed around the room.
Training Parrots To Perch On Your Finger
The best way to teach a parrot to perch on your finger is by placing your finger alongside the perch. Your parrot will step onto it, though this may take a few attempts before it happens. When training parrots, it is a good idea to wear gloves as their claws are especially sharp when they are young (they do wear down once the bird is perching regularly). If the birds have been hand reared, they will likely be happy to perch on the gloved finger. This is preferable to grabbing them as they may grow fearful of the glove.
Training Parrots To Talk
When training parrots to talk, you should bear in mind that talking abilities vary widely amongst parrot species. The Africa Grey and the Budgerigar are amongst the best talkers and can have a vocabulary of up to 500 words whereas cockatoos have one of the smallest vocabularies with an average of only 30 words.
At first, choose one word or a short phrase and repeat it in earshot of the bird regularly. Sessions should be kept short as the birds have short attention spans however you can use a recording of the word or phrase to reinforce the lesson. One of the first things you should teach your parrot to say is your phone number or address so that there is a chance it will be returned to you should it escape.
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