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Post by Jan and Shah on Dec 4, 2014 16:09:46 GMT -5
Keep working with him. He may not have come across a group of people before and might have felt threatened if they came near his cage. He is doing really well - you might not see it as you are with him every day - but he has come a long way, thanks to you. He is slowly learning to trust you. I am just wondering if Pele may become a permanent fixture in your household!
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Post by easttex on Dec 4, 2014 17:52:16 GMT -5
Now that you've had him for a while, what is your take on him? Is he more of a one person bird, or did his prior person fib about how much he was handled? I agree with Jan. No telling what his prior experience with crowds was, but you know from your own experience that he doesn't take to strangers right off the bat. You've really come a long way with him, and he sounds like there is a lot of potential there.
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Post by Sharyn and Mr P on Dec 4, 2014 18:45:06 GMT -5
I think I was fibbed to, or the person who relinquished him had a different definition of "tame" than I do. I believe he was left on the porch all day long, to interact briefly with his previous owner, for the little bit of time she spent with him. When I got him, all his toys were rusted and had to be trashed. Most toys will not rust like that if they are inside but here in the FL humidity, that is a sure sign that he and his cage were outside all the time. I don't think he is as much a "one person bird" as he is a very untrusting "any person bird". I am not going to give up on him, I can't, I am committed to keeping him until he can be adopted and since I really don't want 2 permanent feathered residents in my home, the more I work with him, the sooner he can find his forever home. His training has been highlighted on the Florida Parrot Rescue's facebook page which gives him good publicity. Ultimately, he is going to have to go to a home where they will be patient with him, and have had prior parrot handling experience. He is not going to do well with a family that has only had budgies or tiels. I think he does have a lot of potential though, he is super smart and you all are right, we have come a long way already  |
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Post by Sharyn and Mr P on Dec 6, 2014 12:18:04 GMT -5
 Yesterday, Pele figured out that I have been putting nutriberries (one of his favs!!!) in the food dishes that are attached to the PVC playstand. Today, as soon as I let him out, he stepped right up onto the playstand to "forage" in the food dishes, found his nutriberries and decided it was easier to eat them on the playstand than carry them back to his cage. No target for this even needed today. Next step is to introduce a small, portable playstand and get him comfortable on that. Then I can finally pick him up and carry him away from his cage!! |
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Post by Sharyn and Mr P on Dec 6, 2014 14:15:16 GMT -5
Last post about Pele today...
I introduced a new, wooden playstand into the mix. He has never been on this stand before, although I did have it sitting on top of his cage while he was quarantined so he has seen it before.
In this video, we are targeting him to walk across the new playstand, to the pvc.
He didnt bat an eye, he acted like he has been doing this all his life
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Post by easttex on Dec 6, 2014 14:21:46 GMT -5
You and Pele make it sound so easy. I wish I had a food-driven bird. I've yet to find the one thing that either of mine loves beyond all others. |
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Post by Sharyn and Mr P on Dec 6, 2014 16:21:55 GMT -5
We would definately not have been as successful as we have been if Pele didnt LOVE to eat. "Food driven" is an UNDERSTATEMENT with him! LOL
Even Mr P doesnt like food as much as Pele does
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Post by biteybird on Dec 6, 2014 21:00:11 GMT -5
As others have said, you and Pele have made AMAZING progress (with the help of your bf)! I am intrigued by these 'nutriberries' - are they a product in a packet like the pellets? Anyone know where I can get some in Oz? Bonnie is definitely a 'food-driven' bird  |
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Post by Sharyn and Mr P on Dec 6, 2014 23:25:09 GMT -5
They are made by Lafeber...let me find you a link This is the manufacturer's website but you can buy them from Amazon (at least in the US you can) lafeber.com/pet-birds/nutri-berries/Basically, they are little balls of pellets, dried fruit or veggies and a few seed sprinkled and other stuff sprinkled in. I buy Pele the Amazon size and I buy Mr P the cockatiel size. Mr P is lazy so I wind up breaking them up for him anyway but Pele will pick up the whole thing, hold it in his foot and munch on it until it's gone. He loves them, even more than Mr P does. Mr P actually likes the avicakes (made by the same company) better. They come in different "flavors". Mr P prefers the "classic" nutriberrie while Pele really enjoys the "mexican" flavor, which I guess is a little spicey. The package has an amazon wearing a sombrero on it! |
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Post by biteybird on Dec 7, 2014 2:13:30 GMT -5
Thanks for the info! I will try to find the brand here. Mexican flavour? Really?  |
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Post by Jan and Shah on Dec 7, 2014 15:39:27 GMT -5
Sharon, you are doing amazingly well with Pele. And another plus is that what you are learning with Pele, you can use with other birds that you foster. Well done Just be patient. I have been working with Izzie (the pony) for nearly 12 months. Some days she is really good, other days she just doesnt want to be a part of it. As I have been ill for a number of weeks, I didnt work her and it shows. Gave up trying to catch her on Saturday and dropped my energy level so she stopped galloping away. I could then go and pat her. Yesterday I got a friend of mine to try and catch her - took her half an hour. The thing is, you just have to keep after them and dont let them get away with anything as they will think they have outsmarted you and will keep doing it. Poor Izzie doesnt know it yet but she will be put back into work next weekend - I am expecting a lot of resistance but I am not going to let her get away with a thing. Animals do let you know when they have had enough training for the day and you can then spend some "getting to know you better" time with them. With Izzie this involves massaging her and working on being able to touch her back legs as she has tendon damage - no, not from galloping around the paddock but from hooves that weren't trimmed for 5 years. Keep it up Sharon, you are doing such great work with Pele and we are all learning from your experiences. |
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Post by Sharyn and Mr P on Dec 7, 2014 19:16:58 GMT -5
This afternoon, as I was getting ready to put Pele back into his cage (if I put fresh food in his food dish he RUNS back into his cage to see what's in there), we targeted the PVC once more. On a whim, I got a dowel perch, held it up to Pele at foot level and had Rick (my b/f) target him so he had to reach over the perch to get the target. And, lo and behold, to my surprise, Pele stepped ONTO the dowel. I dont even think he realized what he was doing. We stuffed him with treats while he sat on the dowel. Finally he realized what he was doing and stepped off but WOW, this is exactly what we have been working towards!
I know nothing about horses, Jan, other than they have 4 legs, hooves and sleep standing up, so what you are doing is amazing to me!
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Post by Jan and Shah on Dec 7, 2014 21:29:27 GMT -5
Dont worry Sharon, I dont know anything about horses either - this is my first equine. But it is sure a big learning experience. I can manage the dog a lot better after working with Izzie so she doesnt get away with much anymore, however, all attempts at being tough with Shah falls on deaf ears. He is the boss and if I misbehave or do anything he doesnt like, then I am in serious trouble - or else he has major temper tantrums. I fear it is Shah who has trained me  |
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Post by Sharyn and Mr P on Dec 7, 2014 21:52:25 GMT -5
I can't speak for horses but parrots are much harder to manage than dogs! It's a different mindset, although I have to say, once Pele is adopted and I have some extra time again, I am going to see if I can target train Mr P. He doesnt like healthy food as much as Pele does but I can probably find something that isn't too bad for him that I can use as a treat. Mr P has been watching me these last few days working with Pele and he is interested. Or maybe he is just jealous that I'm handfeeding Pele treats. Either way, I think Mr P would benefit from this too.
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Post by Sharyn and Mr P on Dec 14, 2014 10:31:23 GMT -5
This has taken us awhile as Pele was aggressive towards my hand at first, then just hesitant to step onto something that wasnt attached to anything, but we finally got it. I can now target Pele off the playstand, onto a hand held perch (being held by my hand). My b/f took the video and got me in it at the end in my glasses and "around the house" attire, but I'm so proud of our progress, that I'm posting it anyway.
Pele gets very uneasy after a few seconds so I put him back fairly quickly but we will work on getting him comfortable enough to hang out on the handheld so I can transport him somewhere else
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