Joey, in three months time

Nearly three months ago I agreed to take in five birds from a friend who had to rehome her animals due to a tragic, life changing event.  Her flock included a 5 year old White Capped Pionus, a 4 year old Canary Winged Parakeet, an 8 year old Green Cheek Conure and two budgies.  Two of the five have moved on from my home, but Joey, the Pionus and Easter and Peep, the two budgies will remain with me.

I have spent a great deal of time over the past three months working with Joey.  When he first arrived here he was very defensive of his cage and would lunge and bang into the sides with his beak every time I came near.  When my friends family brought the birds they told me that he was very aggressive.  I was not able to communicate with the friend who had the birds before me.  Just going by what I saw it was clear he would be hands off for a while.

Joey's cage was set up in a way that you could only change his food and water by opening the large front door opening and putting your hands into the inside of the cage!  This is challenging when you have a bird who is rushing to get to your hands aggressively when you open the door.  I have had this issue with several birds and always deal with it the same way which is to teach them to go to a certain perch in their cage and remain there while I do what I need to do.  That is what I did with Joey.  I tested foods and found his favorite to be grapes.  Grapes are not particularly nutritious to birds, but I offer them because they like them and they are not harmful.  I have used grapes with a few of my birds as I worked through finding other things they like.  Every time I would go to feed or water Joey, I would lure him up to a certain perch and fed him grape pieces while I changed his food and water.  I would continue to offer pieces or give him big pieces that lasted awhile.  It wasn't a day or two later that the moment I came into the room he would rush up to that perch.

As time went on, he began to look pretty excited when I came in and went up to that perch every time I would enter.  I did not let Joey out of his cage right away for a couple of reasons.  First, I did not want him to come out and then me have to force him to go back in.  Our relationship was moving forward in a way that I was really happy with and I didn't want to damage that.  So, we did quite a bit of training with him in his cage and me sitting with him, talking to him, listening to music with him and training him.

Finally, about 3 weeks after he arrived, I decided to open his cage and let him come out.  He crawled right out and went to the top of his cage.  He seemed happy to be out.  I offered my hand and he lunged to bite it.  I did not offer my hand again for more than a month but I did begin to let him out regularly because I learned that he would go back in eventually, so I just had to time it when I had plenty of time.  Here is the first time I let him out of his cage.

Sometimes when I had Joey out of his cage he would do the infamous "Pionus strut" where he would drop his wings and march back and forth on the top of his cage.  He has not done this in a long time, but did do it when a new person came by to meet one of the birds to adopt.  That strut clearly indicated he was feeling defensive and probably a bit territorial and that it is best not to touch him!  Here is a short video of Joey "strutting" https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10203723388301927&set=vb.1134617830&type=3&theater

I decided to move Joey to another cage.  I had a trip planned and my friend was going to be staying with my animals and I didn't want her to have to rely on Joey staying on his perch while she fed him, which by the way, he did, but I didn't know it that would be an issue.  Also, I wanted him to have a larger, heavier cage and I happened to have my Amazon's old cage, so I decided to see if Joey would mind moving to that one.  I also hoped that a new cage would lesson the territorial behavior around his cage.  I left the open cage next to his cage for days and let him explore and check it out at his pace and then finally moved him in.

I began stick training him and the stick training came along really well.  He learned to step onto a dowel fairly quickly which allowed him to choose to get close to me.  He began to want to be close very quickly and would come as close to my hand as possible.  Initially, I would put my hand inside my sweatshirt so that he couldn't see it since it seemed to upset him so much in the beginning.  He always seemed to be asking for me to get the stick so he could come and be close.

We continued with the stick training and he would always rush onto the stick and as close to me without getting onto my hand.  A couple of times he beaked my finger through my shirt.  Only one time with pressure and not very much, just exploring and checking it out.  One day I went into the kitchen just around the corner from where he was and he flew into the room after me.  I decided to put some trust into what I thought we were building and I offered my hand and he stepped up.  A lot of birds will step up from the ground, but I would never purposely put a bird in that position just to get him to step up.  When he stepped up that time I brought him back to his cage, but he wanted to stay on me and he hung out on my arm watching tv for a really long time.  He did make his way up to my shoulder and hang out there for a while to.  Clearly, he was ready for the next step in our relationship.

Joey now steps up and hangs out with me regularly.  He gently puts his beak on my fingers but never with any pressure.  He allows and asks for neck scritching.  I am impressed and amazed with how far he has come in such a short amount of time.  People sometimes think that 3 months is a long time, but it is actually an incredibly short period of time for a parrot.  I am excited to continue to grow with Joey.  

So, that is where we are at and I will surely keep you posted on our progress!

Those Cuddly Cockatoos

I love Cockatoos!  I have met and interacted with many Cockatoos including Umbrellas, Rose Breasted, Black Palm, Lesser Sulphur Crested, Goffins, Slender Billed and probably others that I am forgetting about and of them my favorite is the Moluccan Cockatoo.  Despite all the really great things about these birds, I would personally never have one.  Why wouldn't I have a bird that is one of my favorite species?  Well, there are several reasons why and I will go through them here.

Why I COULD have a Cockatoo

The snuggle factor.  The picture above is of me and a sweet Moluccan I know named Mo. Mo is a favorite at our local Farmer's Market and during Spring and Summer I rarely miss visiting the Farmer's Market each week mainly so that I can see Mo.  I hold him and snuggle him.  Little kids hold him and even my husband who is fearful of large birds has held him.  He is the dream bird...at least during the time we see him when everyone is gathered around cooing him, holding him and being entertained by him.  But, I realize that this isn't all there is to him.

The sweet and loving nature of a well adjusted, outgoing and social Cockatoo is amazing and frankly, pretty hard to beat.  And, if this was all there was to them, if they were all easy all the time, it would be a no brainer, but there are other things that keep me from having one.

Not a One Sided Bird

There are great things about a Cockatoo, their sweetness and cuddly nature, their intelligence, their learning ability, their ability to entertain and keep you laughing.  On the flip side, some of these things are also what makes them so challenging.

While it seems like it would be amazing to have a bird as intelligent as a Cockatoo that is sometimes more challenging that one may realize.  Cockatoos are extremely intelligent, so much so that they can be difficult to keep entertained, enriched, exercised and happy.  There are many cases of Cockatoos that have learned how to not only open their cage, but in some cases dismantle it!  They are extremely intelligent, to be sure.  Lara Joseph of the Animal Behavior Center in Ohio, highly respected lecturer and expert on parrot training and enrichment and the owner of two Cockatoos, a Moluccan and an Umbrella says, "I think enriching a healthy Cockatoo can be much more challenging to a caregiver than many other species of parrots. They tend to like to manipulate objects, take them apart and often times I see them putting them back together again so they can take them apart again."  She also says, "I tend to see them get bored easily and when they do, well, that gives opportunities for them to practice other behaviors we probably won't like such as screaming, plucking and other behaviors that can develop into abnormal repetitive behaviors."  In addition to their ability to take things apart and put them together, they will find creative ways to do so and have even been known to manufacture tools.  Check out this video of a Cockatoo creating and using a tool https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH1yqFSs9NA.  

One of the biggest challenges in keeping a well adjusted and happy Cockatoo is being able to provide enough enrichment and mental stimulation.  Because they are so good at problem solving they tend to figure things out, which means that the same toys, enrichment and foraging will not do day in and day out, you will have to continue to be creative and find new ways to keep them thinking, working and burning energy.  Lara tells me, "I pay close attention to any of the birds, especially the Cockatoos when they are stationary for too long or preening more than 15% to 20% of their day.  If they are healthy and I mean interacting and actively engaged with their environment, it can be tough to keep up with them.  Most often a Cockatoo's favorite toy is the hardware used to hang the toy on the side of the cage, not all the colored parts attached to it that we, the humans think is cool."

Another important factor in keeping a Cockatoo is making sure that you have adequate space, not only for their enclosure or cage but also for them to fly.  Lara says, "One of the several reasons, beside it being a natural behavior, flighted is the way I prefer to keep all of the birds in my care.  A few, quick flights for a Cockatoo can release so much energy, SO MUCH. In my opinion, if you keep a healthy and flighted Cockatoo they only fly for a short period of time, a minor percentage of their day.  In my observation, a healthy Cockatoo spends the majority of their day engaging with objects in their environment such as manipulating objects and working on tasks."

And...

I would be remiss if I didn't address the other challenges that Cockatoo owners face and must be able to cope with.  

Noise

Cockatoos can be EXTREMELY loud.  When I say EXTREMELY, in all caps loud, I mean really loud.  Most people say that they can cope with the noise and that they aren't worried about the noise, but the fact is, very few people can deal with a frustrated Cockatoos vocalizations.  That said, many can deal with a normal, well adjusted Cockatoos vocalizations which are still very loud, but not constant or ongoing.  They usually sound off a couple of times a day, usually in the morning and afternoon and a Cockatoo owner needs to be okay with this.  Some vocalizing is normal for birds, constant screaming is not.  If a bird is vocalizing non-stop there is something else going on, many times lack of mental stimulation, exercise and enrichment.  Sometimes they have been reinforced for screaming by being attention.  These issues can be modified but it does take time and commitment on the part of the owner.  This is the biggie for me as my husband's only request in the birds I keep is that they aren't "too loud".  A Cockatoo of any species, would indeed be "too loud" for him.

Destruction

Cockatoos are busy birds and again, if not given enough to do and enough enrichment, they will find ways to entertain themselves and this can be through destruction of walls, furniture and other things. A lot of Cockatoos love wood and go through a lot of in.  Toys will need to be replaced often as they will usually be destroyed/used in a short amount of time.  If plenty of chewing and enrichment opportunities are not offered, a Cockatoo may chew on walls, ceiling and furniture.  

Dust

Cockatoos are dusty birds.  If you have allergies they may not be a good choice for you or you will have to figure out ways to keep the dust manageable.  Air purifiers and keeping things cleaned and vacuumed can help a lot, but not completely.  Many people have had to rehome their Cockatoos for health reasons because of the dust and their bodies inability to deal with it.

Baby Birds Grow Up

Cockatoos are probably the most common bird in rescue for all of the reasons that I have mentioned. Frequently people buy an adorable baby, that they can snuggle and do anything with expecting the bird to remain that way for their entire lives.  If you raise a Cockatoo the right way and teach him or her to be independent, teach him the skill to play on his own, offer plenty of training and enrichment your bird will probably grow up well adjusted, but he is still going to grow up.  He is going to go through adolescence which can be challenging.  He will likely go through periods in his life when he is not as "easy" and needs some patience, understanding and training.  People need to be prepared to deal with this and willing to instead of giving up on the bird at the first sign of difficulty.  Most of the Cockatoos that end up in rescue do so just as they are maturing and become adult birds and stop being the easy peasy babies that their owners are used to.  This is incredibly important to consider and be prepared for.

The Good

This brings me back to Mo, our Farmer's Market bird.  He is the sweetest bird.  A lot of the Cockatoos I have met, especially the Moluccans are incredibly lovable, adorable and charming. When I see people falling all over Mo I sometimes worry that they will think that this is all there is to him, this sweet, adorable marshmallow of a bird and go out and get one without knowing more about them.  I don't want to scare people away from Cockatoos, nor do I want people to think that I am against keeping them as companions, I just want them to understand that these birds are not easy in the sense that they can't just be stuck in a cage and fed and taken out and interacted with when you feel like it.  They need a lot of attention, interaction, patience, skill and enrichment to be the fabulous birds that they can be.  

Mo and I

Rick and Mo

Five new birds, oh my!

So, due to an unfortunate tragedy a friend of mine is no longer able to care for her animals.  I offered to take the birds and today, five new birds were delivered to my house.  I had not met her birds before, so I just knew the little bits and pieces that I had heard about them and seen pictures of them.  Most of them are rehomes, with the exception of the two budgies that she got as babies.

Two of the birds Thistle, a Green Cheek Conure and Bamboo, a Canary Winged Parakeet are very handleable, but I wasn't sure about Joey, her White Capped Pionus.  Joey seems very excited and interested when I talk to him and when I am by the cage and some of the time he looked pretty defensive and upset. When I changed his water I saw that my perception was correct, he is not okay with me messing with his cage.  He came over and became really agitated and aggressive.  But, I needed to change his water and I needed to take out his fresh food bowl.  However, there was no way I could just stick my hand in there as every time I reached he rushed over aggressively.

I was already planning to work with him, but was going to give him a little time to settle in, but obviously something needs to be done so that I can change his food and water.  When I fed him earlier, I noticed he liked grapes which I had offered in his veggie and fruit mix earlier.  He has taken food from me, but I can tell when he is agitated he just grabs it and drops it.  When I offered him millet, he didn't want it.  When I gave him a piece of popcorn, he threw it down.

I cut the grapes up into spears, with each grape become four spears of grape.  I offered him one and he took it and loved it.  I asked him to come to the other side of the cage onto another perch and he did, so I marked it with "good!" and then gave him another grape slice.  While he was eating it, I replaced the water bowl. After he was done, I asked him to move to another perch, when he did, I marked it, "Good!" and gave him another grape spear and was able to easily remove his food dish.

Thistle and Bamboo also took a grape slice from me which is great as they had not wanted to take any food from me prior to that.

I will not longer be offering grapes in their food bowls, all grapes will come from me, from my hand and used for training.

I have been through this before with birds that are aggressive around their cages.  I simply have to teach them that I mean good things happen and that if they move where I ask them, I will reward them with something I like.

Welcome home little birds.

Oh so different

I have lived with birds for a really long time.  When I was a kid I had budgies and once I became an adult, I have lived with a variety of different birds including many Cockatiels, Budgies, Lovebirds, Linnies, Conures, a Pionus, an African Grey, a Regent Parrot and a couple of Amazons.  I love birds and have had relationships with them where I believe that they loved me, or at least have affection for me back.  A relationship with a bird is a wonderfully rewarding experience.  Even my non-bird-person husband has fallen in love with Charlie, our Amazon because Charlie chose him and he kind of had no choice.  These relationships seem to be mutually rewarding and enjoying.

The relationships that I have and have had with my birds is very different than what I am experiencing with the raptors that I am having the amazing opportunity to work with.  Parrots and dogs are social animals.  This means that they interact and live with other individuals, usually of their own species.  The social nature of humans and dogs and birds helps to foster a relationship because the animals are hard wired to belong to a group.  Of course, there are exceptions to the rule in dogs or birds or even humans that are not interested in being around others, but they still remain a social animal.  Not so for most of the raptors.

What NOT to do with a raptor!

The raptors that I work with are non-releasable wild animals that are in some way physically impaired making them unable to survive in the world on their own.  So, they are provided a home where they are well cared for, but they must be able to work with people and become an educational program animal.  This means that they go to do programs at different events to teach people about their species.

I will be honest and say that before I had ever handled a raptor I wondered if I would feel an urge to pet it or scritch it as I might do with a dog or a parrot.  Interestingly, the moment I held a raptor, a Great Horned Owl, for the first time, that thought did not come into my mind and it never has with any raptors I have held. I knew, instinctively, that to try to touch him would be incredibly aversive to him, not to mention extremely disrespectful.  He is a wild animal, he is not a pet, he is not interesting in cuddling or being touched and he is being patient and tolerant enough to allow me the privilege of holding him on my fist.  It isn't only that they are wild and wouldn't want to be touched, they aren't really interested in me at all, let alone a relationship with me.  For the most part, they really aren't interested in a relationship with their own species, let alone a human. There are some raptors that are more social, for instance Turkey Vultures.  Harris Hawks are also known to be somewhat social as well.  But, the raptors I work with are not social and frankly and they don't have an innate desire to "be with me" or "connect with me".

No snuggling with this guy!

This is a huge shift in thinking and learning for me.  When working with them, the idea is to develop a relationship with them based on trust and respect.  The birds I work with are really trained just to be handled, not to do things or to perform.  I have realized early on that if I need or want them to "love" or even "like" me, I am likely to have my heart broken because it just isn't who they are.  Asking any animal to be someone he isn't or isn't capable of being is not fair and it is likely going to create a lot of frustration for both the animal and the human.  It doesn't mean that they are mean, ornery, stubborn or nasty, they are simply solitary and part of being good with them and for them is to accept that and accept them for who they are.  And to appreciate what they can offer me and what they are willing to offer me which is a mutually cooperative partnership.  I am more than happy to accept them just the way they are and grateful for the opportunity to be this close to them.

A New Journey

In early April I began volunteering with a wildlife educational program that specializes in raptors called Native Bird Connections.  I have wanted to work with raptors for a long time and was very lucky to have been introduced to Jenny Papka, a founder of the organization who allowed me to come on board as a volunteer for Native Bird Connections.  To be honest, I have been wanting to write about it for a while, but it is still so fresh, overwhelming (in a good way) and frankly, mind blowing to me and I just haven't even been able to find the words.  But, I think it's time to share this exciting adventure.

I met Jenny through a student of mine who came though my classes with her puppy.  One day she came to class wearing a shirt with a raptor, I think an eagle on it and I commented that I loved raptors.  It turns out that she is a longtime volunteer and put me in contact with Jenny.  It can be hard to get into a position of being able to actually interact with and handle the birds.  I was very lucky and it isn't something that I take for granted.

Currently, I go to where the birds are housed and I help feed, clean and do whatever is necessary to care for the birds.  Additionally, I attend programs where the birds are taken to different events for audiences to see them and learn about them.  The work is not easy and it can be very "icky", sometimes even a little unpleasant when it comes to fighting with the wasps who want the food, cleaning up the leftovers and hosing off poop.  But, hey, it all goes with the territory!

Most of these animals are not social animals, unlike dogs and parrots.  Because my experience and expertise is with social animals, I had to switch gears and begin looking at things in a different way and use different strategies to interact with them.  Building trust and a cooperative relationship is crucial.  I am excited with this new challenge and the opportunity to stretch myself and gain insight and new information.  I feel strongly that any training, behavior work or even simply interacting and observing other species can only enhance our training and observation skills.

I find the work extremely rewarding for a few reasons.  First, these animals have all suffered some time of injury impairing them in a way that makes them non-releasable.  They wouldn't survive in the wild, at least not for long.  So, they allow themselves to be kept in captivity for our programs which allows us to share them and information about these species with others.  Helping to make sure that they are fed, comfortable, clean and well looked after feels good.

As I go travel through this journey I will be sharing experiences here.

Vicki with Rough Legged Hawk

A New Way to Reinforce

Charlie is my 21 year old White Fronted Amazon.  I have written about Charlie before so you may remember that I adopted him last year from a parrot rescue.  I knew that Charlie "preferred" men, but since he didn't seem to hate women, I decided to adopt him.  Charlie had lived with a man for 15 years and was very attached, so it was not too much of a surprise when he saw Rick for the first time and immediately fell in love with him.  My husband is not very comfortable with birds but ended up developing a very close relationship with Charlie just because this bird is so in love with him.

We adopted Charlie one year ago and he has made great strides.  I stick trained him so I can now easily transport him around without any force or pressure.  In addition, Charlie has indicated several times that he would like to step up for me and he has.  However, I was wanting to do more with that and try to work on getting Charlie even more comfortable with stepping up for me and feeling comfortable with that.  I tried several different food reinforcers, even his favorites, but it just didn't seem to be reinforcing enough for him. After giving it some thought, I decided to use his most favorite and high value reinforcer.....Rick.

The plan was that I would give him access to Rick if he stepped up for me.  I brought Rick into the room, but had him stand by the door and ignore Charlie and I.  Charlie immediately started indicating that he wanted to go to Rick.  I asked him to step up, but he kept looking and leaning towards Rick, who was still across the room still ignoring Charlie.  I asked Charlie again and then, I asked Rick to ask Charlie to step up, from across the room.  Then, I asked Rick to continue to encourage Charlie.  Rick said, "It's okay Charlie, step up" and he did!  I immediately transported Charlie to Rick who asked him to step up off of me onto him, which of course he did readily.  We repeated this the next day.  On day three, Rick was in the other room and Charlie was on his stand next to me,  looking like he wanted some attention.  He looked like he wanted to be picked up, so I offered my hand and asked, "Do you want to step up?" and to my surprise and delight, he did!  I was so excited and called for Rick to come in so that I could reinforce it by handing him to Rick.

The day after that, I was sitting in my office at my desk and Charlie looked like he wanted attention, so I reached over and scritched his neck and head.  He still looked eager so I offered my hand and asked, "Do you want to step up?" and he did.  I kept my hand there, but he chose not to step back off of me.  I moved him towards me and away from his stand and he was content on my hand.  I offered him an almond and he chose to stay on me and eat it on my hand, rather than asking to go back to his cage or stand to eat it.  After that, he sat on my hand, just relaxing and looking around the room.  After a while I asked if he wanted to go back to his cage and I was surprised when he chose to hang out with me a little longer!  This is amazingly huge progress for Charlie and I am so happy and very proud of him.

This is an example of the Premack Principle in which one behavior can reinforce another behavior.  The low probability behavior (stepping up for me) is reinforced by a high probability behavior (stepping up for Rick).

I want to point out that while I am using access to Rick as a reinforcer for stepping up for me I am always carefully measuring Charlie's body language and making sure that he is not stressed.  I would not deprive him of access to Rick altogether or allow him to get distressed just so that I could hold him.  It took under a minute for him to choose to step up for me to get to Rick.  In addition to that, I have spent a year building a relationship and bond with Charlie based on trust, respect and cooperation.

Spring Changes

Charlie is our 21 year old White Fronted Amazon that we adopted last year.  He is the second WFA that we have had.  I adopted Merlin as a 34+ year old bird with health problems who passed away after two years.  I adopted Charlie knowing that he "prefers men".  He clearly prefers my husband Rick, and the two have formed a close relationship.

Almost exactly in tune with the Spring forward time change, Charlie began to change in some ways.  He seems restless, bored and frustrated some of the time.  He calls to us much more often.  He calls with a cute, "woo woo" whistle, and we respond with the same whistle.  I increased his foraging opportunities, changed his toys and am trying to make sure he gets plenty of sleep.

Today, I was hanging out in my bird room/office and working on the computer and he began to make a loud whistle sound.  Not a scream, but a loud whistle, that is not a sound I want to hear all the time!  He continued with it for a while and I ignored it.  After a little while, I left the room.  Partly because I needed to go into the other room, but partly because I wanted him to recognize that when I hear that, I go.  Once he was quiet and making quieter noises, I came back in.  He didn't make the noise anymore, but was still restless.  I realize that he is needing some more mental stimulation and possibly exercise.

After I came back in, I did a little training with him.  Nothing big, just a little work on stick training, to which he is was very into.  Then, I moved a bottlebrush stand, that I use for one of my other birds, over to him.  I moved it close enough so that he could reach into the food cup from his cage.  I put some treats in there. He did not get onto the stand (I don't think) but he did take the treats and step onto the seed cup a few times. After about 30 minutes of this, he quietly went back into his cage and is grooming and getting ready to nap.

I realize he needs something, he needs more to do and think about.  Here is my plan:

• Increase his training sessions
• Start teaching wing flapping for exercise
• More foraging opportunities 
• More toy changes/rotations
• More shower/misting training (he doesn't like it, but is getting more comfortable with it and I know he needs it)
• A new stand of his own to put near his cage for another play to forage and play
• As soon as the weather is good, I will be working on getting him out into the aviary for sunshine, fresh air and a little flying around