What exactly am I training here..?!

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Doodlebug
Posts: 319
Joined: Tue Jul 16, 2013 7:14 am
Location: Suffolk, UK

What exactly am I training here..?!

Post by Doodlebug »

I am struggling to train Dudes off the curtain rail.

He is being a bugger at the moment and will constantly fly up there, strut around like its his bird given right, chewing the cords and plastic clips and pooping and generally laughing his beak off at me because I can't reach and he can obviously feel my frustration.

I call him down, which doesn't work on its own, I have to use a lure. He will come down onto his playstand, I praise him and he takes what I am offering, and promptly fly back up there til i offer him some more.

Now am I training him to come down? Coz it REALLY feels like he is training me to treat him for going back up there!

Anyone know of a reputable bird shrink who can cure Dudes of his fabric fetish? One day I'll come in the room and he'll be wearing it like some weird feathered Miss Havisham, totally over-acting the part.

HELP!
Loo :)
Donovan
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Joined: Tue Oct 08, 2013 4:18 pm
Location: North Carolina

Re: What exactly am I training here..?!

Post by Donovan »

You could try placing an object up there that he's scared of.

The problem with reacting in any way is that they want to witness the reaction. My bird has learned how to turn off my monitor which is annoying and he knows it so he keeps doing it.

Every predictable activity is like a game to them. Now, you could send him to his cage when he does it (if he lets you) or just make it an undesirable place in general.

So put something up there that he's scared of, or go a step further and physically block access with some other object.

Or just find a way to adapt to the fact that that's his territory up there.
Dixie-1
Posts: 103
Joined: Fri Aug 23, 2013 12:59 pm
Location: St. David Az.

Re: What exactly am I training here..?!

Post by Dixie-1 »

I agree with that idea, Quinn used to fly to the screen door. This is funny, Buddy our dog has a rubber chicken that Quinn is afraid of we hung it on the screen door and Quinn hasn't flown there since :!: :wink:
Just takin a break !

Image
InTheAir
Posts: 2040
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:24 pm

Re: What exactly am I training here..?!

Post by InTheAir »

We put bird toys on our curtain rails and a hanging play gym for Nila to climb down to. He spends more time on the play gym than the railing now. He gets random rewards on his gym too and it's got yummy bark to shred so it's more fun now and he can look out the Windows from it!
ellieelectrons
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Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2010 1:17 am
Location: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

Re: What exactly am I training here..?!

Post by ellieelectrons »

All good suggestions. Have you got plenty of other areas for him to hang out (eg. birdy play gyms/perches)? That doesn't stop them from hanging out on the curtain rails but it's good if there is at least an option. As Claire suggested, randomly rewarding him for being on the birdy gym is a good idea. We removed one of our curtains, not because they were climbing on it, more because it was near their cage and getting really dirty with caked on bits of fruit and veg.

Ellie.
InTheAir
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Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:24 pm

Re: What exactly am I training here..?!

Post by InTheAir »

We did take down the blinds from our front room because Nila liked to practice vertical climbs on them which was damaging them!
MissK
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Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 3:46 pm
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

Re: What exactly am I training here..?!

Post by MissK »

Let's get crazy and make the play gym better than the curtain rail. Raising the height might be nice, adding fabric, perhaps, and for heaven's sake, tie that treat down or hold onto it so it is not able to fly to the rail with the bird.
-MissK
Doodlebug
Posts: 319
Joined: Tue Jul 16, 2013 7:14 am
Location: Suffolk, UK

Re: What exactly am I training here..?!

Post by Doodlebug »

Hi all, and thanks for your replies :)

I don't really want to hang anything up there as the thing is quite flimsy and the pelmet but that he likes to go on is a bit precarious to say the least. If I hung a blanket up there he would only go on that plus it'll probably be too heavy for it. It's such a hard place to get to to hang anything there what with TV cabinet etc in front of it.

About play stands etc, he has various ones, cage, tabletop and a very tall main play stand. I can barely reach the top if it so can't really extend it further, it'd be on the ceiling! I change the toys on there and I add banana leaves etc for him to rip and wooden pegs to destroy, there's rope to climb on, perches of various heights and preening toys. Great idea about adding fabric though MissK, thankyou I will be trying that.

I did think about taking the lot down and having blinds but as you know they tend to go on whatever is up there and as it's my landladys house I can't go changing things or letting dudes destroy them either!
Loo :)
InTheAir
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Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:24 pm

Re: What exactly am I training here..?!

Post by InTheAir »

Can you add a perch to his play stand that is the same height as the curtain rail or higher? If he is still settling into the household he may just like being high up for now.
A light alternative hanging gym could be made from cotton rope and pvc pipe?
Doodlebug
Posts: 319
Joined: Tue Jul 16, 2013 7:14 am
Location: Suffolk, UK

Re: What exactly am I training here..?!

Post by Doodlebug »

Hey Claire :) The pelmet rail (which is the bit he's going on) is just under the coving so almost to the ceiling anyway. I get he likes heights but his play stand is almost as high?! He's chewed so many plastic clips that the darn pelmet is hanging down in places, it looks a right mess!

*hopes she doesn't get a spot check house inspection*

I am getting one of those spiral boing perch things, maybe I should get two and try hanging in front of the curtains somehow?
Loo :)
InTheAir
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Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:24 pm

Re: What exactly am I training here..?!

Post by InTheAir »

Loo, I would give that a go.
Nila hung out in high places until he adapted here, now he prefers to be at the near same level as our heads, if we lay on the floor he joins us there, if we are on the couch or chair he chooses a perch or table. He still goes to the curtain rails, but we have encouraged him to, it's great having a bird that is off doing something that doesn't involve you and he mostly stays out of trouble there.
Our attempts at discouraging things like playing on the blinds and taking chunks off the cornices resulted in him doing just that when he wanted attention! My boyfriend only had to look at his fb to send Nila to the nearest blind. We didn't actually get as far as punishing him, just removed him to a perch. We tried 'no' too, he thinks that means 'yay my humans love me and are worshiping my every move'.
On the bright side, most house parts are fixable/replacable (barring the circa 1980s blinds we have hidden from Nila in a spare room)!
Doodlebug
Posts: 319
Joined: Tue Jul 16, 2013 7:14 am
Location: Suffolk, UK

Re: What exactly am I training here..?!

Post by Doodlebug »

Hi Claire :)

Agreed-I have tried the 'No' thing too and I feel that's the response I'm getting, that or 'I'm getting some good words out of my human, this is great!'

I have also tried going out of the room, so he isn't getting the attention he wants (if it is indeed the reason behind it) He squawks like crazy for awhile trying to get me to come back, maybe to say 'Haha look at me, I'm still up here dummy!' -Which he is lol. But if I leave it awhile he is back on his stand, quiet and rather dejected. I will treat him then, but do I really have to leave my own living room for ages each time?!

Am getting some more things for him to play with tomorrow, he is getting fed up with whats in his treasure box. Thinking of buttons and beads, that kind of thing. Any other ideas I can use? He has bottle tops, pegs, lolly sticks, baked pine cones, nuts in their shells and cardboard items. He has taken a dislike to his bottle tops and attacks them throwing them on the floor! Quite funny but I don't like to see or encourage the aggression.
Loo :)
ellieelectrons
Posts: 2708
Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2010 1:17 am
Location: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

Re: What exactly am I training here..?!

Post by ellieelectrons »

My guys like to chew up small chunks of birdy safe wood.

Ellie.
InTheAir
Posts: 2040
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:24 pm

Re: What exactly am I training here..?!

Post by InTheAir »

Loo, aren't they funny little munchkins.
Nila is a bit of a freak. He likes striping bark from branches and chomping twiggy bits off branches better than most bird toys. A nice dry branch with lots of twigs will keep him busy for ages. Also balsa or yukka (ellie is that spelt right?) wood pieces.
He likes it when I hide paper wrapped treats in the treasure box too.
I made some pom poms out of some raffia sort of stuff and he plays with them sometimes too. Maybe you can set the kids to work on the weekend :mrgreen:
Bottle tops and buttons go down ok for a few minutes. Plastic balls with bells in them for cats are his favourite bought toy, they aren't very strong though. I didn't check one thoroughly and it turned out to have ball bearings in it, which he removed and was chomping on, so watch out for that type if you get cat toys.
Doodlebug
Posts: 319
Joined: Tue Jul 16, 2013 7:14 am
Location: Suffolk, UK

Re: What exactly am I training here..?!

Post by Doodlebug »

So I bought some stuff I thought Dudes might like... Buttons, beads, wooden rings that kind of thing, oh and some fabric to see if it would tempt him more than the curtain rail...NOPE! He's scared of the lot of them! I have tried desensitising him to the fabric by hanging it near and then on the cage-he acts like its going to murder him. I put the beads etc in his treasure box, he doesn't want to know his treasure box. I go up to him with them, he buggers off. And he's still going up on the curtains, but at least he's alternating it with landing on the TV as well now.

Birds, eh? LOL!
Loo :)
InTheAir
Posts: 2040
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:24 pm

Re: What exactly am I training here..?!

Post by InTheAir »

Sounds like great progress. Maybe you could put his new toys in the places you don't want him to go instead? :D
Doodlebug
Posts: 319
Joined: Tue Jul 16, 2013 7:14 am
Location: Suffolk, UK

Re: What exactly am I training here..?!

Post by Doodlebug »

Progress my @r$£!! :lol:

Bloody good idea though, otherwise this fabric will go to waste! If I get visitors I shall just have to say I'm experimenting with interior design...
Loo :)
MissK
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Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 3:46 pm
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

Re: What exactly am I training here..?!

Post by MissK »

How about putting up a rail just for him?
-MissK
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