Parrot Q&A: How do you train a parrot to be social?

by Boston Public Library

Question by Amazin Caucasian: How do you train a parrot to be social?
Im planning on gettin an eclectus or an amazon parrot and was wondering if anyone had any tips on a good effective way on socializing the parrot with people. I know it takes a lot of time and patience but i am up for it, does anyone have suggestions or experiences on how to socialize one of these parrots?

Best answer:

Answer by tripleateam
Keep it Positive
The key to training your parrot is to keep the interaction positive. Three concepts provide the basis for parrot training:

1. Parrot does something good –> give a reward
2. Parrot does something undesirable –> ignore it
3. Never punish your parrot

Obviously, this is a bit simplistic, but your goal is to shape your bird’s behavior into what you want by a giving a reward for good things and ignoring (no reward, no reaction) for bad things.

The reward can be a favorite food treat, but simple praise or a play session with a treasured toy can be good motivation for some birds. If your bird is doing something undesirable, you must simply ignore the bird (your bird will not respond to punishment).

A negative reaction can turn into a reward if your bird is looking for attention (negative attention is better than no attention), so you must be careful not to unintentionally cause some undesirable behaviors to increase due to your reaction. Ignoring behavior might first cause it to intensify, but eventually the undesirable behavior will most likely stop.

How you approach training can help keep training positive:

* Train only when you are relaxed. Positive training does take patience!
* Pick a time when your bird is attentive and not distracted by eating, preening, or household activity.
* Frequent, but short, training sessions are generally more effective. A few minutes at a time, several times a day, works well.
* Pick a favorite reward (but don’t overdo it if it is food).
* Once your bird catches on to something, don’t give a treat every time (switch to praise part of the time) or your bird may only do the behavior if he/she knows you have a treat handy.
* End each session on a positive note. Wait for a successful attempt or at least a good try at whatever you are training, give a treat, and move on to something else.
* Keep training sessions upbeat and fun for your bird.

I love birds and parrots are wonderful pets. Good luck in your training!

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Tags:Parrot, Social, train