i found a trigger treat to use for training.

[carlsjr]

white tea (DECAF). lol i was in the kitchen a couple of days ago and i made myself a cup of white tea, i like it cold so i pour it over ice in a large red plastic cup. well my cag was on my shoulder watching what i was doing and when i went to take a sip she extended her neck out to get some too. so why not i held the cup up and she stuck her head in and drank some. she loves it! lol

 

so last night she was on top of her cage and I made another batch and she was watching me. so i held up the cup with my left hand and held out right arm and she flew right over so i gave her a sip.

 

i took her back to her cage and walked to other parts of the house and repeated the exercise a few times and she came every time.

 

lol this is awesome.

 

[SRSeedBurners]

You obviously have a Grey with sophisticated tastes. Mine won't stop it with the cooked steel cut oats.

[MoonRock]

I think your CAG was royalty in a former life. I love your visual aid, too!

[birdhouse]

Before I could get Phenix more than semi-handlable & while he refused to eat anything besides seed, he went mad for drinking out of a cup. He still is (see avatar ). Any cup will do. But his unquestionable fav was a huge bright orange & red tumbler. And like Luna, he'd try almost anything if he thought he'd get to drink from it.

 

Try offering other cups & drinks to see which is really the trigger. You might also have stumbled onto a very nice way of introducing new foods. I made Phenix veggie juices & smoothies, for instance. It was amazingly helpful w/him.

 

It was a bit of a mixed bag as a training aid, however. Sometimes he'd go along w/the behavior/reward idea. Sometimes, he was just too distracted by wanting to get at the cup.

 

No matter. It was a fun way for both of us to bond & socializing w/o having to worry about him taking a swipe at me. Very much appreciated at that point in our relationship!

[Jayd]

Tea in small amounts is safe for parrots. Most teas have tannins which can accumulate with time, leading to possible problems. Chamomile seems to be fairly safe and it has a calming effect on our parrots that are excitable or are being obnoxious. Chamomile tea can be given as 5-6 sips at a time at 109 degrees or less two to three times a day. Regular teas such as white teas could be served as 2-3 sips once a day. You can also put 2-3 ounces of Chamomile tea in a separate water bowl as a prophylactic. You must make sure that your parrot is drinking regular water as well. Always make weak tea and always follow the advice from your vet regarding the type of tea and how much you can give to your parrot. Chamomile tea is pretty well documented for our birds. We have given chamomile tea to our severe rescues and excitable parrots for over 30 years. Jayd

 

[cut and paste]

Chamomile tea: A well-liked tea. The flower is used to brew this tea and many find it effective in settling indigestion and calming nerves. It also contains antibiotic properties and relieves muscle spasms. It has frequently been offered to birds that are prone to night frights. Chamomile acts as a natural sedative and helps eliminate insomnia, anxiety and stress. These properties might help birds that pluck or chew their feathers. Some owners who struggle with their parrot’s feather mutilation use cool chamomile tea in a spray bottle. They mist their bird’s feathers and the bird ingests the tea while preening.

Edited March 5, 2013 by Jayd

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Unfortunately, tea is not a trigger treat. Not good for them in the long run.Kiki LOVES to steal a sip out of my diet pepsi. I let her take a sip. I don't give treats for positive behavior, although it makes sense! I use praise. I didn't know that treats would help them develop positive behavior. Geez.... it would have been sooo much easier! Nancy