Oscar's training journal

[danmcq]

Nice photo of the wing flapping! He is just stretching his wings and enjoying it. I have no doubt it is something he has not been able to do in a long time. I don't think it was so much problem solving for that nut. It was probably him deciding if it was worth stepping up for hoping you would give it to him if he backed away and finally ok I want it, I'm going for it.

 

I appreciate your candidness of the small mistake. It is how we all learn. Even clipped, there will be times he will be frightened in the future and flap down from wherever he is.` However, with a good clip that will allow him to flap down at a 45 degree angle, rather than falling like a rock it will be safer as he will not be able to build speed like he can with full wings. Perhaps the next time he flaps down, you could try using a 12 or 18 inch perch to get him to step up on rather than toweling? It will take a little patience for him to make up his mind to step up on to it. But it will be less drama than toweling for you both.

 

Everything new like this step up on your arm needs to be done in baby steps. Just stand there with him on your arm without moving. This will keep him close to his safety zone ans also let him know all is well and your arm and you can be trusted.

Edited February 14, 2013 by danmcq

[Timbersmom]

Enjoyed the pic, thanks! Timber loves to hang on his cage and flap. It seems to be just part of his daily routine. He has a "light" clip, and as Dan said, he can glide down but not achieve full flight. I've made so many mistakes since I rehomed him! Even our more experienced members still make mistakes and have the bite marks to prove it However, there isn't any point in kicking yourself. I just learn from the mistake and know not to repeat it (or try not to). What happened with you is what most of us do, try to go too fast too soon. It's like you have to adjust to "grey time" which moves much more slowly than ours! On the other hand, sometimes he will surprise you with rapid progress. Considering the situation Oscar came out of, I think you have made amazing progress

[MoonRock]

2/14/13 AM: HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! We had a good morning, hanging out together (Oscar atop his cage, me sitting nearby) as I reread parts from Of Parrots and People. I read silently to myself as Oscar watched me intently, creeping closer now and then. Each new day Oscar seems to be growing more at ease in my presence. Oscar "stepped up" for me onto a perch in only three tries, and was successfully returned to his cage. I gave him a macadamia nut for his good work.

[danmcq]

Wow, stepping up on to the perch for you and allowing you to return him the cage is great progress! Sounds like a GreYt valentines day present to you from Oscar. Nice!!!

[MoonRock]

2/14/13 PM: Oscar has been very vocal tonight! The velOSCARaptor scream bore a hole through my eardrums, I think. I am unsure of the exact reason(s) Oscar seemed somewhat discontent, but I speculate it may be because I was distracted tonight while spending time with him. He would also scream whenever I left the room. He accepted a nut and stepped up onto a perch for me (not in that order, of course) . But what would make him so... out of sorts?

[danmcq]

That is a tough one. Only you can determine why Oscar was upset. It could have been your distraction. It could also be anything that was different about you. Greys pay attention to the most miniscule details. Nail polish color, clothes you have on, pendants etc. A small change in you could do it. Something new in his area of sight, a throw rug off by a few inches, something you could be using like a nail file, clippers, you name it.. etc.

[MoonRock]

2/15/13: Oscar was chasing me around on top of his cage for a nut. I was chasing Oscar around for a "step up". It was all rather playful as we kept switching the chaser/ chasee. I would reveal the nice, big fat nut and Oscar would quickly move forward to retrieve it. I would then present my (heavily fortified with jackets) arm and say "step up", at which point Oscar would retreat. We did this for ten minutes straight. I think we have matching gleams in our eyes. In the end, I placed the nut on top of the cage and allowed Oscar to come retrieve it, no step up required. "Victory", his expression said. Victory, indeed.

[danmcq]

LOL, I can picture that interaction. Oscar 1 you 0.

[Timbersmom]

Truth there. If nothing else, having a parrot teaches most of us to be gracious losers

[MoonRock]

Oscar is revealing himself to be a mischievous little dude. Each passing moment he becomes more bold, more comfortable in my home, and now he likes to wander a few feet away from his cage (in a safe, contained space), only to rush back to it as I enter the room. His expression seems to say, "What, I wasn't doing anything (hehehe)!"

 

Today, 2/16/13, I am working on something very fun with Oscar. I call it "trust/ treat training", which is quite simple. I leave the room, busy myself with something else, and then reappear with a nut, piece of banana, playful sound or hearty praise for Oscar. He is loving this, as I am not requiring a step up for treats, fun, or affection. Today I am simply building trust and a bond with Oscar, and it is making him so gleeful that he revealed today that he once lived with a Cockatiel, or so I suspect. A very loud Cockatiel, given Oscar's imitation. Oscar is also making totally ridiculous dance moves, which I can only describe as the "I'm a little tea pot" dance. He literally looks like he is working a hula hoop as he sways in a circular direction, rotating all the way around his feathered body. Has anyone ever seen their Grey do this before?? It is really hysterical.

[MoonRock]

Today I need to make the most out of my time with Oscar, because tomorrow he is getting groomed and I anticipate we may take a few steps back because of that. It is through this forum that I truly realized how important it is for companion birds to remain flighted, but for Oscar that is not possible because he has no depth perception from being blind in one eye. He also has overgrown talons, and though his beak looks fine to me it might need some grooming attention too. I made sure Feathered Follies in Concord, California was familiar with grooming "ticked off" (as I put it) birds. Oscar will no doubt be very upset when I crate him and haul him off to go get groomed. But our excursion tomorrow is a necessary evil, one which will make him less likely to get injured. Honestly, I am amazed his talons haven't already gotten caught in something, or grown back into his feet.

[danmcq]

Trust/Treat training is GreYt, as his reaction confirms! Dayo does some crazy tea pot moves as well and it is very entertaining to watch.

 

The good thing about the vet visit, is the frustration will be towards the vet, not you. Looking forward to hearing more.

Edited February 17, 2013 by danmcq

[aw64]

This is really good reading, look forward to reading more

[MoonRock]

An ah-ha moment for Oscar: I offered him my arm for a step up because I needed to get him back into his cage. Of course, he declined because he is not a fan of getting too close just yet (my arm has the many bite marks to prove it). I then very calmly offered him a perch to step up onto, which he hates even more than my arm but prevents me from being bitten. Upon getting Oscar onto the perch, I gently but in a no-nonsense sort of way returned him to his cage. I praised him and offered him a nut, and he seemed surprised that nothing horrible happened to him as a result of the arm- or perch- negotiating. Oscar likes his cage, and as we speak he is making his playful statement "Yaw!" (yeah). Soon enough I will return from Peet's (like a Starbucks, but better) and let him back out. My little dude is getting it, at least in the moment: I will not hurt him, sometimes I just want him to step up. "Yaw!"

Edited February 17, 2013 by MoonRock

[danmcq]

The perch is definitely the way to go with oscar for now. Many people with aggressive rehomes use a perch as the first method of getting a bird to step up. As oscar becomes more acustomed to the perch. You can start slowly over time moving where you are holding it closer and closer until your hand is almost touching his talon when you get him to step up on it. At that point in time your hand or arm would become acceptable to him in place of the perch.

[MoonRock]

2/17/13: Oscar's wing clip, talon trim and bath went pretty well today, all things considered. The groomer at Feathered Follies was attentive and discovered that Oscar weighs only 418 grams (less than a pound), and had a scabbed over wound on his keel. He also appears to have plucked some feathers under his wings and around one leg (not very visible until the feathers are wet). Oscar is, in fact, totally blind in his right eye. What concerned us all most was Oscar's low weight. I will be taking him to Dr. Brian Speer as soon as I can, but in the meantime I have a "prescription" to fatten Oscar up with peanuts, bananas, high-protein foods and his usual Zupreem pellets.

 

Oscar seemed amazed to be around other Greys. I doubt he has seen another Grey since he was a downy little guy. He mostly kept his distance from them, all of them more "people friendly" than he is, but he seemed to enjoy the company of his own kind. Oscar is very dark for a CAG, so much so that I asked a few folks if they thought he was a Congo/ Timneh hybrid (a Tingo). I was assured he is a bona fide Congo, just smaller and darker than is typical. I love him no matter what, of course.

 

Oscar made some huge strides today. The bath itself was rocky but OK, but afterward one Feathered Follies staff person managed to get a brief, no-bite step up from Oscar. Her trick was to use her wrist and hand, rather than her arm, to provide less surface to bite. Also, she went from behind Oscar, gently coaxing him onto her wrist and hand (rather than coming from in front of Oscar and scaring him silly).

 

Upon arriving home, I kept Oscar in his crate to allow me some time to scrub his cage down better. While I cleaned it as best I could the night I got him, Oscar's cage has been grimy this whole week. So in addition to being happy that he was home and had a cleaner cage to step into, Oscar was gleeful to get peanuts and a bird granola mix. Oscar was acting so happy, in fact, that I took a chance and added an extra perch and an extra toy to his cage. He has been very suspicious of new things in his cage, so I am sincerely hoping his happiness lasts long enough for him to accept these new "foreign objects". I anticipate that in the morning I will see that he played with the toy overnight, or at least did not yank feathers out while anxiously staring at it.

 

Guess what?! Dr. Irene Pepperberg is coming to my area in May, and I may attend the conference! Furthermore, for the second day of the conference there will be workshops, and I could bring along Oscar! Who better to touch base with about Oscar than Dr. Pepperberg herself?! I am so excited.

 

As always, folks, feel free to offer your input, suggestions, or encouragement. Seeing all of those other well-socialized Greys made it very apparent how very far Oscar has to go. But we are moving forward, that's for sure. EASY DOES IT.

[danmcq]

It sounds like the grooming went well. In regards oscars size. The darker Congo's are a little smaller than the very light gray congo's. The lighter grey congos come from the Cameroon area of africa and are larger. They are both congo's. Oscar maybe be a small framed grey. Greys like humans come in small, medium and large frame body structures. The weight of 418 grams is still in the range from 400 gm to 650 gm weight range. The vet visit will tell how if oscar is under weight or not. My grey dayo, which is darker colored, is on average 480 gm. Before his primaries grew in after the breeder initially clipped him and he stared flying his weight averaged around 430 gm. Muscle mass adds weight in other words. The keel wound sounds like oscar may have come to you with an injury or it could have been from the flight he crashed in a little earlier this week. One thing to make sure of right now since the clip, is that oscar can only land on a carpeted on to absorb the hard landing if the clip is a little short and he drops like a rock. Which he may anyway since he really does not have strong breast muscles to madly flap those wings as he drops. So if the area his may fall in is tiles, you should place some towels or throw rugs to ease the shock of landing hard.

 

Attending Dr. Pepperbergs would be a wonderful experience. i hope you are able to attend.

Edited February 19, 2013 by danmcq

[MoonRock]

2/18/13 AM: I appreciate the input as always, Dan. Thank you for making me feel better about Oscar's small size, though a baseline health check is of course a good idea. His keel wound is small, and definitely obtained before I got him, though again, a baseline health check is needed. Sadly, as the "bird people" were talking about Oscar's eye, it was concluded he was probably struck by a person. Of course I have no way to know if this is true, but if it is, I can't believe Oscar is at all willing to learn to trust me. He is one awesome bird.

 

Today Oscar is in a very good mood. He ate plenty of his bird granola overnight, and of course his usual pellets. He has accepted the extra perch in his cage, even playfully going back and forth between the new perch and the "established" perch. However, he still prefers the perch he knows best. I also found evidence that he lightly played with the toy I put in his cage.

 

Today I will work on more trust/ treat training. Yum! No need to step up today, little guy.

[danmcq]

No doubt he needs a vet check up to get a baseline and get their summation of his health status.

 

No one can say for certain what caused the blind eye, except the person that owned him when it happened. Oscar could have received it from the owner, another bird, a toy or item he hit and damaged that eye on etc. I have seen trust built in parrots that had suffered tremendously under some humans hands. Yet, over time strong and trusting relationships are built with them.

 

I have no doubt oscar is enjoying the loving attention, new perch and toys in his cage. It is going from a barren jail cell, to a fully furnished apartment that he can enjoy and amuse himself in.

[MoonRock]

2/18/13 PM: Oscar seems happier with each passing day. I think he notices that his quality of life has improved- or at least, he notices that his food dish is always full, his water dish is clean and brimming with bottled water, he has extra toys and perches, his cage is cleaner and he gets time out of the cage. Oscar loves to test my sincerity, it seems, by calling from the other room to see if I will come, or screaming out of the blue to see if I will in fact leave the room. I really have to be extra consistent in these early days, because OMG my little feathered-butt is surely watching my every move!

[danmcq]

Really, you need to be consistent in your interactions with a grey at all times. Just as they are. Yes, they watch and listen to everything you do or vocalize. Oscar is training you well.

[MoonRock]

2/19/13 PM: Oscar had another happy day. Unfortunately I was rather busy, but Oscar amused himself on top of and in his cage. He tore into some toys gleefully, though mostly he does this when I am not watching. He still prefers to play his hardest when he is alone.

 

We had some noisy moments, which I think may be Oscar's standard volume level. That is fine with me, as Oscar is pretty good about keeping the volume down unless he wants something. It is up to me to pay attention.

[Tyson'sMom]

Re the noisy moments - I'm hoping that if I ignore the particularly annoying/piercing sounds and reply to the quieter sounds, Tyson will take the hint and make fewer annoying sounds. The worst one is his telephone noise. If I had a home phone (I only use a cell phone) I'd be rushing to answer Tyson! Luckily he only uses this noise as a wake-up call, and if he REALLY wants to get my attention. I just reply by saying quietly "nobody's home."

[MoonRock]

2/21/13 PM: Oscar had a good day today. He ate well and played happily. We are going to the veterinarian tomorrow for a baseline health assessment.

Edited February 22, 2013 by MoonRock

[danmcq]

Looking forward to hearing the results.