Simple tests of grey cognition

[Earthchild]

Today was test two. The first test was a carrot tied to a string about five inches from his perch. After looking at it from every angle possible he went back to his perch and began to pull the string up inch by inch until he had his carrot. Today's test went even better. A nut tied to a string outside of the cage from the overhang of his cage top, then tied a different color string to that and put it right inside the cage. Took him barely 60 seconds to figure out that pulling the white string brought the nut close enough to grab! (noted that this is the first try on both experiments and as far as I know he has never seen these things before.)

[danmcq]

Greys are one of the most intelligent critters on the planet. He probably thought "Thats all you got?"

[Earthchild]

I know! I'm having trouble thinking of more that he can do from inside the cage. I'm going to make him some new foraging toys next week though.

 

If anyone has any ideas for more experiments please post them. I'm going to start documenting them, possibly videotaping too.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Earthchild... open the cage! They can only do so much INSIDE their cage. Open the door to the REAL world! THATS where you will see their true ability to learn. Nancy

[Earthchild]

When he gets out we have to towel him to put him back in which really freaks him out

[JeffNOK]

Hmm that's a tough one. Will he step up on stick to go back in his cage?

[danmcq]

As Jeff said, that is a tough one. I don't remember if he is flighted. But, will he possibly step up on a perch so you can take him back to his cage? Would he after a time go back to his cage on his own? Does she like a certain treat you could use to entice him back in the cage? My hat is off to you for taking the time to come up with ideas to keep him happy and busy in his cage. It shows just how much you truly love him and are concerned for his well being and happiness.

[Earthchild]

He goes ballistic if we put a stick even an inch into his cage, i don't know why. He hates them like ten times worse than hands. Last time he was out we tried using his normal long perch to get him to step up but he would jump back off after the slightest movement. The man who had him first did clip his wings so he can't fly back, that would be ideal though.

[JeffNOK]

I don't think we were suggesting to put a stick or perch "into" his cage. Most any grey would go ballistic with such an intrusion. I was wondering if you opened the door and he came out, would he later step up on a perch or stick outside the cage to then go back in. It is very very ill-advised to stick foreign objects into the sanctuary of the cage.

[Earthchild]

He has the same reaction with sticks outside of his cage too. Last time I was able to get him onto his perch (we detached it from the cage) but when I would move it he would jump back off. I tried for over 45 minutes.

[Wingy]

How about attaching a short perch on the outside of the cage but in view of a food bowl, call it the prime decision making location. When it is time to go inside make a big deal of placing a beloved food item into the bowl and walk away. When he goes in to get it use a key word then praise the heck out of him but leave the door open. After a few times of "key word/reward/praise" for going into the cage close the door for a few minutes then open (rinse and repeat but leave the door closed for longer and longer periods of time). He should eventually get to the point of you giving the key word and he going into the cage.

Edited May 14, 2013 by Wingy

[Timbersmom]

Timber has the same reaction to sticks/perches held by me or anyone else.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

If your new baby, landed on the floor,stressed out, would he stepup to you?I dont believe in toweling. Reserved only, for nail, beak or wing trimming or vet visit. Sophie or any of my birds always stepped up when they flew to an area they were not comfortable with. Nancy

[Timbersmom]

Same here. Timber will always step up if he if not comfortable with his location.

[Earthchild]

He would rather hide under the sofa than step up.

[Timbersmom]

Maybe Dee will chime in here. I seem to remember her saying Gilbert spends some time under the sofa as well!

[Wingy]

Any bird that has not learned "outside of cage" is not going to know what to do. This is true for babies and olders. When I brought Jake home we spent many hours and days just teaching him how to climb on rope perches. His currency was safflower seeds and I would line them up along the rope. After that we worked on climbing up and then exploring the cage top. So start small with a perch near or even on the door with a food bowl and a toy bowl. As he gets comfortable add additional perches on the outside of the cage that he can reach with a step and place that extra food bowl at farther and farther intervals. To get him back into the cage do the opposite and place a beloved treat in the cage while he is watching you. Something to keep in mind is to play relaxing music that doesn't have any startle moments to freak him out. I bet slowly he will start to come out and explore.

[katana600]

I just found this thread, I don't know how I missed it, but my mind is not with me since my return home. I typed a big long response and it disappeared. I will try again though.

[katana600]

Gilbert did spend a lot of time under the sofa or chairs if he startled off his cage. He is still not flighted but he is finally making progress getting away from his cage a little. At first, I tried attaching a ladder from the floor to bottom of the cage. I couldn't convince him to try it to get back in. Even though he would get in a panic because he was on the floor and he would accept a step up to get back in, it was not a trust building endeavor. Eventually what we hit on here was to put his travel cage right next to his big cage. He likes his travel cage and he will climb up and down and if he startled to the floor, he could come back and climb in on his own and that has really increased his confidence. I did put a perch inside his cage attached to the door. I used that every night to hand him an almond in the shell that he loved for his night time treat before bed time. Over time, I would leave the latch open so the door would flutter a bit when he climbed onto the perch. He eventually got accustomed to the motion of the door, then I started leaving it open a crack and then handing the almond in through the crack in the door. It took months and months, almost two years for him to get to the place where he would come out and put himself back inside when I asked if he wanted a treat. The almond is his treat and I would only give him one when he went to the perch on his door whether he was inside or outside. That gave me the ability to close the cage while he was standing on the perch when I needed to put him inside the cage without touching him.

[katana600]

When I had a previous unflighted, sick grey, I was trying to give him courage to come out of his cage. His cage was a different type that was like he had at the breeder and he was younger, so the cage was more like you would use for a rabbit to accomodate his needs. When he started climbing out of the top, I wanted to expand his space, so I put his floor stand right inside of a small playpen. It is the kind like a "pack and play" for human infants. That way if he fell, he was still contained, he felt safe from our small dogs and it kept them safe as well as Kopi. The only thing with that is I had to be in the room the whole time because I had a concern if he could get caught in the netting. If you don't have a travel cage or the room to sit one next to your big cage, you might find a grate of some sort, a dog gate comes to mind. You might be able to us zip ties to attach to the side of the big cage to fill the gap between the floor and the main cage for him to get up off the floor by himself should he startle and find himself down there. Another thought is something like the cargo net I use for my motorcycle. Its made of material like bungee cords and has four hooks where it can be attached to side rails and the wheel base of the cage. You might even be able to make something with sisal rope or with pvc and vet tape. Gilbert built the most confidence and trust by being able to skittle back to a safe height on his own. Twenty six months together and though he has come far, he still isn't consistently cooperative with hands.